ninety-nine

Jisung didn't know for how long he had been asleep when he heard the door to his room click open. The sound roused him from his light sleep, but he didn't open his eyes and stayed curled up on the bed.

Footsteps neared his bed and the mattress moved when Minho sat on its edge. Jisung wondered why he was here and asked himself if he should say something. In the end, he simply waited for what Minho would do.

Minutes went by without any of them moving. Jisung heard the rustling of fabric and felt a hand caress his cheek. Then, it brushed over his hair in such a familiar way.

What puzzled him though was that he wasn't put off by the gesture. In fact, he enjoyed it and craved more of it.

A murmur reached his ears. At first, he didn't understand the mumbled words, but then Minho leaned in and whispered, "Get better soon. I'm waiting for you. I love you..."

He then felt a soft peck on his forehead. His breath hitched. Without warning, his mind got pierced by a memory. It flashed before his eyes, blinding and vivid, so, so beautiful.

"I said sleep," Minho whispered into his ears in such a calming and soothing voice. He felt a hand move over his head, caressing his hair, and he blushed.

Minho's touch was as light as a feather—he hardly felt it, and yet it somehow made him feel a sense of reassurance. He took a deep breath and relaxed his head on Minho's body.

He already started to feel groggy, and his eyes closed on their own. Seconds before he fell asleep, he felt Minho's lips on his forehead, planting a soft kiss on his skin.

The memory was followed by a sharp pain in his skull. He opened his eyes and gasped, making Minho flinch back.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked urgently, hovering over Jisung with overwhelming worry shining in his gaze. "You okay?"

Jisung couldn't find words to say. His cheeks heated up as he recalled the closeness they had shared in his memory, and how happy it made him feel. Just who was Minho? Why were they so close?

"Y-You kissed me," he finally stuttered, blushing more when he became aware of how stupid he sounded.

Minho looked at him weirdly, muttering, "Does it bother you?"

Jisung sat up, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed. Thinking over his question for a moment, he came to the conclusion that it hadn't bothered him at all.

"No," he replied. "I saw a memory just now. Minho, who are you to me? Are you my boyfriend?"

Minho's eyes grew wide, hopeful. "Yes, I am," he explained quickly. "What did you remember?" He leaned towards Jisung and stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"I'm not sure what I saw," he said. "We were snuggled up against each other on my bed, and... and you kissed my forehead."

"Minho," he whispered hopefully when an idea appeared in his mind. It was he who had triggered the memory, so perhaps he would be able to do it again? It's worth a try.

"Kiss me again. On my lips, this time." He thought that maybe a broader memory would come back to him if they did such action.

"Huh?" Minho gaped at him, wondering if he had heard him correctly. "Really? You're usually not this straightforward," he chuckled. "But I'm not complaining."

Jisung blushed and bit his lip, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Why did he have to blurt that out? But Minho on the other hand wasn't about to let this opportunity pass.

He leaned in to kiss Jisung, connecting their lips while he held his chin. Immediately, Jisung felt a powerful emotion grow in his chest. Warmth pooled in his stomach.

He didn't hesitate to return the kiss, pulling Minho in and wrapping his arms around him. He waited for another memory, hoped to see a snippet of his life, but nothing happened.

Despite this, he wasn't discouraged, too focused on the kiss to think about anything else.

The fast beats of his heart were proof that Minho meant something to him—they had kissed like this many times before.

To be continued...

sobbing rn