DragonHeart | Minsung

XXIII

Jisung woke up in a state of panic. His chest was heavy, very heavy. But as he took in his surroundings, he realized that he was okay, and sighed. The weight he felt on top of him was Minho. He was sprawled out as far as the small tent would allow, face squished against his chest while Jisung lay on his back.

The morning light filtered through the thin fabric of the tent, casting a warm glow on them. Minho's steady breathing soothing the panic in Jisung's chest as it quickly faded.

Minho had definitely kept him warm throughout the night, but now that he was wide awake, he wanted to move. He began to try to shimmy out from underneath him without disturbing him, but Minho's eyes fluttered open as he was trying.

"Morning, Ji..." Minho mumbled and brought his hands up to his eyes to rub them.

Jisung stopped moving. He would be lying if he said the use of that nickname, and the sight of Minho's puffy morning face and messy hair didn't make his heart flutter for a moment.

"Morning.." Jisung replied.

Minho was tired, and comfortable. It was another one of the mornings where he could just go to sleep and oversleep to his heart's content. So he just yawned, and placed his head back on Jisung.

However, Jisung began to try to move away again. This urged a groan from Minho, and he tried to keep Jisung still by wrapping his arms around him.

Jisung huffed, "We need to get up..."

"Mmhm, in a bit," Minho said, eyes closed.

"Get off of me," Jisung whined. "You're heavy!"

"If I'm remembering correctly, you asked for this last night.."

Jisung gave Minho a playful shove. "That was last night. Now, I want to get up!"

Minho groaned dramatically but eventually released his grip, allowing Jisung to slip out from under him. They both sat up, stretching and yawning as they shook of the grogginess of waking up from sleep.

The routine of breaking down camp began. They packed up the tent and the rest of their belongings, and the horses were readied for another day of travel.

They rode side by side once again, following the dirt path alongside the river. The hours passed quickly as their conversations flowed comfortably.

When the sun began to set, casting a warm glow on the horizon, they found another place to set up camp. The horses were given a chance to graze, and Minho gave Jisung some tips on building a fire as he made one for them.

After finishing their food, they laid on their backs to look at the stars that had come into view as the sky darkened. They admired the view quietly.

Minho spoke, breaking the silence, "do you know what constellations these are?" He asked.

Jisung shook his head, "I don't..."

Minho smiled, "I can show you."

He scooted closer to Jisung, and took ahold of his arm. He guided his arm up, so he was pointing up to the sky.

"That one is Cassiopeia...Ursa Major...Ursa Minor.." He went on, listing the constellations that were visible as he helped paint them out with Jisung's index finger.

As Minho continued his tour of the stars, Jisung couldn't help but smile, taking in the serenity of the moment.

"...and there, that's Draco, my favorite...you can see him all year too," Minho pointed out, his finger tracing the shape of the imaginary dragon.

"We believe that spirits make up the stars...when a dragon dies, our souls will join him."

Jisung smiled, "that's beautiful, Min."

Minho let go of Jisung's arm, but he continued on about his knowledge of the stars. He described some of the old stories behind each constellation, how they earned their place in the stars.

Jisung's eyes wandered away from the sky, making their way over to the man that laid beside him. His face lit up as he spoke, and it was obvious that the subject sparked passion within him. He couldn't help but stare, admiring the radiant smile that was plastered on his face, and the way his eyes shined up at the sky.

"How do you know all of this?" Jisung asked softly.

Minho turned his head to the side to meet Jisung's gaze. "My parents...well, mostly my mom though."

"It's important to us," he said, referring to the age-old connection that dragons have had with the celestial realm.

"Tell me more then..." Jisung said with a smile.

They redirected their eyes to the stars, and Minho continued his stories. Jisung found himself not only captivated by the tales themselves but also by the passion that radiated from Minho.

The warmth emanating from the campfire seemed to extend to the space between them. A soft breeze rustled through the trees, and in that moment, Minho's fingers brushed against Jisung's, making both of their heart's skip a beat.

They stayed that way for a moment, neither sure of what the other was thinking, or if they'd even noticed the touch. Minho continued to speak throughout.

They both gradually moved apart, but something was still there. It was as if something was trying to pull them back together, longing for just that little moment of physical touch.

Jisung wasn't able to focus on anything else. Fuck it. He reached over to where Minho's hand had retreated, placing it on top of his.

Minho stopped speaking and turned his head to look back at him, but Jisung couldn't bare to look him in the eyes. Minho was taken aback at first, but soon smiled and intertwined their fingers.

They both relaxed, returning to stargazing. No more words needed to be said, the unspoken understanding and the comforting warmth from each other's hands was enough.