Chapter Text
The next time the bell chimes and the door opens, Minho nearly drops the cup in his hand.
Jisung walks inside, cap pulled low, hoodie sleeves covering half his hands. He walks up to the counter.
"Hi," Jisung says quietly, he can barely hear him.
Minho swallows, "Hi."
The silence stretches awkwardly.
"The usual?" Minho breaks the silence.
Jisung nods, "Yeah."
Minho turns around and starts making the coffee. His hands know exactly what to do. His brain doesn't. He can feel Jisung standing there instead of going to the table to sit down.
When Minho places Jisung's order on the counter, he doesn't immediately reach for it. Instead he says quietly, "I think we should talk."
Minho's heart starts beating faster, "I think so too, but after my shift."
The relief on Jisung's face is almost painful, "Sure, I'll wait." He gives a small smile.
For the next three hours Minho gets absolutely nothing done, at least mentally. Every time he looks up, Jisung is still there. Not on his phone, just sitting in the corner.
Hyunjin notices immediately. When Minho nearly puts salt instead of sugar into someone's drink, Hyunjin takes the cup away from him.
"You're hopeless."
Minho glares, "Shut up."
Hyunjin glances toward Jisung, then back at him. Realization flashes across his face.
"OH."
"OH what?"
"You're finally going to talk," Minho says nothing and Hyunjin grins. "About time."
Minho considers throwing a spoon at him, instead he goes back to work. The shift somehow feels longer than every shift before it. By the time they clean everything, Minho's stomach feels sick.
"Good luck," Hyunjin puts a hand on Minho's shoulder before leaving.
Jisung is waiting outside. Hands in his pockets, looking nervous. The sight makes something twist painfully inside Minho's chest. Because he knows he's the reason for that nervousness.
Minho takes a deep breath before stepping out.
"Ready?" Jisung asks.
"Yeah, let's go to that park near the café."
They start walking side by side. The evening air is cool, cars pass occasionally. Neither of them speaks. The silence isn't comfortable, both of them can feel tension in the air.
When they arrive, Minho sits down on a bench. Jisung sits at the farthest end, leaving as much distance between them as he can. For a while they simply sit. Then Jisung exhales.
"I wasn't avoiding you," the words catch Minho off guard. He turns his head toward him. Jisung is staring at the ground, picking at the sleeve of his hoodie. "I know it probably looked like that, but I wasn't," Jisung's voice is quiet. "I just thought you wanted space."
Minho freezes, "What?"
"When I tried..to kiss you," Jisung's voice gets even more quiet. "You stepped back every time."
Every muscle in Minho's body tenses. Jisung finally looks at him, he looks tired.
"I wanted to talk about it," Jisung continues and Minho looks away. "See? You're doing it again."
Minho doesn't know what to say, because Jisung is right. Every time things got too close, he pushed him away. Every time he had the chance to explain himself, he stayed quiet. And now they're sitting here because of him.
"I wasn't trying to hurt you," the words come out rougher than Minho intends.
"I know."
Minho lets out a quiet laugh, "I don't think you do."
Jisung stays quiet. The park is empty now. The sky is dark, streetlights glowing softly around them. Minho stares at his hands. He's spent weeks convincing himself distance was the right thing, safer and easier. Now he's not sure he believes that anymore.
"You said you thought I wanted space," Jisung nods. "Why?"
Jisung looks surprised by the question, "Because every time I got close, you pulled away."
Minho closes his eyes briefly, of course. From Jisung's perspective, what else was he supposed to think? Minho pulling away, awkward texts, distance. It all points to the same conclusion that Minho doesn't want this. Except the problem is that he wants it too much.
"I wasn't trying to push you away," they look at each other. "I wanted to protect you."
Jisung frowns, "From what?"
"Me, everything," Minho adds quieter. "You're an idol."
“So what? That’s kind of why I like being around you. You’re the only person who didn’t make it weird. You didn’t even know I was an idol when we first met.” Jisung says and Minho's heart stops beating.
The longer he waits to tell the truth, the worse it gets. But if Minho tells him, they will lose whatever they have. He will lose Jisung. And he can't lose the person he cares about the most in his life.
"I think I just want to make you happy," Minho says.
"I wonder if I imagined everything."
"What?" Minho looks at Jisung confused.
"The way you sometimes looked at me, the things you did for me. You were always so nice to me."
Minho almost laughs. 'Nice'. As if that's all it was. As if thinking about Jisung every day was normal, as if missing him this much was normal.
"Obviously you didn't imagine it."
"I didn't?" Jisung asks with a small voice.
Minho's heart is beating so hard it hurts. He should stop and think, instead he keeps talking, "You didn't imagine it, because..."
Jisung stares at him. The expression on his face is so hopeful it almost scares him, "Minho.."
Since the first time Jisung walked into the café, Minho had only wanted to make him feel comfortable. He wanted the café to be the one place where Jisung could forget he was an idol for a while.
Somewhere along the way, his favorite idol became his friend. Then that friend became someone Minho couldn’t stop thinking about.
He’d told himself he would keep his distance before things got too complicated. But the truth is, they had been complicated from the very beginning. Now they’re here, sitting side by side, wanting something neither of them can pretend isn’t there anymore. Now, for the first time he lets himself admit that keeping his distance was never what he wanted.
Minho takes a deep breath before continuing, "Because I like you."
For a second Jisung doesn't react. Then he blinks. Once. Twice. Like's trying to process what he just heard.
"You..." his voice cracks slightly.
Minho immediately wants to disappear after saying that, "Forget it." He stands up from the bench.
"No," Jisung stands up and reaches for his wrist without thinking. The contact makes both of them freeze, but neither pulls away.
"No," Jisung repeats more firmly. His fingers tighten slightly. "You don't get to say that and then tell me to forget it."
Minho sighs, "Jisung..I-"
"I like you too."
The world goes strangely quiet. Minho just looks at him, because he's imagined hearing those words so many times. And somehow reality feels better. Scarier, but better.
Jisung lets go of his wrist only to run both hands through his hair, "I thought you rejected me."
"I didn't."
"I know that now."
"Sorry, I was scared."
Jisung looks at him for a second. Then shakes his head, "I mean, obviously you know I'm an idol."
Minho's chest tightens for an entirely different reason. If only he knew.
"I know," he nods.
"It's complicated," his voice gets quieter. "I can't really date," Minho looks at him. Jisung continues before he can respond, "I'm not saying I don't want to." The words come quickly now. Like he's afraid Minho will misunderstand.
"I do," his cheeks turn pink. "I really, really do."
Minho's heart almost stops after hearing Jisung say it out loud.
"But if we try this..." he points at them. "There are things we have to be more careful about," the vulnerability in his voice hurts to hear. Because Jisung sounds genuinely afraid. Not of Minho, but of everything around them. The industry, fans, pressure, expectations.
"I know it won't be easy," Minho says quietly.
A lump forms in his throat. Because he knows more than Jisung realizes. He knows exactly how much people love Han. How many eyes are always watching. How one mistake could become a headline. How one photo could become a scandal.
Standing in front of him, Minho feels another wave of guilt crash into his chest. Jisung is being honest while Minho is still keeping a secret. The fact that not only he recognized him immediately, but also being his fan for years. But every time he imagines telling him, fear follows immediately after. Fear that Jisung will look at him differently. Fear that everything they've built will disappear.
Maybe he's selfish, but when he remembers the way Jisung smiled during those first weeks in the café, the way he relaxed when nobody treated him like a celebrity, he can't regret it completely.
Because for a while, Han got to be Jisung. Not a public figure, just himself. Even if he handled it terribly, even if the truth is waiting for him somewhere down the road. For now, he just looks at Jisung standing in front of him and for the first time in days, neither of them is running away.
For a while neither of them says anything. The confession is still hanging between them. Minho keeps glancing at Jisung, almost like he's afraid he'll disappear if he looks away for too long.
Jisung looks just as overwhelmed, which is strangely comforting. At least they're both panicking.
"Well," Jisung says eventually.
"Well," Minho repeats.
Jisung laughs. A soft, nervous sound, "We're really bad at this."
"Yeah."
"Good."
Minho raises an eyebrow, "Why is that good?"
"Because if you suddenly became smooth and romantic I'd be suspicious."
Despite himself, Minho laughs and Jisung smiles. The sight makes something warm settle in Minho's chest. He's missed that smile more than he realized.
For a moment they simply stand there, the world humming quietly around them. Then Jisung speaks again, quieter, "I thought I lost you."
Minho's smile disappears immediately. The honesty in those words catches him off guard. Jisung stares at the pavement, his voice barely above a whisper, "When you left the party..."
Minho's chest tightens, "I know."
"I kept thinking about it," Jisung laughs weakly. "Which is embarrassing."
"It's not."
Jisung looks up at him, "I was looking for you."
"I'll try not to run away again."
They both look at each other with hope in their eyes. The air now feels warmer. Jisung's smile slowly softens and his gaze lingers. Jisung looks away first. Then back, then away again.
"Okay.." Jisung suddenly says.
"What?"
"I'm trying very hard not to make this weird."
Minho almost laughs, "You're terrible at it."
"I know," Their eyes meet again and neither looks away. Jisung swallows, which Minho notices.
Jisung shifts slightly closer. Not much, just enough. Giving him room to move away if he wants.
"So..." Jisung's voice is quiet.
Minho waits, "So?"
A nervous smile appears, "Are you going to push away?"
"No," he says and Jisung studies him carefully. Minho doesn't look away and doesn't move.
Before he can overthink it, Minho reaches up and gently cups the side of his face. Jisung freezes and his breath catches.
"You're staring," Jisung whispers.
Minho huffs a quiet laugh, "So are you."
Neither looks away. Then Jisung slowly leans in. Giving him every chance to stop him. This time Minho doesn't. The kiss is soft, almost hesitant. For a few seconds everything else disappears. Jisung's hand finds his sleeve, holding on tightly. Minho feels his heart trying to escape his chest. When they finally pull apart, both of them just stare.
"Oh," the word leaves Jisung first. Minho immediately laughs, Jisung starts too. Half from happiness, half from panic.
"Oh my god."
"Yeah."
"We actually kissed."
"Yeah."
Jisung covere his face with both hands, "I've imagined that going differently."
Minho raises an eyebrow, "Better or worse?"
Jisung peeks at him through his fingers, "A lot smoother." Minho laughs again. The sound feels lighter. Jisung lowers his hands, "I like you."
Minho's heart stumbles, he might actually get a heart attack. Even after hearing it already, the words still hit, "I like you too."
"So what happens now?" Jisung asks after a while.
Minho thinks about it, then shrugs, "No idea."
"Very reassuring," Minho smiles.
For the first time in a long time, the future doesn't feel terrifying. Complicated? Absolutely. But not impossible.
Jisung exhales softly, "We should probably take things slow."
Minho nods, "I know."
"Because of work and my life is kind of insane."
"I know," Jisung looks relieved. A comfortable silence settles between them. Then Minho glances at him, "Are you free this weekend?"
Jisung blinks. Realization appears immediately. A smile follows, "Are you asking me on a date?"
Minho feels his ears getting warm, "Maybe."
Jisung laughs. The sound fills the quiet night, "Then yes."
Something warm spreads through Minho's chest. Neither of them in a hurry to leave. Or neither of them pulling away.
For now, that's more than enough.