Red Chrysanthemum - Minsung

Chapter 22

Nerves twisted in Minho's stomach, making his whole body churn with tides of nausea. His hands trembled as he fidgeted with the buttons of his crisp white shirt, trying to reach perfection as usual.

Today was the day.

After weeks and weeks of debate and years of daydreaming that he'd finally see him again and apologise, he was going to try and ask Jisung out officially. Now, if the blond is going to say yes, that's an entirely different story.

It took Minho too long to realise that he still likes Jisung romantically, he could even go as far as saying that he loves him.

His hair finally cooperated and so did his shirt as it sat nicely on his torso, highlighted by a sleek, black tie. He pulled on the leather jacket that Jisung seems to like so much and went into the kitchen where his brother was. He stepped out and drew Felix's attention away from the brownies he was baking and towards his outfit.

"How do I look?" Minho asked shakily, displaying his outfit. His baggy black jeans were somehow still a little tight around his thighs. He was wearing his favourite chunky black boots, similar to Jisung's own pair. Felix looked him up and down, contemplating it all for a moment before nodding with a smile.

"You look great Min!" The blond said, his grin growing wider as he watched some of Minho's nervousness dissolve at the compliment. He inhaled deeply and grabbed the car keys before walking up to his brother, ruffling his hair as he mixed the brownie batter.

"Save me some, yeah?" He stated as he began to leave their apartment.

"I'll make sure Changbin doesn't eat them all." Felix said with a laugh, ushering his brother out of the door with a shoulder pat of encouragement. "Good luck!" He called out and Minho was on his way.

Minho had borrowed Chan's car for the night and the glow of the street lamps illuminated his drive over to Jisung's place. He stopped outside and waited for the boy to come out after he saw his text.

Soon enough, he saw Jisung's silhouette walk down a few stairs before rounding the front of the car with a smile as he got into the passenger seat. He plugged his seatbelt in after muttering a quick "hi" to his driver and they set off towards the restaurant.

Agitation made Minho's nerve-endings tingle as he thought about how he should tell the younger. He could just blurt it out now, but that'd be a terrible idea, the mood isn't set and he hasn't had any alcohol to dull his shame yet. Not that Minho was planning on having much tonight with all the driving he's going to be doing.

He couldn't help but wonder if he even had the guts to go through with all of this. Yes, he'd confessed to other people before and yes, he's had some experience with this sort of thing in the past, but not with Jisung. Not with the one boy who he'd be devastated if he didn't reciprocate, not with the boy who made him realise he was gay all over again. The one who allowed him to take that final step and proudly declare that he indeed likes men.

"So, do you know the language of flowers?" The sudden question erupting from Jisung's mouth snapped him away from his thoughts. They were quickly approaching the restaurant and they were perfectly on time, just how Minho suspected they'd be.

"Not really. I know that flowers have a lot of symbolism surrounding them, but I don't actually know their meanings most of the time." Jisung nodded, his interest piqued as he realised that Minho has similar obscure interests.

"Well, I found out a new one today." The blond stated proudly, his eyes twinkling as he glanced over at Minho who was pointedly keeping his gaze locked on the road. He stayed silent as he waited for Jisung to continue.