Chapter Text
Fumbling with the apartment keys for a moment, he unlocked the door, slowly pushing it ajar, and slipping into his and Jisung's shared apartment. Tossing his bag to the floor, he kicked off his shoes, lazily, and trudged across the room to where their old couch was placed against the wall, and practically fell into the cushions, limbs sprawled out awkwardly across the furniture. Today rehearsal had been particularly grueling, and with that, along with courses, and the end of the semester approaching, Minho was stressed, to say the least.
Jisung had finished his courses earlier that evening, texting him that he was going out to pick up food for the two, which he was more than grateful for, because currently, he felt as if his arms and legs were quite literally going to fall off his body, and that wasn't an exaggeration. As much as he loved dance, it was his passion, he couldn't deny that it was an especially draining sport, mentally and physically. But it was his dream, and regardless of the countless days he would come home tired, irritated, and stressed, he wouldn't give it up for the world.
A couple moments later, he heard the sound of someone entering the apartment, closing the door gently behind them, and slipping their shoes off beside the front door. Jisung shuffled into the room, carrying two bags in his hand, and suddenly, Minho was reminded of how hungry he actually was. He hadn't eaten breakfast that day, nor had he had lunch, and his stomach was begging for anything source of food that wasn't trail mix, a protein bar or water. He placed the bags on the coffee table, removing the containers of delicious Korean barbecue from the bag.
He turned, shifting his attention to his boyfriend, who was lying limb on their living room couch. "Another stressful rehearsal?" he asked, crouching down beside the couch, and carding his thin fingers through the elders dark, brown hair.
"Yeah," Minho sighed, he sounded exhausted, he looked at it as well. Jisung was aware of the amount of stress he was under, especially it being his Junior year of University, along with his courses, and the dance showcase he had coming up, and exams, he did his best to make it easier for him helping out in the small ways he felt he could. "Thank you for getting us food, by the way, I'm fucking starving, and that smells so good." He was practically staring holes into the containers, devouring it with his eyes, Jisung couldn't help but chuckle.
"Let's eat." Jisung said, moving to the coffee table, taking a box of rice and handing it to him, with a pair of chopsticks, as he attempted to sit up against the armrest on the couch. Grabbing the remote off the floor, Minho turned on the television and began scrolling through the channels mindlessly, until eventually, they both settled upon some Korean Drama they'd never seen before, but they didn't complain, simply enjoying their food and each other's presence.
Jisung finished eating first, he usually did, as he didn't eat as much and usually ate quicker, but Minho had apparently been fucking ravenous this evening because he was scarfing down the food like no other, he smiled endearingly, watching him enjoy the food, as he was encapsulated by the show playing on the television screen.
Pushing himself off of the floor, Jisung waltzed over to the couch, joining Minho, as he cuddled into the side of the dancer, burying his head in the crook of his neck and throwing his arm gently around his waist.
"Someone's hungry," he teased, grinning, Minho rolled his eyes, taking a peace of meat, and shoving it into the younger's mouth, eyes forming into crescents, as he chuckled. "Hey!" He retorted, hitting him over the chest lightly, as he chewed on the meat.
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you," Minho blurted out, suddenly, taking a napkin and whipping his face clean, as he placed his food back on the small table. "It's been a while since we've gone out, and I was wondering- do you want to go out this weekend? Exams are coming up soon, and I want to take you out somewhere before we don't get the chance too." Minho stuttered out, his cheeks blushing a faint pink, and Jisung found that fucking adorable, and he couldn't help himself but to place a chaste, but sweet kiss on his lips, it would be a crime not too.
"Of course, did you have anywhere in mind?"
"You'll see." Minho said vaguely, ignoring the younger when he began to whine, trying to pry where they would be going out of him, unfortunately for him, Minho had known him far too well, and was able to tune out the pouting by now. "Mean." He murmured under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest, jutting his bottom lip out a bit.
The two stayed like that for a couple more hours, in the comfort of each other's arms, hands intertwined as they bickered throughout the entirety of the drama, not really paying it any mind by this point.
But as much as Minho would have liked to stay like that for the remainder of the night, he knew that unfortunately, he couldn't. He had choreography to prepare, assignments to complete, projects that were due, and an array of other responsibilities he needed to tend to, he didn't want to lave the younger to spend another long, cold with nothing but the company of his own subconscious but there was nothing he could do. This was another reason he had planned to spend the weekend with the ladder, to make up for all the time lost over the last couple of weeks.
"Can't you just stay, please? You're exhausted, and you aren't taking care of yourself." Jisung slid his hand into the ladders, intertwining their fingers as he kissed each of his individual knuckles.
"Jisung," he started, pulling his hand away and grabbing a hold of the younger's small waist, pulling him in. "It's okay, I'm fine, and you know I'd stay if I could, but I can't." He sighed, looking at him apologetically. "But that's why I planned the weekend for us, it'll just be me and you, enjoying ourselves, relaxing." He leaned in to connect their lips for a kiss, it was sweet, and very much needed, spoke the thousands of words the two felt they couldn't, Jisung tilted his head a bit to deepen it, throwing his arms around his neck, as they continued to kiss each other passionately. Minho was the first to pull away, staring at the shorter one who seemed to be in a daze, and offering him a small, reassuring smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, promise."
"You promise?"
"Promise."
Jisung laid in their bed, scrolling mindlessly through his phone on social media, he missed Minho, and although that sounds dramatic, he couldn't help it. He left roughly a couple hours ago to work his night shift at the convenience store, and although it was only a part time job for now, it was still equally as exhausting when you add the remainder of his very long, strenuous schedule to it as well. He wasn't going to lie, he worried for him, Minho wasn't one to wear his heart on his sleeve, unlike Jisung, he was generally very closed off and cold, so it seemed to most. If he was struggling, he wouldn't make known, nor apparent, and Jisung hated that. He hated not being able to help him, or offer him support when he needed it, and as much as he encouraged him to be more open, it all proved to be non effective, as he was incredibly persistent and stubborn, maybe even more so than Jisung.
So he always did his best to do as much as he could for the elder, even if it was only small actions, he knew Minho saw him, and that he appreciated them as well.
Eventually, he turned his phone off, and placed it on the nightstand beside their large bed, plugging it into the charger, and attempting to lull himself to sleep. It felt empty, lonely, it wasn't as if this was an uncommon occurrence, but he missed the warmth that Minho brought with him, the comfort he felt when he was whisked away to sleep in the elder's arms, he felt utterly alone.
No, Jisung, do not do this right now, you're overthinking it, he's going to be back in the morning, stop it! He thought to himself, shaking his head profusely, as he pushed the intruding thoughts to the back of his head, grabbing Minho's pillow, and wrapping himself around it, he was eventually taken by the night, slipping into unconsciousness until the morning.
Just as the previous day, Minho fumbled with the keys to the apartment, quietly unlocking the door, as he pushed it open, closing it gently behind him and locking it. He slipped his shoes off and placed his bag on the ground beneath the coat rack, it was past 4 in the morning, and he had to leave for his classes for around 8, which gave him approximately 2 hours to catch up on sleep. Not bothering to strip himself of his work clothing and changing into sleep wear, he trudged into his and Jisung's shared bedroom, to find the brown haired man sleeping peacefully on the bed. He smiled to himself, grateful to bask in the site of his sleeping boyfriend.
He walked over to the bed, climbing in beside the ladder and doing his best not to wake him from his sleep, unfortunately, he began softly jostling against the mattress, before slowly opening his eyes, and turning his head towards the elder, making eye contact.
"Hyung? Did you just get here? What time is it?" His voice was raspy, and deep, which Minho absolutely adored, he stared fondly at the younger who began squinting at him when he received no response. He reached to the nightstand beside him, grabbing his phone, groaning at the white light that illuminated the room, as he checked the time.
"Hyunggggggggg, it's 4 in the morning." He whined, placing his phone back on the nightstand, as he stared at him in ridicule.
"Don't be upset Sungie, you can go back to sleep, you don't have to leave until 9, right?"
"I'm not upset about myself, I'm upset about you, hyung, how do you expect to perform well if you're always exhausted?" He scolded him, pulling him into his chest as he began gently patting the top of his head. "You smell gross." Jisung commented, scrunching his nose in disgust.
"Wow, thanks babe." He chuckled, throwing his arms around his side, and cuddling into his side. He wasn't going to argue, he was exhausted, clearly, but he knew this was temporary and eventually he would be able to live more comfortably, for now, he must sit with it.
Jisung began softly humming some kind of melody against the elder's ear, although he wasn't sure of what song it was from, anything Jisung had the courtesy of singing to Minho was beautiful nonetheless, in mere seconds, he felt himself beginning to drift off to sleep, until he was consumed by his exhaustion entirely, allowing himself to finally relax, and have a moment's rest.
But this didn't last long, as most things didn't, as he was shaken awake by Jisung, who was just as confused as he was, shoving his phone into his hand after he had received several calls from his friend, Felix, which was followed by a series of text messages.
felix: minho hyung i need your help with this assignment im freaking the fuck out
felix: mate im begging you i know it's early but please
felix: please pick up your phone it's due in a couple hours
felix: MINHO HYUNG PLEASE
Minho scowled, he honestly had no issue with resuming his sleep, and leaving the younger to suffer with his project alone, seen as how it was his own fault for procrastinating. He was already running on little sleep, was exhausted, and had classes in a couple of hours, but he had a soft spot for his younger friends, whether he liked to admit it or not.
"Who was it? Is everything okay?" Jisung asked with concerned eyes, as he sat up against the headboard of their bed.
"Yeah, everything is fine, it's just Felix," He sighed, knuckling his eyes as he sat up, sluggishly climbing out off the mattress and stumbling towards their wardrobe. "He needs help finishing an assignment for his dance history class, which is also due today, but he decided to procrastinate it until the last minute, and is now having a breakdown over it." Minho said dryly, as he slipped out of his work clothing and into sweatpants, a sweatshirt, which belonged to Jisung and a beanie.
"Sounds typical." Jisung yawned, stretching out his strained limbs before plopping back down against the mattress. "Hyung, you never showered last night, or in the morning."
"At this point, I don't have time, I'll do it after classes, for now axe and deodorant will have to do." He sighed, wandering around the room as he began packing his bags for classes, as Jisung watched him move around the room. "Sorry, I wish I could've stayed longer. I don't have the night shift tonight though, only a couple hours in the evening, so I'll be back for dinner." He smiled, walking over to the bed and placing a kiss on the younger's cheek and forehead.
"Hyung?" Jisung called out, as the ladder had begun making his way out of the room with his bags slung over his shoulder. He turned to the younger, looking at him with a curious expression. "You're okay, right? And you'll get some rest tonight?"
His expression softened, as he stared at the younger with tired eyes. "Don't worry Sungie, I will, and I am, promise." He smiled.
Jisung nodded.
"I'll see you later, don't forget to eat something, have a good day today, I love you." He said hurriedly, as he made his way across the apartment and to the front door, putting on his sneakers, and the keys. As he was about to exit out the front door, he heard Jisung shout from the bedroom, "Bye hyung, I'll see you later! Hopefully today will be better, have a good day, take care of yourself please!" It never failed to put a smile on his face, regardless of how faint it appeared to be.
"Thank you so much hyung, I don't know what I'd do without you!" After working tirelessly for about 2 hours, he had finally helped the younger through the assignment, and completed it. He forgot how difficult this course actually was, having taken it a year ago, but luckily he'd remember enough information from the class to help him through it it. "I owe you one, seriously, I probably would've failed without you."
"There's no need to thank me that much, but next time, can you please not procrastinate your assignments, or if anything, harass Hyunjin instead, I'm sure he wouldn't mind a call from you at 4 in the morning." Felix laughed a bit, before nodding and thanking the elder one finale time, before Minho excused himself, waving his goodbye's, as he went off to start his classes. In hindsight, maybe he should have opted for the later instead, an hour more of sleep didn't sound too bad. But he'd feel too bad leaving the younger to fend for himself, he's aware of how stressful that course is, as he'd taken it himself. But he was exhausted, and the day hadn't even started, he still had classes, a 4 hour shift, and rehearsal.
He wasn't sure how he was going to do it.
But sure enough, he did, he completed his classes, and somehow managed to half ass his way through each of them, attended his rehearsal with Hyunjin, Felix and Chan, but not without getting bombarded by the the other students for his sloppy movements, poor timing and sluggish steps, and then he started his shift at the convenience store down the block, hoping for a peaceful shift, he was instead graced with rude customers, and his shitty managers scolding him in front of the entire staff and customers for over accidentally toppling over the mop bucket, spilling brown, murky all over the floor.
By the end of the day, he was tired, he was hungry, and he was overall, upset. He hadn't eaten breakfast nor had he eaten lunch, once again, having to sacrifice the two for a chance to finish assignments, he hadn't slept properly in what seemed like months, he hadn't gotten to spend time with Jisung, and he was fucking over it.
But he did his best to hold himself together, walking sluggishly down the hall to their apartment, and rummaging through his bag for the keys, only to realize he had lost them, great, just fucking great, he thought to himself. He sighed, knocking a bit too aggressively on the front door, as he waited for a response. He heard small footsteps coming towards the door, until eventually he was greeted with a smiling Jisung, who's expression quickly faded upon seeing his boyfriend. He looked like shit.
He stepped inside the apartment, not even bothering to take off his shoes, just dropping his bags beside the front door, and shuffling to the bedroom, and plopping down, face first against the mattress. Jisung picked up his bags, bringing them to the common room and placing them besides the couch, as he quietly made his way into their room, peering down at the body that laid limp against the bed. "Minho hyung, is everything okay?" He asked, worriedly.
No response.
He decided to leave him be, removing his shoes from his feet, and moving him to lay on the bed correctly, throwing a blanket over him as he watched him sleep peacefully. He exited the room, and placed his shoes beside the front door. He knew that the elder had been overworking himself, this obviously being a result of that, so he decided he was going to take it into his own hands to take care of him today.
While Minho slept, he took it upon himself to make the two dinner, instead of ordering in like they usually do, he wanted to make him something homemade, and although there wasn't much he could actually make without burning down the entire apartment, he could make simple meals, so he decided to make Kimchi Fried Rice.
Around 2 and a half hours later, Minho had stirred from his sleep after hearing ruckus coming from the kitchen, so begrudgingly, he dragged himself out of the bed and into the kitchen. What he didn't expect to see was Jisung cooking, something he had strictly stated he was unable and did not enjoy doing, the living room and kitchen had also been cleaned, the laundry had been done, and folded neatly inside a basket. Jisung eventually noticed him, smiling soft, before lightly jogging over to him, cupping his face in his hands, and placing a kiss on his lips. "Good evening, my love, did you sleep well?" He said, sweetly. Huh, this is strange, he thought to himself, usually Jisung was never this coordinated, although he tried to be.
"Good, I guess. What time is it?"
"It's 9:45 PM, hyung, you were exhausted, you looked like you were going to collapse when you got here, tonight, you will be sleeping, you will be eating, and you will be relaxing." Jisung looked at him with threatening eyes, and although he wanted to oppose, he couldn't bring himself to argue with the younger, especially when he was being so sweet, and adorable, so he obliged. "I made us dinner, it isn't much, but it's not lethal, and it tastes good as well!" He said happily, walking back to the kitchen as he began serving the two in the small rice bowls they kept in their cabinet. "You should shower first, you smell gross, hyung."
Minho scoffed, but scurried away promptly anyways.
He shuffled into the bathroom, closing the door gently behind him, upon entering, there was a towel on top of the counter Jisung had left for him. He couldn't help but feel endeared. Stripping himself out of his clothing, and throwing it into the hamper, he stepped into the shower, and turned on the water, feeling the droplets of water against his skin. Fuck, did that feel good, his muscles had been tensed and sore, so the warm water hitting his skin provided a relief, he let out a small groan, closing his eyes, and placing his hands against the wall, leaning his forehead upon it.
20 minutes later he heard knocking from the other side of the door, as Jisung peaked in to check on the elder. "Are you okay hyung, the food is going to get cold?" Minho hummed in response, honestly forgetting about the concept of time while he was basking in the warmth of the shower water.
"Babe?" He called again, pushing the door completely ajar, as he peeked into the room. Minho was drawn back to reality, and turned off the shower, sticking his head out from behind the curtain. "I'm coming, don't worry Sungie, sorry about that." He climbed out of the shower, taking the towel from the counter and using it to dry his hair. Jisung remained on the threshold of the door, staring at the elder, a faint blush creeping onto his face. Minho felt him staring, and looked to him, turning his head to the side, before smirking. "Take a picture, it'll last longer." He teased, continuing to dry his hair, Jisung snapped out of whatever daze he had been in, opening his mouth as if he was about to stay something, before deciding against it, and closing the door. Cute.
He ushered out of the bathroom, and into the bedroom, putting on some comfortable clothing (a pair of sweatpants, and a black hoodie with a comical design on it, once again, belonging to Jisung) and ambling into the kitchen, where Jisung sat at the small table beside the kitchen counter, scrolling through his phone, while he waited for Minho. He smiled, walking up behind the younger, and wrapping his arms around his neck, resting his chin atop his head.
"You smell nice." Jisung said, putting his phone down on the table, and enveloping the elder's hands in his own. "Are you feeling better?"
"Very much so," He said, moving to sit across from the younger. "Thank you, really." He smiled sincerely, he was truly touched, and he couldn't help but get a bit emotional, although he wouldn't tell Jisung that.
"No need to thank me hyung, if you can't take care of yourself, I'll take it into my own hands to do it for you."
"You shouldn't have to though," He retorted, his smile faltering a bit.
"Hey, don't do that. I don't mind, I love you, Lee Minho, and I would give you the whole world out of my palm if I could." He grabbed his hand, clasping his own over his. "Just please, be more aware of your health and your limits hyung, you're going to burn yourself out." Minho nodded, taking his words to heart. "Enough of that now, eat up, you look like you're starving." Jisung attempted to lighten the mood, gesturing towards Minho's bowl of rice.
He nodded, taking the chopsticks besides the bowl, as he began to eat. Surprisingly, it was actually delicious. He ended up having several helpings of it himself, and he wouldn't mind having him cook more often. "It tasted great," He praised, leaning back in his chair, content. "You should cook more often."
"Maybe." He said, taking both their bowls and placing it in the sink. "Do you want to watch a movie?"
"Okay."
The pair had spent the majority of the night cooped up on the couch together watching some foreign action film. By this point, Jisung had fallen asleep, legs tangled underneath the blanket as he rested his head on Minho's chest, he couldn't help but smile, he looked so soft, so peaceful, Minho cooed. As it approached midnight, Minho turned off the television, picked up the younger, bridal style, and carrying him to their bedroom, placing him gently on the bed, and tucking him in underneath the comforters. He climbed into bed beside him, curling his body into the younger's side, and wrapping himself around him.
It was nights like these, although they didn't happen frequently, that he enjoyed the most. He pressed a chaste kissing on the brown haired man's forehead. "Goodnight Jisung, I love you." He murmured, before slowly being lulled to sleep by the sound of his heartbeat and even breaths.