DragonHeart | Minsung

XXI

The first rays of dawn slipped through the cracks in the barn, illuminating the loft where the two men slept.

Jisung stirred, his eyes opening slowly, squinting from needing to adjust to the light. He felt a subtle weight around his waist and turned his gaze to find Minho's arm draped over him. The memories from the night before came flooding back, and it brought a faint blush to his cheeks.

"Good morning," Minho's voice, still hoarse with sleep, broke the silence. His soft eyes met his and he offered a gentle smile to Jisung, who managed a shy smile in return.

"Morning," Jisung replied quietly.

The barn wasn't nearly as cold as it had gotten during the night; as the sun rose higher, it got warmer. Despite this, the two were still stuck in an embrace.

Both Minho and Jisung knew that it was about time for them to get up and start getting ready, but something was keeping them from doing so. It was impossible to pinpoint an explanation, but it was almost like their bodies were glued together.

Their eyes closed again as Minho rubbed circles into Jisung's back with his thumb. They likely would've fallen back asleep, if it weren't for the barn door swinging open and startling them apart.

Hypatia's footsteps could be heard shuffling around below the loft. She was just coming in to start the daily chores of cleaning the animal's bedding and refilling their water and food.

Minho slid out of the bed and made his way over to the railing, Jisung staying in the bed and watching him. He looked over the edge to see Hypatia opening one of the stall doors, bucket of grain in hand.

"We'll be down in a minute," Minho said.

Hypatia jumped a bit, having not noticed that he was standing there. She just laughed it off. "Oh, good morning! Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Minho replied, leaning casually against the wooden railing. He looked back to the bed and his eyes met Jisung's.

Jisung felt a tightness in his chest and his heart rate increase, but he shook it off. He got out of bed and reached his hands above his head to stretch.

They walked down from the loft together, a different kind of atmosphere between them.

"What do you need help with? You let us and our horses stay, so we should help." Minho said.

Hypatia didn't mind not having help, but she also knew that Minho wouldn't allow her to deny the offer if she tried.

They let the horses, cattle, and pigs out into the paddock so they could clean the stall out. Afterwards, Minho handed Jisung one of the pitchforks to collect the dirty bedding.

"Does the Prince know how to do stablehand work?" Minho teased.

Jisung rolled his eyes at him. "Yes, I do," he said.

They each cleared out their own stall, placing the soiled hay in a wheelbarrow, and then replaced it with fresh hay. Minho would leave to take the wheelbarrow out and dump it, while Jisung stayed to  refill the food troughs.

"I'll be right back, this one needs more water." Hypatia said, following Minho out with the an empty bucket for the water.

However, she didn't refill it right away, but instead followed alongside Minho. "Did something happen last night?" She asked once they weren't within earshot of Jisung.

"He's quiet this morning, and keeps on glancing at you."

Minho paused in his task, glancing back at Hypatia with a small smile that he couldn't hold back. "Did he say something was wrong? It was cold last night, so we hugged a bit..."

Hypatia chuckled. "Ah, young love..."

Minho's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, it's not like that!" At least, he didn't think it was like that.

He wasn't very experienced when it came to love, since he'd never dated before. But he knew that him and Jisung were bound to have strong feelings due to their physical connection, so he hadn't thought much when his heart skipped a beat around him.

Hypatia didn't want to pry, so she just smiled and nodded. "Whatever you say."

They continued to work on the morning chores until they were finished. Once they were, Minho and Jisung began to gather up their belongings, preparing to leave and continue their journey to Gimpo.

They tacked up their horses, making sure that all of their bags were secured before grabbing the leads and walking them out of the barn.

Hypatia met back with them outside. She had a bag in her hands, filled with some more food for them. It was mostly bread and dried foods, because that would last the longest, but she also threw in some fruits.

Minho and Jisung both thanked her for her hospitality and general kindness, and they exchanged tight hugs.

"You both are always welcome here, please come visit me some time, okay?" She said.

"We will," Minho said, and Jisung nodded in agreement.

They hoisted themselves up into their saddles, positioning their feet into the stirrups and grabbing onto the reins.

"When you get to Gimpo, you should visit Chan...I believe that he may be able to help more with your mother," Hypatia said.

"Chan?" Jisung asked.

"He's another Druid; the only druid left in Gimpo," Minho explained.

"Take care of him for me, Jisung," Hypatia said with a wink.

"He's a handful, but I'll try my best," Jisung joked.

Minho chuckled and rolled his eyes at them.

It was another bitter sweet moment as Hypatia's home gradually faded into the distance. The warm of her home and presence was something that they'd miss, but it was also time for them to keep moving forward.