Fleeting Hearts|| minsung

4: In the Quiet

In the days that followed, Minho and Jisung fell into an unspoken rhythm, a delicate dance between the familiar and the new. It was as though their kiss had unlocked something in both of them, but neither was in a hurry to define it. Instead, they simply let themselves exist in the strange and exciting in-between.

The music room remained their sanctuary, a place where they didn't have to think too hard about what was happening. There, they could be themselves—two artists, two friends, two people slowly becoming something more.

Jisung was sprawled out on the floor one afternoon, his notebook open beside him, fingers lazily strumming his guitar. Minho sat in front of him, leaning back on his palms, eyes half-closed as he listened to the soft melody filling the room.

It was peaceful like this, with just the sound of Jisung's guitar and their quiet breathing. Minho didn't need to talk when he was with Jisung, didn't need to fill the space with words. That was one of the things he liked most about Jisung—their silences weren't awkward. They were comfortable.

Jisung's voice broke the quiet, soft but sure. "Minho... can I ask you something?"

Minho opened his eyes, glancing over at Jisung. "What is it?"

Jisung hesitated, his fingers stilling on the guitar strings as he shifted slightly. His usual playful grin was nowhere to be found, replaced instead by a look of quiet contemplation. "Do you ever... worry about what people will think of us? If they find out?"

Minho's chest tightened at the question, but he kept his face neutral. It wasn't something they had talked about yet, not directly. They had kissed, touched, shared moments that felt far too intimate to be brushed aside, but neither had spoken about what it meant outside of their little bubble.

He knew what Jisung was asking—whether he was ready to take this thing between them into the world, where people could see it, question it, judge it. And Minho wasn't sure if he was.

"I've thought about it," Minho admitted, his voice careful. "But... I don't really know how to feel about it yet."

Jisung nodded, as if he had expected that answer, but there was a shadow of something in his eyes. "Yeah. Me too. I mean, it's not like anyone's looking at us right now, but... I don't know. Sometimes I think about what happens when people start noticing. When it's not just... us."

The room suddenly felt heavier, the easy comfort of before replaced with something more serious, more real. Minho didn't know what to say. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about it—he had. In fact, it had been gnawing at the back of his mind ever since that first kiss. But he hadn't wanted to bring it up. He hadn't wanted to ruin the fragile peace they had found.

"I guess we just... take it one step at a time," Minho said finally, his voice quieter than he intended. "We don't have to figure it all out right now."

Jisung sighed, his fingers resuming their soft strumming on the guitar. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just... new, you know?"

Minho nodded. It was new—for both of them. And that's what made it so complicated.

They fell into silence again, but this time, it was heavier, weighed down by all the things they didn't know how to say. Minho could feel the tension in the air, a subtle shift in the atmosphere that made him uneasy. He didn't want to lose this—what they had, what they were building. But he also knew that they couldn't keep it hidden forever.

"Jisung," Minho said suddenly, his voice firm but gentle. "I don't want to rush anything. But... I don't want to lose you either. Whatever this is... I'm in it. I'm not going anywhere."