DragonHeart | Minsung

XX

Jisung avoided taking any glances at Minho's body for the rest of the shower, and he was the first to leave. He dried himself off with a towel, and changed into the some clean clothes that Minho let him borrow from the belongings that he'd left in Hypatia's loft.

"I'm going to go back inside, Minho," he said called out to him before gathering his dirty clothes and walking back to the front door.

Hypatia sat on her couch, reading a book, when Jisung walked in. Her eyes lit up when she saw him again.

"Oh, put those clothes in that bucket over there," she said and pointed to a wooden bucket in the corner that already had some dirty clothes in it. "I'll wash them for you, so you have something clean for the road."

Jisung did as he was told, and sat beside her on the couch afterwards. "Hypatia, I really appreciate how kind you've been to me. You didn't have to help me this much, especially after everything my family has done..."

She placed one of her hands on his arm flashed him that warm smile that she had. "Any friend of Minho's is a friend of mine...you're always welcome here."

Jisung smiled back at her, "thank you."

"You know, Minho has always been the quiet, loner type. He didn't have many friends in Gimpo, and it took him a while to open up to me when he got here...I'm glad that he has someone else that he truly cares for." Hypatia said, her eyes filled with warmth.

"Someone that's not old like me," she added, and they both laughed.

Minho had walked back into the house when they were laughing together, and the sound put a smile on his own face.

They ended up all three sitting on the couch together, Hypatia in the middle and a boy on each side of her. Jisung had shown interest in learning more about the true history of their ancestors, and she was able to provide more knowledge with the books and scrolls that she possessed.

He learned that dragons came to be when an ancient order harnessed the power of a powerful essence called the Heartfire, and used it to breathe the life into the creatures. Some say that the heartfire came from the stars, but the true origins of the heartfire is unknown, but it's a pivotal source of life and power within the dragons.

They created dragons to bring peace and justice among them. They served their purpose well, until Jisung's grandfather and father erased and manipulated their history.

Minho admired Jisung's curiosity and willingness to learn despite the mental strain that came with the newfound knowledge of his family's tainted past. He could see that he was determined to make this work.

Time went by quickly as the trio spoke, read, and snacked together, and it was getting late before they knew it.

Minho was the first to let out a hearty yawn, and to Hypatia that was the cue for them to call it a night.

"You need to sleep plenty tonight so you feel your best when you leave," she said.

Jisung nodded in agreement, but it was also bitter sweet. He was grateful for the hospitality they had received, and he'd miss Hypatia when they left.

Minho and Jisung soon migrated back to the barn, and up into the loft together. The barn itself shielded them from the chilly night air, but it still lingered around the corners.

They settled into the bed, each taking their own side. Each mumbled a "good night" before silence fell over them, with the exception of the whistling of leaves and the occasional movement of the horses in the stalls below them. However, neither of them could fall asleep.

It got colder as they went further north, and that night was exceptionally cold. Jisung wasn't used to having to sleep this way, and despite Minho being a dragon that could withstand harsh temperatures, he wasn't so lucky as a human.

They lay facing each other, eyes closed and shivering. Minho eventually couldn't take it any more, and began to scoot himself closer to Jisung and reached out to wrap his arms around him.

Jisung was confused as to why Minho was doing this at first, but it became apparent to him when he felt how he was also shivering.

Minho realised that Jisung was still awake when he felt him settle in closer, and felt his arm move to his waist. At first he could only feel the coldness of the other's skin and clothes, but their closeness gradually generated warmth and began to ward off the cold.

Jisung had never been this close to anyone other than his mother. This was new to him, but it was comfortable. Not only because it brought comfort from the cold, but there was something else there. He felt safe like this.

Minho fell asleep quickly after that, and his shallow breaths and steady heartbeat helped bring Jisung there too.