Rise of a Star - a Minsung Story

Chapter 24

Eventually, time came to get ready and pack to leave for home. Not that he wanted, Minho would've preferred staying at the dorm with all the others and play video games and watch movies until he learned how to live with his loss. But he knew he needed to be there for his mother.
"Are you done packing, my love?", Jisung asked with a soft smile on his face, grabbing his backpack and Minho's suitcase. The younger of the two had decided to come with Minho, which the latter was deeply grateful for. Of course, Jisung had planned to introduce himself to Minho's mother under better circumstances but he couldn't possibly leave his significant other alone at times like these.
They had both said goodbye to their friends, who had wished Minho all their condolences, and walked down the stairs to the taxi that was waiting for them.
Chan had promised to inform their manager and company about the situation. They were lucky most of the filming was done for now and they didn't have their debut planned for another 3 months or so.
Minho had not yet cancelled his Christmas trip that he had planned with Jisung, because he did not plan on staying with his mother for much longer after the funeral was over. He did feel bad for her, but at the same time, he needed to focus on his own mental health and he felt like this trip would be a much needed vacation for him and Jisung.

A taxi drove Jisung and Minho to Gimpo, where the older boy originally came from.
"Thank you for driving us here. Have a good day", Minho said to the driver after getting out of the car, the boy had lovely manners after all. Jisung had insisted on paying, explaining how he should use his recently earned money instead of always relying on Minho or Changbin. Minho wasn't completely sure how and where Jisung had gotten money from but he had noticed the younger had been acting secretive about his schedule and why he was coming home late every day for the past few weeks.
Not that he really cared at the moment, Minho's mind was working on autopilot and for the most part, he appeared to be irresponsive and kind of numb.
Of course, Jisung was worried but he understood that his partner needed time to heal as it had only been a day and a half, so he let him be and just held his hand or cuddled with him to show him he was present.
Minho knew to appreciate that, so he managed to plant a soft kiss to Jisung's temple in a soothing manner, before unlocking the front door.
Immediately, a quiet feminine voice could be heard from somewhere in the house. "Minho? Is that you?", she asked and Jisung heard rustling, before a beautiful middle aged woman appeared in front of him. Her eyes were the same beautiful shape as Minho's and he was mesmerized by her looks, even though she seemed to be all over the place and broken. The young boy knew better than to judge her.
When her eyes wandered from Minho's to Jisung's, she quickly used her finger to brush through her hair and approached the two, to shake Jisung's hands. "I didn't know you were bringing a friend with you, Min. You should've warned me, the house is a mess right now", she scolded him, then focusing on Jisung. "I'm Minho's mother as you have probably figured out by now. What's your name?", she introduced herself and Jisung couldn't help but smile a little. The same politeness as Minho. "I am Jisung, one of his members in Stray Kids. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Lee", Jisung said, noticing Minho's proud smile in his peripheral vision.
"Mom, I need to correct one thing you said. Jisung is not only a friend of mine but my boyfriend", Minho said, the nervousness radiating off of him. For a moment, his mother paused in her movements, before she started smiling brightly. "It's so nice to meet you then, my future sun in-law", she gave Jisung a wink and allowed the boys to go to Minho's old room and unpack while she prepared a snack for them.

"She doesn't really seem like she just lost her husband", Jisung stated after a while of silence. The young men were sitting next to each other on Minho's bed, the older leaning his head against Jisung's shoulder. The room was quite small and had only the necessities in it: a bed, a closet, a nightstand and a desk with a shelf.
"Mmmh. My mother is a very strong woman but I know she is hurting", Minho's voice was quiet and Jisung noticed how raspy it had become again. Wordlessly, he pulled his boyfriend into a hug, placing soft kisses all over his neck and shoulders. "Thank you", Minho suddenly said, and Jisung looked up at him confused. "For being here with me, I mean",  the older boy added, receiving a loving smile and a kiss to his lips.
"You know I would never let you go through this by yourself, Min", Jisung said in a serious tone, looking him straight in the eyes. "Yeah, I know", Minho smirked and pulled Jisung further up until he was sat in his lap. He kissed his partner as gently as he could, his hands finding the back of Minho's neck. "I love you", he whispered, and Jisung smiled. "I love you too, Min", he responded.