His professor finally walks out of the classroom and Jisung sighs. He didn't really hear anything new or useful, and while he adores the woman, he wishes she'd tell him something more than "Amazing, Jisung!", "This piece is really coming together!", "You're getting there!" or any combination of empty praise he's not even sure is true.

Thing is, he knows he butchered that part in Chopin's Fantaisie, where the tempo picks up and he's supposed to play agitato. It honestly wasn't even close to agitato and some of the notes in the left hand were wrong and then the arpeggio-ed chords were just terrible and didn't sound even vaguely like they should and then he remembered that stupid mistake in the introduction, one he has never made before, and-

Jisung sighs again. He's being unfair. His professor does tell him useful things, she shows him how to practise certain parts to make them really brilliant (brilliant as in both amazing and brillante), and last time she's shown him how to make his hand lighter so the mist-like passages in Debussy are more colour than sound. She's truly a professional musician and an amazing teacher.

He just feels like all the praise she shoves at him is undeserved. He's not really that good, he doesn't practise and he can't concentrate long enough to even gather his thoughts properly. He’s honestly tired of having next to no results of his work for most of the year, which leads to him never doing his work on time and just procrastinating until two weeks before his exams, when he learns his whole programme in a few days.

(It wasn’t his proudest moment, really. He did end up with an A that year, and he did play pretty well, and those couple of mistakes he made in the middle of the first movement of Beethoven's 32nd Sonata weren't that noticeable, but he knows that if he had actually practised like he was supposed to, he wouldn't have had to cram all his practice time into 14 hours per day until his back hurt and he got sick. He went to his end-of-year exam without having seen a piano for two days straight after spending the weekend holed up in his bed with a fever. He's still not sure how he survived it.)

His arms and head plop down on the keys and he doesn't even flinch at the cacophony he produces. He's used to it. Nothing to see here, just another day of Han Jisung, a 3rd year Music Academy student trying to keep it all together while he finishes his Bachelor's and goes on with his life armed with a useless degree in music and lack of will to live.

~~~

It's afternoon now, and he's in his usual practice room on the second floor. He likes this room. It's not very big, just enough for the grand and two empty bookcases. Behind the door there's also a quasi kitchen slash community room, with cups and tea and a kettle, so he can settle for a full day of quasi practice and not die of dehydration.

He settles on the chair with a steaming cup of ginger and lemon tea with honey and turns to the window. Below is his favourite view in the world.

The Academy building is located in a rather rich neighbourhood, and the houses around should probably be called mansions instead. The one opposite his side of the Academy is simply awe-inspiring. Architecturally, it's simple and tasteful, but also absolutely beautiful, and this time of day colours it in a slightly orange hue. It almost shines in the sun, the windows sparkle with reflected light.

But what really catches his eye is the garden. The garden, which is full of colours and brimming with magnificent flowers and lush greenery, everything so perfectly disorganised, Jisung just can't help but admire it. All the time. He's learnt (and wasn't that a wild ride through the internet? so much information) that it's in English style, the outbuildings seamlessly integrated with nature, and every nook and cranny are both wild and incredibly well cared for.

(It wasn't always like that. Jisung remembers that last year the garden was a terrible, overgrown mess of dried twigs, ivy and the rare flower that managed to grow despite the circumstances. Frankly, it was sad to look at and Jisung mostly ignored it and procrastinated by scrolling through social media instead.)

It's gotten to the point of an unhealthy obsession, Jisung thinks. His rule, that he would only look at the garden while he's eating or drinking tea, has led to him snacking almost constantly around this time of day.

(He's sure that if he didn't dedicate an hour in the mornings to working out with his composition buddies, all those snacks would stay with him forever. As it is, he's pretty proud of his abs and arms, thank you very much, and his roommates and besties from the dance department had told him his waist is "unbelievably tiny and slutty".)

So at four every evening, he makes his tea, fishes out his chocolate chip cookies and settles by the window to just watch.

It's not like he recognises any of the flowers or bushes. They're pretty and very aesthetically pleasing, yes, but he has really no idea what a single specimen is called. Admiring them is really just an excuse to ogle the incredibly hot man that's tending to them.

Because every day without a fault since that beautiful day in February when Jisung first noticed him, he would come out of the mansion in a three piece suit, disappear into one of the outbuildings and appear again in only green overalls, his arms bare, tools hanging from his belt and dark hair pushed back with a red bandana. The sight of that man as he works on his plants was so unbelievably hot, Jisung has been hooked since the first time he saw him a couple of weeks back.

Jisung honestly had no idea what to do about his obvious crush on the guy. Probably nothing, ever, but what does it hurt to imagine things that could possibly happen?

(Answer is: a lot, every single damn time. Once Hyunjin found him like that, staring unseeing out of the window, lost deep in his fantasy of holding the man's pruning shears for him while he tended to some bush or other. He was insufferable for a week after Jisung told him about it. And Jisung was left with an aching heart for a love that will never have a chance to bloom.)

~~~

Writing his thesis was a different kind of pain. Obviously, he only started writing it a day before the deadline of April 14th. He begged out an extension from the coordinator and finished four days later with a dazzling 57 pages, exhaustion and vitamin deficiencies. He has been living off instant ramen, water, tea and chocolate chip cookies the whole week, and honestly, his friends were getting pretty worried. He also missed his practice room (or rather the view from the window), but sacrifices had to be made for the sake of his graduation.

And now that he is out of the hellhole he calls his dorm room and finally has caught sight of the outside world, he’s decided to treat himself to a nice meal. Just himself – Felix and Hyunjin are preparing for their end of year shows, and Chan and Changbin are busy watching them practise. Good for them, he thinks. They’ve had a thing going on for ages and he’s not really sure who is into whom, but at least they’re getting some action. Unlike him, with an unrequited crush on the pretty gardener and no prospects of ever even meeting the man.

So here he is, in a fancy sushi restaurant, in this fancy rich neighbourhood, with his mother's fancy shiny card, planning to order himself a veritable feast, when he notices the man sitting by the table opposite him. He's never seen his face this close, but he could probably recognise his silhouette in his sleep. He's all lean muscles and lines, his face is sharp, and Jisung thinks he must be very intelligent, he’s got this kind of look. He's dressed in a nice suit and clearly waiting for someone, nursing a glass of alcohol.

Jisung honestly tries not to stare. It's difficult, when only two tables divide them. In his mind, they're sitting opposite each other, he's gazing into the man's beautiful eyes, his heart flutters. He yearns to tangle his fingers in the other's fluffy, dark hair, as well cared for as his garden. He smiles, the man smiles, butterflies explode in his tummy. And then, in reality, a woman in a white suit sits down in what should have been his place and partially obstructs his view. Of course.

He turns his eyes away.

The waiter comes to his table. Jisung absently asks for the first couple of dishes he sees on the menu. The waiter disappears. The woman doesn't. Another waiter takes their order.

He does realise that it's not right, that his little crush, born out of staring and dreaming about the man for hours every day, has no right to exist, that he has no idea if the man is even available, or how old he is, and that beyond knowing how delicately but confidently he tends to his plants he really knows next to nothing about him. And at this moment, when he very accidentally overhears a snippet of the conversation at the other table, he realises that there might just be space for Jisung in the beautiful gardener's life. It fills his aching heart with hope and pain.

"You will be engaged by the end of next year," says the woman. Her voice is a bit louder than before, maybe frustrated, insistent. Jisung wonders again who she is. "Or at least in a stable relationship," she adds like an afterthought. "You know your grandfather dreams of seeing you with a partner before he dies."

Jisung sees more than hears the man sigh. His shoulders sag visibly under the suit jacket.

"I will not find myself a wife just to please him, and you know it, mother." Oh, so it's his mother, Jisung thinks, with relief that he doesn't dare to examine too closely.

"You know he doesn't care much about who it is, Minho," the woman says, now more quietly than before, and Jisung struggles to listen in. "We just want to see you happy, not all lonely, hiding in your father's house, barely going out to have a meal with your poor mother. And I'm sure Jeongin, remember your brother? I’m sure he would love to see more of you as well," she sounds like she's teasing him, and the man just looks away. Jisung can't help the thoughts and images that spring to his mind.

The two of them in matching suits, standing in the garden, surrounded by flowers, friends and family, everyone cheering as they exchange golden rings and petals fly through the air. The two of them, dancing under the moonlight, and their friends dancing with them, and Minho's (oh, how Jisung likes the name, it sounds like it would roll off his tongue perfectly) grandfather smiling happily at them…

His waiter comes out with three plates of sushi and some kind of spicy soup he doesn't remember ordering and startles Jisung out of his thoughts. There's no tea, so Jisung orders some, too. Apparently, he forgot.

As the waiter walks away, Jisung turns his attention back to Minho. They would look so fetching together, he thinks. Minho would be strikingly beautiful, Jisung all dolled up as well, and the garden would be decorated with fairy lights, and a string quartet would play valses long into the night.

Jisung wonders if he would make a good husband. Probably not, he's mostly useless at household duties, doesn't really have a job or a real job prospect (he's studying music, for fuck's sake) and he's generally a terrible mess of a person, a loud, chaotic introvert with untreated ADHD, anxiety and probably a shit tonne of other problems. Only someone weird, insane or incredibly patient would ever put up with him.

He imagines Minho as his exact opposite – quiet, but sociable, motivated, doing his work on time and with diligent care, he probably has a well-paying, prosperous career… all things Jisung himself is definitely lacking. Why would a perfect man like that ever be interested in Jisung? It's honestly better to give up while he still can, nothing good will come out of it.

His appetite is gone.

He waves his waiter over and asks him to pack the rest to go. He doesn't feel like staying or celebrating his finished thesis anymore, he just wants to curl up in his bed. Or maybe write something new? It's been some time since he had the opportunity to make songs…

~~~

It's been a week since he's decided to absolutely not look out of the window at 4 p.m. Instead, he spends this time outside of his practice room – playing some games with Felix, play-fighting with Hyunjin, creating music and learning all about sound producing from Chan or goofing around at the gym with Changbin. Honestly, he'd do anything if it takes him away from the tempting view outside his practice room.

He comes back later, when it's dark and he's sure Minho is not in the garden anymore. He tells himself it's better that way. The light in his room flickers as it turns on and Jisung makes his way to the piano. His Bachelor's concert is just around the corner and the Appassionata will not learn itself.

~~~

It’s a week and a half before his concert and Jisung realises he needs to practise more if he wants to have any hope of getting that A he dreams of on his diploma. He can’t afford to avoid his piano room everyday for two hours at 4 p.m. anymore. And because it’s May and the heat is getting unbearable, especially in the evenings when the sun shines directly inside, he needs to keep his window open. Otherwise, he could fry eggs on the black lid of the piano and probably boil water in direct sunlight.

With the usual focus he gets right before his deadlines hit, he practises until the school closes. The fresh night air seeps inside his room, and Jisung is trying to get Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque into his fingers while listening to some random podcast on Spotify. He’s honestly just cramming the passages mindlessly, to get them so automatic he won’t have to think about them. The ten interesting facts about human blood he’s listening to are just a bonus. There’s actual gold running through our veins! Isn’t that fascinating?

He definitely doesn’t look out of his open window every now and again. Absolutely not.

~~~

His concert goes… alright. He can't say it went well. Yes, the music conveyed his emotions perfectly, Debussy was honestly amazing, and yes, his programme was a bit harder than other teachers expected from a 3rd year student. But he made mistakes he definitely could have avoided. He's pretty sure his tempo changes in the sonata were unorthodox and he doesn't feel like his performance of the two Chopin études was satisfactory. Overall, he’s not very happy with himself, he knows he could have played better. He does get his A in the end, though.

His friends take him out for dinner the next evening. He feels empty, like he poured every emotion out through his music, but he's promised himself to enjoy the outing the best he can. Felix and Hyunjin know how he gets after concerts, he's binge watched enough shows in the days after any performance, and both Chan and Changbin have seen him deal with the big empty in the studio. He might be devoid of emotions right now, but he has his friends. And that's enough.

"There was a new guy at your concert," remarks Hyunjin. He likes to examine the audience every time any of them perform. It's pretty rare to get someone new at an Academy concert. The audience for most performances is generally made up of students and teachers, and while there are connoisseurs from the general public, yes, they are usually the same handful of people and Hyunjin knows them all personally.

"I've seen him," adds Felix. Jisung notices how he's practically draped over Chan's lap, even though their booth has enough space for the five of them. He finds it interesting. He rather clearly remembers him being all over Hyunjin mere weeks ago. "He disappeared pretty quickly afterwards."

"He was dressed really well, though." Hyunjin continues, "loved his coat." He has his arm around Changbin's neck and is playing with his collarbone.  He’s tall, lanky, blond and pretty in a way that strangely overpowers Changbin, whose smaller height, big muscles and darker style make a curious visual contrast with Hyunjin. They look good together.

Jisung vaguely feels like he's fifth-wheeling his friends on his own celebratory dinner. It's a pretty depressing thought when the man he's crushing on is so unattainable and too perfect to ever date Jisung. He knows he doesn't have even a sliver of a chance, so why try?

“Hannie?” Chan turns to him. Jisung makes a questioning noise. He’s spaced out a little.

"What'cha gonna do now? There's a month of school left and you're basically done already. Do you have any plans? For now? And after?"

Jisung considers his answer. Frankly, he still has no idea what to do with his life. He came to the academy because it was the easy thing to do – after his mother made him learn the piano since he was 6 years old, he hadn’t had any other hobbies he felt allowed to pursue (overbearing mothers do that to your psyche). Even though he did well at everything else, he had no idea what to do after he finished school. He didn’t want to be a doctor or a lawyer, or anything his classmates were interested in. His mind was blank, so he decided to continue with the only thing he knew he was good at.

But now, he was tired of it. He loved music, but he wasn’t really satisfied with just playing an instrument.

"I might transfer to sound production for my Master's. I don't think I wanna be a concert pianist or a teacher." It's a good answer, he likes it. He’s found an outlet for his words and emotions while working with his friends in the studio, a place where he wasn’t judged and could state his opinions without repercussions. He would stay there and his work would be appreciated. He wouldn’t just practise for hours every day for some concerts a couple of times a year. He would make his own music, give himself a voice, create an influence on the world. He'd join Chan, who's staying for a doctorate and the well equipped studio at the Academy, and Changbin, who is graduating next year. Jisung thinks they're going to make a great team. "So I'm maybe thinking of working on some tracks for admissions. Still have, what, two months left?"

“It’s a great idea,” remarks Changbin. Yes, Jisung thinks, he will make it work. “I bet you’re gonna do great.”

The rest of the dinner, and the subsequent outing to a nearby bar, then a bowling alley and another bar, passes rather enjoyably. Jisung shuts all his painfully single thoughts in a box deep inside his mind and lets himself relax and unwind with his friends. He does get an eyeful of Chan pressing Felix to the wall when he goes to the bathroom, but he’s too drunk to really care. His mind conjures an image of Minho pressing him to the wall like that and he downs another drink to chase it away.

~~~

Jisung literally runs into Minho outside the next day. There was nothing in his fridge, so he decided to get breakfast (or lunch, but who cares) at the crêperie two streets over. He’s not really looking where he’s going, his nose is buried in his phone, and his head kinda hurts so he doesn't really notice when his arm accidentally bumps into someone else.

He turns around to say sorry, and freezes.

Minho turns around, too. He smiles.

"It's okay."

It's not. Jisung can see Minho's paper cup on the ground, coffee spilt. Good thing the man's jacket is fine.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!” he cries out. Yeah, it doesn’t make the headache much better. “Let me buy you a new one, I'm so sorry! Oh my god!" He's awkward. He knows he stinks of awkwardness (and hangover, too) but he can't really find any other words or expressions. He doesn't even fully register what he's said until Minho replies.

"It's really okay. I need to hurry back to work now, don't worry about it. You can buy me one later."

Jisung freezes. Again.

Minsung digs into his briefcase and takes out his card.

"Text me. I'll be free for that coffee in the afternoon," Minho says. And winks. Jisung still doesn't move. "I've really gotta go now. See you soon."

Jisung finally manages a stiff nod. He produces a little wave with the hand holding the card.

Minho takes a turn and disappears from his sight. Jisung clutches his chest. Breathes in, breathes out, breathes again, looks at the card.

Lee Minho. IT Specialist. An email address. A number.

Jisung did promise him a coffee. It would be rude to ghost him now. He has his number and he owes him a beverage, so with trembling hands he enters the number in his phone and shoots him a message.

[Jisung]
hi im the disaster that spilled
your coffee sorry again

Not even half a minute passes and Minho's reply appears.

[Minho]
Really, it's okay. I'm finishing
at 3 today. If you don't have
any plans, we could meet
at the same place? You can
get me that coffee you've
promised ;)

A wink! Jisung stares at it for a moment. Then stares at the whole message. 3 p.m. works for him. He can just cancel his game plans with Felix, no problem.

[Jisung]
yeah sure! I'll see you there

~~~

He feels like a disaster. It's been just an hour and a half, and he's already waiting back at the same spot. He thought he'd be late, so he got there earlier, and now he's been here, waiting for twenty minutes already. He'd sit on the bench nearby, but walking around makes him feel marginally less than a full disaster. Hopefully he doesn't look like one. Felix and Hyunjin did spend some time on making sure of that.

It's not a date, he repeats again, this time for just his benefit. It's really not, he's just returning the coffee his clumsiness has cost Minho. He's not anyone worthy of taking on a real date, don't be silly, Sungie. If his friends were here they'd hit him over his head. But they're not. So it's definitely not a date.

He turns around again and Minho is there. Jisung is dumbstruck again. He's not used to seeing this perfection of a man so close. It feels as if the foundations of his life since the beginning of spring are tumbling down from the force of this meeting and he's not sure what to do with that.

"Hi, I'm sorry again," he says instead. Minho smiles invitingly. "I'm Han Jisung."

"Hello, Jisung. It's really okay. Nice to finally properly meet you. I'm Lee Minho."

Jisung smiles, too. He knew Minho had a nice voice since that time in the restaurant, oh my god, the time in the restaurant-

"I'm sorry for staring at you at that sushi restaurant a month ago." He didn't, he really didn't mean to say that. Oh god. It just spilled out of him like that coffee he was supposed to get him. "Right, coffee. Right. Let's go."

Minho just chuckles. Jisung is honestly flabbergasted. Well, maybe not flabbergasted, alright, just slightly surprised, but it sounds better in his head. Here he is, being the disaster he's always been in social situations, and the only reaction he gets is a chuckle!

"Do you, like, have a place you like? Or?"

"Anywhere is fine, honestly. But I'll take you to my favourite café if you don't have anything in mind." And Minho is so calm, so perfectly comfortable, Jisung just can't help but admire literally everything about him. Now that he's closer (and staring right into his eyes) he can see they're this amazing warm brown, like hot chocolate during a cold winter evening by the fireplace. He doesn't have a single hair out of place and his suit is so well tailored, Jisung wants to cry.

They're moving towards a shop on the main street that Jisung hasn't really seen before even though he’s passed by it many times. It has books in the front window, and as they enter, he notices there are books literally everywhere but on the bar, tables and chairs. It’s very cosy and intimate.

"What will you drink? I'll get it."

"Whatever you're having," Jisung absentmindedly replies and continues reading the titles around him.

"Iced Americano it is then," Minho says and proceeds to the counter. Jisung hears a vague smile in his voice. He loves it.

It's only as they sit down in the back of the café, that Jisung remembers he was supposed to pay for their drinks.

Minho must have noticed his impending panic, because he says, "you'll pay next time."

Next time?!

"So it's just a ploy to get me on a date again?" He has absolutely no fucking idea how that got out of his mouth. "Maybe you even spilled that coffee on purpose?"

Minho chuckles again. That chuckle makes Jisung panic. All the distance (albeit very little) he’s managed to put between himself and the unwelcome crush on the man opposite him is gone. The chuckle is too attractive.

“How did you know?” Minho smiles at him. Jisung thinks he’s delusional when he finds a sparkle in the man’s eye. “To be honest, though, I’ve wanted to meet the person behind the music I listen to every evening. It was a great opportunity.”

Jisung thinks Minho must be making fun of him.

“Sorry about that,” he says. Minho looks up. “Had to open the window, otherwise I’d have boiled in that room.”

“Oh, no, it was a pleasure.” There is sincerity in Minho’s eyes that Jisung struggles not to question. “It’s really fascinating to see the progress of a piece. I also went to your concert, you played really well.”

Jisung stays silent for a moment, while Minho’s words catch up to him.

“Thank you,” he says finally. “It could have gone better though.”

“Well, I liked it, I think you’ve done well,” Minho replies. Jisung feels his heart flutter. He tries to calm it down. “And I really like to listen to your practice in the evening. These past few weeks were very enjoyable.”

The bartender comes with their coffees. Jisung takes a sip. It’s perfect. Just like Minho.

“I’ve seen you in the garden,” he admits after a moment.

“I know.” Minho winks and chuckles. The only thing that saves Jisung from choking on his drink is his friendship with three incorrigible flirts. He barely manages not to spit the coffee out. He looks back at the books.

“Sorry about that, too.” He licks over his lips. “Couldn’t really help it, your work is mesmerising.”

“I admit to staring at your window after sunset my fair share. I’ve also found your SoundCloud, your music is amazing.”

Jisung freezes as reality catches up to him. He’s on a coffee date with the man of his dreams. As much as he’s tried to convince himself it’s not a date, it definitely feels like one. He feels comfortable, like he’s known Minho his entire life. It’s not hard to forget his own inadequacies while talking with him. Minho likes his music. The music that in the past months has been blooming with love declarations and flower metaphors and heartache. Minho has listened to it and liked it. Minho has seen and heard him practise. He distinctly remembers having breakdowns during his late evening sessions. Minho has probably seen that. He went to his concert. He’s seen him and hasn’t run away screaming, he’s seen him and taken him out for coffee, and his perfect lips talked about next time and how much he enjoys his art, and Jisung is starting to get overwhelmed and clutches his cup and closes his eyes and takes a couple of deep breaths. The coffee aroma settles him a little.

“Sorry, it’s just-”

“A lot? I’m sorry,” Minho looks away. “Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, it wasn’t my intention.”

“No, it’s- I’m a disaster. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be taking your time.” Jisung speaks fast. Minho opens his mouth to interrupt, but Jisung goes on. “I don’t- I can’t- I’m a mess, I don’t deserve your attention. I’ll just- I just don’t know why I’m even here, I’ll go, I won’t waste your time-”

Jisung takes a breath and stands up. Minho stands up, too, and takes his hand to stop him from leaving.

“Don’t, Jisung. It’s okay. You’re okay, you’re not wasting my time. I wanted to meet you, remember?” Jisung’s eyes run around the café. His free hand plays with his sleeve. He’s cold. “That cup I spilled was almost empty either way, I just wanted to talk to you and get to know you. Jisung, look at me, baby.” He does. Minho’s eyes are gentle and sincere. “You’re not a disaster, okay? Even if you are, I don’t mind it. I like messes.”

Minho gently tugs at his hand. He follows, right into Minho's arms.

“You’re weird,” Jisung mumbles against his shirt.

"No," Minho chuckles. Jisung feels the vibrations under his head.

"You must be, hyung, to like me," he whispers and Minho squeezes him a little tighter. Jisung inexplicably feels like everything will be perfectly okay.

~~~

The song that gets him a place in the Master’s sound production programme is very personal to him. It’s not exactly happy, but for once it’s not sad either. Felix describes it as a “throw away your worries” vibe and Hyunjin finds the rain metaphor he used very on point. Jisung spills his heart in the lyrics, he lets go of all the anxiety, all the loneliness, and it makes him feel free.

Chan really likes it. He and Changbin show him how to fix a couple of sounds he got a little wrong and help him polish the whole thing up until it's ready for recording. They get Felix to sing the deeper parts, and Changbin takes the slow, melodic rap. Everyone helps him a little, but he does most of the production on his own. The professor, who often saw him in the studio the last three years, is visibly proud of him when he listens to it.

He posts it to SoundCloud.

He receives a text message two hours later. He's excited when he sees who it's from.

[Minho]
Want to grab a coffee?

~~~

It's summer, and he just came back from his month-long stay in Malaysia. He's missed all of his friends and he figures the dinner he's planning is the perfect opportunity to introduce Minho to them. (Minho agrees – the weeks they spent talking on the phone till late night hours made him realise he wants to become a part of Jisung's life. It’s just natural to want to meet the people Jisung loves and talks about so much. It’s mostly a formality at this point, he feels like he’s known them for years from all the stories Jisung has shared.)

They all gather in a fancy upscale restaurant at a table for six. There’s a chandelier over their heads and white cloth on the table, and everything is just so sophisticated, Jisung feels sticky. His mother’s shiny card is going to pay for all that sophistication though, so he just relaxes and enjoys his friends’ company. The initial conversation does feel a bit awkward, with stiff introductions and a moment of silence while Minho tries and fails to understand the situation between the four other boys, but Jisung sees that they all quickly warm up to the new person.

The conversation (or rather grilling) reveals that Minho is indeed perfect. He is just a year younger than Chan, and has done a Master's degree in contemporary dance at a different university while doing several other postgraduate courses – but settled on a career in IT, taking over his father's company. He, Hyunjin and Felix quickly connect over their shared passion for dance and even agree to meet up for some practice. He also connects with Hyunjin over their shared passion for dramatics and the table is instantaneously swarmed with banter and laughter. Chan, always the responsible one, asks a lot about Minho, and Jisung honestly feels like he’s on a family dinner with overprotective parents. Changbin is the one that throws Minho looks that say “you hurt him, they won’t find your body” – someone has to.

Later, when Jisung asks him about this meeting, Minho only has nice things to say. He likes them all a lot. Jisung says they all like him a lot, too.

~~~

They all meet Minho’s younger brother, Jeongin, and his boyfriend, Seungmin, when the two boys start attending the same Academy, in the vocal department. Rather quickly, their little group of six transforms into a group of eight.

It’s beautiful.

~~~

Jisung moves in gradually. First come Minho’s home cooked dinners and movie dates a few weeks in their fledgling relationship. Then he stays the night a couple of times. Minho is happy to have company – he’s lived on his own in this frankly giant mansion he inherited from his father and it’s been getting quite lonely, even with Soonie, Doongie and Dori. So Jisung stays over a couple of times a month, which quickly turns into a couple of times a week, and when the winter semester starts, it seems (to Minho at least, Jisung hates to impose) pointless to pay ridiculous prices for a room he doesn’t even stay in. Minho argues they’re soulmates, they should live together. And Jisung moves in at the beginning of February.

~~~

It's May again, and Jisung is sitting in his old practice room. He's figuring out a melody for a piano-based song. It's only logical to use an actual piano for that.

His window is open as he plays the tune over and over again, perfecting the accompaniment and the flow of the lyrics. When he looks out, his eyes meet Minho, sitting on a bench in the garden below and staring right into his window.

~~~

Jisung couldn’t imagine a better life.

He does what he loves, he’s surrounded by people he cherishes and lives with his soulmate.

He’s still a disaster – still useless in the kitchen, still forgets things he was supposed to do or procrastinates until the last possible moment. He still has days where he can barely get off the bed or take a shower and feed himself.

But he does have his people, his best friends in the entire world, and he does have Minho.

(He’s realised he’s in love in the most mundane of moments. It was an unremarkable evening, when Minho was playing with Dori, and Jisung was just staring at his beautiful, amazing smile with unparalleled fondness. Sitting there, on the floor, with his head resting on his hands and knees hidden under his hoodie, just staring at his boyfriend, Jisung had the profound realisation that he was deeply, inarguably in love with that man.)

(Minho had a similar experience just weeks before, when they were at the studio and Jisung was struggling with a piece for his end-of-semester exams. He was all concentrated and focused only on his work. Minho had a beautiful opportunity to admire him without being noticed. He loved him. There was no turning back.)

~~~

[Minho]
I'll be home soon, do I need to bring anything? Is everything alright?

[Jisung]
no jagi just yourself 🥰
i took care of everything ❤️
they'll love you i promise

[Minho]
10 minutes, baby ❤️

Jisung has always loved Christmas. He used to travel back to his childhood home in Malaysia the previous years, a long and tedious journey, but this year, his family came for the holidays here.

Jisung is very excited.

He'd told his parents about Minho, of course, but they've never met him before. He isn't worried, Minho is perfect, and their house is spotless and amazing. The garden out back, all covered with fluffy, white snow paints an amazing picture.

His family came from the airport just about an hour ago. His father and older brother are sitting in the living room, playing with Soonie, Doongie and Dori, while his mother is helping him in the kitchen.

Everything was almost ready since last night – he and Minho have cooked a nice meal together, perfect for just heating up. Felix has also baked a big batch of chocolate chip cookies that he happily shared with them.

He hears the front door open just as he sets down the last plate in the dining room. Everything is ready.

Jisung goes to greet Minho with a kiss on the cheek. He can see he’s nervous, so he squeezes his hand and smiles at him. Now he can finally introduce Minho to his family.

"Mom, dad, hyung," he starts when they reach the living room. They stand up and come closer. "This is my boyfriend, the love of my life, Lee Minho."

~~~

It's New Year's Eve. They're with their friends at some party Chan got eight invitations for. It’s wild. The party house is full of people in various states of inebriation and nudity and Jisung hangs off of Minho's arm to not get lost in the crowd.

They search for their friends and find four of them engaged in a spin the bottle game. (Very chaotic and not at all following the bottle, which just lays forgotten on the floor. As far as Jisung can see it's just a lot of kissing with no rules to it. Including Hyunjin currently being groped at the wall by Chan and Felix straddling Changbin's thighs. Just a moment ago Hyunjin was passionately kissing Felix. Jisung shakes his head. It's none of his business.) Seungmin is a little bit further into the house, doing body shots off of Jeongin's six pack. Which is a sight, alright.

They drink, and party, and generally have fun – and then, it’s midnight.

Shouts of “Happy New Year” surround them and Jisung feels Minho’s eyes on him. They kiss.

“I love you, jagi.”

“I know. I love you too, hyung.”

“Marry me?”

~~~

(They do, in fact, get married. Not officially – it’s still not legal, but it’s enough for them. It’s a beautiful ceremony with just their friends and family. Minho’s grandfather looks like he’s the happiest man on earth when he walks Minho down the aisle. Chan’s best man speech is disgustingly full of emotions. And when they both throw the bouquet, it falls right into Felix’s and Hyunjin’s joint hands. Jisung is happy.)

(Minho is, too. And this one time, he makes an exception and actually says that aloud.)

fin