𝕄𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 || 𝟚𝕞𝕚𝕟

43 | Sad Beautiful Tragic

The night had been filled with laughter and love, shared smiles, warm hugs, and the kind of joy Minho never thought he'd be allowed to experience. Now, the living room was quieter, the last of the group stretching and slipping on their shoes, exchanging sleepy goodbyes.

Minho stood by the doorway, watching them go, fingers fidgeting at the hem of his sleeve. His heart was full, yet strangely unsettled. A strange ache lingered at the pit of it, curling under his ribs, and it kept growing stronger as his friends kept filing out one by one.

He turned to Seungmin slowly, eyes hesitant. "If you don't mind...for today, can I stay?"

Seungmin's reply was instant. A small smile tugged at his lips as he signed with both hands
"I wasn't planning on letting you go anyway"

Minho chuckled under his breath, shoulders finally relaxing just a bit. He nodded, a grateful smile blooming on his face.

"You look so tired," Seungmin said, stepping closer. "I'll clean all this up real quick and then we can go upstairs, okay?"

"No, let me help," Minho began to protest, already taking a step toward the plates-

But Hyunjin popped up out of nowhere, clapping a hand on Minho's shoulder and raising a brow. "You both look like you got steamrolled by a dump truck."

Minho let out a tired huff of a laugh, rolling his eyes. "Thanks, Hwang."

Hyunjin grinned and started gathering cups. "I mean it. Get your sleepy butts upstairs. You're not doing anything except laying down and passing out. I'll handle all this, I'm used to cleaning up after children anyway." He said the last part glancing at Seungmin.

Seungmin flicked his forehead as he passed, clearly mouthing, "You're the child."

Hyunjin waved them off dramatically with a dish towel. "Yeah, yeah. Go get your beauty sleep, lovebirds."

Seungmin rolled his eyes but reached for Minho's hand as they made their way upstairs.

The moment they stepped into Seungmin's room, it was like entering a world far quieter, softer than the one below. Minho looked around...it was tidy, warm, safe.

Seungmin took out a pair of soft grey pajamas and offered them to Minho. He simply nodded back and began changing in the bathroom.

When he returned, Seungmin had already changed and was fluffing the pillows on the bed. Their eyes met, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Seungmin held out his hand again, and Minho took it without hesitation.

They both settled under the blankets, their legs tangling naturally, bodies close but not quite clinging yet. The silence was quiet, steady and comfortable.

But there was a storm going on in their minds, both of theirs.

Seungmin watched him with a soft expression, brushing a strand of hair off Minho's forehead. Minho closed his eyes at the touch, letting out a long, shaky breath.

But his heart was thudding hard, like it was building up to something that couldn't be avoided anymore.

He was staring down at his hands. His fingers curled and uncurled, restless, as if his body was trying to distract itself from whatever thoughts clawed at the edges of his mind.

"Minho hyung," Seungmin started, voice gentle, "is something wrong?"

Minho's shoulders stiffened slightly. "No."

Seungmin exhaled through his nose. "Your face says otherwise"

Minho forced a small chuckle, shaking his head. "I'm just tired."