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Jisung sighed, throwing his head between his hands. He had been trying to read this stupid paragraph for what had felt like an hour and yet he couldn’t focus enough to grasp what the words were. Everytime he tried to start over he would end up reading diagonally or backwards or even worse, his eyes would just skim over the sentence, only retaining one or two words.
He had woken up earlier that day, even though it was a Sunday, and had started to tackle this reading as soon as his brain was awake and his tummy fed. Everything had been going well at first. He sat on the floor, his back resting against the couch and his textbooks scattered on the coffee table. He had made sure to bring snacks and water along and he purposely left his phone charging in his bedroom, so as to not get distracted.
For the first chapter, his strategy had worked perfectly, he had read and understood the majority of it, and he even took some messy notes on key concepts. However when Felix’s alarm rang unceremoniously announcing it was 10am, he found himself struggling to keep his eyes open. So he did what any college student with a deadline does, and grabbed an energy drink.
Again, that seemed to work for a bit, the instant gratification of his favourite drink helped him get through half of the second chapter. It wasn’t even a difficult topic, he was actually quite invested in the subject and the concepts it taught. But the wording was just so, so insufferably technical and it seemed like the author was laughing at him, mocking him for not being able to grasp the overly complicated terminology he used.
That’s when things started going downhill. See, Jisung had this thing, where if he found something unfair, getting it done was three times harder. And he obviously thought this whole situation was unfair.
Why had he even signed up for this subject? Why weren’t the professors covering this in class instead of talking about random shit and watching movie extracts meaning that he had to read all of these long ass texts on his own, with no help at all? None of it was fair, but Jisung was determined to get a good grade on his final, so he tried his best to continue his reading.
Felix, who took his time to get up, saw him studying and tried his best not to disturb him, sitting down in an armchair and quietly scrolling through SNS. However, at Jisung’s fifth sigh since he had been awake, he finally spoke.
“Sung? What if you take a break?” he suggested, still hints of sleep in his deep voice. Jisung groaned, but nodded, marking the page he was at and closing the damn book. “How long have you been at this?”
“I woke up at 6 so…” he rolled his eyes, partly to keep them open, partly to show annoyance.
“You've been reading non stop for too many hours, you should take some time off to rest your eyes and mind too, you know?”
“I know, I know” he sighed again, “I just really need to pass this stupid subject and I can’t seem to focus on what I’m reading”
Felix seemed to think for a few seconds before he smiled brightly and said “I have this trick I use to keep myself focused,” Jisung nodded so Felix continued “There's this guy who does streams where he’s just studying. There’s no noise or anything, just him focused on whatever he needs to do. And he takes breaks every 30 minutes to chat with his viewers.”
“So like a study buddy?”
“Yeah, except its anonymous”
Jisung contemplated the idea for most of his break. He had heard of things like these before, people doing accountability lives where they just did their tasks quietly. He didn’t know if they would work for him too, a part of him kept reminding him that he would probably just get distracted watching the other person doing their stuff. But also, what if it was a boring task? He would eventually lose interest and go back to studying.
Maybe he should just give it a try, just today and if it didn’t work then he'd figure it out. With his mind made up, he set a timer for 20 minutes and closed his eyes. Once the timer rang announcing the time was up, he shyly asked Felix where he could find this guy.
“Oh, he’s on YouTube, his username is LeeKnow” he smiled at him and Jisung anxiously looked him up. A few results showed up before he finally came across the guy’s channel.
He was live at the moment, so Jisung just joined, fixing his computer in a place that didn’t bother him. Apparently, the guy had just started his live because he was still fixing his set up, a black mask on and round framed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.
After he was done setting up, he took his mask off and gave the camera a shy smile.
“Sorry I’m late today guys, here’s Dori to make it up to you!” He moved the camera to show a grey cat who was sitting peacefully by the window, grooming its tail. “Isn’t she adorable?”
The guy moved his camera back to its original position and silently set up a timer, showing it to the camera as he turned it on. And just like that, he started reading through a book he had laid open on his desk.
Jisung nodded to himself and copied him. Surprisingly enough, the sound of the pages from the guy’s book moving and the fact that he could see him through his peripheral vision helped him get through that damned paragraph and finish the pages he had left from the chapter just as the timer rang.
“So, how’s your day been, guys?” the guy asked, turning to the camera. There weren’t that many people watching, maybe around 30 so Jisung also typed a response so as to not let the poor guy hanging.
“‘JOne says he's been trying to read the same paragraph for over half an hour’” he read, Jisung was startled to realize that was his comment “You’re new here, right? I hope my streams can help you focus better! You’ve got this!” he smiled kindly and Jisung nodded, ignoring the fact that his ears had turned beet red.
The ten minute break passed before Jisung could even begin to realise it had, and soon enough the boy was starting the timer again and Jisung was back to studying.
After a very successful study session, thanks to LeeKnow, Jisung left a comment thanking him and left feeling accomplished. Joining LeeKnow’s streams became a habit for Jisung, who was over the moon at how quickly he was able to get things done in the guy’s company.
He wasn’t in his company, he would remind himself from time to time. But still, whenever the boy joked, he laughed as if it had been Felix who had said something funny. And whenever the boy let out frustrated sighs, he would look up from his textbook and give the screen a worried look, accompanied with an encouraging comment. The boy would glance at the screen in times like that, and smile, but Jisung was never sure if it was at his comment or someone else's.
Just like that, Jisung was able to get through his first week finals successfully, which he would always let LeeKnow know in a comment. Sometimes, when closing up the live, the boy would give out extended congratulations to everyone who had worked hard that day, and Jisung would always smile, as if he had said it to him.
It was Thursday and LeeKnow had started his livestream late, a few sweat drops adorned his forehead, his puffed jacket still on. Had he run to get there on time? Maybe his class got delayed. Maybe he was supposed to take the bus and he missed it. Maybe there was a complication.
Jisung’s speculations were cut short when the boy took off his jacket to reveal a university hoodie he recognised. He looked down to his own hoodie, big, golden letters that read JYP in the center and then he glanced back to the screen, the same letters on the boy’s hoodie.
Jisung left the stream.
Looking back, leaving the stream was very stupid. The fact that they went to the same university did not mean they would run into each other, it didn’t mean anything, not at all. What were the chances that the boy was also an art major? He didn’t look like he was, not at all. From what he had been able to tell from what the boy was always studying there was a lot of text in his books, and very little images. His brain quickly reminded him of his own books, filled with long paragraphs and how he only had one class that looked artsy, even though he was a music production major.
Suddenly, Jisung was reminded of what his YouTube username was. JOne was his artistic name, the one he used in the songs he’d upload on SoundCloud. But the panicked thought went away just as quickly as it arrived, there was no way that guy, the preppy, pretty, cat owner guy who radiated calmness, listened to his angry raps in his free time.
Still, he was beyond embarrassed. The guy never saw him, sure, but he still spent a good portion of his livestream, after he was finished with his readings, staring at him, laughing stupidly at his dumb jokes, blushing whenever he left out congratulations to his watchers. A part of him, one that he hated to admit existed, wished those praises were directed at him. The idea that they could, one day, run into each other was terrifying. So terrifying, in fact, that he didn’t join the following lives.
He had an excuse for that, though. When Felix asked why he hadn’t tuned into LeeKnow’s stream, he just told him he had only the lyric composition exam that week, for which they had to submit three pieces of writing they had done themselves. That was one of Jisung’s best classes, and the easiest to prepare for. He had notebooks filled with messy lyrics that he would slowly rewrite, edit, and if he really liked the song, he would even record the melody and produce the song.
Most of his songs were kept to himself, even though he did have a rap group with his friends. They knew he wrote more than he shared, and they had explained to him multiple times that sometimes lyrics are personal and that you don’t always have to share them, which ended up convincing him of not being so sorry for not including them on his songs.
Still, the process of picking three songs he liked, that didn’t give off too much private information and that fit the criteria the professor had given them, was not easy. So for the following days Jisung sat by the benches near the recording room and burned his fingers off, rewriting his lyrics, thinking of how to adjust them to the concepts.
He got inspiration from his daily life and his feelings for most of his songs, although some of them were just made up concepts. In the end, after extensive work trying to fix two songs so that they could be college-professor-who-will-definitely-email-you-if-he-reads-your-original-lyrics friendly, he ended up writing a new song to complete his assignment. This one was about a silly, fast paced crush. He refused to admit to himself where he had gotten the inspiration for this one from.
The songs were due on Tuesday, and Jisung ended up turning them on three minutes before they were due. Even though he didn’t have any more exams that week, he decided that he should start preparing for the ones he had the following week, which is why, on Wednesday, five minutes after the stream had started, Jisung joined LeeKnow’s live.
“Oh, JOne joined us again, nice to have you here with us” the guy said.
He had noticed his absence? That was stupid, and impossible, and Jisung’s mind should not be going to the places it was going but he could not help but blush from head to toe and leave a smiley face in the comment section. A part of him ached to apologize, to create a silly excuse as to why he hadn’t joined the lives before, he could say his grandma was sick, or his laptop had died, anything really. But there was no rational reason as to why he didn’t want to imagine the boy being disappointed at him not being there. So he didn’t say anything.
LeeKnow was especially pretty today. He was wearing a silky button up shirt and there were traces of make up under his eyes. Fuck it, pretty didn’t do him justice. Even like this, fixing the camera and mumbling the lyrics to a song, the boy was absolutely ethereal.
He didn’t start the timer as quickly as he usually did, and instead told the viewers a bit about his day.
“We practiced our performance today, and I got to wear the full outfit, make up and all,'' he pointed at his shirt “I’m very nervous about it, even though my teacher keeps saying I’ll do well, I just feel so much pressure. It’s not everyday that your solo opens the winter festival.”
Fuck.
Winter festival?
The one he’s performing at with his friends? Wasn’t Felix supposed to perform there too, with the whole dance class?
Wait.
Did Felix know this LeeKnow guy?
He gasped at the realization and texted Felix to come out of his room.
“Do you, perhaps, know LeeKnow?” he asked, pointing at his screen where the boy was going off about the exciting things he was preparing for the performance and how proud he was of the guys from first year who were doing such a good job.
Felix laughed awkwardly. “I might…”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?” he half screamed, frustrated, annoyed (and embarrassed).
“I didn’t think it was a big deal! He’s a senior, we didn’t really talk that much when I suggested you watch his streams!” He defended himself.
“But now you do?”
“Yeah, I mean,” Felix scratched the back of his neck. “I might have mentioned that I got my roommate to watch his streams which just ended up in him asking how you were doing with finals which then ended up in us getting coffee before practice and yeah.”
Oh.
They were getting coffee?
Suddenly, his heart changed. Jisung nodded and Felix fled the scene as quickly as he could. He didn’t say anything, and he tried his best to focus on his text at hand once the guy started the timer, but all he ended up doing was stare at the pretty boy’s pouty lips and wonder whether Felix had gotten the chance to taste them already.
From that point on, even though he continued to join the streams, he stopped participating altogether, he didn’t leave any more comments, not even to say hello, only read his textbooks, and he would leave as soon as he was done, without thanking the boy and without sparing him a single last glance.
Staring at the boy when he was studying began to feel like he was doing something wrong, something shameful, like he was betraying Felix. He couldn’t live with that. Not if he and his best friend were so close. To be really honest, they would make a cute couple, and as long as they were happy, Jisung told himself he was fine with it.
He joined the streams until he was done with finals and then battled against the urge to join even if he had nothing to study for. He decided against it.
The winter festival was approaching them at a quickening speed. After he was done with finals, Chan, Changbin and him had started to hang out to rehearse more often and every night he would stay up later, perfecting his diction and making slight changes in the lyrics to his raps.
And then there was Felix who was so stressed that all Jisung could think about, besides his stupid lyrics was how to help his best friend feel better. So of course, when he asked him to massage his sore calves he did. And when he called him one day, voice sounding apologetic and asked him to bring him his bag that was lying by his bed, Jisung didn’t think twice.
He closed his notebook, setting it on his nightstand and put on a semi decent pair of jeans and sneakers. He picked up Felix’s bag and a bottle of cold water, just in case the dancer needed one and left their dorm, bag on his shoulder. He walked at a quicker pace than usual, assuming Felix needed the bag urgently. He remembered where the dance practice rooms were only because of how many times he had walked past it on his way to the recording room.
He waited until he heard no more music and knocked timidly on the door, hoping he wasn’t bothering the flow of the class too much. Felix came to the door, completely drenched in sweat and thanked him for the bag, explaining that he had his spare clothes in there. But Jisung barely registered what he was saying.
Behind Felix, practicing by the corner of he room, with airpods plugged in was LeeKnow, looking ten times better than he had ever done in a stream. He was so different in real life, even his aura changed. He was so focused that Jisung shuddered at the intensity of the way his eyes checked his own moves in the mirror. Felix cleared his throat, pulling Jisung away from the beautiful sight and looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a playful smirk that he did not register.
Jisung opened his eyes wide, remembering the two were going on coffee dates regularly and apologized before quickly leaving, without noticing that the boy’s eyes were staring at his panicked expression through the mirror.
On Wednesday, Chan texted the groupchat asking if it was okay for his boyfriend to be there while they practiced. Jisung, who was just finding out about said boyfriend, texted a “sure, hyung :)” and smiled, happy that his friend had found someone he liked.
He got to the room earlier than normal, and Chan was already there, a smile on his face while he exchanged texts with someone.
“Is that your boyfriend?”he asked him, startling his friend who put on hand on his chest, and a dramatic expression on his face.
“Yeah! Here’s a picture of him” he turned up the brightness on his phone and revealed a picture of a very familiar face.
“You’re dating Felix?” he shouted, excited.
“You know him?” his friend asked instead.
“Dude, he’s been my roommate for all of this year, what are you even talking about?”
The two boys laughed, and Jisung didn’t say anything else, but a sense of relief washed over him. Soon enough Changbin showed up and a few minutes later, so did Felix.
The two roommates laughed when they saw each other but Felix confessed that he already knew he was in the group. The boy knew everything apparently.
The rehearsal went smoothly, with all of them trying a bit harder than usual to impress their one person audience. Felix clapped kindly when they were done and shared his honest opinion about each song.
When they were walking back to their dorm, Felix invited him to watch him rehearse. Jisung said yes.
So the following day, Jisung walked Felix to the practice room and sat on the floor, pulling out his phone. He wondered if he’d see LeeKnow today, and how he would react once he saw the boy dance with the same fierce look in his eyes as he had last time.
Felix started stretching as soon as they got in, and soon enough the practice room had all the dance class in it. Jisung knew most of them, either because they shared classes, or from seeing them in his dorm that one time Felix invited most of the crew over, so he didn’t feel as awkward being there. The instructor saw him but didn’t say anything either, so Jisung just got comfortable and enjoyed the show.
LeeKnow arrived just after the instructor did, and he immediately threw his bag somewhere on the floor and began to stretch. Jisung tried his best not to stare, focusing on his Twitter timeline instead.
Soon enough, the practice started and everyone got in position. They danced along to some groovy hip hop songs and then those who had solos practiced them. He smiled brightly at Felix, who gave it his all in his solo and told him how good he was once he was done. Then Hyunjin got his chance to rehearse, and as expected, he stole everyone’s breath away with a sexy but blunt dance. Lastly, it was LeeKnow’s turn.
He seemed to be very popular amongst his classmates who cheered for him. “Go Minho!” he heard Felix say next to him. Pretty name for a pretty boy. Through the mirror, Minho gave him a look that Jisung couldn’t decipher before completely turning into his performing expression.
Something as simple as that shouldn’t have impressed Jisung the way it did, he knew that all good performers were also good at matching their facial expressions to the song, but something in the deep, piercing gaze Minho had was just so entrancing that Jisung couldn’t get enough.
He couldn’t keep his eyes off, following every single move he did, absolutely captivated by this man he had only seen in person twice. His brain reminded him he had gotten a reaction out of him since day one, and Jisung promptly told it to shut up. There was something about the smooth, flowy way he moved his hips, how his arms moved elegantly and in a manner that was almost dainty, delicate, that had Jisung hoping he would never stop dancing.
The song was over too soon and Jisung could swear Minho had given him another indecipherable look once he was done. He pushed the thought away and clapped along with everyone else.
Minho walked towards them and sat in front of him and Felix, giving them both a smile.
“You must be Lixie’s roomie, right?” he asked, voice velvety.
“Uh,” Jisung’s mind was blank. Minho was actually talking to him, not a broad audience, but him. Han Jisung. Asking him a question. “Yes, that is me. I’m the roomie.” he quickly composed himself, ignoring Felix’s snicker.
“Well, it’s so nice to meet you,” he extended his hand towards him. Jisung wanted to kiss him it. He shook it awkwardly instead. “Is 3RACHA presenting in the Winter Festival?” he asked.
Jisungs opened his eyes wide, jaw almost touching the floor. If he knew about 3RACHA, he knew who he was. Had he known all this time? Was he aware that JOne, who looked so tough and scary on stage was actually a sleep deprived student who depended on the livestreams of a cat owning dancer to concentrate? Well, there went Jisung’s reputation.
“Yes, we are,” he managed to say. “I didn’t think you knew us,” he added then.
“Of course I do, Channie wrote the song Hyunjinnie dances to in his solo” he smiled “I looked you guys up, you’re really good.”
Jisung couldn’t tell if he was talking about the group in general or just him.
“Thanks, we try,” he chuckled.
Their conversation was cut short as they needed to go back to rehearsal, but Jisung felt like he couldn’t handle watching Minho watch himself in the mirror any longer, so he pat Felix’s head, and quickly left, closing the door behind him, once again, completely unknowing of the older’s eyes on him.
He got to his dorm quicker than usual and hid his head on his pillow, screaming into it. He was completely fucked.
That evening he joined Minho's live and ignored the blush on his cheeks when the older said hello to him . Instead, he said hi back.
He didn't have anything to study for, so he used that time to practice his rap, standing in front of the mirror, going over each word until he said every line in a way that pleased him.
He continued to join the livestreams, using them for practice time, and most of the time, to stare at the pretty boy as he furrowed his brow and pouted his lips slightly in concentration. From time to time, he would leave encouraging comments and smile back when Minho smiled at the camera.
Before he knew it the day of the Winter Festival came. The air was different that day, you could feel, practically taste the stress of every performing art major in the air. Felix left their dorm early in the morning for their last rehearsal and 3RACHA practiced in their room one last time before going out to buy lunch.
Time flew by impossibly fast and before they knew it they were backstage, making sure they microphones were connected, doing an audio test and when the clock hit 7pm, Jisung walked into the stage.
The spotlight on him calmed him down. He closed his eyes and he began a simple, calm rap. He opened them again as the beat dropped and he couldn't hide a smirk when he noticed Minho sitting next to Felix, already in their performance attires, watching him. As always, Minho's expression was unreadable.
Jisung’s song ended but he didn't leave the stage. Instead he waited for Chan and Changbing to join him and his expression changed completely when the beat started playing.
He lost himself to the song and forgot about everything else. All he could think about was his verse and the way the crowd went wild. This is why he was even doing this in the first place. The feeling of having everyone's heart on his hands, the hot shine of the spotlight on his face, the mic fitting perfectly in his hand, his heart beating so quickly he felt it was going to jump out.
The song was over before Jisung could tell and he continued to ride the high of performing even after leaving the stage. He stayed backstage for a while, catching his breath and chatting with Changbin.
The dance team came backstage not long after that. Jisung had just gotten his breathing back to normal when he saw Minho wearing that damn button up and a pair of pants that was so tight on him he could see his muscles move as he walked towards him.
"You were amazing" Minho told him, sitting next to him. Jisung turned to face him, a smile threatening to leave his lips.
"Thank you," he finally smiled "Good luck out there. I'm sure you'll kill it"
Minho nodded, although there was something about his gaze. Jisung wished he could just understand what was going on in his mind. Instead he watched as Minho walked towards the stage. Jisung walked out into the seating rows and sat in the first available seat he found. Minho raised an eyebrow at him before dropping the expression again and focusing on the music.
Jisung was absolutely hypnotized. All of his attention was on the older boy as he gracefully moved in sync with everyone else, hitting every beat. A part of him felt jealous of whoever had composed the song Minho was dancing to. He wished he had that honor too.
Instead, he settled for watching him dance, every move so precise, so passionate. He could watch him all day, he decided.
The first group dance was rather short, and they swiftly changed positions. Their next song was faster paced, the beat went so fast Jisung had no clue how they were managing to hit every single one. He kept his eyes on Minho, who looked out of this world.
As the music kept changing Jisung wondered if there was any kind of rhythm the boy couldn't dance to, his brain provided that there probably weren't any. When the stage lights went off, Jisung was relieved to be released from the addictive way Minho's legs moved.
Felix's solo was absolutely amazing and he couldn't help but smile brightly at his friend who not only shone brighter than the actual spotlight, but also looked absolutely fantastic who it. He seemed to be having the time of his life and Jisung was genuinely happy for him. He debated whether to go backstage to congratulate him or not, since Chan was probably already there, but decided to go anyways.
"Lix! You did amazing!" he hugged him once he was free from Chan's embrace. Felix laughed happily and hugged him back, thanking him.
"Seriously you did so well, I could tell how much fun you were having" he kept complimenting his friend and Chan joined him, both of them showering Felix with compliments causing the boy's smile to get bigger and bigger.
Jisung was genuinely happy for him, he seemed to be enjoying what he was doing and he had an amazing person by his side. He deserved that and much more.
The two friends hurried closer to the stage to watch Minho's solo. A part of Jisung was glad he wasn't seeing his face, because if he had to look into Minho's eyes one more time, he would actually spontaneously combust on the spot.
Instead, he watched him from a different angle which also didn't help at all because how was his back so perfect, and how the fuck were his legs so toned. Jisung was going to lose his goddamn mind.
Felix elbowed him "Dude, you're drooling."
Jisung wiped around his mouth embarrassed, but Felix laughed. "You should say something to him, you know? He seems intimidating but he's very sweet once you get to know him."
He knew this, he had seen how gentle he was on his livestreams, how he treated his cats, how much care and dedication he put into studying. But he was terrified to look at the older boy in his eyes. Talking was fine but feeling his gaze on his face was just something Jisung couldn't handle. He was a weak man.
"What am I supposed to say anyways?" he whined.
"Just be yourself dude, you don't have to hide your personality around him."
He nodded, pouting when the song reached an end and Minho bowed to the audience. Minho walked towards them.
"You did so good," Jisung whispered. Minho's face lit up.
"I thought you hadn't watched me," he paused "Thank you."
He sounded sincere, and Jisung gave him a bright smile which Minho returned. He wished he had said something else, anything really, but instead, he quietly watched as the elder walked away.
After the festival was over and they had all bowed to the audience one last time, Felix dragged Jisung to their dorm, mumbling something about having to hurry. He wordlessly followed him, still upset about not having said anything else to Minho. He had lost his chance to speak to him forever. When would they see each other again? Next semester? Minho would surely have forgotten about him by then. He was truly fucked.
Felix sat him on his own bed, opening his closet door and ordering him to take his clothes off.
“Dude, what the fuck?”
“We’re going out, Sungie. I’m not trying to get in your pants, I’m just trying to make you look decent,” he replied, jokingly pushing him. Jisung blushed but still took his shirt off, covering his bare chest with his arms.
Felix rolled his eyes but respected his choice. He presented two shirts to him, none of them were something Jisung would wear willingly. The first one, was a see through button up shirt with small stars on it, and the other one, also see through, was a lace button up instead. He looked at Felix nervously.
“You can try both of them on and wear the one you feel the most comfy in,” he suggested, and Jisung did just that. While lace was certainly a look on him, he didn’t have the guts to wear it out in public, so he opted for the other shirt. He still looked pretty dainty in it, which was good for a change, he guessed. He hoped no one he knew would be there because, boy was this different from what he normally wears.
Felix gave him a satisfied hum. He didn’t change his pants or shoes, since he was already wearing a pretty casual pair of jeans and his Dr. Martens. What Felix did insist on, however, was a bit of eye make up. Just eyeliner and a shimmery eyeshadow which Jisung applied clumsily, gaining a snicker from his friend who wiped off the excess.
He was kicked out of his roommate's bedroom after that, and fifteen minutes later, said roommate came out the door looking absolutely stunning. As if the boy wasn’t already one of the prettiest men he had ever laid on, he had made himself look beyond gorgeous tonight. The lace shirt Jisung had discarded was hiding under a cropped leather jacket and the pants he was wearing were so airy and loose that for a moment he thought he was wearing a skirt.
They left their dorm just as quickly as they had arrived, Felix dragging him out of campus. They walked a few blocks before Jisung realised which was their destination. The Stray club was a very well known one amongst JYP students, not only for their amazing music choices but also for their very cheap drinks. Most students gathered here after tough exams, particularly hard break ups or just because they felt like it. And today, the club was absolutely packed.
There wasn’t a very long line to get in but still, as soon as Jisung took a step inside, he was flooded by the lingering scent of teenage hormones and alcohol. He made a face of disgust which Felix responded to with a light slap on his shoulder.
“Let’s go!” he yelled at him over the loud music, the bass of the song making the floor vibrate “Hyunjin said he’d meet us by the bar,” he added.
Jisung nodded, although Felix had already turned around, grabbed his hand and started guiding him through the crowd towards where a tall, blonde haired guy was giggling at what someone had said. Hyunjin saw them and waved, a huge smile on his face. Jisung wished he could feel this comfortable at a place like this.
They got to the bar, after many “coming through”s from Felix and “excuse me”s from Jisung, and finally he sighed. He looked around at the people Hyunjin was hanging out with. Changbin, who’s eyes were fixed on said blonde boy, not even noticing his presence, Chan, who gave his boyfriend a hello kiss and whispered something in his ear (Jisung looked away to give them privacy) and lastly, standing with an elbow resting on the bar, gin tonic in his other hand, was no other than Lee Minho.
Jisung was suddenly hyper aware of what he was wearing, especially when he felt the elder’s gaze on his barely covered chest. He gave him an awkward smile and tried not to panic when he saw the boy walking towards him.
“You never told me you clean up this nicely” he said. He had gotten so close to Jisung that he had practically spoken into his ear. Jisung blushed and took a moment to take in the elder’s appearance.
He was absolutely delectable. A black and red, ripped sweater that was so big on him that it fell off his shoulder adorned his torso, he was wearing a different pair of pants, these ones were even tighter on him, and the material was shiny, almost like latex. Jisung had to consciously make an effort to keep his jaw from hitting the floor.
Minho laughed, eyelashes fluttering prettily, and that's when Jisung finally focused on his face. He had drawn a line that followed his natural lash line, making his already long lashes appear much longer and his lips, so plump and pouty, were covered in a red gloss. Jisung stared at them for longer than what was considered appropriate before looking back into Minho’s eyes and offering him a smile.
Jisung accepted Minho’s offer to get some drinks even though he already felt pretty dizzy. At this point, was there anything he would say ‘no’ to if the boy suggested it? However much he wanted to keep the elder happy, Jisung didn’t drink past the tipsy point, partly because he didn’t particularly enjoy the feeling of being drunk, but mostly, because he was afraid of what he’d say, or worse, do, if he truly let go.
Minho, who had a supernatural sense that apparently allowed him to read minds, invited him to the dance floor. Jisung knew, he knew damn well, he should’ve said no. He was very aware of the kind of dancing the elder favoured and he also was very much aware of the effect said dancer had on him. But he still nodded and followed him into the crowded dance floor, allowing himself to get lost in the sea of bodies.
As if on cue, the music changed into a much more sensual rhythm, and Jisung had to swallow back a groan when Minho began to move his hips to the beat of the song. God, he would be the death of him. He wanted to hold the boy’s waist so badly, to feel how his muscles move as he danced, instead, he followed the beat clumsily and pushed his brain into thinking about wholesome things.
They danced like this, with a respectable distance from each other for a few songs, until Minho rolled his eyes.
“What is it?” Jisung asked, scared of the answer.
The elder didn’t say anything. Instead, he took Jisung’s hands, getting closer to him, and rested them on his waist. They were impossibly close, so close Jisung could feel Minho’s breathing against his lips. As if he was reading his mind, Minho looked at his lips, licking his own. Jisung gave a tentative step, their noses were touching.
Finally, Minho closed the gap, connecting their lips together.
Jisung melted into the kiss, holding the boy’s waist in one hand, and his jaw with the other, tracing circles on his cheek. In return, Minho bit into Jisung’s lower lip, and when Jisung let out a groan in response, the elder took the opportunity to slide his tongue into his mouth.
Holy shit. He was kissing Lee Minho. With tongue.
He moved away, resting his forehead against Minho’s, catching his breath.
“I never thought I’d get to kiss you,” he confessed, Minho hummed in response, so he continued. “When I first started watching your lives, I thought you were just another unattainable crush. Finding out we went to the same university was both relieving and scary. How would I ever approach you?”
Minho took a step back, looking into Jisung’s eyes.
“The first time I saw you, you were on stage.” Jisung gave him a surprised look “You seemed so focused, so entranced by the music that I just knew I had to know your name. The next day when I walked into dance practice, Felix was gushing about how well Chan had performed. He went on to tell everyone he was roommates with JOne, even bragged about having heard you compose before.
“Starting the streams had been a dumb thing I had done one night, feeling lonely after seeing how everyone had plans and went out, and I was the only one who came home to my cats and my textbooks. But then my channel started getting more views. I guess one day I told Felix about it and the following day he was talking about how much it had helped you.”
“That damn snitch,” he joked. Minho laughed. He didn’t continue, though. He had said enough. “I guess everything would’ve been much easier had I asked Felix where he knew you from in the first place, huh?”
Minho nodded.
“It’s okay, though. You’re with me now,” he said, his lips moving against Jisung’s before capturing them into a kiss.
Jisung’s heart did a backflip at that.
He was in Minho’s arms now, secure against his burning touch, and that was all that mattered.