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Minho can’t hide his pout as he sits up in bed. He feels like absolute ass but he can’t miss another day of classes. Especially when he's going on vacation in a few days. Making him miss his Friday and Monday. Which his professors are already annoyed about since he'll be missing a test.
His blankets are thrown to the side but he doesn’t stand yet. Even just sitting up, he wants to puke. His heart flips oddly in his chest but he needs to push through it.
He closes his eyes as he stands. His body stumbles into the wall after he steps forward before he is ready.
Whatever. He'll have to deal with it.
He puts his watch on and sits back down. His stomach bubbles at him for skipping dinner yesterday in favor of extra sleep. His cheeks prickle and he knows he needs to act fast with what comes next.
The run to the bathroom is a blur but the pain of his knees crashing to the floor isn't missed. He screws his eyes tight, stomach acid burning its way through his throat.
Fuck.
He really hopes Jisung has already left for his classes.
His body heaves one more time before he pushes to his feet. He can barely breathe but he needs to get over this. There's only so much accommodating before he's kicked out of college.
He splashes cold water on his face and takes the chances of rubbing his enamel away by brushing his teeth.
He can see the room warp slightly but he needs to ignore it. Getting something small on his stomach will help.
One step out of the bathroom immediately tells him he isn't going to make it to classes. His clothes feel too heavy and he is far too hot. He knows he can't put a coat on right now. He doesn't even like the thought of changing out of his shorts.
His hands shake as they trace the wall on his way to the kitchen. He hopes Jisung didn't eat all the bagels. That seems like his safest option to keep the nausea at bay.
But he isn't sure what he can pair it with. There might be some cream cheese left but he doesn't really want dairy.
"Minho?" He turns to see Jisung sitting on the couch, staring with a look of concern. "You okay?"
"Why are you home?" Minho brushes the attention off of himself, wishing it wasn't obvious he's clutching the corner of the wall for dear life.
"My class was canceled."
"Mm.." He slowly steps forward, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Nope. He's not okay. Shaking his head made it worse. "Can..you..uh..can you make me a bagel?"
"Yeah..what's going on?"
He never told Jisung about his chronic illnesses. They're always met with annoyance. Like Minho is the burden. So when he felt dizzy or nauseous, he boarded himself away. He's been lucky. But he knew he couldn't hide everything forever.
"Just..need to eat." He knows he can't make it to the couch so he carefully lowers himself to the floor. "And..this is gonna sound weird but..can you put salt on it?"
"You want cream cheese too or just…salt..?"
"Fuck it..with cream cheese."
He listens to Jisung rush to the kitchen but keeps his head down. His pulse is still high, causing his body to tremble as if attempting to hatch. Even through his closed eyes, he can tell his vision would still be dark if he opened them.
His cheeks prickle and before he is able to lay down on his own, his shoulder hits the carpet.
"—shit..Are you okay?" He feels Jisung touch his arm but doesn't want to open his eyes.
He can't speak. He's far too weak to even finish a thought. He can feel the floor spinning underneath him. And his attempt at pushing back up results in his head hitting the floor with a loud thud.
When he comes to, Jisung is rushing to shove a bottle of water to his lips. The hydration is nice but he knows it'll make him sick if he drinks it too quickly.
"Are you sick? Should I take you to the hospital? You're really pale.." Jisung looks close to tears.
"I..really just need food.." Minho swallows his nausea, knowing he might not keep any food down because he's waited too long to eat. "Might puke again.."
He takes staggered breaths, his body shivering as he forces himself not to throw up on the carpet. Jisung runs to the kitchen, coming back with a plastic bag and more water in hand.
Minho thanks him. He really hates this. Not only is he having an episode, he might throw up in front of his friend.
"I'll be right back..I'm gonna finish your food." Jisung pouts, leaving once Minho gives a nod.
This sucks. He doesn’t want to be sick. He hates how much this takes over his life. This isn’t going to be a one time thing..probably won’t be a one day thing. It better not ruin his vacation.
He slowly looks back up as Jisung walks over. The boy carefully leans down, handing Minho the bagel and a napkin. Minho feels a flip in his chest. He can’t exactly tell if it’s the fact that his crush is taking care of him or because his heart is fucked. But the flutter in his stomach is unmistakable.
“Thank you..” The corner of his lip twitches up. “It looks perfect.”
“Let me know if you need anything else.” Jisung frowns. “What’s going on?”
“Just..sometimes get like this. It’s okay.”
“Minho..that isn’t okay..You passed out twice.”
Twice? Minho doesn’t remember passing out a second time. He fell but he could have sworn he was conscious when that happened. Maybe it’s a good thing he’s skipping classes today. He might go ahead and skip the rest of the week. Just to rest before the trip.
“I have a thing..it fucks with my heart and my blood pressure kinda like..drops too quickly when I stand so I pass out..it’s really okay.” Minho tries to brush it off.
“That sounds terrifying??”
“You get used to it after a while. The hardest part is getting doctors to believe you.”
He can see that Jisung’s concern doesn’t fade. But it’s really not that big of a deal. It’s just an attack that will calm down soon. Minho has been dealing with this for so long, it barely fazes him anymore. But he knows others don’t react well to being told about it. That’s why he tried to hide it.
He looks at his watch, turning on the display. His pulse is still a bit high but it’s not the worst. He knows if he stands right now, he’ll either puke or pass out. So he’ll continue to pick at the bagel. It’s enough to curb the nausea thankfully. But not nearly enough salt. He’s sure Jisung doesn’t understand he needs a shit ton more..an unhealthy amount to a healthy person.
“Do you want me to stay home to make sure you’re okay?” Jisung softly rests his hand over Minho’s wrist, sending a spark through his body.
“That..I don’t want you to miss classes..”
“But?”
He can’t help cracking a smile from Jisung being able to read him so well. “I don’t want to be alone..I just-I hate showing people when I’m sick because they all think I’m playing it up for attention.”
“Minho, I’d never think you were playing it up. I mean..fuck, how long have you been hiding this from me?”
“Uh..the whole time? I can usually feel when I’m about to go down so I hide or pretend I’m just tired.”
Jisung, to Minho’s surprise, pouts even more. “So that’s why you sit on the floor so much?”
“No. I do that because I’m gay.”
“Well, you’re just full of surprises today.”
Minho furrows his brows and blinks. “What do you mean?”
“I find out you’re sick and gay all in the same morning.”
Minho widens his eyes. He said it so casually that he didn’t even realize. Holy shit. This is the first time he’s told Jisung he’s gay. “I-I..uh..sorry..”
“For..being gay?”
“I guess.”
“Minho. One, do you think I would have a problem with that? Two, do you think I’m straight?”
Minho clears his throat. “Uh..well..I wasn’t going to assume anything..”
“Fair. But anyway, dude..I’m more upset that you kept being sick from me.”
“I don’t really like concerning people.”
Jisung stands and Minho assumes he's going to pretend nothing happened. That he'll brush everything off and watch tv again.
But instead, Jisung extends his hands out for Minho to take.
"Here, let's sit you on the couch." He smiles down.
"I'm not sure I'm ready to move yet."
"No problem. Let me know when you are and we can get you comfy."
---
Minho stares at the ceiling. His heart pounds against his chest but not because of his condition. No. All he's doing is thinking about Jisung. And it's making him nearly pass out.
Is his crush seriously this strong? Is he simply crushing on Jisung because he's nice? Even nicer now that he knows of a few chronic illnesses?
Is Jisung just treating him well because he thinks Minho is fragile? Minho isn't fragile. He's just like everyone else, other than a few issues that take over his life. But it's not like he needs to be coddled.
Maybe he likes it a little bit.
"Hyung, don't forget to take your medicine before we leave." Jisung leans his head into Minho’s room.
Minho widens his eyes and springs to sit up. His head pulses but he's more focused on taking his forgotten medication.
"Uh, thanks." He mumbles, grabbing one of his many water bottles.
"All packed?"
"Yeah. Just need to put my bag in the car.”
“Wanna get pizza for the road?”
Minho can’t help but laugh at the suggestion. But yeah that actually sounds really nice.
Jisung takes Minho’s bag to the car as he checks to make sure the auto feeder for the cat food is working. Minho can't help but blush at Jisung taking his bag. He's being so sweet.
"Alright! Ready to go?" Jisung walks back in, breathing a bit heavily.
"I'm buying the pizza." Minho nods and the two make their way to the car.
This is his first road trip with Jisung and he doesn't know how to contain his excitement. He can't help but smile every time Jisung does literally anything.
And the flush to his cheeks gets worse as Jisung opens the car door for him.
This is going to be a long trip. Not just because the drive is going to take 5 hours. But because Minho will be so close to Jisung the entire time. He can't walk away to hide his blushing when Jisung says something funny. No squealing when Jisung does something cute.
"I forgot my water bottle." Minho pouts.
"I'll get you one when we get to the gas station." Jisung doesn't hesitate to respond. How is someone so…perfect? "And fuck you. I'M buying the pizza."
---
Minho wakes up and looks over at Jisung's bed. He sleeps so peacefully. It's still pretty early so Minho will just sit on his phone until Jisung wakes up.
He never oversleeps on vacation. His anxiety doesn't let him. It's been so long since his last concert that he had forgotten how his body reacts to the change.
Everything will be alright. It's all been good so far. It's been perfect. Especially with Jisung.
A few more hours pass and Minho starts to wonder if Jisung is going to ever wake up. He's softly snoring and his face is deeply buries in his pillow. How can someone healthy sleep so much?
But Jisung soon snores himself awake. Minho can't help but stare as he rolls onto his back and stretches. His shirt rides up and Minho’s cheeks heat.
"Morning." Jisung groggily greets him.
"It's noon, buddy." Minho replies with a smile. "Hungry?"
"Starving."
"We can get dressed and head out whenever."
Minho’s head pounds as he stands. Ugh. He's been awake for too long without eating. His pulse is sky high too. But he isn't going to let this ruin the day. He'll be fine once he eats. At least he remembered his medical bracelet this time.
He'll be fine because he isn't going to ruin his time with Jisung.
---
The two finally get inside the venue, searching for the best place to stand. Standing outside was hell but Minho is glad to be inside where the AC is blowing. It won't stay cool but it's enough to make him less dizzy.
Jisung tugs his arm when he finds the perfect spot next to the stage. The two make small talk, planning their ride home tomorrow. Where they want to eat and when they'll stop for gas. Minho attempts to convince Jisung that he'll drive but Jisung refuses. He loves to drive.
After about an hour of bullshitting, the lights finally lower and the crowd screams.
Minho cheers but already feels lightheaded. He'll have to be careful. Especially in such a cramped spot.
The show continues but Minho can't push away an awful feeling. His heart pounds against his chest and his head swirls.
In an instant, the world around him slows. He grabs Jisung's arm to warn him something is wrong but he's already going down.
He can feel Jisung grabbing him and vaguely sees the crowd part. Within seconds, people are tugging and pulling him to the side of the venue. He's met with cool air and two medics before blacking out.
When he comes to, Jisung is gently rocking him from side to side. He stops when Minho groans.
"Hey, buddy. How're you feeling?" Jisung's voice is so soft.
"I'm fine. I'm sorry." Minho's hand shakes as he handed a bottle of water.
"Why are you sorry?"
"I ruined the concert for you."
"You didn't, I promise. I care about you more than it."
Minho stares up at him. His heart flutters but Minho is certain it's not from his condition. Jisung looks so beautiful in slow light.
"Can we go back to the hotel?" Minho whispers.
"Of course." Jisung gives a soft smile, slowly helping Minho to his feet.
Minho’s body heats even more than it already has as Jisung wraps his arm around his waist. It's so soft and careful. It makes Minho want to cry.
He can't take it anymore.
His foot slips on a crack in the sidewalk, Jisung quickly pulling him back up. They reach the car and Minho goes quiet.
Jisung opens the door for him but Minho steps forward. He closes his eyes and leans forward, pressing a kiss to his lips.
"Thank you." Minho finally breathes as he pulls away and gets into the car.
Jisung rushes to the driver's side, cheeks red. "S-so..You're feeling better?"
"Yeah. Much better."