Archive of Our Own

Jisung didn’t really know his dad that well. It wasn’t like they were total strangers, but the only time he saw him was usually over the summer. Even when he stayed with him, he was rarely around.

The year he turned fourteen was the year that his dad decided he wanted to be a father. He had no idea why, but he thought maybe he was finally feeling guilty for neglecting his only son for his entire life. His mom never told him what happened between them. She never even told him who his dad was. She didn’t like to talk about it. But he assumed that when he became rich and famous, he decided to ditch them. He kind of resented him a little for that. But, his stepdad made his mom happier than anyone else in the world, and if that’s how life intended for it to go, so that she could meet her soulmate, then he couldn’t complain.

He wasn’t sure what had happened, but one summer he came to their house with a sad smile on his face, introducing himself. His mom looked happy to see him, and the next thing he knew, he was getting shipped off to his mansion every summer. 

His dad was always busy, and he knew if he told his mom that he was never around when he visited, she would probably get upset. So he kept that part to himself. He never really cared if he wasn’t around, though, because it was fun when he could invite all his friends over to throw ragers since he wasn’t home. It became a recurring summer event, which is why he pretended to like him enough to stay there from the beginning of June through the end of August. 

But this summer was a little different. Instead of hanging out at his giant house, which was only about an hour away from where he and his mother lived, he was staying at his new summer beach house, all the way across the country. 

“You’ll love it, kiddo, it’s a beautiful place and it’s right on the beach,” he had told him. He hated it when he called him that. Especially because he was twenty years old now, and he wasn’t a damn kid anymore. 

He sighed, knowing his friends wouldn’t be able to visit since it was so far. It had him feeling depressed now that the break was coming up. He would have just stayed home, or made some excuse that he got a part-time job for the summer, but he could see his mother’s disappointed face when he told her that he didn’t want to visit. 

It meant a lot to her that he spent time with his dad. She had been excited that he had been showing interest in their lives. 

Which was how he found himself unlocking the door and tossing his bags to the floor. 

The beach house was absolutely gorgeous. There were at least ten rooms for some reason, and the living room was completely surrounded by glass windows, letting in the beautiful shining sun. He guessed that being a famous singer really gave you all the perks in life. 

He couldn’t help but notice how empty it felt, though. He sighed, walking over to the couch and throwing himself down on it. His dad was once again MIA, but that wasn’t shocking in the slightest. 

He pulled his phone out and decided to call Hyunjin, his best friend since high school. 

“Han Jisung, what do you want?” he answered. He couldn’t believe that just hearing his voice made him miss him so much. 

“I want you to quit your job and come spend the summer with me at Chan’s beach house,” he told him, and he could hear him chuckle over the receiver. 

“You want me to quit working at my mom’s bakery just so I can entertain you? How much does it pay?” 

“It pays in love and eternal friendship.” He smiled, even though he couldn’t see it. 

“Pass.”

That made both of them laugh. He groaned then, and he had no idea how he was going to get through this entire summer by himself. 

“You promise you’ll try and come, though?” He tried to sound as sad and lonely as possible so it made it difficult for him to say no. Everyone else had bailed, saying they couldn’t make the trip. Hyunjin was the only one he was counting on. 

“At the end of the summer, right?” Hyunjin asked, his voice unsure. 

“Yeah, I’m thinking we could sit beachside every day and have bonfires at night.” He tried to entice him. He knew it was hard for him to take a vacation far away from home, especially when his mom needed as much help at the bakery as she could get. He knew Hyunjin felt bad leaving her alone. He was an only child, his dad was busy working all the time, and it was hard to hire enough help. 

“That sounds so damn amazing. I promise I’ll try and make it out.” 

That’s all Jisung could ask for. 

Even though they had graduated from high school about three years ago, they still got together whenever they could. They were busier now, with work and college, but they always promised that their summer get-togethers would never end. They could be seventy years old, and they would still be partying together, laughing uncontrollably, and getting so drunk they could barely stand. 

“So, how is the place?” Hyunjin asked curiously. Jisung could tell he was at work, hearing the rustling of treat packages over the line. 

“Expensive.” He breathed out, annoyed, knowing that his dad was so rich he could afford anything he wanted. It made his stomach sour, knowing he and his mom were always barely scraping by. 

“I bet.” 

“It’s literally right on the beach, too. I can see the ocean through the back door.” He was trying to allure him the best he could. He knew Hyunjin was a sucker for some nice weather and soft sand under his feet. 

“Man, can I come now?” he joked, but Jisung wished he were serious.

“Sure, it’s not like Chan is home.” 

He didn’t really like to call him dad out loud. 

“You know, someday I would like to meet your super famous dad, by the way.” He could hear him smiling through the phone. His friends had been to his dad’s house many times, but never once had they met him. He kind of didn’t want them to meet him either. 

It was hard to keep it a secret on who his dad was. He remembered feeling this annoying pain in his chest when they started freaking out about it. He was afraid that maybe they would change and start treating him differently just because he was famous. 

He knew that was ridiculous to think because they had been friends since forever, but it was still a nagging thought in the back of his mind. 

“I barely even see him, you think you’re going to?” He laughed, and Hyunjin sighed.

“Maybe someday.”

That made Jisung roll his eyes. He was about to tell him that it was never going to happen when he heard the front door open. He was surprised to say the least. He really thought he wouldn’t see his dad at all this summer. But maybe he was encouraged by the beauty of the beach house. 

“Hey, I gotta go. I think he actually might be here.” 

Before Hyunjin could answer, he hung up the phone and kicked off the couch. His dad would usually show his face a few times during the summer, but never this early. 

He froze when he saw that it was, in fact, not his dad. He jumped as the man walking through the front door let out a panicked yelp.

“Holy—”

The man standing in the foyer dropped the keys to the ground in surprise, his eyes going incredibly wide. He was completely startled, looking at him like he was an alien or something. 

“Who the—you’ve got seconds to explain how you got in here.” He sounded angry, and Jisung was instantly confused. 

“Me? What? This is my dad’s house,” he snapped, because who the hell was this guy, and how dare he look at him like that when he was the one who should be explaining himself. 

The guy’s eyes narrowed in on him, and Jisung glared back.

“Oh, cut the bullshit. You’ve got seconds before I call the cops for trespassing.” He went to grab his phone, and Jisung had no idea what was going on right now. 

“What are you talking about? Who the hell are you?” he retorted, because this guy had a lot of nerve. 

“I live next door, and I know the guy who owns the place, so don’t even try lying,” he explained, and that made Jisung scoff. 

“I’m his son. Chan? He’s my dad,” he told him a little slower, and that made his eyebrow twitch. 

“Last chance, kid.” 

Kid? Now he was pissed. 

“Fine. You want me to prove it to you?” He grabbed his phone from his back pocket, scrolling through and bringing up his dad’s number. He pressed call and put it on speaker phone. It rang for longer than he had hoped, thinking maybe he wasn’t going to pick up, but thankfully, he answered.

“Hey kiddo, what’s up?” 

“Hey, just wanted to let you know that I got in okay.” He smirked at the guy, who suddenly looked incredibly stunned. 

“Good, how are you liking it? It’s nice, right?” he asked, and he didn’t actually want to talk to him, he was just trying to prove a point before he got the damn cops called on him. 

“Yeah, it looks great, it—”

“Look, buddy, I gotta go, but I’ll call you back, okay?”

Jisung rolled his eyes. “Sure, Dad. ” 

“I’ll call you later.” 

The guy’s mouth was practically on the floor as he shoved the phone back into his pocket. 

“Believe me now?” he asked, sounding irritated, hoping that he would get off his back. He looked like he couldn’t get a word out as he stood frozen in the doorway. 

“So who the hell are you exactly? And what are you doing just waltzing into my dad's beach house?” He crossed his arms over his chest, and he could see that the guy was still trying to process what was happening. 

“I’ve—I’ve known Chan since we were kids. This can’t be…he never once mentioned…” He rubbed his face, and that made Jisung laugh a little. 

“Hey, don’t feel too bad. I didn’t know he was my dad for most of my life, so him not telling you isn’t that surprising.” He shrugged, and that made the guy's eyes flick over to him. 

“How old are you?” he asked suddenly.

Jisung frowned at him. “I'm twenty, not that it’s any of your business,” he grumbled, and Jisung could see his wheels spinning. 

“Fucking hell.” He blew out a stressed breath, and Jisung was getting tired of his drama. 

“So, are you going to answer my questions or what?” He knew he sounded sassy, but he couldn’t help it. 

“Your dad asked me to watch the beach house while he was gone on his European tour. I was just checking in.” 

Leave it to Chan to not mention to either of them that Jisung was staying at the house—or that his friend was supposed to be house sitting. He also didn’t know that he was on fucking tour right now. He blew out an irritated breath. 

“Classic Chan.” Jisung shook his head. He bent down and picked up the keys that the guy dropped, since he still looked awestruck. 

“Here.” He held them out as he waited for him to take them. 

“Thanks.” He cleared his throat, reaching out. He still looked like he had no idea what to say or even how to react. He was in complete shock. 

“So you live next door?” he asked, trying to break him out of whatever internal episode he was having. 

“Y–Yeah. The one to the left.” He pointed out the window, and he could see another massive house just feet away.

“And you know my dad?” he questioned, not liking that he had to keep referring to him like that, but he didn’t need him second-guessing if he was actually telling the truth or not.

“We’ve been friends since high school. So, yeah, I know…your dad.” He sounded like he couldn’t believe those words were coming out of his mouth. It was quiet between them for a minute, and Jisung didn’t like how awkward this was. 

“Well, whatever you were supposed to do, I can just do it. I’ll be here all summer anyway,” he told him. The guy was nodding, but he could tell that he was struggling to pay attention. 

“What’s your name?” he asked then, and Jisung had been hoping he would just tell him what he needed to do and then leave. That wasn’t the case, as he still seemed like he was trying to process what was happening. 

“Jisung,” he told him, and he mouthed it back. He knew he was shocked, but he was acting so weird. “Are you going to tell me yours?” 

“I’m Minho,” he said, finally introducing himself, and since he went to high school with his dad, he must’ve been around the same age. Since he asked him how old he was, he thought it only fair to ask him too.

“So what, you’re like forty or something?” 

That made his face fall with irritation. 

“I’m thirty-six, you brat.” He glared, and that made Jisung snort. 

“Close enough.” 

He shoved the keys in his pocket then, and Jisung was happy that it looked like he was getting a grip on reality.

“I was supposed to water the plants and just check the house for anything that looked out of the ordinary,” he told him then, making Jisung laugh again.

“So, does Chan having a secret kid count as out of the ordinary?” He couldn’t help but joke about it, and that made Minho shake his head. He chuckled a bit, though, and Jisung decided that he looked pretty hot with a smile on his face. He didn’t respond, though, because he still looked like he was trying to grapple with the whole situation. 

He wondered why Chan had never mentioned him. He had been in life for 6 years now, so it had to have come up at least once, right? He guessed that telling someone you were close with that you had a kid that you never supported was a weird conversation.

“Well, if you can just do that, then…I appreciate it.” He nodded at him, and Jisung just waved as he turned and closed the door behind him.

He sighed, and the house once again felt empty, as he was the only one in it. 

He was bored. 

It had been only two days since he had arrived, and he was already so lonely that he wanted to just say screw it and head back home. 

The only bright side was that Chan had left him a credit card to buy whatever food he wanted, and the weather was gorgeous. He was planning on trying to swim out in the ocean later, but he was kind of afraid to go by himself. He wasn’t a very good swimmer, and if he were to get swept away by the waves, then he would be totally lost forever, with no one knowing what had happened to him. The thought made him shiver.

The sun was shining in through the kitchen. He sighed, kind of wishing his mom was there to make him breakfast. He knew he wasn’t a kid anymore, but she would always make him a delicious spread. He was in college, but he still lived at home. Maybe he was babied just a little, but he was her only son. It worked out for him since he never went hungry, but it also meant that he was terrible at cooking. Which was why he decided on just toast this morning. 

He ended up burning it by accident, but he knew if he put enough butter and jam on it, then it wouldn’t matter. He was too lazy and hungry to bother throwing it out and making it again.

Another thing about the beach house was that it had an amazing porch. It had a hot tub, patio furniture, and an umbrella, so if he was tired of the beach, he could come back and lie out near the house. He slid the door open, making his way outside with his toast. The breeze smelled like salt, and he decided that maybe this summer wouldn’t be that bad after all. 

There were a lot of private residences nearby. There were people walking on the beach, dogs running in the sand, and kids playing in the ocean. It was a beautiful late morning. 

He still had his pajamas on, and he was startled when he looked over to see that someone was looking at him. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed him instantly when he walked out, because he wasn’t that far away. 

“Oh, uh, hi.” 

Minho nodded at him as he shoved the rest of his toast into his mouth. 

“Good morning,” he replied.

He was sitting at a round glass table, with a coffee mug in his left hand. There was a pad of paper to his right, and his laptop was under a little umbrella. Jisung couldn't help but notice his muscles since he was wearing a sleeveless shirt. Yesterday, he had been wearing long sleeves, so he hadn’t had a great look at them. But today they were practically staring at him, begging to be noticed. He tried not to focus too hard as he pulled his gaze up to his eyes. 

“So…” He trailed off, not really knowing what to say. This was totally awkward. The porches were basically touching each other. All he had to do was climb over the wooden railing, and he would be on his back patio. “The weather is really great here.” 

He honestly had no idea what to say, but when in doubt, talk about the weather, right? 

“It’s nice during the summer. The winter is a bit of a different story, though.” He smiled, and Jisung couldn’t help but stare at his face for a little too long. 

“You’re here during the winter, too?” he asked.

Minho nodded. “I live here all year round, yeah.”

Jisung could already feel himself starting to burn in the hot sun. He could see that his eyes flicked back to his laptop, typing a bit before stopping again.

“How long have you lived here for?” he asked, and he didn’t really care that much, but he decided that it was the only way to keep the conversation going. That, and the fact that if he decided to go back inside or go down to the beach, he would be by himself, and he was tired of not having anyone to talk to. 

“Probably about ten years now.” 

That made Jisung curious as to why and how his dad decided to buy this beach house. 

“So, I’m assuming my dad bought this place because of you, then?” he asked, and for some reason that made him chuckle.

He took another sip of his coffee before answering. Jisung could see that it was black, which made him wince with disgust. 

“I own both properties. Your dad technically just rents it from me. There was an older couple that used to live here, but they decided that it was time for them to move out, so your dad said that he’d rent it because he wanted to be able to come around more.” 

That made Jisung laugh.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s around a ton,” he said sarcastically, and that made Minho smile. 

“He’s a busy guy,” he told him.

Jisung rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I guess, but it wouldn’t hurt for him to try to come around more.” 

Fuck.  

He sounded hurt—but he wasn’t. He didn’t care if Chan was around or not. He didn’t owe him anything. He went fourteen years of his life without needing him, and he wasn’t going to start needing him now.

He noticed Minho’s small sympathetic frown, and that bothered him. 

“I’m sure he wants to, but can’t,” he said, and Jisung didn’t like that it sounded like he was talking to a disappointed child. 

“I mean, it doesn’t matter to me as long as I get a vacation like this.” He switched to a happier voice, and that seemed to convince him. It was quiet then as he finished his coffee. Minho looked preoccupied again, his fingers flying over his keyboard. Jisung decided that he needed to get his bathing suit and some sunscreen on. 

He went back inside to do just what he intended. He was going to have a relaxing day on the beach. 

When he came back out, Minho was still focused on his computer. He had no idea why he suddenly wanted to know what he was doing. He blamed it on being bored. He also realized he had a lot of questions he wanted to ask him. He wanted to know more about his relationship with his dad. He wanted to know if he had ever called him yesterday, asking him about his son, that he knew nothing about. 

He decided that he probably didn’t want to be bothered, so he just bit his lip, making his way down the stairs towards the beach.  

That’s when his eyes honed in on the ocean, the waves crashing heavily against the shore. 

“Hey, can I ask you a favor?” he called out, before his feet could hit the sand. Minho looked up then, a curious expression on his face. “If I go in the water and I end up disappearing, can you tell everyone that I love them?” 

That made Minho laugh.

“If I see you struggling out there, I’ll come pull you out.” He smiled widely at him, and Jisung had no idea why his heart just flipped in his chest. He wasn’t expecting him to say that. 

“I’ll try not to drown. You seem busy.” 

He didn’t wait to hear his response, he just gripped his towel tight as he darted towards the water. 

Most days went by the same. Breakfast, a quick good morning to Minho, who was sitting at his table on his patio, beach, lunch, more beach, dinner, television, then off to bed. Of course he texted Hyunjin and his other friends in between, took a few bathroom breaks, and played some video games on his phone, but other than that, those were his days.

And he was already so fucking bored. It had been about two weeks. 

Most people wouldn’t complain. They would love something like this, having a simple carefree day after a simple carefree day. But Jisung needed to do something. He needed someone to talk to. It was lonely, and he knew he couldn’t call Hyunjin again today. He was busy as it was, and he felt bad for bothering him so much. 

So today, he planned on eating breakfast and bothering Minho. He was out on his patio every single morning without fail, and he was getting more curious by the day. So when he stepped out onto the porch, with a burnt bagel in hand, he made his way over to the railing. He leaned over it, munching away. 

Minho was once again typing quickly, and he hadn’t even looked up. Some days he would greet him first, other days he had furrowed brows and seemed completely focused. Jisung would try to wave at him, but he would only get a half assed one in return. 

“What are you always doing over here?” he questioned.

Minho briefly glanced up at him. “Working,” he explained simply, and Jisung rolled his eyes like he always did when he got a plain response.

“Working on what?”

He knew he sounded annoying, but he couldn’t help it. He needed to talk to someone today. It was driving him insane. Minho’s fingers came to a halt, and he took the opportunity to grab his water bottle. 

“I’m working on my manuscript,” he elaborated as he took a sip.

“Are you a writer?” he asked curiously.

Minho nodded. “I am.” 

“So you’ve written books? Like real books?” he questioned, and Minho cocked his head to the side.

“Yes, I have written real books. Even though I’m not sure what real books means.” He smiled at him. Jisung noticed he liked to smile a lot whenever he said something snarky. 

“A real book, as in one that’s good and something I’ve read or heard of.” 

That made Minho laugh. Jisung was good at getting a chuckle out of him, and for some reason, he liked that feeling.

“You don’t strike me as an avid reader.” He smirked, and Jisung shrugged. He got him there. Honestly, he couldn’t even tell you that last time he picked up a book, let alone read one. Not that he didn’t like reading, it just wasn’t something he did often. 

“Okay, yeah, I don’t read much.” 

Another smile. 

“Well, you’re more than welcome to read them if you’re interested,” he informed him, going back to typing as Jisung shoved the rest of his food in his mouth.

“What kind of books do you write?”

He knew he should have waited to swallow his food to ask, but he was afraid that if he stopped talking, he would go back to ignoring him. 

“I’ve written a few different genres. Thrillers. Mystery. Mostly romance, though.”

His fingers stopped again with a soft sigh. He leaned back in his chair, and the sunlight danced across his cheeks. 

Since he didn’t read a lot, he didn’t know much about genres, but he found he was suddenly interested. 

“Which one is your favorite?” he asked him, and that made his eyes drift towards the sky as if he were thinking. He tapped his fingers on the table before getting up from his chair. Jisung watched as he made his way into his house. He knew he was coming back out, but he didn’t like that he was alone again. He knew that was ridiculous, so he tried to brush it off and waited patiently. 

It only took him about a minute to return with a paperback in his hand. He looked a little nervous as he passed it over to him. 

“Here. Don’t lose it. It’s my first and original copy.” He handed it to him, and Jisung suddenly felt like he was holding Minho’s most prized possession. He had no idea why he was trusting him with it, especially because he definitely still had butter and cream cheese all over his hands, like a messy child. 

“I promise I won’t. Thank you.”

He inspected it. 

A Relinquished Love

He had never been excited to read a book before, but for some reason, he felt like he wanted to dive in right away. He had nothing else to do anyway. 

“Can I take it to the beach?” he asked, unsure if that would be alright. 

“Sure, just don’t go swimming with it,” he joked, and Jisung just nodded. 

He noticed Minho would stay on his porch until around five in the afternoon, and sometimes even later. He wasn’t sure exactly what time he got there in the morning, but it had to be before nine because that was the earliest Jisung had ever woken up, and he was already out there. 

It had been about four days since he had given him the book. It was the evening, the sun had been beating down on him all day, and he finally read the last chapter. 

“Wait, that can’t be it.” He flipped it back to front, hoping there would be more. But that’s where it ended. He wondered if maybe his original copy was missing pages. He hopped up from the couch then, hastily making his way to the sliding back door. He knew he might not be out there, but he had to check. 

Of course he wasn’t there. The sun was setting, and he leaned over the railing to see if he could see inside his house. That’s when he decided to hop over the ledge, jumping right onto his patio. 

The lights were on inside, and he knew that he was totally crazy, but he needed to know. There had to be a sequel, and if not, then pages had to have been missing. He knocked loudly, doing it again as he was impatient. 

That’s when he saw Minho emerge from somewhere in the house, looking completely confused as to why someone was smashing their fist on his door. He slid it open, and Jisung held it up.

“Hey, is this unfinished? Or is there another one? If there’s another one, I need it.”

Minho smiled slowly. “I’m going to assume that means you liked it?” he asked, and Jisung flipped through the book again front to back, frustratedly. 

“I mean, yeah, it was good, but it’s not finished,” he tried to tell him, but Minho shook his head.

“It is finished,” he said, and Jisung’s mouth fell open.

“It can’t be. He was in love with her. He had to tell her. You’re telling me he never tells her?” He was almost yelling, and Minho shrugged. He didn’t respond. 

Jisung couldn’t believe he felt so distraught. Minho just carefully took the book out of his hands. 

“If it would make you feel better, then you can believe that one day maybe he will.” His smile was soft, and Jisung felt the anger flare up.

“Well, how do we know for sure that he will? He loves her. How can she not see that? How can she not know? How can it just be over?” Even though he sounded upset, Minho was still smiling. 

“That’s how love is sometimes,” he explained, and Jisung let out a disappointed breath. He couldn’t believe that that was all to the story. 

He had given her everything. He was there for her when she needed him most. He never told her his honest feelings. She met someone else. He let her go. He couldn’t believe it had ended so sadly.

He also couldn’t believe how hungry he was, as his stomach growled loudly, making him blush and causing Minho to bite back another grin.

“Well, even though the ending was so fucking sad, I still really liked it. You’re a really good writer,” he mumbled, and that made Minho smile wider. 

“Thank you, Jisung.”

Jisung felt his heart flip again. The combination of that smile and his name rolling off his tongue made his insides shake. He passed him the book, and he knew he needed to get back and eat something. He had been busy reading all day, so he never had the chance to make himself something. 

“So, I should–”

“If you haven’t eaten yet, I’m making dinner. Would you like to stay?” he asked.

Jisung blinked back at him, shocked by his offer. But there was no way he was going to deny it. He had been ordering takeout or eating cereal almost every night for the last couple of weeks.

“Yeah, absolutely. I’m starving. Oh, and fun fact about me, I am a terrible cook, so you’re doing me a huge favor,” he said, kicking his flip flops onto the porch before he darted inside, maybe a little too comfortably, but Minho didn’t seem to mind as he closed the door behind him.

The place was just as big and beautiful as Chan’s. They were pretty similar. The layouts were almost identical. 

He found himself sitting at his kitchen table, kicking his feet back and forth as he watched him make some kind of chicken and a wonderful-smelling pasta. 

“So, can I borrow another book?” he asked then, and that made Minho smile again. 

“Sure, I have a whole shelf over there, not just mine, so feel free to borrow whatever you want,” he offered, and Jisung grinned back, even though he was turned towards the stove so he couldn’t see it. 

That’s when he decided that he was going to get to know this guy a little more. They had been talking every day, even though not much, and he barely knew anything about him. He was pretty quiet on the patio, with Jisung talking his ear off as he tried to focus. But tonight, he was determined to learn a thing or two. 

“So, are you rich like Chan, too?”

That was probably too blunt, because that made him chortle. 

“I wouldn’t say rich, no,” he answered, tasting the sauce before stirring it around.

“Well, this place can’t be cheap, and I was assuming you were a super-rich best-selling author after reading your book,” he said, and Minho turned to face him now. He looked a little flushed in the cheeks, but he thought it was because of the hot stove. 

“I’m getting by well enough,” he said as he rubbed his hands on a dish towel.

Jisung could tell he was trying to put an end to the discussion about his financial well-being by his tone. He knew he was also being modest because this place was amazing, and his writing was phenomenal. It made him feel things he never knew he could feel when reading a book before. 

“So, when did you start writing?” he asked, suddenly curious about every aspect of this guy's life. It could have been because he was bored, but he also found him kind of interesting. Even though he was kind of quiet, he was nice enough to say hi to him almost every morning and listen to him drone on about random things. 

“Probably about fifteen years ago, I think?” 

“So when you were my age?” he asked.

Minho frowned. “That just made me sound incredibly fucking old,” he groaned, and that made Jisung laugh. 

“Maybe because you are?” 

He didn’t miss the irritated smirk he licked onto his lips.

“You’re kind of a brat. Has anyone ever told you that?” 

“Me? How?” He faked his offended tone, but Minho was playing along. 

“You’re sassy, for starters.” He eyed him, but Jisung couldn’t deny that. Honestly, he was only snippy when it was warranted.

“And you never let me get my work done in the morning,” Minho added.

Jisung scoffed. “What? That’s bull.” 

“My decreased A.M. productivity would beg to differ.”

That made Jisung burn red a bit. He knew he would talk his ear off sometimes. But he was bored, so he couldn’t help it. 

“And you’ve called me old twice now, and I’m not even old.” He crossed his arms over his chest. 

“You’re sixteen years older than me, of course I think you’re old.” He rolled his eyes, and Minho sighed. 

“Three times.” 

Jisung couldn’t help but laugh, trying to stifle it. Minho turned with a shake of his head, bringing his attention back to the stove. 

Jisung played with his fingers as it fell quiet. He’d offered to help at least five times, but Minho said it would probably be better if he just sat there, since he admitted to being a bad cook. 

“So, Jisung,” he started, and Jisung’s eyes flicked up from where he was picking at his fingers. “Are you in college?” 

“Yeah. I go to college near my hometown. It’s like six hours from here, though,” he told him.

Suddenly, he was missing his friends and his mom again, now that he was talking about it. He hoped he wouldn’t peek over his shoulder to see the upset look on his face. 

“What are you studying?” 

“Finance.”

It sounded totally boring, because it was totally boring. He didn’t really know what he wanted to do, and he had to pick something. 

“That’s a good career path, with good job security,” he added, and Jisung just shrugged. 

“That’s one of the reasons why I picked it. Even if I don’t really like it that much.” He definitely wasn’t in love with finance, but he knew he needed money, and he wasn’t sure what else to do.

Dinner seemed to be almost done since Minho was mixing the noodles with the sauce, and he was moving the chicken to a serving plate. 

“It must be nice doing what you love.”

He didn’t mean to sound bitter, but between him and Chan, they were both doing what they were passionate about. Meanwhile, he was stuck in some stupid major that he hated, wishing things could be different. 

Minho didn’t seem bothered by what he said. His face almost looked sympathetic.

“Sometimes. Other times it can be difficult. Some mornings, I wake up and wonder why I ever decided I wanted to do this. Then other days, I love it more than anything in the world,” he told him as he placed a plate of food in front of him. His mouth watered. It looked amazing. 

“I’m sure it’s better than going to work and hating your job every day.” He pouted, and Minho gave him a soft smile.

“Well, what do you wish you could be doing?” he inquired then, and that made Jisung frown. If he had it his way, he would spend his days in the studio writing songs. Creating music. But he knew that it would take him forever to become successful, and there was a chance that if he followed that path, he never would. 

“Music,” he told him vaguely.

Minho chuckled, “Like father, like son, huh?” 

Jisung wasn’t sure why that bothered him, but it did. He didn’t like music because of Chan.

“Not really. My mom always liked music. She majored in music production and engineering in college.” He knew he sounded irritated, and Minho definitely noticed. 

“A whole musical family, I see.” 

“Chan isn’t my family,” he snapped, and he hadn’t even realized he spoke before he saw the shock on Minho’s face. He blushed deeply. 

But it was true. He was never around. He never supported him or his mother. She did everything on her own. She raised him. 

“Jisung—”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” He trailed off, feeling awkward. It was quiet for a moment before Minho broke the silence. 

“Don’t be sorry,” he told him.

Jisung bit his lip. He knew he should just let it go, but he kept talking. 

“It’s just…he was never there,” he mumbled, and that made Minho sigh softly. 

“Chan has always been distant. He was always doing his own thing. Always busy.” He knew he was trying to make him feel better by telling him that Chan’s lack of appearance in his life wasn’t personal, but it wasn’t working. 

“You could say that again.” He rolled his eyes. He was so distant that he didn’t even know who he was until he was fourteen years old. 

“He’s definitely…hard to love. But he’s a really great guy. But I know you probably don’t want to hear that.” 

He was right. He didn’t want to hear that. Because he didn’t care how great he was. It would have been great to have had a father. 

“Did you ask him why he never mentioned me?” He took the opportunity to ask. It was actually kind of driving him insane since the day they met. 

“He said that he kept meaning to tell me, but it never came up,” he informed him, and that made Jisung scoff. He also saw him hiding something behind those pretty eyes of his. His eyes were very pretty, now that he was looking. 

“He was probably embarrassed that he abandoned me for my entire childhood.” 

That made Minho wince with sadness. He knew he probably didn’t want to hear a bunch of slander on his friend, but Jisung couldn’t help it 

“I don’t know how much you know about your dad, but he was going through a really hard time when he was a young adult,” he explained, and of course, there was an excuse. 

“That doesn’t make it right that he decided not to be a father until he wanted to,” he snapped, and Minho put his hands up. 

“You’re right. He had a responsibility, and he failed you. I’m not excusing that.” 

That made Jisung's stomach twist with an unwanted emotion, and he decided that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He didn’t want to talk about anything now. 

“Minho, thank you for dinner. It was really amazing,” he told him then, and he needed to get out of there. His insides were jumbled with those feelings he didn’t know how to handle. 

He pushed up and out of his chair, and he knew he should have offered to help clean, but he wanted to leave. 

He tried to make his way to the door, but Minho had grabbed his wrist. He had jumped out of his seat before he could escape. 

He looked just as surprised as Jisung did. It looked like he wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say, his mouth opening and closing a few times before deciding on some words. 

“If you still want to borrow a book, grab one before you go,” he offered, and Jisung’s heart calmed in his chest as he released him. He hadn’t even noticed it had picked up speed as their skin touched. 

“Do you have a recommendation?” he asked, trying to let a small smile come to his face. 

“Grab the third one from the right, second shelf. It’s not written by me, but it has a happier ending for you.” 

Jisung nodded appreciatively. He grabbed it, seeing that it was another romance. He wondered if it was his favorite genre. He waved with it in his hand before closing the patio door behind him. 

Jisung wasn’t sure if he wanted to go out onto the porch in the morning. He knew he had left awkwardly yesterday. He hoped Minho didn’t think he was being rude or anything. 

Sometimes, when things started to get difficult, he had a bad habit of running away. He didn’t want to deal with the feelings. He didn’t want to deal with the problems. So he tried to get as far away as possible. 

It’s why he never argued when his mom asked him to visit his dad over the summer. He didn’t want to deal with her being upset. It’s why he ignored everyone’s stupid questions about his dad, because he didn’t want to talk about him. 

He decided that maybe he should just pretend that nothing happened, and that going out to the porch would show him that everything was okay. 

So that’s what he did. He grabbed a towel and the book he had let him borrow and made his way onto the porch. He slid the door behind him so the air conditioning wouldn’t go to waste. 

He looked over to see him sitting there as expected. He glanced up instantly, and Jisung swore he saw a relieved smile come to his lips. 

“Hey,” Jisung greeted, and he was surprised to see Minho had takeout coffee today. Normally, he made his own. He was even more shocked that there were two cups. He was usually a one-cup-a-day coffee drinker. He must have been tired or something. 

“Good morning,” he said, smiling back like usual. “I—I bought you a coffee this morning.” 

He stood up and walked away from his computer, something he never did, and handed it to him over the railing. 

“Really?” He knew he sounded surprised, but honestly, he couldn’t believe it. He also swore he saw a little blush dust on his pale cheeks. Even though he spent every day on his porch, he clearly made sure to sit under the umbrella and apply sunscreen. His skin was flawless. 

“Yeah, I was up early. It might be a little cold, so you might have to warm it up. I also wasn’t sure what you would like, so I just ordered what I normally get, so if you don’t like it then you can toss it—”

“Thanks, Minho,” he said, cutting off his rambling. 

He definitely felt bad after last night for bringing up Chan. He was so easy to read, like an open book. It was written all over his face and prevalent in his actions. 

“It’s no problem.” 

He retreated back to his laptop, and Jisung could tell he was trying to focus. He decided he would keep the conversation short this morning so he could get some work done. 

Which was how he found himself lying on his stomach on his beach towel. He was drinking his coffee and trying to read as the wind whipped across his face. 

He could tell that Minho didn’t write this book, it was a very different style. But it was still good nonetheless. It was definitely happier, a story about simple love. A meet-cute. 

He made it through a good portion of the pages, and his skin was definitely on fire from the hot sun. He knew he should probably reapply or get out of it altogether. It was extremely warm, and he suddenly had the urge to get into the water. 

He looked over to see Minho still on his porch, still focused, and still working. That’s when he realized he never once saw him take a step onto the beach. To be fair, he had lived here for a long time, so he was probably sick of it. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy it every once in a while. 

He got to his knees and pushed himself off the sand. He left his towel, but brought his book as he made his way over to Minho’s patio, taking the steps two at a time. He must have startled him, because he jumped a little, like he wasn’t expecting him to pop up there. He pushed his sunglasses up and into his hair with a raised eyebrow.

“Come to the beach,” he said, and Minho just blinked at him.

“I’m working.”

“You’re always working.”

Minho sighed. “I have a deadline coming up.”

Jisung walked even closer, peering over his shoulder. The screen was bright, but it was still a little hard to see in the sun. Minho tilted it so he couldn’t see the display.

Jisung knew it was going to take a lot to convince him. But he was lonely, and he decided that Minho needed a break. He decided that hanging out would do both of them some good. The only thing he had been doing for the last three weeks was work. 

“I want to swim,” he told him, and Minho looked at him like he wasn’t sure what that had to do with him. 

“Then go swimming,” he suggested, trying to turn back to his laptop. Jisung wasn’t sure why he did it, but he grabbed him by the arm. He could feel his muscles tense under his touch. He felt his heart jump at the feeling.

“I don’t want to go by myself,” he complained with a bit of a whine.

Minho looked then like he was contemplating, which made Jisung smile. 

“I really can’t,” he mumbled, and that made a huge frown form on Jisung’s face. 

“But what if I get pulled under? I need you to pull me out.”

He reminded him of his words from the other week. Minho shook his head, and Jisung could tell it wasn’t working. 

“Please, Minho?” he begged one last time. He could see his jaw tense, and his eyebrow twitched a bit. He tore his gaze away, closing his eyes with a soft sigh. 

“Fine. For an hour.” 

Jisung cheered as he made his way into the house, likely to change into his bathing suit. He waited patiently, placing the book down on his table, knowing he wasn’t going to be reading until later. 

When he emerged, Jisung felt his heart wedge up into his throat. Because he had thought he was attractive from the start, but he couldn’t believe how hot he was without his shirt on. His muscles were showing off. His bathing suit hung low on his hips, and it was irrational how perfect his body was. He had never been so mesmerized by a human figure before. 

“Ready?” Minho asked, snapping him out of it. 

“Super ready,” he agreed, and he liked that he was able to get him to come along. He definitely looked a little on edge, but Jisung wanted someone to hang out with, and he worked way too hard. 

Minho threw his towel next to his, and Jisung smiled widely as he jogged his way to the shore. The water was still a little cold on his toes. It was a giant ocean, though, so it probably took forever to warm up. It was still the beginning of summer after all.  

“Are you going in or what?” Minho must have noticed his hesitation. Jisung wasn’t afraid of the water per se, but the fact that he could get dragged in without the ability to ever get out was always in the back of his mind. 

“Yeah, are you coming with me?” he shot back, making Minho smirk. 

“I see. You asked me to come because you’re scared,” he stated, and Jisung rolled his eyes.

That wasn’t the only reason. 

“No, you just looked like you could use a break.” He shrugged, and Minho clearly wasn’t buying it. 

“You’re sure?” he asked, and before Jisung could answer, Minho was grabbing him by the wrist and tugging him towards the deeper water. 

“Hey! Wait, wait!” he panicked, trying to halt himself with his feet, but they were just slipping through the shiftiness of the sand. 

Minho continued to pull him, and Jisung could feel the shock of the cold water as he tumbled to his knees. A wave came and crashed into his face, and he coughed as it got into his mouth. 

“Oh shit,” Minho laughed. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to fall. Are you okay?” 

Jisung decided that it was worth it as long as Minho laughed like that again. He took the opportunity to crawl forward and buckle him by the knees. 

His entire body went under the water as he fell. He popped up immediately and flung his wet hair back out of his eyes. 

“You little brat,” he chuckled, wiping at the salt in his eyes. 

“You started it.” He stood up before another wave could choke him again. 

“I guess that’s true.” He smiled, lying back and letting the waves take him wherever they wanted. Jisung stayed on his feet, nervous about the water. He could wade through it, but there was no way he would trust it to carry him.  

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in the water.” He spoke into the sky, and Jisung smiled, seeing his happy face. 

“Well, maybe you’d be able to get in more if you took a break once in a while. I’ve never seen you take one,” he told him, having to yell over the loud sound of the waves. 

“Have you been watching me, Jisung?” he teased, and that made him blush. He hoped he hadn’t noticed his red cheeks, or if he did, he would just think they were sun-kissed.

"No. But every day I can see you sitting there and not moving until it’s almost dinner time.” 

He didn’t mean to grab onto him as another big wave came in, but he couldn’t help it. Minho just smiled and didn’t say anything about it. 

“Want to go deeper?” he asked.

Jisung quickly shook his head. “I’m good.”

He knew he sounded like a coward, but he wasn’t sure if he could handle anything more than waist-deep. 

“Come on. If you’re afraid, you can hold my hand.” 

That made his heart flutter. He also had no idea why he was reaching out. But Minho was looking at him with an encouraging smile on his face, waiting for him to take it.

“I’m not a great swimmer,” he admitted as they went farther out. He could feel his heart racing. He wasn’t sure if it was from holding his hand or if it was because his feet could no longer touch the sand. 

“I won’t let you drown. I promised I’d pull you out, remember?” 

He wasn’t sure why, but he found himself trusting him. He knew he was crushing his hand in his. He knew that it was probably uncomfortable for him, but Minho wasn’t letting go. 

“See? You’re doing great.”

That made Jisung glare at him. 

“Don’t talk to me like I’m a kid. I don’t talk to you like you’re a grandpa.” 

Minho laughed. “Then I guess you don’t need my hand—”

“No, please, don’t let go.” He was blushing obviously now, but he was terrified. He couldn’t get the thought of being pulled under out of his mind, the fear overpowering his bruised ego. 

“Cute.” 

He wasn’t sure if Minho meant for him to hear that or not, but he definitely did. Minho looked surprised himself, like he hadn’t even realized he said it out loud. 

He didn’t have time to think about it as a wave came and pushed them under the water. It was so huge and powerful that it made him lose Minho’s hand. He panicked, getting turned around, not being able to find the surface. He kicked and tried to get there, but he was failing.

He couldn’t believe that he was about to die. He knew the ocean was a dangerous place. He knew he never should have set foot in it. 

That’s when he felt arms tugging him up, and finally, his head breached the surface. He was gasping for air, coughing the water out of his lungs. 

“Hey, you’re okay. I’ve got you.” 

He was breathing heavily as Minho was dragging him back to shore, a hand wrapped around his waist as the other paddled them back. 

They were finally back in knee-deep water. Jisung was still trying to catch his breath as Minho let him go. For some reason, he swore he felt his skin tingling.

“Never—again,” he choked out, and he could see that Minho was trying to bite back a smile. 

“I’m glad my near-death experience is amusing to you.” He splashed at him, and Minho put his hands up in defense. 

“I think that’s a little dramatic, but—”

“I literally almost died.” 

“I had you the entire time. I wouldn’t have let you die.” He laughed as Jisung kept hitting the water in his direction, but those words made his heart burn in his chest. 

“I’m done swimming.”

He got to his feet, pushing back his wet hair. He had water in his ear, and his skin felt dry from the salt. 

He wouldn’t lie that, besides almost drowning, he was having a good time. It was nice to not be by himself for once. 

“You’re the one who dragged me out here, and you’re bailing already?” Minho laughed, following behind him.

Jisung ignored him, stomping out of the water to try to get his ear unclogged. He made his way to his towel, feeling a little cold as the breeze sent a chill up his spine. He sighed, seeing that his towel was completely covered in sand from earlier, the blowing wind not helping. Minho must have noticed too, because he was taking his towel and wrapping it around his arms. 

“Here.” 

Jisung blinked back, but accepted the warmth of it. 

“But—”

“Just bring it back later. I have—I have to get back to work,” he told him, looking stressed again. He must’ve realized how much time had passed. It had definitely been over an hour.  

Jisung just watched as he made his way back to his patio, completely drenched as he entered his house. 

Jisung sighed, but smiled. 

Minho was kind, and it turned out he was actually kind of fun.

“How’s it going out there?” Hyunjin asked.

Jisung had his phone on speaker as he cleaned the house a bit. 

It was raining today, completely cloudy and pouring. He’d been making a mess since the day he arrived, so he decided it was probably best to clean while the weather was shitty. 

“It’s good, it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be.” He shrugged as he tied the garbage up. 

“I’m glad, I’ll be honest, I was worried you were going to be all depressed like the first summer you spent at your dad’s place.” 

That summer was the worst. He was alone for most of it. It was the first time being away from his mom and his friends, too. They could only come around every two weeks, because his friend's parents didn’t want to drive them an hour to see him, and his mom was working. Since his dad was busy as well, he spent most days by himself. That was the summer he visited the most, though, roughly once a week, but it only got worse from then on. To the point where he had been at this beach house for four weeks, and he hadn’t even seen him yet. 

But the reason why this summer was turning out to not be so bad after all was definitely because of his next-door neighbor. 

“Well, actually, my dad’s friend lives right next to him, so I’ve been hanging out with him most days.”

When he said hanging out, he really meant bothering him until he came to the beach for an hour, or him talking his ear off as he typed away on his laptop. Sometimes he would invite him over for dinner, and he really enjoyed his cooking. It definitely beat whatever he was planning on making. 

“Really? Well, that’s good.” Hyunjin sounded relieved. 

“Yeah, he’s really cool. He’s a writer and has some books published. He’s really nice too, he’s been making me dinner a lot, which has been saving my ass because you know how much I loathe cooking.” 

Hyunjin chuckled over the speaker. 

“He’s been letting me borrow his books, and he’s actually gotten me into reading. He’s pretty quiet most of the time, but you know I talk enough for the both of us. He works a lot, but he’s super passionate about his career. Anyway, I think you’d like him.”

“I’m sure I would. Especially because you seem to like him so much.” That sounded suggestive, and Jisung let out a shocked sound. 

“No, I—It’s not like that. Seriously.” 

Because there was no way he liked him. He was just nice. He was just keeping him company. 

“Sure, sure.” He didn’t sound convinced. 

“No, for real, he’s like, the same age as my dad and—”

“So?” he interrupted.

Jisung wasn’t sure what to say. He had never even dated someone before. Sure, he had people he liked, but he never acted on it. He had absolutely no experience with that kind of thing. Besides, he was way too old for him—he was an established adult, and he was his dad’s friend. 

There was no way. He knew Minho wouldn’t even consider it. 

Jisung jumped as he heard tapping on the back door.

“Hey, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” 

He hung up before he could hear his response, like he normally did. 

He could see Minho outside, with no umbrella, as the rain pelted him mercilessly. He quickly opened the door so he could come in. 

He shook the water out of his hair as he entered. He had a jacket on at least, and Jisung smiled as he opened it, revealing another book. 

He had finished the one he had let him borrow, returning it by leaving it on his kitchen counter yesterday. He could see that he was working on the couch with his headphones on through the screen door. 

He didn’t have the nerve to bother him, knowing he was working a lot later lately. He was pretty sure it was because he was bugging him during the day, so he felt bad. Instead of interrupting him, he wrote him a quick note, grabbing a pen and a Post-it.

Thanks for this one. I really enjoyed it. Yours was better though. 

—Jisung

He meant it too. Even if the ending was a little uncertain and even if it was sad, it made him feel so much more emotion. 

“I thought maybe you needed another one for such a crappy day.” He handed it to him, and he could see it was another one of his. He felt his heart hammering. This time, he looked a little uncertain as he handed it over. 

“By Lee Minho,” he read, flipping to the summary on the back. It was another romance. 

“This is the second book I wrote. I can’t say it’s much happier than the first, though,” he admitted, biting his lip. 

“I’m sure I’ll love it still,” he said, and that made Minho blush. He could definitely see it this time. It was quiet between them for a moment, neither of them sure what to say.

“I have to work pretty late, so…” He trailed off, and Jisung was disappointed that he was already getting ready to leave. 

He knew his deadline was coming up soon and that he was nervous about not making it. He had definitely seen a little less of him recently, and he wasn’t going to lie that he felt a little lonely. 

He turned for the door, but Jisung called out to him. 

“Hey, if you ever need anything, I can like—grab you something to eat, or I can even try and make it. It probably wouldn’t be good but…” He shrugged, and that made a smile break out across Minho’s face. 

“Thank you, Jisung.”

Before he could say anything else, though, he headed back out into the rain. 

It rained all night and the day after that. He spent the entire time in the house reading. This one actually made him cry. 

Once again, the protagonist’s love failed, leaving him broken and desolate. He wiped the tears from his eyes. He had no idea that Minho could write such intense stories like this. 

It made him worry about him. He wondered if Minho had actually felt these emotions. He hoped it was just fiction and completely made up in his head. 

He got up from the couch, needing to see him. The rain had finally settled to a soft drizzle. He didn’t even put his coat on as he opened the back door. He hopped over the ledge and onto his patio once again, knocking on the back door. 

He answered with a smile on his face. He could see the book in his hand. He pushed past him, needing to get out of the rain. He was startled when Minho reached out and tugged him in, his gentle hand on his cheek. 

“You cried,” he murmured, and Jisung knew he was burning bright red. 

“It was sad, just like you said.” He backed up a bit, trying to get rid of any remaining wetness on his cheeks. He knew his eyes were still a little red from the tears. 

He nodded, taking the book from him. 

“What did you think?” he asked nervously.

Jisung sighed. “I loved it,” he admitted, and that made another bigger smile form on his lips. 

“I wished they could have been together, though,” he mumbled, hiding his sad face by looking at the floor.

Minho tipped his chin up, trying to look into his eyes. 

“Sometimes it just isn’t meant to be,” he told him, and he swallowed hard as his hand was once again on his face, brushing away a stray tear, or maybe a raindrop. 

“They could have talked it out.” 

“He was in love with someone else,” he explained, but there was no sadness in his voice as he said it. That made Jisung hopeful that it was all made up in his head. 

Minho’s hand dropped then, and Jisung hadn’t even realized he was holding his breath. Minho walked away to put the book back on the shelf, sliding it into its proper position.

His eyes were then searching the bookshelf.

“How about a happy one so you don’t have to cry this time?” he chuckled, and that made Jisung blush deeper. 

“You haven’t written a happy one, have you?” he asked then, noticing he wasn’t grabbing one of his.

Minho sighed softly. “No, I can’t say I’ve ever written a happy ending,” he said, pulling a different author off the shelf. He handed it to him, and he could tell just from the cover that it was a beautiful romance. 

Jisung frowned, seeing the sad smile on Minho’s face. 

“I’m sure you’d be really good at it,” he assured him. “And I would love to read it.” 

“Maybe someday I can write one for you.” 

Jisung wasn’t sure why that made his heart burst in his chest. Suddenly, he felt like his blood had no central control system. It was racing frantically throughout his body and making him lightheaded.

He needed to say something. He needed to move the conversation. He knew his voice sounded strained as he finally spoke. 

“Your deadline is soon, right?” he asked, and Minho nodded. He knew he should probably get out of his hair. He was probably incredibly busy, but for some reason, he couldn’t make himself leave. 

“Would you mind if… can I read here? I’ll be quiet,” he promised, and that made Minho smile softly. 

“Sure. I’ll be working though,” he told him, but Jisung just shook his head with a grin. 

“I know. I promise I won’t bother you like I normally do,” he assured him, and Minho just pressed a gentle hand to his head. 

“You never bother me.”

Once again, his heart was about to fly out of his throat. 

Minho quickly got back to work, and Jisung was flinging himself on the couch. He started reading, but he hadn’t even realized how tired he was. Minho’s couch was also incredibly comfortable, and his pillows were like clouds. 

He wasn’t sure how long he had been passed out for, but he was startled when Minho was running his fingers through his hair. He was a little delirious, and his book had fallen to the floor.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” he whispered, his hand still massaging him. 

“What time is it?” Jisung mumbled, rubbing his eyes and sitting up. He stretched and yawned, trying to stifle it the best he could. 

“Almost three in the morning. I just finished my manuscript.” 

That made Jisung feel wide awake.

“Really? That’s awesome.” He smiled, and Minho’s crinkled eyes made his entire body heat with warmth. 

“I just thought maybe you’d want to go home and sleep in your bed. It’s probably a lot more comfier than this couch.” 

That made him bite his lip. Because Jisung didn’t want to leave. 

“Oh…right.” 

He didn’t want to overstay his welcome, though. Minho was probably tired and wanted to get to bed. It was probably a hassle to have his friend's kid on his couch. 

Minho must have noticed his uneasiness, because he placed a hand on his head. 

“You can stay if you want. I’m fine with either. I just want you to be comfortable.”

Jisung blushed again. 

“So, it’s alright if I want to stay?” he asked, not really wanting to walk back to his house in the rain, and also getting tired of being alone all the time. 

Minho smiled wider. “Of course.” 

Jisung yawned again, and he knew he was about to pass out as Minho laid a blanket over him. He could hear him pick up the book and place it on the coffee table. 

“Thanks, Minho,” he whispered, and he barely felt the gentle touch on his cheek before the lights were off and he drifted back into slumber. 

When he woke up, it was to the smell of coffee and the bright sun in his eyes. It seemed the rain had finally disappeared. His back was a little sore from sleeping awkwardly, but he just needed to stretch for a bit, and he would be fine. 

He made his way into the kitchen and peeked out the window to see Minho back on the patio. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and his laptop in front of him. That made Jisung frown. 

He opened the door, padding out into the sun and warm air. Minho turned to see him, a smile on his face. 

“Morning sunshine.”

Jisung sat in the chair across from him, taking his coffee and sipping it. Minho looked at him with an annoyed glance. 

“I left coffee in the kitchen for you, you know.” He tried to snatch it back, but failed. 

“I’ll get you some more when I get up,” he told him, finishing his coffee before he could complain again.

Minho just rolled his eyes with a smile. 

“I’m surprised you’re up already. It’s still before nine. Did you not sleep well on that couch?” he asked, and Jisung just shrugged. 

“I slept fine. The sun woke me up,” he told him, which was true. His muscles were a bit sore, but it was nice to wake up and have someone there to make coffee for him.

He wanted to thank him for letting him stay, but he knew he couldn’t do that without blushing, remembering the soft hand on his cheek, so he passed on it.

Minho was typing on his keyboard like he was trying to focus again. That made Jisung let out a disappointed breath. 

“Why are you working? I thought you finished everything,” he grumbled, causing Minho’s fingers to freeze on the keys. 

“I met my deadline, but I still have to work, Jisung,” he explained, and that made Jisung pout. 

“But I thought that maybe we could go somewhere today.” 

He thought that since he submitted everything, he would be free for a bit. He couldn’t help his disheartened frown, realizing that he was still going to be busy. 

Minho must have seen how dejected he looked because he closed his laptop slowly. 

“Alright, where do you want to go?” 

That made Jisung feel bad. He didn’t want to force him if he really had to work. 

“It’s not a big deal if—”

“You haven’t been into town yet, have you?” he interrupted him.

Jisung just slowly shook his head.

“Then take a shower and get dressed.” 

He jumped out of his chair, maybe a little too excited, but he couldn’t believe that Minho was willing to take a day off just to entertain him. It made his heart swell. 

“Oh, do you still want more coffee?” he asked before taking off, remembering that he drank all of it. Minho just laughed, snatching the mug from him. 

“Just go get ready, you brat.” 

Jisung found he kind of liked him calling him that. 

He had never taken such a quick shower before. He had no idea he was so sandy either. He suddenly felt bad for sleeping on Minho’s couch while being this filthy. 

He watched it swirl down the drain as he shampooed his hair. He could feel the excitement boiling in his stomach. He was really looking forward to getting out of the house. He didn’t have a car, so he couldn’t make the twenty-minute drive into the small town not too far from here. He remembered his dad saying something about it, but honestly, he hadn’t really been listening during that conversation. He had no interest in this place at the time, but now, he realized it was actually kind of lovely here. 

He groaned as he struggled to find something to wear. Honestly, in the end, it didn’t really matter, but he wanted to look nice. Minho always looked good, dressing up well even if he was just sitting on his patio. Jisung only walked around in his bathing suit and sweatpants, so today he wanted to try to look more presentable. 

He went with a nice pair of white shorts and a bright pink t-shirt. He had never worn it before, so he decided that this would be a good occasion for it. 

He threw his shoes on and made his way back over to Minho’s patio. He jumped the ledge, seeing that his laptop and work materials were packed up. He sat down at the table, waiting for him to emerge. 

He also couldn’t get control of his heart rate. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous…but this…almost felt like a date. 

He shook his head. He couldn’t believe he just thought that. It clearly wasn’t a date. He was just his dad’s friend, his neighbor, showing him the town because he nagged him about it. 

But that still didn’t stop his quick heartbeat. 

He was shocked out of his thoughts when he heard the back door open. His first thought was that he looked expensive. His sunglasses covered his eyes, and his hair was styled back. His muscles were hidden behind the sleeves of his white button-up. He couldn’t help but notice how strong his legs were, peeking out past his black shorts. He looked so fucking good. 

“Hey,” he greeted, smiling widely at him. Jisung knew he was staring, and he knew that Minho could tell. 

“Hi,” he squeaked out.

Fuck he needed to get a grip. 

“Ready to go?” he asked, twirling the key ring around his finger. Jisung nodded, quickly getting up and brushing down the front of his shirt. Minho smiled at him, beckoning him with a tilt of his head. 

And of course he owned a fancy car. The big black sleek vehicle was parked right out front. It almost made him want to roll his eyes. 

“Not rich my ass…” he mumbled under his breath, knowing Minho didn’t hear it as he unlocked the doors. He jumped in, the hot leather seats melted his thighs, and the burning seatbelt stung his hands. Minho rolled down the windows and even popped open the sunroof. 

It was a beautiful day, and Jisung couldn’t help but stick his face out the window, taking in the perfect whip of the wind. They traveled down the ocean boulevard, and he couldn’t believe that Minho got to experience this every summer. It really was perfect here. 

“I was thinking we could go to the boardwalk. They have a few restaurants there too, if you want?” he suggested, and Jisung turned his head so he could see his face. He didn’t look as stressed today. He enjoyed the carefree smile on his lips as he drove with one hand out the window and the other on the steering wheel. 

“That sounds fun,” he agreed. Jisung wished he would take his sunglasses off so he could tell if he was looking at him or not. 

When they made it to the boardwalk, it was quieter than he thought it would be. There were people sitting outside, eating, reading, and just enjoying the sun. It was peaceful, and Jisung really thought that this place was such a perfect place to live.

He couldn’t help but scamper quickly down the boardwalk, wanting to get to the end to stare out at the endless ocean. Minho was right behind him, keeping on his tail. He could see him smiling widely, and he was happy that he pushed his glasses up into his hair so he could see his pretty eyes sparkle in the sun. 

He gripped the railing, looking down to see the ocean waves crashing against the structure. He breathed in deeply, taking it all in. 

“God, you’re so lucky you live here,” he told him as he finally caught up. Minho leaned over the ledge, too, and Jisung couldn’t help but notice how close his arm was to his. 

“Sometimes I feel that way. Other times, I feel pretty lonely,” he told him, and that made Jisung pop an eyebrow, wanting to hear more. 

“My parents don’t live around here. They live in the city a few hours away. I moved here to write, so I could focus on my career,” he explained.

Jisung bit his lip. “So, you don’t know anyone?” he asked, and Minho sighed. 

“I’ve been busy, so I haven’t had time to meet people.”

He looked out deep into the sea, where the edge of the world disappeared with the sky. 

For some reason, that made Jisung’s heart sink. He looked sullen, like he was wondering if it was all worth it. 

“You work too much,” he mumbled, and that made Minho chuckle. 

“That might be true.” 

It was quiet between them, just the sound of the ocean waves filling the silence. 

“Well, how about for the rest of the summer we find different things to do every night?” he suggested.

Minho looked over to him, his arm moving and bumping his. Jisung felt his heart stutter. Minho looked like he was unsure, but seemed like he was contemplating. 

“It’ll be fun. I need someone to hang out with, and you need to quit working so much and have fun. I feel like…I don’t know, maybe it’ll help you write. New experiences, you know?”

He tried to entice him, just like he always did to Hyunjin. He tried to tailor it to what would make it worth his while. 

It must have worked because a small smile was coming to his lips. 

“What do you have in mind?” he asked, and that made Jisung feel triumphant. But honestly, he had no idea what he wanted to do. 

“We can make it up as we go.” He shrugged, pulling his arm so they could walk back towards the restaurants.

Minho pointed out his favorite place to get takeout from. He said that maybe one night they could order it and watch a movie. Jisung could see a minigolf course nearby and said that he would absolutely destroy him one evening. There was a park not too far, and Jisung said maybe they could have lunch there one afternoon. 

And that was how their list grew and grew as they walked through town together.

Jisung was sweating through his shirt. It was so hot, the sun beating down on him. He knew he needed more sunscreen or he was going to burn, but he didn’t feel like leaving yet. 

He couldn’t get enough of Minho’s bright smile. He liked spending time with him, and he really liked the way he smiled in his direction whenever he pointed out an attraction or a place they could potentially visit together. They ended up spending the entire day in town since Jisung didn’t want to leave. 

He knew Minho was about to suggest that they head home, but before he could, they passed an ice cream parlor. Jisung watched a kid walk out with the biggest sundae he had ever seen. 

“Minho. I need that.”

He grabbed him by the hand, halting him. He pointed to the kid sitting on the bench and stuffing his face full. It looked so amazing, with chocolate and cherries draped over the top. 

He couldn’t help but notice that Minho turned his hand in his, grabbing on tighter. 

“Okay, let’s go then.” 

He noticed that he had been agreeing to everything he said. He dragged him around to every place he wanted to visit. He let him pick where to eat earlier, but he denied him when he tried to pay half. To be fair, it was his dad’s money and not his, but he thought he would offer. 

They made their way into the ice cream shop, and he ordered it with a giant, hungry smile. Before he could bring his card out—or Chan’s card out—Minho hip bumped him, giving his own money to the lady behind the cash register. 

“Hey, you paid for dinner, I can get this,” he tried to say, but Minho just patted his cheek.

“I got it.”

Jisung felt his heart slam against his ribs at the gesture. Minho insisted that he didn’t want anything, but that didn’t stop him from stealing a few bites as they sat near the boardwalk again. The sun was disappearing, and the clouds were starting to cover the sky. It was a beautiful evening, even though there was a slight chill in the air now.

He was devouring the delicious treat, and he knew that his stomach was probably going to hurt later, but he didn’t care. He looked over to see Minho staring at him, his eyes blinking slowly, with a lazy smile on his face. 

“What?” he asked, and he rolled his eyes. “If you want another bite, you can just ask. There’s so much here, so it’s fine, and you paid for it anyway.”

That made Minho laugh. “Yeah, sure.”

He opened his mouth, and Jisung wasn’t expecting him to ask him to feed him. He felt a shiver run up his spine as Minho brought the spoon into his mouth, completely clearing it, with a slight lick to his lips. 

Jisung felt his insides melting, and he couldn’t blame it on the sun this time. 

He was losing it as he watched his tongue lick at the smirk on his face. 

“We—we should probably head back,” he squeaked out as Minho leaned in closer. He hoped he couldn’t hear his heartbeat. He had no idea why he was feeling this way, but honestly, Minho was so attractive, and he had been incredibly kind and absolutely perfect to him. 

And he was definitely forming a crush. 

“Probably,” Minho whispered, and Jisung had to look away.

He quickly jumped up from the bench, finding a trash can so he could discard the rest of the ice cream he couldn’t finish. 

Minho shook his head as he made his way back.

“You’re getting a small size next time.” He laughed, and that made Jisung shrug.

His mind clutched onto the words next time. Excited that he was serious about spending the rest of the summer with him.

“I thought I could finish it.” 

Minho stood then, and Jisung felt himself freeze as Minho pressed his thumb to the corner of his mouth. 

“You’re messy.”

He was still smiling, and Jisung needed him to stop or else his heart was going to fly out of his chest and smack him right in the face. 

“Sorry.”

He had no idea why he was apologizing or blushing so deeply.

“Cute.” 

He’d said it again—just like in the ocean, with that smile on his face and that look in his eyes. And this time, Jisung clearly heard it, and this time, Minho didn’t look surprised when it slipped past his lips.

Minho pulled his hand away and started walking towards the parking lot, and Jisung had to snap himself out of it so he could catch up. 

It was quiet on the ride back, but it wasn’t awkward. Jisung noticed him smiling the entire way back to the beach house.  

Jisung quickly jumped out of the car and said a rushed goodnight before running inside.

He spent the entire night lying awake in his bed. His heart was hammering, replaying the events of today over and over again. Minho had been so sweet, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how happy he looked. 

And Jisung couldn’t help picturing that smile as he fell asleep.

He had finished another book. It took him a little longer this time since he and Minho had been spending a lot of time together. 

He had barely worked yesterday, pulling Jisung to a cafe in the morning as he knocked on his door. The day before that, he forced him out of bed, telling him that they should watch the morning sunrise. 

“You’re missing these beautiful mornings, Jisung. You should see it at least once.”

“I like the sunsets better anyway,” he had complained as he jumped back onto the couch, pulling a blanket over his head. He could hear Minho laugh. He yelped as he lifted him up off the sofa, his one arm supporting his back and the other under his legs. That’s when he noticed how strong his arms really were. 

“You’re crazy. Let me down.” He had smacked at his arm, but Minho ignored him. 

“No, I want to watch the sunrise with you. You wanted to hang out, remember?”

Those simple words, which probably didn’t mean much, made his entire body ignite into flames. He tried to act normal. He tried to act like his entire heart wasn’t lodged up in his throat, trying to choke him.

“Can’t we hang out at a normal hour?” he had grumbled, and Minho let him down on the porch, keeping his blanket wrapped around him. He tried not to gasp when his hand came up to caress his cheek. 

“This is a normal hour, you’re just lazy.” 

Jisung smacked his hand away playfully, making a wide smile spread across his lips. 

“So at what age do you start getting up at the crack ass of dawn, because I’m not ready for that yet.” He threw himself into a chair, and Minho pulled his up next to him, getting so close that he could feel his body heat. 

“Probably around thirty.” He chuckled, and Jisung groaned. 

“Good, I have another ten years.” He didn’t miss the wince from Minho.

“That’s…fuck, sometimes I forget how young you are.” That made Jisung frown, because he hoped that it didn’t bother him. He was a lot older than him, but most of the time, when they were hanging out together, it didn’t feel that way. 

“I’m not that young,” he denied, but him saying that made him sound even more like a kid. 

“You’re kind of young.” He smiled at him, and Jisung sighed.

“Well, you’re kind of old,” he snapped back, and Minho was biting back another smile.

“And you’re a brat.” 

“Only towards you.” 

That made a laugh erupt from Minho’s chest. 

“Lucky me, huh?”  

They watched the sunrise, and Jisung fell back asleep, his head resting on Minho’s shoulder. He hadn’t realized he had carried him back into the house, laying him down in his bed. 

Jisung had felt his body filling with happiness when he woke up. Kicking his feet, remembering Minho’s soft smile and sweet words. 

He was currently on Minho’s couch, reading upside down as Minho made dinner in the kitchen. He still refused to let him help. Jisung thought that maybe he liked cooking, that it was a relaxing part of the day for him, as he was able to put down his laptop for an hour or so. 

Jisung snapped the book shut with a deep, happy sigh. 

“I think I like the ones where they break up but then find each other again later in life,” he yelled into the kitchen.

The book was good, and he enjoyed the happy ending. They found their love after years of being apart, not mature enough when they were younger, and falling in love all over again. 

“Do you?” he asked, and Jisung forced himself upright, placing the book down and making his way into the kitchen. 

“It’s sad, but still gives you that happy ending, and it feels even sweeter, so yeah.” 

“Second chance romance,” he said, and Jisung shrugged.

“I think…that maybe you should write something like that. Or maybe you can write a second book to that first one you wrote, and he finally tells her everything, and she realizes that he’s the one, after all this time,” he suggested, and he could see Minho smiling. 

“I’ll try your first option.” He placed a hand on his head, and that made Jisung pout a little bit. He didn’t want to push him about it, so he decided to just let it go for now.

“Can I borrow another book?” he asked, and that seemed to make Minho happy. 

“Of course. Can I make a suggestion?” He smirked, and that made Jisung nod his head. He loved it when he read Minho’s favorites. 

“Third shelf, I think it’s the fifth from the right. Red cover,” he instructed him as he padded his way over to the bookshelf again. He walked his fingers over the spines, counting out loud as he tugged it from its spot.

“Got it,” he called out, reading the title and flipping it over so he could read a bit more. 

“It's a second-chance romance. I think you’ll like it,” he told him, and Jisung just nodded. 

“Happy ending?” he questioned, and that made Minho smile.

“Happy ending,” he agreed before opening the stove and shoving the casserole in. He was starving, but he knew they had at least another hour before dinner was ready. So he decided he would get started on reading. Minho told him he had to finish up a bit of work, but he didn’t mind if he read on the couch like he normally did. 

He found he was a pretty fast reader. He couldn’t put books down when they started to get good. He was getting through this one pretty quickly, but he flushed hard when he read the words on the page in front of him. His eyes scanned it over and over just to see if he was reading it right. 

“How’s it going?” Minho asked over his shoulder. Jisung flinched so hard that the book flew out of his hands. 

“Hey—what the—you fucking scared me.” 

He was bright red, and Minho was smirking at him.

Fuck.

He had definitely been standing there for a minute, and he must have seen what page he was on. 

“Sorry. I was just checking in on you.”

Jisung didn’t like that he was smirking. 

“It’s going fine.” He was flustered. He wasn’t expecting the couple to start having sex on page fucking thirty-eight. Minho laughed and picked the book up, placing it back in Jisung’s hands. He burned when he opened to the page he left off at. He must have seen it, because he didn’t have a bookmark, and he flipped right to it.

“Do you like it so far?” He was definitely teasing. He picked this book on purpose.

“It’s—fine,” he grumbled again, taking the book and slamming it shut. 

“Hmm,” he hummed with a smirk still on his face.

“What?”

He was desperately trying to pretend that this wasn’t happening, that everything was normal, and he wasn’t reading about dirty things. Why did this feel like he was watching porn in the middle of the living room? It was completely different, right? This was literature. 

“Nothing, it’s kind of cute that you’re so shy about it,” he said, and Jisung could feel his entire blush cover his body. 

“I–I’m not shy, I just—wasn’t expecting it. You didn’t…you could have told me that kind of stuff was in there.” He stumbled over his words, and he knew he was embarrassing himself. 

“That kind of stuff,” he repeated, and Jisung wanted to hit him. He was trying not to laugh, so he smacked him with the book. 

“Who’s the immature one now?” He rolled his eyes, and Minho let out one of those throaty chuckles. Jisung felt his heart flip at the sound. 

“Oh, definitely me.” He sat down next to him, throwing his feet up on the table. He was so close. Their legs were touching, and Jisung suddenly felt sensitive, his skin burning from the touch.

It was quiet between them, and Jisung could smell that the food was almost ready.

“It’s sweet though, isn’t it? First kiss, first love, that kind of stuff is always romantic.” He threw his arms behind his head, and Jisung bit his lip hard.

“I–I guess I wouldn’t know about any of that.” He sounded small as he said it, and Minho’s eyes slowly trailed over to him. Jisung was dying. He couldn’t believe he just admitted that. But it was true. He had his first kiss in high school, but it wasn’t anything special. He never dated anyone, so that was as far as he ever went. It was kind of embarrassing, but he never really cared before. 

“You’ve never kissed someone?” He sounded shocked, and that made him feel even worse. 

“No, I have. I just never dated anyone, so I’ve…never gone beyond that.” He was being so honest for some reason, and he could feel Minho’s eyes staring, but he refused to look over at him. There was no way he could take the look on his face. 

“Oh, I mean, that’s alright.” He cleared his throat as he said it, and he could tell that he had finally ripped his gaze away. Now he was panicking. Because maybe he thought he was weird now. Maybe he thought he was a loser for never having sex before. 

“It’s…I was always busy when I was a teenager. I worked at my friend Hyunjin’s mom’s bakery whenever I could, so I was always busy, and college is the same way, so I never really got to meet anyone. I commute and I’m not in any clubs and I haven’t really been looking for anything like that anyway, and I guess…I don’t know, I don't really care either, so—”

“Jisung, it’s fine. I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable,” he apologized, cutting off his rambling, and somehow that was making him more self-conscious. 

“I’m not…I’m just telling you why…” He trailed off, clearly sounding uncomfortable even if he denied it. 

“You’re so cute.” 

Again.  

His heart was hammering. He swallowed thickly. Minho was staring at him still, leaning his arm on the couch, his head resting in his palm as he looked at him. 

“Why do you…keep saying that?” He couldn’t help but bring it up. He needed to know why. Was it just because he was young, and he thought he was some cute kid? Or was it more than that? It was driving him insane. He wanted to know what he was thinking. 

“Because you’re cute.” He reached out, his thumb brushing his cheek. Jisung clenched his fingers into fists. He wanted to look away, he really did, but he couldn’t. His eyes were stuck on his. 

Jisung was frozen. He could see him slowly leaning in. He could see his eyes flitting to his mouth now. He felt his heart jumping in his chest. He was so close, his face was right there, his pretty eyes trained on him. The next thing he knew, the gap between them had completely closed. 

He gasped softly as Minho brought their lips together. So gentle, so soft, and Jisung suddenly felt like he was floating. It was so short, though, and when Minho pulled back, he looked like he couldn’t believe he had just done that. 

“Minho…” Jisung breathed out, and he hadn’t even realized his fingers were now tangled in the front of his t-shirt. He blinked at him, once, twice, and before Jisung could prepare himself, Minho was slamming their lips together.

He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He was shaking. Minho’s mouth was on his, kissing him harder, deeper, grabbing the back of his neck and forcing him closer. Minho pressed him into the couch, his head hitting the cushion. Jisung wasn’t sure what to do. He just let him devour him. He allowed him to lick past his lips, letting him in. 

He couldn’t believe this was happening. Minho was kissing him. He had him lie back, attacking his lips, and Jisung tried to keep up. His knee parted his thighs, and he was very aware of how close he was. Their bodies were almost rubbing together. He clutched him harder, whimpering a bit as Minho bit his bottom lip. His hand came up to caress his cheek. He wondered if he could feel his skin, burning hot with his blush.

He could barely catch his breath. He couldn’t think properly. His entire mind was swirling with Minho. His taste, his scent, his touch. Everything captivated him, making him feel crazy. He had never kissed someone like this before. He had never felt this way in his entire life. His skin was tingling, his body felt like it was on fire as Minho pressed a hand under his shirt, splaying it across his stomach. 

That’s when the oven was going off, the loud beeping breaking them both out of whatever trance they were just in. Jisung was breathing heavily as Minho pulled back. 

Minho’s mouth was bright red, his lips looking a bit swollen as the bottom one hung open.

“F–Fuck,” he whispered, and Jisung wondered if he could see his pulse, hammering away in his neck. 

“D-Dinner’s done,” he answered back, not sure what else to say. Minho ran a hand over his face, instantly getting off him. Jisung was left there, lying in shock as Minho ran to the kitchen to slam his hand against the off button on the timer. 

He sat up the best he could. His shirt was messed up, and he had to situate himself. He saw Minho pull the casserole out of the oven and place it on the stove top. He could see him hunched over, his hands clenched on the counter, and Jisung felt his heartache. 

He had no idea what to say. He almost looked like he regretted it. Jisung swore he felt tears stinging his eyes because he didn’t regret what just happened at all. He was radiating with happiness, until he saw the conflicted look on Minho’s face. 

He suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore. He felt his heart shattering. He didn’t want to deal with this. 

“I–I’ll just…” he began, and Minho still hadn’t turned around as he stood from the couch. “I’ll just see you tomorrow.” 

He was making his way to the door, he struggled to throw his sandals on, and he could feel the tears coming. He was about to make his way out the door when Minho grabbed him strongly by the arm.

“Jisung, wait,” he begged, his face still held that distraught expression. He needed to get away. He needed to get out of there. He didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t need to hear that he didn’t mean to kiss him. 

“Look, it’s—”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I don’t know what came over me. I just…I couldn’t help myself, and I know that’s no excuse at all. But, I really am, so, so, sorry. It won’t happen again.” 

He was apologizing?

“Why?” he asked, and that made Minho blush.

“I don’t know…when we were talking, I just—”

“No, why can’t it happen again?” he questioned, because if he was going to force him to stay, then he was going to answer everything he wanted to know.

“What?” He sounded surprised, but Jisung could feel the tears in his eyes.

“Did you regret it? Is that why?” He was hurt, and he knew that Minho could hear it in his tone. He quickly let go of his wrist, bringing his hands up to caress his cheeks.

“No, fuck of course not, I just…I thought that you didn’t….I wasn’t sure if that was okay.” His voice was strained, but Jisung felt that sadness disappearing as his thumbs pushed the unshed tears from the corner of his eyes. 

“Yeah, it was okay. It was totally okay,” he tried to tell him, but Minho’s face still held that uncertainty. He shook his head as his eyes fell to the floor. Jisung felt his heart rip itself to shreds. 

“Jisung, I—”

“Do you like me?” he asked, because Minho had been staring at him with this look for weeks now, smiling at him whenever he got the chance, putting his work on the back burner just to entertain him, calling him cute and making his heart flutter. 

“Yeah…” he whispered.

Jisung’s heart slammed in his chest. But he didn’t like the hesitant look on Minho’s face.

“Then what’s wrong?” he asked, and that made Minho’s hands fall. He ran his fingers through his hair as he blew out a deep breath.

“You’re…You’re my best friend's son. You’re only twenty years old. It just doesn’t seem…”

Jisung hated that he was having those thoughts. He hated that maybe it was true, that maybe being together didn’t make sense, and maybe it was totally wrong. But that didn’t matter to him. Because Minho was kind, sweet, talented, and perfect. Jisung couldn’t find a single flaw. 

He found himself wanting to spend every day with him. He looked forward to seeing him on that patio of his every day. He realized he was upset that this summer was coming to an end in just a few short weeks. He didn’t want to leave. He had never been happier. 

He wanted to come back next year, because the thought of not seeing Minho every beautiful sunny morning was hurting him. He needed him. He needed him to share his laughs with him. He needed him to share his favorite books. He needed him to be by his side, making him feel like the cruel world outside this summer house didn’t actually exist. That the two of them could spend the rest of their lives together here, just being happy if they wanted.

“Who cares,” he told him, and for some reason, that made Minho smile. It was quiet between them for a moment, like Minho was still contemplating. He did that a lot, but this time it was making Jisung so incredibly anxious that he wanted to run away. 

“Jisung—”

“Can I tell you that I’ve never been this happy before?” he interrupted him, too afraid of what he was about to say. “I’ve been…so fucking lonely. But this has been the best summer of my entire life, because of you. I’m so glad I came here. I’m glad that I got to meet you. I’m happy when I’m with you,” he admitted, and he knew he was blushing, but everything was true. 

Minho was looking at him with shock on his face. 

“I know that you’re a lot older than me. I know that maybe it might be weird because of Chan, but I…I really like you.” 

Jisung felt his chin being raised, and Minho’s lips were once again on his. He let out a muffled gasp as he pressed their mouths together, a little harder than he was expecting. When Minho pulled back, that smile was on his face. 

Jisung’s eyes went wide as his stomach grumbled. He blushed as Minho laughed, pressing another kiss to his forehead.  

“Can we have dinner now before it gets cold?” he asked shyly, and Minho just chuckled, brushing his hair behind his ear.

“I made it for you, so yeah.” 

They didn’t talk much throughout dinner. He still wasn’t sure exactly what to say. His heart was still fluttering, feeling like it couldn’t relax. Minho was watching him the entire time as he scarfed down his food. 

“Jisung, tomorrow, after I get some work done, would you like to go to one of my favorite spots on the beach?” he asked, and that made a smile return to Jisung’s lips.

“Yeah, that sounds really fun.”  

Jisung was being annoying. He knew that Minho had to work, but he couldn’t help but hover all morning. 

“When are we going?” he asked, and Minho kept giving him the same fond eyes and the same answer.

“In a bit,” he replied, going back to typing on his keyboard. Jisung wondered what he was working on. He wondered if it was a happier story this time, or if it was another heart-wrenching tale like normal. 

“What kind of story are you writing?” He couldn’t help but ask, and he could see Minho’s fingers twitch on the keys as they came to a stop.

“I’m honestly not sure yet,” he said, and that made Jisung get up from his chair, walking over to rest his chin on the top of Minho’s head. 

“How are you not sure? Can I see?” he asked, and Minho tipped his head back, making Jisung look down at him.

“You can’t. It’s top secret information.” He pulled him by the back of the head, slotting their lips in a gentle kiss. Jisung felt his heart soar again. It happened every time without fail, whenever Minho would press their mouths together, he felt his entire body spark. 

He felt that happiness seeping into his body, but he forced a pout anyway.

“That’s dumb,” he complained, and that made Minho chuckle gently. 

“You can read it when I publish it,” he told him, and Jisung rolled his eyes.

“That could take forever. I want to read it now,” he whined, sitting down in the chair next to him as he went back to working. Those words seemed to make Minho elated as a bigger smile made its way onto his face. 

He tried not to bother him for the rest of the morning. He bit his tongue when it was finally the afternoon, and he was still typing. He threw his hands up in the air when he finally closed his laptop.

“Finally,” he grumbled, and Minho just shook his head.

“Don’t be a brat, you know I had to work.” He poked his nose as he stood up, and Jisung smiled at the gesture. 

He waited patiently for Minho to get ready, and by the time he was making his way down the stairs, Jisung could feel himself drifting off on the couch from sitting in the sun all day.

“If you’re tired, we can stay home.” He woke him gently, running his fingers through his hair. Jisung jumped up instantly. He didn’t want to stay home. He wanted to see his favorite place. He wanted to know more about what he liked. 

“Nope. I’m wide awake,” he said as he stifled a yawn.

“Sure, you look like you’re full of energy. Too bad you couldn’t have been this tired when I was working earlier,” he joked, and that made Jisung flip him off.

“That wouldn’t have mattered because if I hadn’t bitched and complained, you’d still be working.” 

Once again, Minho just laughed, but this time he pulled him in to kiss his forehead. 

“I guess you’re right. You know me so well.” 

Jisung’s heart was bouncing at the look on his face and his sweet tone.

Minho grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the back door. He told him that they didn’t have to drive, but it was a decent walk down the beach. They walked hand in hand the whole way. Jisung was definitely talking his ear off, but he couldn’t help it. He had to be quiet all morning, so he had been bottled up.

He talked about his mom, Hyunjin, and a little bit about how his dad had shown up one summer day, asking if it would be alright to be in their lives. It wasn’t something that he liked talking about much, but he thought maybe Minho would open up about Chan a little bit if he started the conversation. 

“So, you and my dad went to high school together?” he asked, and Minho just nodded. 

“We did. I knew him before he was famous,” he informed him, and that made Jisung curious.

“Has he changed a lot since then?” he wondered, and Minho blew out a breath.

“Yeah, but that’s okay. People are always changing. No matter what, though, we’ll always be friends.” He smiled at him, and that made Jisung smile too, thinking of Hyunjin.

“My best friend usually visits me every summer. I’m…kind of sad because since this place is so far away, he probably won’t be able to make it. But I know he’s worried about his mom and his family, so I don’t want to push him,” Jisung admitted, and it felt good to have someone to talk to about it. 

“I’m sure that even if he can’t make it, he wishes he could. Life gets hard, people have things they’re going through, but that doesn’t mean you guys still don’t care about each other,” he said as he swung their hands back and forth between them.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

He sighed with a soft smile. One thing he really liked about Minho was his outlook on life. It seemed that no matter what was thrown his way, he found a way to make it positive. That everything happened for a reason, and he chose to take it and turn it into something optimistic. Or if he couldn’t, he would just smile and move on, knowing it was useless to worry since he couldn’t change the outcome.

“So, did you know my mom?” he asked suddenly, changing the subject. That seemed to surprise him.

“No, I don’t think so. I didn’t even know he had been seeing someone when we were that young. He never told me about her.” He sounded a little upset by that, and Jisung felt bad for bringing it up. 

“I guess they knew each other through a summer music program. She never told me it was Chan, though,” he said, and he could feel Minho grip his hand tighter. 

“Have you heard from him recently?” Minho asked, and Jisung shook his head. He called him back a few days after he had settled in, but other than that, he hadn’t heard a word. 

“No. He never really visits me, though. Sometimes, I wonder why he ever even wanted to be in my life.” He sounded bitter, and he knew it. But he really couldn’t understand. 

“I think that maybe it’s because he’s always had too much going on, you know? Ever since we were kids, he was always busy doing something, which is funny because his time management is terrible.” He laughed, thinking about it. 

“I don’t think he means it on purpose. I genuinely think he wants to see you, he just doesn’t have the time.” He tried to make an excuse for him again, and that made Jisung roll his eyes.

“Is that what you tell yourself when he doesn’t visit you either?” he asked, and that made him smile sadly. 

“It is.” 

It was quiet again for a few moments, but Jisung’s eyes flicked up to see giant rocks sticking out of the ocean. They were huge, and they went in pretty deep. 

“Holy shit.” He tore his hand away so he could run towards them, and he didn’t care if he looked like a kid. No one else was around, and he was going to let out his excitement for how awesome nature was. 

He looked behind him, and he was smiling widely when he saw Minho running after him.

“This is incredible!” he yelled, and Minho laughed.

“I know, right?” 

He climbed the wet rocks, not even caring that he was going to be cold on their walk back. Minho had to grab his arm as he slipped a few times.

“Be careful, sweetheart.”

Jisung’s heart tugged in his chest at those words. 

He felt so high as he climbed to the top. He could feel the breeze on his face. He could feel the final rays of the sun hitting his skin before it disappeared behind the horizon. 

And it was supposed to be a happy moment. He was supposed to be smiling, laughing, and feeling carefree, but he found that tears were suddenly streaming down his cheeks. 

Minho’s eyes went wide, seeing his face. 

“Jisung? What’s wrong?” Minho sounded panicked. “Did you cut yourself on the rocks? You hurt yourself, didn’t you? Are you okay?” 

Jisung couldn’t imagine this summer ending. It couldn’t end. This feeling couldn’t end. 

“I don’t—I don’t want to leave,” he admitted, trying to calm his sobs. When Minho learned that he wasn’t hurt, and just emotionally unstable, he sighed with a smile and tugged him to his chest. 

“It’s okay.” He shushed him, but Jisung couldn’t stop himself. It was totally embarrassing, but he couldn’t stop the overwhelming feeling in his chest. 

“I want to stay here. With you.”

Minho rubbed his back, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“You’re welcome to visit whenever you want. During winter break, summer break, or whenever you just want to get away. I’ll be here,” he assured him, but the thought of this ending, and the thought of Minho being alone without him, was breaking his heart. 

“But—I’m going to miss you. A lot.” 

“I’ll miss you too,” he whispered, and before Jisung could cry again, he pressed their lips together. He wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him as close as he could. Minho seemed surprised, but melted into him, pressing their bodies together. 

When Minho broke their kiss, it was to brush the tears off Jisung’s face. He smiled, seeing how emotional he was. 

“You’re so cute,” he told him, and Jisung knew he would never get tired of hearing him say that. 

They sat down on the rocks then, the wetness under them not phasing them in the slightest. Minho held his hand as he leaned into his chest, watching the sun disappear from their sight. It was calm, comfortable, and perfect in every aspect. 

He had never felt his heart feel so full before. 

“I used to come here a lot to brainstorm. I would get so stuck, not sure what I wanted to write. I always found the sunsets so inspiring,” he said as he stroked his hair. Jisung loved that he shared everything with him. 

“You said you liked the sunsets, so I thought you would really like this view.” He pressed a kiss to his forehead, and Jisung felt his heart flutter. He felt special, knowing he remembered something he had told him. 

“Thanks, Minho.” He breathed into the air, because he really had no other words than that. He felt so thankful, for him, and for this entire summer. 

“When I was writing my first book, I would come here every single day. I was nervous that my book was bad, that it wouldn’t sell, and that my life as a writer would never take off.” He sounded nostalgic as he spoke. “I had been writing for five years at that point, working a part-time job to get by, and I wasn’t proud of anything enough to publish it. Then I moved here, after my grandfather passed and left me both his properties. I didn’t know him well, but our family is pretty small, so he had no one else to leave it to. But finally, after uprooting, changing my view on life, and really focusing, I was finally able to release something I was proud of.” 

Jisung looked at him, stunned as he told him all this. He knew Minho was passionate and dedicated, but that really made him admire him more. 

“A Relinquished Love?” he asked.

Minho nodded. “The first one you read, yeah.” 

“You know I really loved that one, right?” he told him, sitting up a bit.

“I offered for you to read it, because I really thought you weren’t going to. I was kind of joking around, thinking you would deny it when I gave you the copy. I was surprised when you started reading it immediately. I could barely focus the rest of the day. I kept watching you on the beach, wanting to know your reactions,” he admitted, and Jisung had no idea he had been watching him that day. The thought made him blush. 

“I get kind of nervous when people I know personally read them and report back to me. I’m afraid they’ll say they like them just to make me feel better. But with you, it was different. I could tell you were genuine, and I like sharing my novels with you. You were kind, honest, and I could tell that I really moved you, which is all I ever really wanted to do with my stories.” He was blushing a bit, and Jisung felt his heart racing. 

“One of them made me cry.” He chuckled, and Minho smiled, running his thumb over his cheek.

“I know. It made me happy, but I also felt bad, even if you looked so pretty with those red eyes and puffy cheeks of yours.” He grabbed his cheek then, pinching it a bit as it was Jisung’s turn to blush.

“You thought I was pretty?” His words were racing through his brain, which made the question fly out of his mouth. 

“I always thought you were pretty, since the first day you sassed me.” 

That made Jisung laugh.

“You were going to call the cops.”

"Rightfully so, there was a stranger in my best friend’s house.” He tickled his sides, and Jisung never wanted this moment to end. He kissed him again, pulling him down as he laid back against the rocks. 

“I know I haven’t said anything good about my dad, but I’m glad he decided to come into my life, because if he hadn’t then I never would have met you,” he whispered.

Minho just blinked down at him, and Jisung could see him blushing. 

“Jisung—”

He interrupted him by connecting their lips again, kissing him until the waves were so high they were getting splashed by the chilly water, under the moonlight, with the pull of the tide.

He had never been happier.

“Stop working,” he demanded as he padded over to his patio. It was the middle of the day, the sun was shining bright, and Minho had been up since six in the morning. He could tell because Jisung had felt him leave the bed early. 

They had kissed lazily the night before after Minho took him out to dinner and definitely let him win at putt-putt. Jisung could tell he had been missing on purpose. 

“I’m not a fucking kid, you don’t have to let me win, I’m not going to pout just because I lose,” he complained, wanting it to be a real competition. That made Minho scrunch his nose, looking unconvinced.

“You’re sure about that?”  

He yelped as Jisung smacked him hard in the ass with the putter. He took him to dinner after, and of course, he once again paid for his meal. The entire time they spent together, he never once let Jisung pay. 

They stumbled back in a little drunk because Jisung wanted to order wine bottle after wine bottle. Minho never told him no, even when he knew he probably drank one too many. He was the one who attacked Minho first. 

He wasn’t sure what he wanted. But he knew he had, in some way, asked for or suggested that he wanted to do more than just kiss. 

“No, Jisung. You’re too drunk,” he remembered Minho telling him, and he pouted. 

“But I like you.” He knew he sounded hammered, too, especially when he mumbled like that.

“Remember when you said you weren’t going to pout?” He chuckled, and that made him roll his eyes.

“That was about putt-putt. I’m pouting because you don’t want to touch me.”

He had no idea what he was saying, but he was proud of how confident he was. That made Minho’s jaw tense, and he could feel his hands grip his biceps hard as he tried to crawl on top of him.

“That’s not true. I do want to. But not like this.” He pressed a kiss to his lips, and Jisung didn’t have time to argue because Minho was flipping him onto his back, pressing his wrists to the mattress, and devouring him until he could barely breathe. 

He had no idea how long they kissed for, but he fell asleep at some point, he couldn’t exactly remember when. But when Minho got out of bed, he groaned at the pain in his head. Minho brought him water and two little pills, and he was thankful even if he didn’t have the energy to sit up and kiss him for it.

He eventually rolled out of bed, and it was already past noon. He took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, and put his swimsuit on. It was another gorgeous day.

Minho was looking up at him. Today, he had glasses on, and Jisung tapped them, giving him a curious look.

“I didn’t know you wore glasses.” 

“They’re blue light glasses. Supposed to help with eye strain or something like that, so I’m giving them a try,” he told him as he took them off and set them aside. 

“They help with eye strain or a hangover?” he asked, and that made Minho rub a hand over his face. 

“I’m actually kind of annoyed that you’re completely fine and were able to sleep it off. I haven’t been able to curve a hangover since I was fucking twenty-five,” he complained.

He did look exhausted, and Jisung tried to stifle a laugh.

“I think you’re just old.” 

“Call me old one more time, you little brat, and you’re going to regret it,” he smirked.

Jisung leaned in and pressed a kiss to his lips, taking that challenge.  

“You’re. Old.” 

Minho didn’t even hesitate, grabbing him by the waist and carrying him down the stairs. 

“Hey! Let go, I was just kidding!” 

He knew where they were headed. Minho’s feet sank in the sand from the extra weight he was carrying.

“Nope. I warned you, and you didn’t listen. Because you’re a brat.”

Jisung slapped his back as he tossed him over his shoulder. He hauled him down to the ocean easily, like he barely weighed anything. 

He actually screamed when he tossed him in, the water finally warm from the summer sun, so it wasn’t as much of a shock as it was over a month ago. He went under and instantly began to panic. He kicked and paddled, but once again, he couldn’t find the surface. He felt arms pulling at his waist, and he was being tugged in. He could feel Minho hiking him up so that he could get his legs to wrap around his hips and his arms to rest on his shoulders. 

“Jerk.” He spluttered at the water in his mouth.

Minho shook his head with a soft smile. 

“Sweetheart, I didn’t even throw you in deep. You can stand, you know,” he told him.

Jisung blushed as he put his feet on the sandy bottom. 

“You’re still a jerk,” he grumbled, and that made Minho laugh.

“So cute.” 

Jisung jumped back into his arms, pressing their lips into a kiss. He liked the shocked sound Minho made every time he decided to bring their mouths together. He liked it when he grabbed him tighter, pulling him in as close as he could. He loved the way Minho kissed him so desperately, like he never wanted to pull away. 

Fuck, he just really liked kissing Minho. Even in the middle of the ocean, with the waves crashing against his back, the salt water getting between their tongues. He wouldn’t trade it in for anything. 

“Thanks for taking a break for me,” he said against his lips.

Minho just kissed him again. “I wouldn’t have gotten any work done anyway. I can never seem to when you’re around.” 

That made Jisung scoff.

“Maybe you’re just bad at staying focused,” he challenged, and Minho smirked.

“Or maybe I have a hot neighbor who keeps distracting me,” he suggested.

Jisung laughed, splashing him again. 

They kissed until the waves somehow pushed them to the shore.

Jisung was reading his book on the porch when Minho came out to see what he was doing. He decided that he would finish it tonight, since they didn’t have any plans to go out or anything. Minho was once again getting busy, saying that he had another deadline coming up by the end of the summer. Jisung was a little disappointed, but he knew he couldn’t complain. It was his job, and he knew that it was something he had to do. 

So he was being quiet as he worked all day, reading the books Minho let him borrow. 

“Hey.” Minho grabbed his attention, and Jisung looked over to see him dressed in sweatpants and a simple t-shirt.

“Hey,” he replied softly, stretching and sitting up. He closed the book, even if he really wanted to finish it, but he had missed him, barely seeing him all day. 

Minho walked over and sat next to him, pulling him into his lap. 

“I’m sorry I was so busy today,” he said, kissing his neck. Jisung shivered as he sucked a bit on his skin. 

“It’s okay.” He knew that sounded whiny, but he couldn’t help it. 

“On the bright side, I think my writing process is going well and has even improved a bit,” he shared, and that made Jisung clap excitedly. 

“That’s great, Min.” 

Minho’s crinkly-eyed smile made his heart race, once again. He kissed his cheek this time, and Jisung laid back against his chest, feeling his warmth. He missed the rays of the sun already, but he found he liked Minho’s heat even more. 

“So we can do whatever you want tonight. I’m all yours,” he offered, and that made Jisung turn around in his lap, his knees on both sides of his thighs. He could see Minho’s breath hitch. 

“Whatever I want?” he asked, and Minho nodded as he bit his lip.

“Yeah, whatever you want.” 

Jisung hadn’t really thought about what he wanted to do. Honestly, he was just going to try and finish his book, but now he was suddenly having other ideas. He felt his heart race as he pressed his lips to his.

“Then I want you.” 

Minho let out a deep breath, and Jisung could feel his fingers clench into the back of his shirt.

“Jisung…” He trailed off, looking into his eyes, and Jisung was feeling nervous as he stared at him.

“Minho…” He copied him, and Minho leaned his head back, breaking their gaze for a moment.

“Are you…Are you absolutely sure that’s what you want?” he questioned, and Jisung nodded.

“Yeah, I’m sure, why wouldn’t I be?” he asked, sounding shy.

Minho brought his hand up to caress his cheek. “Because…I know that this is…I would be taking your virginity from you.” 

Jisung cringed as he said that.

“Okay, you don’t have to say it out loud like that.” He pressed a hand over his mouth, and he could feel him pressing kisses to the palm of his hand. He moved it gently, pulling his wrist away.

“I just want to make sure that you’re ready. That you’re absolutely sure, because I don’t want you to regret anything.” He sounded hesitant, and Jisung just sighed.

“I already told you, I want it.” He was starting to feel embarrassed, having to practically beg for it. He knew Minho probably felt like he was taking advantage of him, but he wasn’t, not in the slightest. He knew that he was weary about their age difference and their experiences, but that didn’t matter to him. He wanted Minho. He needed him.

“I trust you. There’s no one else I trust more.” 

That seemed to make Minho shiver, because he could feel him shake a bit beneath him. It also made him feel his erection under his ass, and that made him even more nervous. But he was excited, because Minho was turned on and looking at him like he wanted to take him right there. 

“We should go upstairs then,” he said, voice low, and Jisung could feel those words vibrating his entire body. Minho didn’t wait for him to respond, he hoisted him up under his thighs, and Jisung had to wrap his arms around his neck to keep himself from falling. 

“I can walk, you know?” He blushed, but Minho just gripped him harder. 

“I like carrying you. You’re so light, and you fit perfectly in my arms.” Jisung buried his face in his neck as he lifted him up the stairs. 

“You’re just strong. How much do you work out?” he asked, making Minho chuckle. 

“A few times a week,” he told him, and Jisung grabbed his tricep, feeling the flex of the muscles there. 

“I always thought your muscles were hot,” he confessed, and he hadn’t planned on saying that out loud, but it was too late. 

“Oh yeah? And how long have you thought that?” He sounded amused, and Jisung could feel him kick the door open with his foot. 

“Probably since the first day I saw you on your porch.” He remembered even back then that he had noticed them. He had always liked his body, and now he was about to see it. All of it. 

He felt his nerves spike as Minho gently placed him down on the bed. His heart was racing as he crawled over him, and he brought his hands up to press them against his chest. 

“Wait. I—I’m…Minho…” he panicked.

He hadn’t realized how real it would feel once he was laid back with Minho on top of him. He was fucking scared. He had never done this before, and maybe he had been confident when he was downstairs, but now that was completely gone. 

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Minho asked, and that sweet, gentle voice and that term of endearment had him shivering. He bit his lip, looking away. 

Minho gripped his chin then, pulling his eyes back. 

“Talk to me.” That made him blush red. Minho’s eyes searched his face, desperately waiting for him to answer. 

“I’m just…nervous,” he admitted.

Minho smiled softly. “I know, baby. I’m nervous too.” 

His heart fluttered in his chest, tickling his stomach.

Baby.

Fuck, his blood was racing, making him dizzy.

Minho pressed a hand to his cheek, and Jisung could feel how warm he was. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. 

“Do you not want to? We don’t have to if—” 

“Do you not want to?” he questioned back immediately. Minho looked surprised at his sudden irritation. But he was tired of him making him tell him that it was okay. 

“No, I do, fuck, of course I want to, Jisung, it’s just—”

“Then I want to. So, just…please.”

He clenched his eyes shut, hoping that jittery feeling would go away soon. He could feel Minho pressing kisses all over his cheeks, and every single one made his entire body shiver. 

Minho grabbed his hand then and placed it on the front of his sweatpants. He could feel him, and his eyes snapped open, seeing the smirk on his face. 

“Still think I don’t want to?” He chuckled, and Jisung didn’t have time to answer as he dove in to attack his lips. He still had his hand there, and he couldn’t help but wrap his fingers around the fabric, causing Minho to let out a throaty groan. 

Jisung’s eyes went wide at the unusually deep sound. His voice was normally airy and light, but right now, it was thick and heavy with lust.

Minho tapped his cheek, seeing his expression. 

“You’re so fucking cute, did you know that?” 

“You’ve been saying that for a while now.” He breathed out between kisses, and he felt the electricity shoot up his spine as he chuckled into his mouth. 

“Because it’s true. You’re so cute and beautiful. It’s crazy you think I don’t want to fuck you—that I haven’t been thinking about it for a while,” he confessed, and that made Jisung’s body seize up. He needed to know how long. He needed to know more about what he was thinking. Minho was always so reserved, so hearing him say that shook his core. 

“When did you—realize you liked me?” he questioned as Minho shoved his hands under his shirt. He felt his thumbs flick over his nipples as he slid up the fabric. 

“The day at the ocean. When you asked me to come swimming with you.” 

Jisung couldn’t believe it had been that long. He had no idea. His breath hitched as he pressed a kiss to his chest. 

“Can I take this off?” he asked, and Jisung nodded. His shirt hit the floor, and he suddenly felt so exposed. He knew his chest was flushed, and it was chilly from the air conditioning. He could feel the goosebumps forming as Minho trailed his fingers down towards his stomach. 

“Minho…I—I don’t really know…what I’m doing,” he told him, and Minho pressed a gentle kiss near his belly button. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”

Jisung just stared at the ceiling as he felt Minho tuck his fingers into his waistband. 

“Is this okay?” he questioned again, his lips kissing near his hip bone, making him shiver. 

“Yeah—it’s fine. Yeah.” 

It was fine. It was completely fine. But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t totally nervous still—especially when he could feel his entire body now exposed to Minho’s eyes. It took everything in him not to cover up. 

He was half hard, since the nerves were getting to him. He could feel Minho kissing his thighs and knees. He couldn’t bring himself to look down. His heart was hammering. He was shaking, uncontrollably. 

“Baby, relax,” Minho cooed at him, and that made him whimper. 

“Sorry.” He clenched his fingers into the sheets. His body was hyper aware, feeling Minho’s lips trailing closer to his inner thighs. 

“Don’t be sorry, Jisung. You don’t have to be sorry. I just want you to be comfortable,” he said, petting his hip. He took a chance, looking down to see him between his legs. 

“I am. It’s you. I trust you.” 

Minho seemed to like it when he said that, and he arched his back when he took his cock into his hand. 

“Ah—”

He couldn’t help but let out a soft yelp. No one had ever touched him like this. His hands were warm on his skin. It felt so much more sensitive than his own hand. He was jolting with every slow drag, his spine threatening to snap. 

Minho pressed his hip to the bed, trying to calm him down. He thumbed the slit, and he heard himself gasp. His body was pulsing, his hands trying to figure out where to grab. He clawed at his palms, he tangled them in the bed sheets. 

“You’re so sensitive,” Minho smirked, and that made Jisung blush even more. 

“It’s…the first time…anyone has ever…” He trailed off, whining as Minho quickened his pace. 

“So fucking cute.” 

Jisung decided he loved being called cute by him. It made his insides burn with want. He couldn’t believe how wet he was, the tip leaking with desire. Minho spread the liquid around the head, making him wince.

“Minho—it feels—so good.” 

He glanced down to see Minho looking at him with that lazy smile of his. 

“I can make it feel even better,” he told him, kissing the center of his shaft. Jisung felt his insides tangle together as Minho teased his tongue up, swirling it around the tip. 

Jisung was losing his fucking mind. 

Minho was looking right into his eyes as he sucked the head into his mouth. He whined as he did so, his hands flying to his hair. He tried to grab him gently, but he couldn’t help but tug a little harder than he intended. 

“Mi—Minho. Ah, Ah!” He licked around him, sending jolts of electricity through his body. His mouth was so warm, and he couldn’t handle the way he was slowly sinking himself farther and farther down until his entire length was pressed past his lips. 

Minho had taken him all, and Jisung could feel his chest heaving for air. He could feel his hips trying to press up as he lifted off him before sucking him back down. Minho grabbed his waist tightly, pinning him to the bed so he couldn’t move. 

He was so strong, and Jisung couldn’t wriggle anymore. He wanted to buck up into his mouth, but he couldn’t. He was being held down, and those fingers were digging into his hips. 

Minho’s cheeks were hollowed out, his lips were bright red, sucking him in perfectly. It was so wet, and Jisung could feel his toes curling as he dragged his tongue along him. He took him even deeper. He could feel his bottom lip press against his balls, and he gasped as he took him into his throat. 

“Fuck— fuck, Minho.” He was in disbelief, and if Minho wasn’t busy sucking his cock he probably would have smirked. Jisung could feel that coiling in his stomach, that familiar feeling filling his senses. 

“Minho—I have to—I’m going to—”

He thought Minho was going to pull off or slow down, but he wrapped his hand around him, pumping him quickly as he tongued at the slit, his lips just circling the head. 

He was coming hard into his mouth. Minho still had one hand on his waist, his fingers digging into his skin as Jisung let out a whiny moan. He was shuddering as he was coming down from that sensational high. His breathing was heavy, his fingers still threaded in Minho’s hair as he popped off his spent cock. Jisung watched as he wiped his lips, smirking at him. 

Minho made his way up to kiss him, and Jisung opened his mouth obediently as Minho gripped his chin. He could still taste the saltiness on his tongue as he pressed their lips together. 

“How was that?” He smiled at him, and Jisung let out another moan, seeming to please Minho immensely. 

“So good. It was…so good.” He was embarrassed as he kissed his cheeks, pressing a soft one to his nose before sitting up and pulling his shirt over his head. 

Jisung reached up to touch his chest, and Minho leaned over him, diving in for another kiss. 

“Minho—” He tried to pull back, but Minho grabbed him by the neck, deepening their kiss. He groaned into his mouth, tapping his arm to get his attention. Minho finally pulled back, and Jisung could see that his eyes were completely lust-filled. 

“What’s up, baby?” he whispered, and Jisung could see he was desperate. He looked like he couldn’t get enough of his taste, staring at his lips like he wanted them back already. 

“I want—I want to do it for you too.” He blushed as he said it, Minho’s eyes going wide with shock.

“You don’t have to do that, sweetheart.” He brushed his hair behind his ear, but Jisung was shaking his head. 

“But I want to. I’ve never…and I want you to…show me how.” That made Minho’s eyes roll into the back of his head. He looked like he was trying to decide whether he should agree or not. Jisung was going to plead his case, saying he wanted to make him feel good too, but he was grabbing at him before he could speak. 

Jisung squealed a bit as he pulled him up, taking his spot on the bed. He was now stumbling between Minho's clothed legs. He blushed as Minho pressed a hand to his cheek, cupping it softly. 

“You really want to suck me off?” he asked, and that made Jisung’s heart race. He didn’t even hesitate, shaking his head yes. That made Minho smirk, and Jisung swore he saw a shift in his eyes. 

Minho pressed his thumb to his bottom lip, flipping it down a few times. 

“I want to see these pretty lips of yours wrapped around my cock so bad.” 

Jisung was going to go insane if he started talking like that. He stuck his tongue out then, licking at Minho’s thumb that was still playing around with his lips. 

“You’re sure you want to?” 

He fought the urge to pout and roll his eyes as he asked him again. 

“I’m sure.”

“Take my pants off then.” He demanded, and Jisung didn’t waste a single second, doing exactly what he was told. He swallowed nervously, because he was about to see him. He was about to see what he had to fit inside his mouth, and what he was going to fit in his ass later. 

He yanked them down, and Minho was completely turned on, his cock slapping against his stomach as Jisung discarded his pants to the ground. 

“Um—fuck,” he breathed out, because he was fucking big. He flicked his eyes up, his nervous face making Minho tickle under his chin. 

“You can take it,” he assured, clearly seeing the apprehension on his face. 

“But—it’s…so big.” He blinked back down to where Minho was hard and waiting to be touched. 

“Yeah, but you’re a good boy, right?” he teased, and Jisung’s insides flared up again. 

“I thought I was a brat?” he mumbled back, and that made Minho slide fingers up to tangle into his hair. 

“That’s true, but I know you can be good too. You’ll be good for me, won’t you?” His tone was stern, and Jisung wasn’t sure what this dynamic was at the moment, but he wasn’t about to shy away from it. Because it was so fucking hot hearing Minho call him good. 

“I’ll be good,” he assured him, and he started pressing his head down. Minho gripped his cock in his hand, and Jisung could see his veins. The ones in his hand, and in the curve of his dick. 

He tapped the head against his lips, and Jisung felt his heart stutter. 

“Open your mouth,” he told him, and he blushed, flitting his eyes away as he unhinged his jaw. 

“Look at me. I want to see your eyes when you take it.” Jisung's eyes were being forced back up, and Minho’s cock was being pressed into his mouth. He panicked as he could feel it choking him already. He’s panicked, gripping Minho’s thighs tightly, digging his nails in. 

“You’re okay. Breathe through your nose, use your spit. Make it wet for me,” he said, and Jisung tried his best to listen. He wasn’t sure how Minho had done it, but he was pretty sure his cock was way too big for him to do any of that. 

He could barely move his tongue as his dick was taking up most of the space in his mouth. He whimpered, grabbing Minho’s attention. 

“What’s wrong, baby?” He brushed his fingers over his puckered lips. He knew they must have looked obscene, spread around him. 

He wanted to tell him that he was sorry if it was bad. He wanted to apologize for being so inexperienced, but the only thing he could get out was a strangled whine and a humming from his throat. 

“I want you to take it for me. You can do that, right? It’s not too much, is it?” He shook his head the best he could, his cock filling out his cheeks. 

“Good. My good boy.” He then pushed in deeper. Jisung could feel himself spluttering. Minho was already so deep, and he knew he had only taken about half. His spit was dribbling down his chin. The tears were starting to swell in his eyes. He was struggling to breathe through his nose. And Minho’s cock was so fucking big. 

He whimpered around him again, and he choked as Minho bucked his hips slowly. Jisung pushed back because he wasn’t keeping him there, coughing up a storm. He was a mess. His face was dripping with saliva, tears pouring down his face. 

Minho just smiled at him, wiping at his chin. 

“Are you okay, sweetheart? If that’s all you can take, that's fine. Your mouth is so little compared to my cock, isn’t it?” he cooed at him, and that made Jisung’s eyebrow twitch. Because he was definitely teasing him. 

Jisung took that as a challenge, gripping his sopping wet dick as he placed it back on his tongue. He could hear him groan as Minho threw his head back. 

“Fuck Jisung,” he growled, and he was determined to take him deeper. He was trying to swirl his tongue like Minho did, but it was definitely not working in the same way. But Minho looked like he was enjoying it, so he didn’t want to worry about it too much. 

“Take me deeper, baby, can you do it?”

He tilted Jisung’s chin up, angling him a little differently. He panicked as Minho pushed in, and Jisung couldn’t breathe, feeling his cock deep in his throat. 

He could feel the tears streaming down his face. He wanted to pull off, but he wanted to please him more.

“Fuck, so pretty. You’re so beautiful.”

Jisung could feel his cock jump between his legs as Minho complimented him. Jisung took him down, all of him, his jaw was sore, and his throat was burning. 

“Perfect. You’re perfect, Jisung. Everything about you,” he praised, and Jisung winced as Minho punched his hips in, making him go even deeper. 

“Fuck, shit.” 

Minho pulled out abruptly, and Jisung was coughing aggressively. He had closed his eyes, looking like he was trying to focus. Jisung panicked, feeling those insecurities of being inexperienced clawing at him. 

“Was it—Was it bad?” he asked, his voice absolutely wrecked. His throat was so incredibly sore, and he was still trying to get himself together. 

Minho’s eyes popped open instantly, grabbing Jisung’s cheek in his palm. 

“No, god no, sweetheart, you did so good. It felt amazing, I just didn’t want to come yet. I wanted to fuck you first,” he said, making Jisung blush. 

“I’m sorry if I was too rough. You were so cute, and I was too aggressive for your first time.”

Jisung really liked the way he stroked his fingers over his damp cheek. 

“It’s okay.” He nuzzled into his hand, feeling how comforting it was. Minho had a beautiful way of making him feel so at ease. Just like a warm summer day. 

He pulled him up to slot their lips together again. Minho loved kissing him. He was sitting on top of him now, and he could feel the wetness underneath him. Minho was rutting up against him, and that made Jisung freeze. 

“How…is that going to fit?” He sounded panicked, and Minho pulled back, pressing kisses to his wet eyes. 

“I’ll open you up. I’ll be gentle with you. Is that okay?” 

Jisung’s heart flipped in his chest, but he nodded anyway. He trusted him to make it feel good. He couldn’t imagine losing his virginity any other way. Minho was perfect to him. 

He was moving him, and Jisung was on his back again. Minho was hovering above him, pressing kisses to his cheeks, his eyes, and his forehead as he reached into the drawer beside his bed. Jisung could see the bottle of lube, and he knew that he was about to have Minho inside him. He took in a deep breath, and Minho must have seen his face, because he looked concerned. 

“What’s the matter?” he asked, and Jisung shrugged. 

“Nothing. I’m just—nervous again,” he admitted, and Minho just smiled at him. 

“Why are you nervous, baby?” That made Jisung want to roll his eyes. 

“You know why…” he grumbled as Minho opened the cap and spread the liquid around his fingers.

“Don’t be nervous. I promise I’ll make it good for you.” He pressed his legs even farther apart, getting low and in between them. 

He knew he said not to be nervous, but that was so much easier said than done. He yelped when Minho brushed his fingers over his opening, stunning both of them. 

“Is it still cold?” he questioned, and that made Jisung blush.

“Uh, yeah,” he lied.

It wasn’t cold. At all. He did a great job of warming it up. It was just that no one had ever touched him there before, so he had been a little shocked. 

“Sorry,” Minho apologized, kissing his knee. Jisung could feel his heart threatening to break his ribs. He was shaking again, and he wondered if Minho could feel it.

He felt his hand being grabbed, and his fingers were being intertwined with Minho’s free one.

“Jisung, if you’re not ready, we can try again on a different day,” he told him, and he clenched his eyes shut again. 

“No, I want this. I want it, please.” He sounded so desperate, and when he opened his eyes after Minho was silent for too long, it looked like something had snapped inside him. 

“I've…” he took a deep breath, “I’ve been holding back since we started, but I’m telling you, that if you keep begging like that, then I’m going to fucking lose it.” 

That made Jisung’s core shake with an unknown pleasure that he’d never felt before. The darkness in his tone, the demanding connotations, like he was warning him. But Jisung didn’t want him to hold back. He wanted him to want him just as much as he did. 

“You don’t have to hold back.” He squeezed his hand in his, and Minho blew out a pained sigh. 

“I don’t want to hurt you.” He spoke more gently this time. That made Jisung scrunch his face in annoyance. 

“I’m not—I’m not fragile. I can handle it,” he said, and he could see Minho letting a small smirk form on his face. 

“Big talk,” he teased, and Jisung dug his fingernails into the skin on his hand. 

“That’s all you’re doing right now,” he sassed back, getting impatient. Minho was still rubbing the liquid back and forth around his rim. It was driving him absolutely insane. 

Minho chuckled. “Don’t be a brat.”

Jisung felt that warmth swirling in his stomach. 

“I’m only a brat because of you,” he grumbled, feeling embarrassed. He was feeling needy, so he was getting snippy. 

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” 

He made him a brat because he made him so needy. He pouted when he didn’t have Minho’s attention. He hadn’t realized how much he needed it lately, bothering him whenever he ignored him until he finally gave him what he wanted. He loved their light banter, wanting to press him until he called him that name. He shared with him all his selfish feelings, but he knew Minho loved hearing about it. 

“Because you won’t— fuck—just give me what I want and I won’t have to bitch at you.” He blushed as Minho chuckled again.

“My little brat.”

And from anyone else, that would’ve probably been an insult, but when Minho said it, it was said with so much love that Jisung was completely on cloud nine. 

He yelped again when Minho was now softly pressing a finger into his body. Jisung couldn’t believe that it felt like it burned.

“Wait, wait—wait,” he pleaded, pulling at Minho’s hand to grab his attention. 

“What’s wrong? Does it hurt?” he asked, with definite concern in his voice. 

“Ah…no, it just…feels weird.”

He couldn’t even explain the feeling. He had never had anything inside him like this before. He blushed, knowing that Minho was staring at him with his finger in his ass, waiting for him to tell him he could keep going. 

“Jisung, I won’t lie that it might be a little uncomfortable at first, but it’ll get better. You can trust me,” he assured him, pressing more kisses to the inside of his thighs. The gentle touch of his lips calmed him a bit. 

“Okay…sorry…I just—”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s completely alright. If you want to stop at any time, just tell me.”

Jisung was honestly about to cry because of how kind he was being. 

“I’m going to keep going, is that okay?” he asked then, and Jisung nodded quickly. 

“Yes. It’s okay.” 

“Just relax your body for me,” he told him, and Jisung did his best to listen. He took in deep breath after deep breath, and he could feel Minho sliding the rest of his finger inside. He tensed a bit, because he was right, it was a little uncomfortable at first. 

He wasn’t sure what had happened, though, because after only a few thrusts, he was met with a different kind of feeling, pleasure taking over. He hadn’t even realized he was moaning until Minho was smiling at him, interrupting him. 

“That feel good sweetheart?” he questioned, a little smug, and Jisung just nodded lazily. “I’m going to add another then.” 

He jolted at the feel of another finger at his rim. He winced as he tried to slide it inside, the tight resistance making him whine in discomfort.

“I know, I know. It’ll get better, just like before,” he promised him, and Jisung just kept breathing. He tried not to think about the stretch or slight pain. He wiggled a bit, and Minho let go of his hand to grab his waist. 

“Keep those hips of yours still. You’re so squirmy,” he chortled, and Jisung blushed once again. 

“I’m…I’m not…” He wasn’t sure why that embarrassed him so much, but it did. 

“No? You kept trying to choke me earlier with how much your little ass was moving around.” 

To be fair, that was true. But he couldn’t take it. The pleasure was too much for him to sit still. It wasn’t his fault. 

“But it feels good, Minho,” he whined, and once again, Minho was staring at him with that terrifying look in his eye. 

Jisung screamed as Minho shoved his fingers in deep, hitting something inside him that made his entire body jolt. 

“Ah! Fuck, ah, Minho—” He moaned as he pressed at it over and over. 

“You are really testing me.” That dark tone was back. Minho slammed in his fingers, spreading them carefully, and Jisung couldn’t keep up. 

“Minho— Minho—wait, please! It feels—too much—”

“Hmm, I remember you saying, ‘I can take it,’” he teased, mimicking his voice. Jisung could feel the tears welling in his eyes. 

“Minho—please,” he whimpered, and that must have snapped him out of it because he was slowing down and pulling his fingers back. 

“So cute, Jisung.” He petted his hip again before pushing it down into the mattress. “It’s so cute that you have no idea how much I’m holding back.” 

Maybe he was right. Maybe he couldn’t handle it. But that didn’t mean he didn’t want to try. 

“I told you, you—you don’t have to.” He was trying to catch his breath, and that made Minho smirk. 

“I would make you cry. You wouldn’t be able to take it. You’re already saying it’s too much,” he told him, and Jisung felt his heart flip. 

“Then make me cry,” he said, and Minho took in a sharp breath, licking his lips into a devilish smile.

“You don’t mean that. You’re just trying to please me.” 

Jisung just shrugged, because maybe that was true, but he would do anything for him at this point. He was making him feel so damn good.  

Minho kissed his knee again, and Jisung could see him smiling a little softer now. 

“I’ve wanted to make you cry for me since the day you walked in with those puffy eyes from reading my book.” 

Jisung could feel another finger being pressed to his rim. He whined loudly when it breached him. It was way more uncomfortable than just two. 

“I loved that I was able to move you like that. You were so pretty. I wanted to take you right there, make you cry even harder as you moaned for me.” 

Those words were allowing him to ignore whatever pain he was feeling from three fingers shoved inside him. 

He felt so full, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. He was writhing, and Minho was trying his best to keep him still. 

“Minho…” he whined, knowing that might cause him to go faster instead of slow down. 

“How does three fingers feel?” He checked in with him instead of slamming them deeper. He wouldn’t lie that it was taking him a little longer to get used to it, but as soon as Minho crooked them, all of the pain suddenly disappeared. 

He was moaning, begging, whining, and Minho was fucking him hard with his fingers buried in him. Minho let go of his hip to snake his hand around his cock, and Minho chuckled. 

“Look at you, hard again already. So cute.” 

He whimpered at that, and Minho leaned down to press a kiss to the tip. The feeling sent shivers down his spine. 

He would have come again if Minho hadn’t pulled his fingers out suddenly. He let out a disappointed groan, making Minho laugh with amusement. He could feel himself twitching, his rim exposed to the air now. 

He watched as Minho ripped open the condoms, and he cursed when he tried to put one on. It had torn easily, the material looking like it was disintegrating. 

“Uh, Jisung…this is kind of embarrassing. But I haven’t…bought condoms in a really, really long time, so…”

Fuck, but he was damned if they weren’t about to finish what they started.

“I mean…It’s okay.” He blushed as he tried to tell him they didn’t need one. 

“I’ve been tested, just so you know, and—”

“Yeah. I haven't been with anyone before, so…” He was dying from embarrassment. He tried to cover his face with his hands, but Minho wouldn’t let him. 

“Shit,” Minho breathed out, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips. “I’ve never fucked someone raw before.” 

Jisung felt his heart shrivel up as he said that. 

“I’m so excited to feel you,” he whispered into his ear, and now Jisung felt like he was the one who was disintegrating. 

“Minho…” he mumbled, not sure what exactly he wanted, but he needed him to do something. 

He could feel him situating himself between his legs. He made the mistake of looking down to see his cock in his hands, his veins popping, the red head staring back at him. 

His nerves were back in full force. 

“Minho…I’m nervous—I’m really—”

“It’s okay, baby. I opened you up, you can take it, remember?” 

Jisung breathed out, nodding obediently. He felt Minho flick the head over his rim, and he felt a spark trying to ignite each time. 

“Jisung,” he said, but Jisung’s eyes were on the ceiling. He looked over at him, and Minho smirked, pressing the head inside. His body felt like it caught fire. “Good boy, look at me.”

He felt his mouth go slack, his hands immediately grabbing for Minho's thighs. This was way more intense than just his fingers. 

“Hurts—Hurts,” he complained, and Minho gripped his hips, angling him a little differently. 

“I know, sweetheart, just breathe. Just like earlier, it’ll get better,” he assured him, but he had stopped moving at least. Jisung was trying to get used to it, but it was taking forever. 

“I don’t—know if I can…” He felt the tears welling. He couldn’t believe he was getting ready to back out. But he could tell that Minho had barely pressed in, and it was already this painful. The fact that there was so much more to go was terrifying. 

“Hey, hey. Look at me.” Minho tapped his knee, trying to get his attention. It took him a moment to focus, but he eventually locked eyes with him again. 

“Do you want to stop?” Minho asked, and Jisung quickly shook his head.

“No…but you’re so big. It’s too big—it’s too big…”

Minho shushed him gently. 

“You can take it. I know you can. You’re so good for me.” He praised him as Jisung was trying to get his breathing under control. 

He reached down to brush his hair out of his eyes, and Jisung could feel him accidentally push a little deeper. He must have seen him wincing, because he started speaking to try to distract him. 

“Hi, baby.” He was still caressing him, and Jisung was struggling to listen, but he was trying his best. “Can I tell you something?” Jisung nodded as Minho stroked his cheek. 

“I wanted to tell you that you make me so happy, Jisung. You’ve really come into my life and changed me,” he said, and Jisung felt his heart inflate. He wanted to ask him how, he wanted to know more, but he couldn’t, as Minho pushed deeper again. 

“Ah!” He slapped his hands on his chest, and Minho grabbed his wrist. He stopped moving, allowing him to get used to it once again. 

“Almost there, baby. You’re doing so good.” 

Jisung thought he was going to be ripped apart. But he just grabbed Minho’s hand, squeezing tight as a few tears pressed past his eyes. 

“Already crying, and all I’ve done is put it in,” he teased, and Jisung could smack him. 

“You’re—a jerk,” he breathed out, finally finding his voice again. Minho stroked his thumb over the back of his hand. 

“Still think you can handle it?” He smirked, continuing to tease him. Jisung bit his lip and shook his head back and forth. He was done playing confident. He was in way over his head.

“Don’t worry, you’ll learn soon enough. I’ll teach you how to take me.”

He slowly pulled back, and Jisung felt all the air leave his lungs. His entire spine felt like it snapped as Minho pressed his hips back in. He arched so high, trying to get away, but Minho just wrapped his arms around his waist. Jisung could barely even register his touch, so focused on the pressure inside him. 

“F—Fuck. Oh my—fuck,” he whimpered, and he was trying to find his mind. He was losing it, especially when Minho pressed in as deep as he could go. 

“Holy—Jisung, you feel…so fucking good.” 

He felt his heart flutter. He reached up to grab his shoulders, digging his fingers into his skin. He wasn’t sure what he felt yet. If he felt anything, it was that he felt full. His stomach was swelling with the size of Minho’s cock inside him. 

He had looked down to see it poking up the skin on his tummy. He couldn’t fucking believe it. He had to look away, blushing deeply. Minho must have seen him staring for a second, though, because he was pressing a hand to where his cock was outlined on his body. 

“Feel me?” He smirked, and Jisung clenched his eyes shut again 

“Don’t—Minho, please…” He was so embarrassed. 

“You don’t want to see how fucking small you are on my cock?” he asked, and Jisung needed him to shut up or else his blush was going to be etched into his skin forever. He shook his head, but Minho wasn’t letting up.

“Stop—don’t…say that,” he begged, placing his hands over his mouth. Minho just kissed his palm, and Jisung could feel himself crumbling again. 

Minho grabbed his wrists, pinning them to the bed above his head. He whimpered as he fucked him slowly. 

“How does it feel?”

Jisung moaned as Minho rocked his hips back and forth. 

“It feels…It’s really…big...” 

“It doesn’t hurt, though, does it?” he asked, and Jisung shook his head. 

“No—it—it doesn’t hurt—anymore. It feels good…” He blushed, saying that, because Minho was staring at him, waiting for that positive response. 

He could see him twitch. He could feel the grip of his wrists tighten. His eyes filled with lust, and the veins in his neck tensed. 

“I’m sorry if I make you cry, but I can’t hold back anymore, Jisung.” 

That’s when he snapped his hips back, fucking into him so hard that it made Jisung fly up the bed. 

“M—Minho!” he whined, not expecting him to pound into him like that. He felt his entire body tingling as he hit the spot that his fingers had been assaulting earlier. He heard the moans falling from his lips. He couldn’t control them. 

Minho fucked him hard and fast, but Jisung didn’t miss the way he brushed his thumb over his cheek, telling him how good he was being. His heart was threatening to explode. 

“Fuck baby. So perfect. Taking me so well. Such a good boy for your first time.” 

That made him blush, embarrassed by that. Minho was making him lose his mind. The pleasure was building. He was starting to feel sore as he continued to fuck him over and over. He felt his body becoming weak, but Minho held onto him. He had his hip pressed to the mattress again, his wrists still tightly bound by his other hand. 

“Minho—ah—I can’t—anymore,” he complained, and he needed to be touched. He needed to come again. 

“I’m close, Jisung, just a bit more,” he told him, and Jisung felt the tears stream down his cheeks. He couldn’t believe how exhausted he was. 

“Ah, see. I told you I would make you cry.” 

Jisung just hiccupped, feeling too many emotions, too much pleasure, and too much exhaustion for him to stay sane. Minho let go of his wrists then, and Jisung wondered if they were bruised a bit from his harsh grip. He reached down to wrap his hand around his cock. Jisung whined loudly, making Minho smirk. 

“Come for me, love,” he whispered, and Jisung couldn’t believe that those soft words were all it took for him to release all over his stomach. He was shaking, twitching, and crying. His fingers grabbed onto the sheets, and he swore he had ripped them. The pleasure shot throughout his entire body, electrocuting him until he was immobilized. 

Minho fucked him through it, his gaze locked on him as he came, completely mesmerized by him. 

“Holy shit, Jisung. Can I—inside? Is that—okay?” The speed of his hips was erratic, he could barely form a proper sentence. Jisung was completely dazed, but he nodded anyway. He wanted whatever he wanted. He wanted Minho to praise him. He wanted Minho’s love. He wanted to be perfect for him. 

“Fuck, Jisung, I’m coming, baby.” 

Jisung heard him grunt, he felt his hips press as deep as they could go. He could feel his body spasming. Jisung grabbed his hand around his forearm, trying to squeeze the best he could. He had absolutely no strength left. 

He whined and grimaced as Minho pulled out of him. They were both breathing heavily, and Jisung could feel himself coming back down to earth. He gasped when he felt Minho lift his legs, though, not expecting it. 

“Shit, Jisung. I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have asked to do that…” 

He blushed when he felt Minho’s fingers tickle at his entrance. He could feel Minho start to drip out of him. He snapped his legs shut, crushing Minho’s arm between his thighs. 

“Don’t. Please don’t look. Please stop.” He begged, and this was the most embarrassed he felt the entire time. The sexual high had worn off, and he was just sitting here with Minho's eyes on his most intimate parts. 

“Okay, I’m sorry. Let me clean you up, though. We have to get it out of you.” 

Fuck that was even more embarrassing. His entire body was flushed. 

Minho retracted his hand and was pulling himself off the bed. Jisung watched as he made his way towards the bathroom. 

He needed to get a grip. But he was feeling out of his mind. He just lost his virginity. He had tears streaking his cheeks. He had Minho’s cum inside him. He had no idea how to feel. 

When Minho came back, he could see Jisung hiding his face in his hands, and his legs were hiked up to try to cover anything they could. 

“Sweetheart…” He reached out, gently pulling his wrists away. He was bright red. He could feel it. “Are you alright?” 

He sounded uneasy, and Jisung knew he had to relax. He was making Minho anxious. 

“I’m—I’m fine. I’m just…I feel…” He couldn’t even explain it. 

“Are you unhappy about it? Did I hurt you?” he asked, his eyes moved away from his own as he began wiping him down, and Jisung had to grab his hand to force him to look back up. 

“Not at all,” he told him. “It was perfect. Honestly, I just…I don’t know…I feel kind of embarrassed right now,” he admitted.

Minho placed a hand on his cheek. Jisung couldn’t help but melt into his touch. He was always so gentle. 

“Embarrassed? Why, sweetheart?” 

“I mean, I feel so…naked.” 

He blushed deeper when Minho chuckled. 

“Maybe because you are?” 

“Well, yeah, but you’re staring at me and I can’t—I mean, like, no one’s ever seen me like this before, so I’m not used to it, and I don’t know if I was even any good, I barely did anything and—”

Jisung was cut off by a kiss to his lips. 

“You were more than good. You were perfect. You were everything,” he assured him, and that made him flush darker. 

“But, I just sat there.” That seemed to amuse Minho. 

“Next time you can ride me if it’ll make you feel better.” 

Jisung pushed at his chest. The thought made him nervous again because he had no idea how to do that. He decided he would just let Minho finish cleaning him up for now, because he was suddenly feeling so incredibly tired. He could feel a yawn rip through his body.

“Tired?” he questioned, tossing the towel into the hamper. Jisung just nodded. 

“Yeah, but it’s barely past ten.” He hadn’t slept this early all summer. 

“If you’re tired, you should sleep.” He pressed a kiss to his forehead, and Jisung’s eyes were fighting to stay open. He could feel Minho tuck him under the blankets, and he decided not to say anything as he left to grab his laptop. He couldn’t believe he was going to start working again. 

But as long as he was next to him, then he didn’t mind. 

He had woken up from the sun peering in from the curtains, bright and directly in his face. He groaned as he rolled over onto his stomach, planning on falling back asleep, but he was startled when he saw Minho still lying in bed beside him. He was sitting up against the headboard, and Jisung hummed contentedly as his fingers danced slowly up his arm and towards his shoulder. 

“Good morning.” His voice was soft, and Jisung felt that tingling in his stomach again. He sat up, stretching and trying to rub the sleepiness from his eyes. 

“Morning.” His words sounded raspy, and Minho smiled at him, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips. 

“How are you feeling?” Minho questioned a little nervously.

Jisung just shrugged. “I mean, a little sore but overall I’m fine,” he told him, and Minho ran his fingers through his hair with a smile. 

“Good.”

The blankets slipped off him, and he blushed, realizing that he was still naked from the night before. Minho grabbed a shirt from the ground and tugged it over his head. It definitely wasn’t his, but he didn’t mind. It felt nice having Minho’s shirt draped over his body, and the smell of him warmed his insides.

Jisung could see the coffee on his bedside table, and his laptop screen was glowing as well. 

“Are you working again?” He eyed the computer next to him.  

“I didn’t want to leave you, so I just decided to work here.” 

That made Jisung’s heart swell. He bit his lip, knowing that Minho struggled to focus when he wasn’t on his patio or in his study. 

“You could have gone downstairs.” He shrugged, and Minho pressed a hand to his cheek, brushing gently. 

“I wasn’t going to let you wake up alone.” 

Jisung smiled, feeling the emotions swell inside his chest. Minho closed his laptop and moved to get out of bed. Jisung was shocked when he saw that it was almost ten. He slept for almost twelve hours. And Minho stayed with him the entire time. 

“I’m gonna make us something to eat, but I have to get some work done again today.” 

That made Jisung pout. It was the same spiel every day. 

“Don’t be upset.” He gripped his chin, and Jisung rolled his eyes. 

“I’m not,” he lied, and Minho smiled at him. 

“You can finish your book and then we can get dinner later, how does that sound?” he asked, and Jisung couldn’t deny that he loved going into town to grab something to eat with him. It was nice to get out, and he liked it when Minho held his hand on the boardwalk. He loved how he swung their intertwined fingers back and forth as they strolled on the beach. He liked that he always offered to pay for dinner, even though he shouldn’t have. 

“Okay. That sounds good.” He nodded, and Minho pressed a deep kiss to his lips.

“And if you’re good today and let me get some work done, I’ll fuck you like the good boy you are later.” 

Jisung’s eyes went wide, his heart officially exploding. Minho winked at him before making his way to the door and heading down the stairs. 

He was hard from waking up in the morning, but now it definitely wasn’t going down. 

He eventually forced himself out of bed, brushing his teeth and checking his phone. That’s when he realized he hadn’t called Hyunjin in a few days. He was about to lose his shit when he told him about everything that had happened to him lately. 

He put some pants on and jumped back into bed, blushing as he remembered the events from the night before. He pressed call, and it only took him a few rings to answer. 

“Man, long time no hear. What the hell? I thought maybe you drowned in the water after all.” Hyunjin chuckled, and Jisung’s heart was racing. 

“Sorry, I’ve been…a little busy,” he told him, and he was already smiling.

“Busy?” he questioned, sounding skeptical. 

“Well, remember how I said that Chan’s friend lived next door?”

“I do remember that.” Now he sounded interested. 

“Well…we’ve been spending a lot of time together recently, and he’s been keeping me company this whole summer, and he’s super nice, Hyunjin, like I can’t explain to you how great he is.” He gushed, and Hyunjin was humming over the receiver like he was taking in everything he was saying. 

“So you like him?” He could hear him smiling. 

He found himself spilling everything. 

“He kissed me and told me he liked me, and I couldn’t fucking believe it, but he’s been taking me on dates and I like him so much, and I guess things kind of escalated, because last night…I lost my virginity.” He told him, and he wished he could see Hyunjin’s face because it was completely silent. 

“No fucking way. No fucking way. Sung, oh my fucking god!” He sounded so excited, and he could hear his mom shush him in the background. 

Jisung was blushing again. 

“I know. It was…he was so good to me, it kind of hurt, but he tried to make it as comfortable as possible, and I just…honestly I still can’t believe it myself.” 

He really couldn’t. He never thought that the summer would turn out like this. He never expected to find this kind of happiness. 

“Wow, holy shit. So you really like this guy, huh?” He was giddy, and now Jisung wished he could come out here even more. He wanted him to meet him so badly.

“Yeah. I’ve never felt like this before.” He played with the bedspread, tangling it in his fingers as he smiled stupidly. 

“Fuck, Jisung, I’m so so happy for you. I can’t wait to meet him. I’m going to try so hard to come out the last week of August,” he assured him, and Jisung felt his heart swell. 

“I can't wait. But if it turns out you can’t leave your mom, I totally understand. I know you’ll meet him someday,” he told him, thinking about the words Minho had told him on the beach. Hyunjin really was his best friend in the entire world, and he didn’t want to pressure him. 

“I’ll try Sung, I really will. But I have to go, the shop's getting busy, but fuck, I love you so much and I’m so fucking happy for you!” 

“Hyunjin, enough cussing, there are customers here, get off the phone.” 

Jisung laughed as he heard his mom yell at him again. 

“Sorry, Mom. Okay, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” 

Jisung hung up the phone and laid back against the pillow. He felt elated, covering his face with it and kicking his feet. 

He had never felt so happy in his entire life. 

Jisung started spending the night there. The only time he ever went to his dad’s house was to water the plants. He moved most of his clothes over, his toothbrush, and everything else he needed. He ate breakfast there, hung out on his patio while he worked, and mooched for his attention in the evening. 

Minho fucked him every night, sometimes slowly, sometimes desperately, and other times he made Jisung ride him until he was crying from being too tired. He always praised him, though, and Jisung could never get enough. It was perfect, in every single way. He had never felt so loved, and he had never been happier. 

He couldn’t believe that in just less than three weeks, all of this would be coming to an end. Minho tried to tell him that just because the summer was over, it didn’t mean that they couldn’t ever see each other again. Which was why Jisung made him promise to come visit when he was at school. He made him promise to come see his hometown next time. Minho assured him that he would do just that. 

“Oh shit,” Jisung said as they were sitting out on the patio like usual. Minho was working, sipping at his coffee, and Jisung was just pages away from finishing another book that Minho let him borrow. 

But his phone dinged. He had checked it immediately, thinking that it was Hyunjin, but it wasn’t. 

“My dad’s coming today,” he told Minho, who completely froze when he said that. His fingers skidded to a halt. 

“Wait, what? He’s—He’s what?” He sounded panicked, and Jisung popped an eyebrow at him. 

“Hey, kiddo, I’m making my way over today. I’ll be there by noon,” he read out loud, and Minho blinked back at him. Minho grabbed his own phone then, clicking through it.

“Fuck he texted me too. God damn fucking phone, always on silent.” He ran a stressed hand through his hair. Jisung knew he was probably worried because of their new relationship and having to tell Chan. That, and the fact that this was so sudden. He probably hadn’t even planned on how to tell him yet. 

“Why are you yelling at the phone? You’re the one who put it on silent,” Jisung teased, and that must not have been the right time, because Minho was glaring at him. 

“Jisung,” he warned, and Jisung shivered at that. He never usually used that tone with him, so he must have been feeling extremely uneasy. 

Minho stood from his seat then, checking the time. It was already eleven, and he looked like he was panicking. 

“Hey, why are you so nervous?” Jisung asked gently, because his anxiousness was making him feel upset. 

“Because I wasn’t expecting…fuck I didn’t know he would be visiting so suddenly. I haven’t…told him yet, about us.” 

He was totally losing it. He was yanking at his hair and tripping over the patio furniture as he paced back and forth. Jisung stood then, grabbing at his wrist. 

“It’s okay. If you want, I can tell him,” he offered, and Minho just sighed, placing a hand on his head.

“No, I—I have to tell him myself.” He looked at the ground, and Jisung shrugged. 

“Well, it would be hypocritical for him to get mad. He kept shit from you, too. He never even told you I existed.” He was trying to calm him down, but somehow he seemed to only be making it worse. 

“I know, but…”

“If he has a problem with it then he can come talk to me. I’m an adult, I can make my own decisions, and he has no right to act like my fucking dad,” he snapped, and that made Minho frown at him. Jisung knew that was a little aggressive, but it was true. If Chan was pissed, he had no fucking right. 

“Jisung…” 

“Seriously though. It’ll be fine.” 

Minho took a deep breath, but just smiled at him. 

“Okay, you’re right. I know,” he agreed, and Jisung wished he meant that. He could tell he didn’t because he immediately stopped working and began straightening up the house, even though it was already spotless. 

Jisung just let him do what he needed to. He had no idea why he was freaking out so much. Jisung didn’t really care what his dad thought, but he could understand why Minho was panicking about it. But honestly, it was none of his business at the end of the day.

If anything, he was kind of annoyed his dad was coming. He was getting in the way of their alone time. Which is why he had to force a smile as he came through the door of the back porch. Jisung was still sitting on Minho’s patio. He didn’t get up, he just waved at him. 

“Hey there!” He smiled widely. The one thing that Jisung hated about Chan was that he was actually so fucking genuine. Only because it kind of made him feel like a jerk when he was acting mean towards him. He was kind, and at first, Jisung thought it was fake. He was convinced that it was a perfect stage smile, but the more he learned about him, the more he was sure that it was actually real. 

“Hey, Dad.” Jisung put his book down, standing up and heading over to the screen door.

“Minho! Chan is here!” he screamed inside, and he swore he heard him drop something, a clatter ringing throughout the house. He rolled his eyes with a small chuckle. 

“Look at you two, hanging out together.” He smiled widely, and Jisung almost laughed out loud. 

“Yeah, would you look at that? Thanks for mentioning to him that I was going to be here. Or that I was your son. Or that you had a son.” He knew that sounded rude, but he was still a little pissed about it. Chan frowned then, coming over to jump the ledge. 

“I’m sorry, Jisungie. I totally forgot I asked him to watch the house, and Minho and I don’t talk about our personal matters much these days, so it really just never came up,” he explained, just like Minho had told him. 

“It’s fine.” He shrugged, deciding to just let it go. That smile of his was back already. They turned to see Minho finally emerge from the house. 

“Minho, shit, it’s been so long.” 

Jisung could see Minho tense as Chan wrapped him in a hug. 

“You look great. How’s the writing going?” He sounded genuinely curious, and Minho just gave him a gentle smile. 

“Good, it’s been really good lately.” Jisung saw his eyes glance over to him, and he bit his lip, looking away. 

“Man, this place is amazing. Thanks for letting me rent it out. It’s fucking beautiful here.” He shaded his eyes so he could look out at the ocean. 

“Yeah, this place has been good to me.” 

“I bet, but it must get lonely, being so far from everyone, though. At least you had Sungie to keep you company.” He ruffled Jisung’s hair like he was a kid. Jisung wanted to slap his hand away, but he remained calm and just smiled the best he could without glaring. 

“It's been nice having him around.” Minho agreed, and Jisung couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. 

Minho noticed, but Chan didn’t pay it any mind as he clapped his hand on Minho’s back. 

“How about we all grab lunch? I have to tell you guys about London and Paris. Amazing places. Maybe we could all go someday.” 

Jisung sighed, trying not to sound too disappointed. He knew this would cut into Minho’s work hours. He knew that meant that he would have less time to spend with him in the coming days because Chan was butting in and ruining it. He was bitter and maybe even a little selfish, because he didn’t have much time left with him, and he didn’t want to share that with Chan. 

“Jisung, why don’t you go get changed so I can talk to your dad for a minute?” 

He hated how that made him sound like a child. He pouted, but listened anyway. He could see Chan’s eyes on him as he went into Minho’s house and not his own. 

Jisung immediately bolted up the stairs, because he knew there was a window in the bathroom on the second floor that he could press his ear to. It overlooked the patio, and there was no way he was about to miss this conversation. 

“Yeah, no, that's fine. I was just wondering,” Chan said, and Jisung was annoyed that he missed the first part of their conversation. He hadn’t moved his feet fast enough. 

“He’s been spending a lot of time with me, actually,” Minho said then, and Jisung felt his heart race at his nervous tone. 

“Good, I know I haven’t been there for him much, but you have no idea how grateful I am that you could be there to take care of him for me.” That made Jisung roll his eyes. They kept talking about him like he was some goddamn kid.  

“Chan…I—I wanted to talk to you about that, about Jisung.” Chan gave him a questioning face. 

“Okay, is something wrong?” he asked.

Minho shook his head. “No, nothing is wrong. It’s just…fuck I honestly don’t even know how to say this…” He covered his face with his hand, rubbing it down with stress. 

“Minho, what’s going on?” He sounded concerned, but that kind face of his was still there. For now. 

“Jisung and I…we really connected this summer. We got along well, and…he’s been so sweet, and he made me realize a lot of things, and I know he’s your son and I know you’re my best friend, but—”

“Minho, are you trying to tell me that you like my son?” 

His voice was hard to read, and Jisung could see Minho wince. He nodded slowly, and Chan’s smile was completely gone now. 

“Chan, I’m sorry. You have every right to be so fucking pissed at me, but I wanted to tell you that I…I think I’m in love with him.” 

That made Jisung’s knees buckle.

Love.

He couldn’t stop his smile. But Chan’s face lacked one still. It was quiet between them, and Jisung could see Minho dying for him to say something. 

“Wow,” Chan finally said, placing his hands on his hips. Jisung wasn’t going to let him freak out. He raced back down the stairs. He hadn’t even changed, and he knew that they could see that, but he didn’t care. 

He slammed the door open, and Minho looked surprised to see him. Jisung felt like he had so much to say, but suddenly his voice was caught in his throat. 

“Jisung.” Minho looked panicked, but he just grabbed his hand, holding tight. Jisung just smiled at him, and his eyes skated over to Chan, looking at him with a warning glare. 

Chan looked like he finally remembered how to smile, looking at their intertwined hands. 

“So what do you say, you two, lunch?” he asked.

Jisung could see that Minho still looked incredibly uncomfortable. Especially because he hadn’t said anything about his confession. 

“Sure,” Minho replied as Jisung squeezed his hand. 

Minho had offered to drive, and Chan talked their ears off the entire time. He talked about his tour, and apparently, the new girl he met when he was visiting Venice. Jisung rolled his eyes, but Minho smiled at him, seeming genuinely interested. He tried to pay attention as they talked about the past, but he didn’t really care about people from their old days and what they were doing now. 

Chan had asked him a few questions about his mom, school, and his friends, but he was vague when answering. He never really liked to talk about his life with him. He knew Chan wanted to know what he was missing out on, and he decided to elaborate a bit as he felt Minho’s encouraging hand rest on his thigh. 

He shared a little more than he wanted, but that seemed to please Chan immensely. Minho squeezed his thigh in praise, and that made Jisung bite his lip. Minho and Chan continued to talk, and the next thing he knew, they had been there for hours. He was hoping they would go home soon. 

“God, Minho. You would love Paris.” Chan sighed with a happy smile as Minho took a sip of his water. 

“The city of love,” Minho stated, and Jisung was barely paying attention, but he could see a sad smile come to Minho’s face. 

“Remember when we said we would go there together one day?” Chan asked, and Minho nodded. 

“I think I remember saying something like that.” 

“We were so broke at the time. It was just a silly dream. You wanted to go there, to find inspiration to write your books. I said I would go with you and I would play guitar and sing on the street for pocket change to pay for our apartment.” 

Minho chuckled, and he clearly remembered exactly what Chan was talking about. Jisung could see the memories flashing in his eyes. 

“Next time, I’ll take you. Jisung, too.” He brought him into the conversation, and he was suddenly feeling left out, so he wrapped his arm around Minho's bicep. 

Minho looked shocked at the touch, but he didn’t shy away from it. He smiled down at him, those love-filled eyes making his heart race. 

“That would be fun, wouldn’t it?” Jisung had never been to Paris, but the thought of visiting with Minho sounded so romantic. Even if Chan was there too, it would be worth it. 

“Yeah, it would be.” 

Chan continued to go on and on, and Jisung had never heard him talk so much in his life. To be fair, he had mentioned he hadn’t seen Minho in over a year, so they were definitely catching up. 

He let the two of them argue about who was going to pay as he munched on his French fries that they kept filling for him. 

The sun was setting, and Jisung rolled his eyes when Chan said he needed to catch a plane soon. Of course he couldn’t even stay the night. 

“I’ll go get the car started,” Minho told them. It was incredibly hot, and Chan had complained about getting into a boiling car when feeling so full. Jisung wanted to call him a drama queen, but as Minho was making his way towards the car, Chan grabbed him by the shoulder. 

“So, you guys are together, huh?” He smiled at him, and that made Jisung blush. 

“I mean, we haven’t really talked about anything official like that…but I really like him.” He shrugged, and he wasn’t sure why he even had to explain this to him. Chan just nodded, smiling widely. 

“Look, Jisung. I know I’ve messed up a lot, and I know you still have a lot of ill feelings towards me—”

That made Jisung sigh, interrupting him.

“I don’t, Dad, really.”

Chan tried not to look sorrowful as he said that, and Jisung knew he needed to let go of the anger he had towards him. Being upset with him wasn’t good for anyone. So, he decided to take a page out of Minho’s book.

“I know…well, Minho told me that you’re just busy, and that even if you’re busy, you still care. I know it’s not always easy, and I know you’re trying, so I’m not…I don’t hate you for that.” 

That made Chan smile sadly.

“He’s a really great guy, isn’t he? I haven’t seen him this happy in a while. And if you’re happy, and he’s happy, then that’s all I could ask for.” 

Jisung felt an actual grin come to his face. 

“Thanks, Dad.” 

“Alright, now I have a plane to catch.” 

Jisung shook his head, but he smiled at him anyway. 

“Promise me you’ll call me.” Jisung blushed when saying it, and Chan blinked back at him, surprised at his words. 

“I swear that I will.”

Minho had attacked him, his lips devouring his instantly. He was hiking his shirt over his head, and he was pushing him towards the couch. 

He had just told him that Chan said he approved of their relationship. Not that they needed his approval anyway, but it seemed to make Minho happy. He could tell by the way he was stripping him in the living room, forcing him to sit on his lap. He grabbed at his waist, tugging him down so his clothed erection brushed over his ass. 

“Jisung,” he whispered, and he smirked, kissing his neck and sucking harshly. “Jisungie.” 

That made him wince. 

“C’mon, don’t fucking call me that,” he whined, because all he could hear was Chan’s voice as he said it. 

“Why not, Jisungie?” he teased, kissing his chest. 

“Because my fucking dad calls me that. It’s weird as hell,” he complained, as Minho dragged his lips down to his nipple, licking around it with his tongue. 

“Then what should I call you?” 

Jisung wasn’t sure what to say, because even just his name falling from his lips made him go crazy. 

“I like it when you call me baby…or brat…” 

That made Minho freeze for a moment with his lips around his nipple still, but then a wide smirk came to his face. 

“You like it when I say that you’re a brat, huh?” He bit down on the bud, making him whimper. He nodded as Minho gripped his hips harder. 

Just the nod of his head clearly hadn’t been enough for him, because he was growling at him with hungry eyes. 

“Tell me you like it.” 

“I—I like it. I like it when you call me a brat,” he murmured, and that made Minho squeeze him tighter. 

“My brat. So sassy, but so fucking cute.” 

Minho grabbed him by the neck, pulling him down and kissing him deeply. Jisung whined into his mouth, making him pull him in even closer, mouthing at him harder. 

“I want you to ride me. Right here,” he whispered into his ear, kissing the shell before forcing him up and off his thighs. Jisung didn’t have a moment to respond as Minho was tugging down his shorts that he wore to dinner. He blushed, because the windows were so open, giant see-through slabs of glass. He knew it was a pretty private area, but it made him nervous that someone could potentially walk by. 

“But–what if–someone could…” He trailed off, and Minho was sliding his jeans off as he was looking around in a panic. He yelped when he pulled him back on top of him. 

“No one will see. It’s just you and me here,” he assured him, and Jisung felt his fingers brush against his bottom lip. He tapped him there, and Jisung swallowed nervously as he eyed him sweetly. 

“Get my fingers wet so I can open you up, or you’ll be crying that it hurts too much,” he demanded, and Jisung couldn’t get used to that damn mouth of his. It made him shiver every time. It all fell from his lips so easily. He let his jaw open, and Minho wasted no time shoving them inside, petting them against his tongue. His heart was racing as he grabbed onto his thighs, trying not to fall backwards as he fucked his fingers into his throat. 

Jisung was choking on them as he shoved them deeper into his mouth. But he didn’t pull away, wanting to please him. 

“There you go, just like that. So good for me,” he praised, and Jisung really couldn’t get enough of it. 

His saliva was already dripping down his chin, Minho’s fingers completely coated with it. He tried not to gag as he shoved them in deeper, but he knew that Minho wanted to see his eyes fill with those pretty tears he liked. Minho pulled them out when he started coughing, smiling as he saw him crying a bit. 

Jisung learned that Minho liked to be a little rough. He never wanted to hurt him, but he always wanted to push him to the edge. He liked it when he was feeling so much pleasure that he would cry from it. He praised him so well for taking it. He told him how perfect he was for him. And Jisung never knew he would love it so fucking much. 

He blushed as Minho inspected his slick fingers, waggling them back and forth. 

“Good boy. Now come here.”

He pulled him to his chest, and Jisung barely had time to catch his breath before Minho was reaching around him to press his fingers to his rim. They had slept together the night before, and Jisung was still a bit sore, but he was also a little loose. Minho was able to slide two fingers in easily. 

Jisung whined loudly. He knew Minho liked to hear him, but he honestly did it subconsciously. He couldn’t help the moans falling from his lips as he made him feel good. He whimpered as he shoved a third finger in, and Jisung was now bringing his hips back to meet those thrusts. 

Minho liked to tease him for being needy. That he could never sit still enough for Minho to fuck him like a good boy. He was always writhing and squirming underneath him. 

“Sit still,” Minho demanded, and Jisung groaned, biting at his shoulder. “Don’t be a brat, Jisung.” 

Jisung’s stomach swirled, so he bit him even harder. He heard Minho groan from the pain.

“I want…to move. I want it. I want you,” he complained, drooling against his skin as Minho fucked his fingers in even deeper. 

“You’ll get what you want if you’re good,” he whispered, holding him down.

Jisung whimpered at that. 

“I am good.” 

“Jisung, good boys don’t argue and complain.”

Jisung whined in dissatisfaction, making Minho chuckle. 

“My little brat, always whining, always complaining, always needing my attention,” he teased, and Jisung felt like he was going to come if he kept talking like that. 

Minho must have felt him tensing, getting close to the edge, because he pulled his fingers out. Jisung groaned, gasping when Minho grabbed his hair, tugging him back. It wasn’t too harsh, but it was just enough to make it hurt a bit. 

“Lift your ass for me,” he demanded, and Jisung would have nodded if he didn’t have him by the hair so tightly. He raised himself up, and he could feel the tip of his cock squeeze past his entrance. The thing about Minho was that he was so big that no matter how many times Jisung took it, the beginning was always a struggle. 

“Hurts—ah—Minho—fuck, it—”

“You can take it. You always do. Be good and take it for me.”

Minho loved coaxing him. He loved telling him that he could take his cock. Jisung loved hearing it just as much. He felt like he was being split open, but he slowly made his way down, and his heart was hammering in his chest as Minho praised him the entire way.

“Such a good boy. My good boy. My sweetheart.” 

Jisung felt his entire body tense up as he finally made his way all the way down. He could feel how deep he was, prodding deep into his stomach. He knew that all he had to do was look down, and he could see the outline of his cock right there. He also knew that Minho was staring at it. He liked to see him filled with it.

“Jisung, baby,” Minho called softly, seeing him wincing as he tried to get used to him. He brushed his hair behind his ear and thumbed a stray tear off his cheek. Minho always liked to talk to him as he tried to get used to him, distracting him from the uncomfortable pressure with sweet words. 

“Ye-Yeah?” he squeaked out, making his eyes meet his.

“I’m so glad we met. I’m so happy you’re living in this world at the same time as me. I think that I’ve been waiting for you for a really long time. You’re so perfect for me,” he told him suddenly, and Jisung felt his heart race at those words. 

Jisung wanted to respond. He wanted to say he felt the same, but Minho was lifting him and slamming him back down, causing him to scream instead. 

“God, baby, so fucking tight,” he growled, and Jisung couldn’t stop the tears. It always felt so much deeper this way. He also knew he was pathetic, not being able to move much. Minho controlled his body every time. Jisung just whimpered and let him fuck up into him,

“Minho—Minho—ah—Minho,” he moaned over and over, and Minho was smirking as he bounced him up and down on his cock. 

“Pretty, so pretty, sweetheart. Fuck yourself on it,” he encouraged him, trying to let him control the pace a bit. But Jisung’s thighs were already burning. He didn’t work out much, and he knew that maybe he should start, so he could try and please Minho a bit more.

Jisung’s entire body jolted when he was hitting that spot inside him over and over again. He wanted to slow down, but Minho had other plans, gripping him by the waist and fucking into him even deeper than he thought possible.

“Minho—I can’t—I can’t—I really—it feels—ah!” 

“Yes, you can. Take it. You’re such a good fucking boy.”

“N—No—wait—I’m gonna—ungh—”

Jisung wasn’t sure what had happened, but his entire body felt like it was on fire, and he was coming all over Minho’s chest. 

Minho fucked him through it, and even he looked surprised as Jisung came all over his shirt. He was twitching uncontrollably and couldn’t feel his legs. His body felt euphoric. Everything was shaking. He was sobbing from the pleasure. 

“Oh my—fuck, my sweet boy, did that feel  good?” Minho whispered, and Jisung was still trying to catch his breath. He was tensing up, and he knew he was squeezing Minho tightly inside him.

“Minho—I can’t…” he cried, because he was shivering from the overstimulation. 

“Okay, I’m so close, baby, I promise. That was so fucking hot. You’re so good.” Jisung could feel him getting close, the stuttering of his hips was a giveaway. He smiled lazily as Minho finally slammed his hips up, groaning as he released everything he had into his spent body. 

Jisung felt incredibly weak, and Minho had to catch him as he was starting to fall over. 

“Shit, I’ve got you, sweetheart.” Minho lifted him, swapping their spots as he placed Jisung down on the couch. He knew he was dirtying it, but Minho didn’t seem to care. He was sweaty and filthy, but he just wanted to sleep now. 

He was feeling exhausted as Minho cleaned him up. He always made sure to wipe him down, no matter how tired Jisung was, even when he complained that he just wanted to sleep. He wore him out a lot, but he always made sure to make him decent before his eyes closed for the night. 

He could feel himself being carried upstairs. He could feel him tuck him in. He could feel the inflated happiness of his heart as Minho pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Minho…” he mumbled, reaching for him. 

“Yeah?”

“Hug...”

He wanted to be held. He wanted Minho to lay with him. He could hear a small chuckle fall from his lips. 

“Come here, baby.” He felt his comforting arms wrap around him, and Jisung pressed his face to his chest, hearing the calming sound of his heartbeat. 

The summer was almost over. The final week had stumbled upon him without him even realizing it. He felt his heart burn in his chest when he checked the calendar on his phone. The next semester of college was starting within two weeks. He tried not to cry as he walked downstairs, seeing Minho making a pot of coffee. 

“Morning, sweetheart,” he greeted him, and Jisung sighed, sitting down at the table with a frown. 

“Morning,” he grumbled, and Minho looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“What’s got you grumpy this morning?” He smiled at him, and Jisung let out a depressed sigh.

“I leave a week from today.” He tapped his fingers on the table sadly, and Minho just grabbed another cup from the cabinet. 

“Yes you do.” He filled it with coffee and brought it over to him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Don’t be sad. I told you, I’ll visit you soon, and you’re always welcome here.” He tried to make him feel better, but it wasn’t working. 

Hyunjin had contacted him, telling him that it wasn’t likely that he could make it, so he was feeling even more down in the dumps. He cried in Minho’s chest about it, but he didn’t say anything, letting him express his feelings in the way he needed to. 

“Can we hang out on the beach today?” he asked with a pout, and Minho smiled at him. 

“I can try and quit work a bit early,” he told him, and Jisung couldn’t get the frown off his face. 

He was almost finished with another book that Minho had let him borrow. He had promised him that he could take as many as he wanted with him to college, even the few of his that he still hadn’t read yet. He wanted to take them all, but he knew Minho probably wouldn’t allow that, and he was sure that he didn’t have enough room in his luggage for them all anyway. So he decided he would take around five, and then come visit as soon as he could to swap them out. And to see Minho, of course. 

Jisung had accidentally fallen asleep reading on the patio. When he woke up, it was almost evening. He suddenly felt like crying again, because he wasted the entire afternoon, not spending it with Minho at all. He looked to see him still sitting at the table, typing away. He stood up instantly, knowing he probably had sunburn from lying there too long. 

“Minho.” He tapped his shoulder, and Minho looked up to see him standing over him.

“Yes, love?” 

He didn’t say anything as he forced himself into his lap, wrapping his arms around him. He was definitely feeling extra clingy recently, but Minho didn’t seem to mind. He just stroked his hair, and Jisung pressed a kiss to his lips. 

“How’s work going?” he asked, and Minho smiled. 

“Well, I wanted to wait to tell you until the end of the summer, but you’re so sad today that I kind of want to cheer you up,” he told him, and that made Jisung blink back at him with wonder.

“I think that I’ve finally written that happy ending for you,” he said, and that made Jisung’s mouth drop open. He began to bounce excitedly in his lap, causing Minho to chuckle. 

“Really? Oh my god, are you going to publish it? Can I read it?” he questioned, and that made Minho laugh.

“I want you to read it first, even before my editor. I want to know what you think about my raw thoughts and words.” He blushed as he said it, and Jisung felt his heart flip in his chest. He pressed a large kiss to his lips, and Minho grabbed him by the back of the head, deepening it. 

“Minho, I’m so excited. I can’t even tell you how excited I am because it would be a fucking understatement.” Minho tried to bite back a smile, but failed.

“I’m glad to hear that.” He tucked the hair behind his ear, and Jisung felt himself blush now. 

He could see the change in him since the first day they met. He used to be so reserved and kind of a mystery. He seemed so downhearted, and Jisung didn’t like that frown on his face when he watched him work. He had wondered what had him so pained that the only stories he could write were sad ones. 

He suddenly couldn’t stop thinking about his debut novel. The first story he shared with him. The emotion that book made him feel. He still felt so unsatisfied from the ending, but maybe, if he read it again, he could find things he missed. That maybe he could understand the character better. That maybe there was a reason they could never be with the one they loved. 

“Do you remember the first book of yours that you let me read?” he asked then, and Minho cocked his head to the side but nodded. 

“Yes, of course I do.”

“Can I read it again?” he questioned, and that seemed to surprise Minho.

“If you want, sure.” Jisung smiled as he pressed a kiss to his lips. “The copy is in my study. It should still be on my desk. I haven’t put it back yet.” 

Jisung jumped up as Minho finished working for the night. He suggested they order takeout, and Jisung was excited to cuddle and watch television after. 

He made his way into the study, and Jisung hadn’t been in there more than a couple of times to force Minho to stop working. He could see the book lying on the corner of the desk, like it had been pushed to the side to make room for Minho’s laptop. 

He grabbed it, and planned on leaving, but he could see a ton more copies of his books in the corner on a shelf. He was suddenly curious, knowing he still had so many more to read. He wanted to take them with him when he left next week, so maybe he could just take a few while he was there. 

He noticed there were a ton of copies of A Relinquished Love, tucked into the corner. He remembered Minho saying that this was his original copy, and he had noticed the cover was a little different. He also noticed a shoebox under one of the stacks, and Jisung couldn’t help but pull it out.

When he opened it, he was surprised to see a bunch of pictures of Chan in there. He smiled, seeing one of the two of them together, and another, and another. There were a ton, and he noticed a broken bracelet at the bottom of the box. He picked it up, and it looked like it had been ripped. The thread was torn. 

There was a piece of notebook paper, folded and tucked under one of the photos. He opened it up, and he could see Minho’s pretty handwriting. 

He felt his blood run cold. 

Chan,

Even though I know you’ll never read this book, I dedicated the entire thing to you. I grappled hard, deciding if I wanted to give you this note or not. My acknowledgements were vague, and I knew you wouldn’t be smart enough to know that this entire book was for you. I’ve loved you since the moment we met, and I know that it’s been selfish of me to keep this from you, but I know it would only hurt if I were to tell you. Which is why I wrote this book, to try to close this chapter in my life. I know now that sometimes, it just isn’t meant to be. I’ve learned that the hard way, but even so, I don’t regret a single moment we spent together. Even when you kissed me, that one night down at the pier, I knew that it didn’t mean as much to you as it did to me. It pained me at the time, but now, I understand that you were going through your own struggles, and no matter what, I wouldn’t change a thing. I was happy to help you through everything, and I would do it all over again. Because even if my love will never be reciprocated, I still love you, forever and always. 

If you ever read A Relinquished Love, I hope you know that I wrote this with my entire soul. That I only ever wanted your happiness, and I think that even though our story couldn’t end the way I wanted it to, I’m still happy. 

Thank you for always being there for me.

 

Love,

Minho

Jisung felt his heart ripping out of his chest. The tears dripped down onto the old, faded paper. 

He couldn’t believe this. 

He couldn’t fucking believe this. 

He was shaking. He picked up the box and took the note, shoving it under his arm. The tears wouldn’t stop. 

He slammed the door open and stomped his way into the kitchen, where Minho was scrolling through his phone. 

“What do you want for—” He looked up to see Jisung’s face. His eyes darted from the box in his hand to the tears on his cheeks. 

It was dead quiet, the only sound breaking through was Jisung’s heaving breaths. 

“What the fuck is this?” Jisung hissed, throwing the box at him hard. The contents hit him and scattered all over the floor. The beads from the bracelet bounced around until they quietly settled. The pictures fluttered down gently. 

“Jisung…” he whispered, and Jisung was absolutely seething. He held the letter in his hands. 

“You’re a fucking liar.” His voice cracked with his words. Because Minho was in love with Chan, and he never told him. 

The pieces were all falling together. The story, Minho’s dejectedness, moving away, and struggling to find happiness. It was all because Chan never loved him. Chan loved someone else. Chan never knew how much he meant to him. It was all about Chan.

“Jisung, I never lied, I—”

“So you just forgot to fucking mention that you’re in love with my fucking dad?” he snapped. He couldn’t believe he kept this from him. He couldn’t believe he had listened to his words. 

“Jisung, please—”

“Why?” He sounded broken, his heart crushing as he looked at him. “Is it because I look like him? Is it because I act like him? I remind you of him, don’t I?” he accused.

Minho winced.

“No, that’s not true—”

“Don’t fucking lie to me anymore!” he screamed, tossing the letter to the floor. “Chan never loved you, so you found the next best thing. You’re trying to recreate your failed fucking relationship with me.”

He sobbed, his chest heaving. He felt his heart tearing itself apart.

“No, I love you, Jisung. None of that is true, please just listen—”

“I never want to see you again,” he whispered. His heart had finally died inside him. “I fucking hate you. You and my dad. I fucking hate both of you.”

He ran for the door before Minho could stop him. He darted across the patio and flew down the stairs. 

“Jisung, please wait!” 

But he didn’t wait. He ran down the beach, forgetting his shoes, and running as fast as he could. His feet splashed in the ocean water, the sand kicking up behind him as he refused to slow down. 

He didn’t know where he was going.

But he couldn’t be at the beach house any longer. 

He found himself in a cafe, trying to stop his tears. Most places wouldn’t let him inside because he didn’t have any shoes on, so he had to sit outside in the back. He was resting his head in his arms, trying to process everything, not taking a single sip of the tap water he had asked for.

Minho had lied. Minho took his trust and completely shattered it. Since the beginning, he had been in love with his dad. He never told him. He hid it from him. Because he used him. 

He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that this entire time, he was pretending that he was Chan. That he was recreating that love he had always wanted. That when kissed him, he was thinking it was him. That when he fucked him, he saw him face. 

Jisung felt absolutely sick. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about the book. The kiss that the couple shared. The feelings that they discussed. All of it was real. Chan was struggling with addiction. Minho had always been there for him. Giving him a place to sleep. Holding him through the withdrawal. Helping him back on his feet. Telling him he loved him, but not meaning it in the way Minho desired. He cried when Chan met someone else. But he never told him how he felt. He let him go, knowing that if Chan couldn’t realize that Minho was willing to do anything for him after those years they spent together, then he never would. 

But now, he had the opportunity to pretend that it had all worked out. Because Jisung was his spitting image. He could imagine that Chan was finally his, and that their love never failed. 

And he felt so pathetic and broken. 

He wiped his eyes and took his phone out of his pocket. He quickly dialed Hyunjin, knowing it was incredibly late. He really thought that he wouldn’t answer since it was already past midnight, but he sobbed when he heard him on the other line, his tired voice making his heart ache even more. 

“Jisung? What’s wrong?”

“Hyunjin—I need you. I need you to come get me,” he cried into the phone, and it was quiet for a minute, but he could hear rustling over the phone. 

“I’m on my way.” 

He had stayed at that cafe all night, even after it closed. He didn’t care that he was cold. He didn’t care that he didn’t have a phone charger. He gave Hyunjin the address and waited for him for hours. 

He couldn’t go back to the beach house. He knew Minho would be there. He knew he would be waiting for him, trying to talk himself out of this. 

When Hyunjin finally arrived, just past seven in the morning, Jisung had fallen asleep, his eyes puffy and cheeks stained with tears. He ran his fingers through his hair gently, causing him to lift his head from the wire table. 

“Sung, hey,” he said quietly, and Jisung jumped up and threw himself into his arms. He sobbed against him, and he could feel Hyunjin tense before rubbing his back in small circles. It was so good to see him, but he wished he had been here for a completely different reason. 

“I want to go home. I hate it here. I want to—to go home.” He cried, and Hyunjin blew out a deep breath. He hadn’t asked why he wanted him to come get him. He just knew that Jisung needed him, and he was thankful that he didn’t even hesitate. 

“What’s going on? What happened?” he asked, sitting them both down at the table which had Jisung’s dried tears all over it. 

“Minho—he lied to me. He doesn’t love me. He used me,” he hiccupped, and Hyunjin looked hurt himself, seeing him cry so hard. He rubbed the back of his hand, trying to calm him down.

“How? Why do you say that?” 

Jisung couldn’t believe that he had to talk about it all over again. 

“He never loved me, Hyunjin. He loves my dad.” He couldn’t stop the flow of tears, and he looked at him with shocked eyes.

“Wait, what?”

“I found a letter that he wrote to him ten years ago confessing everything, but he never gave it to him. He was holding onto it, with all their pictures, like maybe he was planning on still telling him one day. He wrote him a goddamn love story. His novel that he had me read. That was about my fucking dad.  He loved Chan all this time. He never told me. He was trying to replace him with me. Because we look so much alike. Because I’m his son. He doesn’t love me. He loves Chan.” 

Hyunjin was rubbing his shoulder as he cried into his hands. 

“Jisung—”

“It’s not fair, Hyunjin. I trusted him…I let him…he was…fuck. He was using me.” He couldn’t stop the tears. He couldn’t stop the ache in his heart. This summer was one he would never forget, and now he wished so desperately that he could. 

“Have you talked to him about it?” he asked, and that made Jisung glare at him. 

“I don’t want to hear anything he has to say. He lied to me.” His lip quivered, and Hyunjin sighed. 

“Jisung, maybe you should hear him out. Maybe he didn’t tell you because he didn’t know how to, or maybe that part in his life doesn’t matter anymore. Didn’t you say that was over ten years ago?” he questioned, and Jisung shook his head.

“He didn’t tell me because he knew what he was doing.”

Hyunjin frowned at him. “Jisung, from the way you were talking about him, it sounded like he really cares about you. Before I take you home, I want you to be sure that you really want to leave, that you don’t want to hear him out first.” He rubbed a tear off his cheek, and Jisung sighed. 

He didn’t want to hear any of his fucking lies. He had heard enough of them already. 

“I want to go home.” 

College started again. He sighed as he tried to pay attention in his calculus class. He had absolutely no idea what was going on. He hadn’t been able to focus for weeks. He was driving himself insane trying to forget Minho. He was trying to forget the entire summer they spent together. 

All of it was for nothing. 

As class ended, he packed up his things, and he had promised he would meet Hyunjin in the courtyard for lunch. They had never eaten there before. Usually, he would come and find him so they could go to the cafeteria. He didn’t feel like questioning him since he said he had already bought them food. He was starving, so he made his way towards the center of campus. 

He knew Hyunjin had been extremely worried about him. He had been buying him lunch a lot lately, trying anything he could to cheer him up. He would barely listen when he talked to him. He was acting depressed, but rightfully so. He knew that he didn’t blame him. Hyunjin had been hoping that maybe he would show some signs of improvement after a few weeks. But he wasn’t feeling better at all. 

Minho had destroyed him. He had never been so betrayed. It felt like there was a hole in his chest that just kept growing. 

He cried every night. Even when he spent the night at Hyunjin’s. He knew he could hear him sobbing gently into his pillow. His heart ached even more when he felt his gentle hand rubbing circles on his back. 

He had been extremely patient with him. He didn’t try to tell him that everything was going to be okay. He didn’t tell him to stop crying. He let him purge his feelings whenever he needed to. 

He needed to buy him lunch next time for sure. 

He texted him that he would be there in a minute, and he groaned when he arrived and saw that he wasn’t even there yet. He rolled his eyes and sat down on the bench. No one else was outside, since it was kind of a cold day. 

Fall was settling in, and the sun wasn’t hot enough for his skin to burn anymore. He felt a frown come to his lips as he once again couldn’t stop thinking about the summer. 

He heard the door open then, and he was about to give Hyunjin shit for being late, but his eyes went wide as he saw someone else walk through into the courtyard. 

Minho’s eyes met his, and his heart clenched in his chest. 

He stood up in shock, grabbing his bag, with his eyes glaring at him instantly. He hated that his first thought was that he looked amazing. He usually didn’t get to see him in a jacket and jeans. He tried to put that out of his head, remembering all the pain he had put him through. 

The tears. The lies.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he snapped, and Minho winced at his harsh voice. 

“Hi, Jisung,” he said, and that pissed him off. He sounded so calm, and Jisung’s voice was terse and cracking. 

“I don’t want to talk to you. So leave me alone. I told you I never wanted to see you again.” He was getting ready to head for the door, but there was only one exit, and Minho was blocking it. 

He reached into his jacket then, and Jisung could see a book with a pink cover and a green spine. 

“Look, I know I have a lot of explaining to do, and I know you don’t want to listen to anything I have to say. But I want you to read this. I know you don’t owe me anything, but please, even if you never want to see me again, I will respect that. But please, read this first.” 

He slowly handed him the book, and Jisung felt his heart jump when he read the title.

A Love I’ve Waited For 

Minho didn’t say anything else. Jisung watched as he left the courtyard. He clutched the book in his hand, wanting to rip it up, but another part of him wanted to immediately start reading. He needed to know. 

He sat back down on the bench, and he opened to the first page.

Chapter One: An Unexpected Meeting

When he got home, he raced through the front door and past his mother, who tried to ask him how his day was. She gave him a questioning glance, but ignored it as he slammed his door shut. 

He barely talked about the summer with her. He knew she was concerned, but she never pressed him. She knew that he would suppress even more if she were to nag him about it. 

“I don’t want to visit dad next year.”

“Honey, are you sure? Why not?” 

“He’s too busy. I barely see him. I missed you and my friends, so I want to stay here.”

She just nodded sadly, not asking about it again. 

He had texted Hyunjin, pissed that he had set this up. He frowned when he saw his reply. 

He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He really seems to care about you, Jisung.

So he picked up where he left off, and he couldn’t help but let the tears drip onto the pages as he flipped through. 

His heart tugged when he realized that it was the main character from his debut novel. He had written a sequel, and he was the new love interest. He cried as he read about their experiences from the summer, all written down from Minho’s point of view. He felt his heart shatter as the main character described their love. Falling for him as the days went by. That maybe being together wasn’t possible, but he was determined to try, because this time it was impossible to let this love go. 

He explained how he was the one he had been looking for his whole life. That this was the love he so desperately searched for. That Jisung was the one who gave his life meaning. That he couldn’t imagine it now without him. 

He stayed up all night, and it was almost four in the morning. He had to keep rereading sections, his heart burning as he scanned them over and over. His tears made it hard to see, he was exhausted, but none of that could stop him from reading, and he sobbed when the book came to an end. 

The main character was finally happy, confessing his feelings to the person he had waited so many years to meet. He knew that the fate of the world led them both to the summer cottage. That they were meant to meet each other. He was about to close the book, but he could see that there was more text in the back. A written note. His heart hammered as he pressed the page open. 

I wrote the first book in this series almost ten years ago. Looking back, I really thought that’s how this story would end. I never considered writing another book or having an alternate ending. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Because sometimes, love isn’t what you want it to be, and not everyone gets that happy ending. Which is why I closed the series and tried to move on with my life. I never thought that I would meet someone who would inspire me to write a different ending to this story. But that person has shown me that love can be what you want it to be. That it can be beautiful. They’ve shown me that love can be easy. They’ve given me happiness I have never known. I owe it to them for allowing me to write an even better book than the last, and I dedicate this entire novel to them.

Jisung, thank you for showing me that love can have a happy ending. I love you more than you know. 

 

Minho

Jisung was sobbing, his eyes full of tears. He hugged the book to his chest, crying until there was no more liquid left in his body. 

And he needed to see him. He had class tomorrow, but he didn’t care. He needed to talk to him. 

He rushed out of his room. It was so early in the morning that his mom was still asleep. He knew she was going to be pissed that he took the car, but he didn’t have time to ask. If he left now, he would be there before noon. 

He left her a note, saying he needed the car for the day, and that he was sorry he didn’t tell her sooner. But he needed to go. 

He texted Hyunjin before he left, just a quick and simple text. 

Thank you, Jinnie

He sped almost the entire way there, cursing whenever he hit a stoplight or stop sign. He was thinking about what he wanted to say the entire ride. He gripped the book in his lap as he made some of the sharpest turns anyone had ever done in a car. He knew he was being reckless, but he couldn’t get there fast enough. 

The leaves had changed already as he drove down the ocean drive. He could see the season turning to fall. It was beautiful here, and he felt his heart swell as his eyes caught the boardwalk when he passed by. 

He parked in front of Chan’s house, since Minho’s giant black vehicle was taking up all the space in his driveway. He jumped out of the car, the book in his hand. 

He pounded on the door, slamming his fist loudly and aggressively. His heart was racing, thinking that maybe he wasn’t home when he didn’t answer after a minute. He felt the relief fill his body as he slowly opened the door. 

Minho blinked back at him, looking completely surprised. 

Jisung held up the book, and the tears started streaming down his face. 

“You read it that fast, huh?” He smiled sadly, and Jisung slammed the book against his chest. Minho let out a shocked gasp.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he cried, and Minho’s shoulders slumped, breaking their gaze. 

“How could I have explained it?” He frowned, and that made Jisung smack his chest with the book again. 

“You should have told me.” He gritted his teeth, still feeling angry. 

“Jisung, I know that I have a lot of history with your dad. I know that it might seem that I was using you because of the circumstances, but I cannot express to you enough that it is not true at all,” he tried to tell him, his tone desperate.

Jisung pushed past him, walking into the house. He felt his heartache at all the memories immediately hitting him full force. 

Laughing on the patio. Coffee in the morning. Dinner together in the evening. Reading on the couch. Sex wherever they felt like. Jisung’s heart tugged painfully in his chest. 

“How can I believe you?” he whispered, more tears falling down his cheeks. He needed to hear him explain himself. He needed to know that he loved him and no one else. 

Minho pulled him by the arm, and he didn’t try to tug away. That made Minho smile, pressing a soft hand to his cheek. 

“You and your dad are nothing alike. Nothing about you is similar. Maybe your eyes, but that’s about it,” he told him, and that made Jisung pout. 

“Of course, I love Chan, and he’ll always be my best friend. Our relationship has changed so much since I wrote that letter. We aren’t the same people anymore. I’ve changed, and my feelings have changed. My love for him was complicated, but with you? God, you’ve made me feel something I have never felt before. I let Chan go. I can’t let you go,” he told him, and Jisung was hiccupping as Minho brushed the tears off his face. 

“I fell in love with you, and I was trying to tell myself that I shouldn’t have. That it wasn’t right, that you were Chan’s son, that you’re still so young, but you kept showing me how happy life can be with someone you care about, and nothing could keep me away from you.” 

Minho looked like tears were welling in his own eyes. 

“You’ve always been such a sweetheart. Reading my books, sharing my passion, praising me for it. I hated sharing my work with others. I couldn’t bring myself to let Chan read any of them. But with you, I want you to read it all. I want to hear your thoughts. I want to know your feelings. I spent the summer writing that sequel, like you suggested. I wanted you to have a happy ending. I wanted to give you something you enjoyed reading, and I ended up writing about all the happiness you shared with me.” 

Jisung tried to look away, he couldn’t take the love in his eyes as a tear dripped down his cheek. 

“Jisung, I know I messed up. I know that you don’t have to believe me. But I love you and only you. No one else could make me this happy. No one else has inspired me like this. Just you, and I’m so happy that we spent this summer together. I will cherish it for the rest of my entire life.” 

Jisung couldn’t take it anymore. He pressed their lips together, and Minho wrapped his arms around his waist. He seemed shocked for a second, but he quickly snapped out of it, hoisting Jisung up. Jisung wrapped his legs around his hips as Minho spun him and slammed his back against the closed door.

“I love you too. I really—I really do.” Jisung cried between kisses.

Minho’s hand was trembling against his cheek.

“Jisung, baby, I love you so much. You. And only you.” 

He kissed him deeper, and Jisung couldn’t get him close enough. He needed more. He needed his hands on his body. He needed all of him. He wanted to be loved by him. 

“Show me that you love me. Please, I need you—need you to.” 

Minho growled into his mouth, and Jisung felt successful at pulling that sound from him. 

“I’ll show you. I promise, Jisung. I’ll show you just how much you mean to me.”

Jisung moaned as Minho sucked a harsh mark onto his neck. His head slammed back against the door, and he shook as Minho bit down gently. 

He tugged him away from the door then, and Jisung had to wrap his arms around his neck to keep himself from falling to the floor. 

Minho kissed him the entire way to the stairs, and Jisung sobbed again as he saw his stuff still lying around the house.

He had left everything behind, re-buying anything he needed, deciding it wasn’t worth it to come back and retrieve any of it.

“My—My stuff,” he whispered, and Minho sighed. 

“I couldn’t bring myself to move any of it. I was hoping you would come back.” He sounded pained when he said that, and Jisung felt his heart clench.

“Minho—I’m sorry—”

“You have no reason to be sorry, my love. It was me. All me. I should have been honest with you from the start. I’m sorry that I made you doubt me. I’m sorry for making you cry. I’m sorry for breaking your heart.”

Jisung whimpered as he carried him up the stairs. Once again, the memories flooded back. 

He brought him to his bedroom, and Jisung wanted to cry again, seeing his clothes still littering the floor even there. Minho laid him back, and Jisung couldn’t bring himself to let go. He still had him tight around the waist with his legs, and his arms were still wrapped around his neck. 

“Baby, you’re okay, let go.” 

“I can’t…” he whispered, feeling more hot tears stream down his cheeks. 

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re okay.” 

He untangled him, and Jisung let out a sob as he pulled back. 

“Sweetheart, relax. You don’t have to cry anymore. I’m right here.” He shushed him, and Jisung shook his head. He was always feeling needy, but now he couldn’t stop. He wanted all of him. 

“Touch me. I need you. Please,” he begged, and Minho carefully tugged his shirt over his head. He dabbed the fabric over his face, trying to dry his cheeks. Minho smiled at him, pressing kisses to his lips between Jisung’s hiccups. 

He grabbed the waistband of his sweatpants that he never changed out of, tugging them all the way down and discarding them to the floor. Jisung didn’t even have time to flush, pulling Minho close so he could rip off his clothes too. 

“Off. Off,” he demanded, and Minho almost fell on top of him as Jisung was yanking at his pants. 

“Alright, they’re off.” He smiled, and Jisung instantly grabbed him in his hand. Minho let out a moan as he flicked his thumb over the tip. Jisung was about to do it again, but Minho grabbed his wrist. 

“Baby, slow down,” he told him gently, and Jisung felt himself cry again. 

“No. I want—I need you.” 

Minho pressed their foreheads together then. 

“I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. You’re not going anywhere. We’re right here. So, just settle down for me, baby, please.” 

Minho kissed his lips then, and Jisung took a deep breath. He tried to relax his body. Minho kissed the back of his hand and placed it on his stomach. 

“Good boy,” he whispered, and Jisung felt his body shiver. 

Minho pressed his legs apart then. Jisung could see him kissing down his chest, pressing a few pecks to his hips, and grazing the tip of his cock, making him shudder. 

He gasped when Minho’s tongue pressed against his rim. Jisung jumped, not expecting the sudden intrusion. 

“Minho— no—you can’t—”

Minho forced his hips down, knowing he was squirming like usual. 

“Be still,” he told him, and it took everything in him to freeze his movements. He wanted to buck back. He wanted to feel more of that warmth. Deeper, and faster. But Minho was taking his time licking him open. 

Jisung yelped when he added a finger to the mess, and he could feel how wet he was from Minho’s saliva getting pushed and spread around his rim. 

“Minho, Minho—ah, more, please,” he begged, and Minho didn’t waste any time prodding a second finger between his tongue and the other. 

He was just as desperate as Jisung was. Usually, he never went this fast. But even though he was telling Jisung to relax and calm down, he was just as feverish. 

Before Jisung could catch another breath, he had three fingers poking in and out of him. Jisung’s heart was racing, especially when he pulled back to look into his eyes.

Minho pressed kisses up his cock, and teased the tip with his tongue. Jisung felt his entire body tensing whenever he touched the slit. 

“Minho. Please, can I come?” He wanted him to take him into his mouth. He needed to feel it, but Minho was shaking his head, denying him. 

“I want you to come on my cock, sweetheart,” he said, and that made Jisung whine loudly. 

“But I want to come. Please, I want to come,” he cried, and Minho’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as he begged him so desperately. 

“Be a good boy for me. Like always, yeah?” he questioned, and Jisung couldn’t argue. He wanted to be good. He wanted to please him. He would do anything. 

“Yes. I’m good. I’m always good,” he whimpered, and Minho groaned at that. 

“Yes, you are, baby. My good boy. Just for me.” 

If Minho didn’t pull his fingers out, he would have finished all over his chest untouched again. He whined as Minho flipped him, forcing him to get to his knees. 

“Pretty boy.” He caressed his cheek as he said it, and Jisung was about to complain, wanting to see his face, but he was shoving his cock into him. 

“Ah—ah!” he whined, feeling the initial burn and the pain. He buried his face into the mattress, and Minho gripped his skin tightly in his hand. 

“Fuck sweetheart. So perfect. So tight,” he moaned, and Jisung pressed his hips back, wanting him deeper. He knew it would hurt, but he didn’t care. He wanted him completely inside him. He wanted them to be attached. He wanted them to be connected. He didn’t want to let go. 

Minho ran his hands along his back, making the goosebumps on his skin intensify. Minho gripped his hips hard then, leaving Jisung breathless as he pulled out and punched back in. 

He screamed, feeling the pleasure and the pain at the same time. They would usually go slower than this, but neither of them could calm down. They had missed each other. Jisung hated being apart from him. He wanted to be with him every moment of the day. He wanted to see him every morning. He wanted to bother him while he was working, make him laugh, and see his smile. 

“Minho—” He breathed out, as Minho’s hands were gripping tightly to his body, but Jisung didn’t complain. He wanted more of him. 

Minho was ravenous. He fucked him hard and deep, making Jisung raise his hips over and over whenever he fell too low. He couldn’t stop trying to crawl away, the pleasure was too much for him to handle. 

“Keep your ass in the air,” he told him, but Jisung was whining loudly, clawing at the sheets. It was always so much. 

“It’s h—hard. It’s—too much—it’s—” He tried to wriggle away again, but Minho grabbed his hips as hard as he could, pulling him back to meet his cock. 

“Stay still and take it,” Minho demanded, wrapping his arm around his waist and slamming in deeply. He let out a choked groan and a pained moan as Minho fucked into him even harder. 

Jisung whined, whimpered, cried, and begged for him. He couldn’t stop. His name rolled off his tongue so many times he lost count. Minho was completely gone, nothing was stopping him, and Jisung shivered when he caught a glance of his lust-filled eyes. He felt his body getting tired, and Minho completely took over. He wasn’t squirming anymore. 

“Good boy. Letting me fuck you like this. You can’t take it, but you try, it’s so fucking cute.”

Jisung was close. He just needed a few touches, and he would be coming onto the sheets below him. But he wanted to see him. He couldn’t see him like this, and he started to cry. 

“I want it—on my back— Minho, please— fuck me on my—my back, please Minho. Please. Minho, please,” he pleaded over and over. Minho froze, finally registering his words, pulling out and turning him instantly. 

“Okay, sweetheart, yes. I’m sorry, one second.” He placed him down gently, and he quickly spread his legs. Jisung grabbed around his neck, tugging him closer. 

“Please, fuck me like this. Look at me. I want you to look at me like you always do,” he cried, and that made Minho snap. He pushed inside him, and both of them moaned loudly. Jisung could tell that Minho was just as close, probably because of his begging. 

Minho brought his arms around him, hugging his head into his neck. 

“My sweet boy. My perfect boy. Everything about you. So perfect. You’re so good, my love. I love you so much,” Minho whispered endlessly into his ear, and Jisung was clawing at his back. 

“I want to come—I want you to come. Inside. Touch me. Please.” He sobbed again, and Minho groaned.

“Okay, baby, okay.” He pulled back, gripping Jisung in his hand as he twisted around the tip, teasing him perfectly. He yelled at the feeling, his entire body spasming before coming all over Minho’s hand. 

“Ah! Minho—fuck—”

He came hard, and he could barely feel his fingers or his toes as he convulsed. His entire body was shaking as Minho continued to fuck into him. 

He was sobbing, and Minho finally let go of his spent cock, fucking him the hardest he had all night. 

“I’m coming too, baby, tell me how you want it.” Jisung knew what he wanted to hear. 

“Come—inside—inside me. Need it—please.”

That was enough for Minho, his hips rocking as deep as they could go, his breath choppy, and his hands clutching Jisung so hard that he might have left bruises on his body. 

He twitched and pulsed inside him, and Jisung could feel him fill him with everything he had. 

He was messy, sopping wet with come, spit, and sweat. He was breathing heavily, and Minho was the exact same way.

Their eyes met, and Jisung felt his heart swell as Minho smiled down at him. He kissed him gently, the sweetest kiss he had ever received. 

“Jisung. I love you.”

He confessed, and Jisung brought his hands up to cover his face. He couldn’t believe he was about to cry again. 

“I love you too. So much,” he whimpered. Minho just wrapped him in his arms as he cried as much as he needed to, never leaving his side, or the bed, the entire day.

Jisung had fallen asleep. He had been so tired from staying up all night to finish Minho’s book. The book he wrote for him. The happy ending he had promised to give him. The one he spent all summer writing, inspired by their love. He felt his heart swell thinking about it.  

He couldn’t believe he passed out. His eyes were puffy, his head hurt a bit, and his face was itchy from the salty tears. He could see Minho sleeping next to him, and he was surprised. He was sure this was the first time he had seen him sleeping. He was always asleep before him, and Minho always woke up first. 

He knew it was always because he had to work. Jisung never noticed how exhausted he was. He turned to see his face, the bags under his eyes were striking. He didn’t want to wake him, but he couldn’t help but run a hand across his cheek. He had Jisung’s bicep in his hand, like he couldn’t let him go. 

His eyes instantly flew open, and Jisung froze. Apparently, he was also an incredibly light sleeper. 

“Oh…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake—”

He crushed Jisung to his chest, a puff of air leaving his lungs at the force. Jisung just hugged him back, his strong arms holding him tight.

“Hi, baby,” he whispered, and Jisung cuddled into his chest. 

“Hi.”

Minho pulled back, pressing a kiss to his forehead, and Jisung had missed the feeling of his lips on his skin so much.  

“You were sleeping, I'm sorry I woke you up,” he said again, but Minho was shaking his head instantly.

“It’s alright, I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” he told him, and Jisung touched his face again. 

“You look exhausted, though,” he noticed, and Minho sighed. 

“I’ve been working a lot recently. I wanted to finish the book. I wanted to give it to you.”

It was quiet between them then, with Minho rubbing his fingers across his cheek gently. Minho looked so nervous. He was eyeing him softly, his face full of tension. He knew he was waiting to hear what he thought. 

He had poured everything into it. He could tell from how tired he looked. Their entire summer, their memories on the page. 

“Minho,” Jisung whispered, and Minho halted his fingers, anxiously waiting for him to continue. “I absolutely loved it.” 

Minho swallowed thickly, but he pressed another kiss to Jisung’s lips. 

“Really?” His voice sounded strained, like he was afraid to believe him. 

“Every single word,” he assured him. 

Minho still looked anxious, grabbing his fingers and intertwining them with his. His eyes were everywhere but Jisung’s face. 

“It’s all because of you,” he told him, kissing the skin on the back of his hand. “I was struggling so much when the summer started. I wasn’t happy with anything I was putting out. I thought that I wasn’t going to meet any of my deadlines. But when you asked me if I could write a happy ending or a sequel to my first novel, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I decided that I wanted to give you a story that you could really enjoy. Every day, I was able to write more and more. Every day I spent with you inspired me. You showed me how perfect love could be. I really hope you enjoyed it, because I ended up writing the story of how I felt when I fell for you this summer.”

Jisung bit his lip, feeling his heart swell. The love was swirling throughout his body and settling in every single cell. Minho was blushing, looking at him with fond eyes now. 

“I loved it, Minho. I really, really loved it. It made me cry, you know.” He chuckled, and that made Minho laugh too. 

“I’m sure it did, you’re quite the crybaby,” he teased, and Jisung rolled his eyes with a soft smile. 

“It…made me realize that you meant what you said. That you love me. That you fell for me. I knew it was me the entire time when I was reading. And you know I’m a sucker for happy endings.” He felt more tears welling up. Minho pressed his thumbs to the corner of his eyes, trying to stop them from falling. 

“You’re my happy ending, Jisung,” he told him, and Jisung couldn’t help but blush at the intense love he said that with. “Since the moment I was going to call the cops on you, it’s been you.” He joked, and that made Jisung laugh. He wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing him deeply.

“I should have been the one calling the cops, some old guy broke into my house, threatening me.” He smirked back, and Jisung gasped as Minho flipped him, making him giggle. 

“You’re such a little brat. You’re lucky you’re so cute.” 

Jisung chuckled as Minho devoured his lips once again. 

Jisung breathed in the chill of the air. He looked to see the snow slowly falling from the sky. He pulled his jacket around him tighter as the ocean waves crashed against the shore.

Minho was working inside, and he could feel his eyes on him. He could hear the sliding glass door squeak open, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the condensation falling from the sky. 

He felt arms wrap around his middle, and he shuddered as he felt warm lips press against his cold skin. 

“What are you doing out here, sweetheart? You’re going to catch a cold,” he breathed against his skin, his hot breath making him lean in closer. 

“It’s snowing. I wanted to see it on the sand,” he said, and Minho hugged him tight.

“It’s freezing, isn’t it? I told you the winters here were brutal.” He chuckled, and Jisung smiled. 

“I don’t think it’s that bad.”

He was on winter break, and Minho picked him up to drive him back to the beach house. The winter was definitely a lot different. He missed the summer sun, but he decided that making footprints in the winter snow was just as beautiful as the summer sunsets. 

Especially if he spent that time with Minho, making those memories together. 

“Your cheeks are all pink. You should come inside,” he insisted, and Jisung turned in his arms, facing him now. 

“How’s work going? I thought you were busy,” he asked.

Minho shrugged. “I can take a break to give you a kiss or two.” He smiled, pressing one to his rosy nose. 

“Hmm, how about a hot chocolate break too?” he questioned, knowing they had an abundance since he made Minho buy at least three cases at the store the other day. 

“I can swing that, I think.” He gripped his chin in his hands, and Minho slowly brought their lips together. Jisung pulled back when he could taste the sweetness on his tongue. 

“You already made it,” he breathed out, and Minho smirked. 

“You’ve been out here a while, baby. I thought you might want some, so I made it for you. I also maybe had a few sips before I came out to get you because it smelled so good,” he admitted. Jisung just chuckled, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the door. 

They spent their evening cuddling together, with Minho typing away on his laptop, writing his next novel, while Jisung read another book that Minho recommended to him.