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minho didn't get stressed to often. of course stress is inevitable but he had ways to cope with it well. he didn't need help from other's when he could easily do it on his own.
this didn't mean he was perfect and had everything always figured out because that's far from the truth. there was many situations where he found himself stuck, he just dealt with it quietly.
whenever he felt the familiar feeling of stress he'd either 1 work out or 2 try to keep it to himself. he knew that if he did talk to the other members about how he was feeling they'd help him and talk him through it. that's not always an option though, of course the members were reliable but they got stressed too and they had their own issues, he didn't want to be a burden to anyone.
besides whenever he was stressed or had a problem and he was desperate, he would go to one person specifically, chan.
chan was probably one of the most stressed members but he always made sure the other members were okay before he'd even think about himself. that's why minho would often feel unsure about asking the latter for his help. he knew chan didn't care and that was the problem.
he was willing to put minho before himself and something about that didn't sit right with him.
minho would talk to the other members about his issues of course but not like he would with chan.
minho's not quite sure why, maybe it's because chan's the only one who's older than him, maybe it's because he didn't want to be vulnerable around the younger members as much but with chan he felt like it was okay to not be okay.
there was times where he'd go to hyunjin or jisung, even seungmin and changbin about his feelings but it wasn't as often as it was with chan.
jeongin and felix would usually be the ones who would reach out and ask minho if he was okay and after a few meaningless 'i'm fines' he'd tell them about his problems and it was okay afterwards.
but chan was different, he did everything differently than everyone else. he'd of course ask minho if he was okay if he noticed that something was wrong with him. after that he'd just kept his eye on him rather than keep pushing at it. that was something the other members didn't do.
chan let minho come to him when he was ready.
minho liked that.
he didn't like feeling pressured into talking about his feelings. one thing to know about minho is that he needed time when it came to his problems, needs, desires.
communicating and putting his feelings into words was hard, chan seemed to just understand that.
minho had been feeling particularly stressed for probably about like a week or so. he went to work out once he had started feeling this way and it didn't really help.
it was weird, usually it helped immediately because it would take his mind off of everything. it really was a great distraction, at least when it worked.
after a few more days of this he realized that he'd probably need to talk about how he was feeling to actually feel better.
it was a weird realization because he never really had an urge to talk about his emotions but he knew it was for the best.
asking for time to talk about his feelings was the hardest part.
he didn't want to be bothersome to chan and knew that he was probably just as stressed so he'd have to pick a time where chan wasn't as busy, but let's be real chan was always busy.
-
all the members were in the practice room getting ready for an upcoming event.
they were all tired and all needed a break so it wasn't surprising when the room was quiet, the usual laughter they all shared was nothing but silence.
minho was sitting alone in the far right side of the room stuck in his thoughts.
his limbs were aching and he'd be lying if he said his head wasn't throbbing.
he didn't notice the obvious stares he was getting from the members until he heard his name being shouted.
he shakes his head to get rid of the thoughts, "yes?"
chan frowns, "c'mere, you don't need to sit alone." he says in a soft tone.
minho musters up his best smile, "i'm okay, i need to think about this point in the dance." he declines causing chan's frown to fall more.
"we're done for the day minho, you can do that later." chan says walking over to him and offering a hand. his voice was stern, knowing that minho would listen more if his voice was stronger.
minho didn't really think it was smart to stop right now but a glance over to the members quickly humbled him. maybe it was for the best, plus he knew better than to argue with chan.
he takes his hand and nearly falls when he stands, "woah careful," chan says while holding him by his waist.
minho shakes his head, "i'm fine, just stood up to fast.." he says, voice quiet.
chan's grip tightens, "you're shaking." he points out, voice becoming more nervous. he slowly leads minho to the couch.
minho sighs and lets himself be carefully taken to the couch, "i'm fine i swear, just give me a minute." he says once he catches the concern on the others faces.
he feels one hand rubbing his back and one on his knee, it doesn't take a genius for him to know that the hands belonged to chan.
"take as much time as you need," he hears from where his head is in his hands.
after a few minutes he lifts his head with a sigh, "alright i'm good, lets go." he says standing up. he didn't want to worry anyone any longer and definitely didn't want to have a big discussion about whether or not he was okay.
the others don't say anything, they just follow him out the doors. the tension between everyone strong.
somehow even though minho was in the lead, he must've been walking to slow because he was suddenly walking behind everyone else.
chan wasn't to far in front of him and there was a good distance between him and the other members so now was the perfect chance for him to ask chan for what he needs.
he reaches out to tap chan's shoulder, immediately the latter turned around.
minho swallows, "can i talk to you at the dorms?" his voice was quiet but chan easily heard him.
things were a lot easier when him and chan were roommates but now that they live 4 by 4's, it's a lot harder to have emotional deep talks.
chan smiles because fucking finally minho had came to him. he knew that he just needed to give the younger time, but in all honesty he was becoming desperate himself, "of course, anything you need."
minho smiles and it wasn't a fake smile it was real, he was happy, happy to talk with chan.
the drive back to '3racha + hyunjin's' dorm was a lot faster than minho had expected but he was glad nonetheless.
hyunjin and jisung shared slightly confused looks when they saw minho follow chan into his room but they knew not to question it when changbin glared at them.
once the door closes to chan's dorm room minho lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
quietly he sits on the bed and chan follows him.
minho knew he'd have to be the first to talk so quietly he began, "um well things have been hard these last few days," he starts.
chan rubbed his knee to keep the confidence going for minho to continue, "i've just been so tired, i know you guys are tired too but- i don't know. i just can't seem to get proper sleep. i can't seem to stop feeling like this, just drained and stressed,"
chan squeezes minho's knee and hums because he gets it, "nothing seems to help either. working out didn't help, i even called my mom because its usually nice to know how she's been but it only worked for like an hour before i started feeling anxious again." he says, one hand coming up to scratch his arm through his hoodie to take some of the edge he was feeling off.
chan quickly stops him by slowly pulling his hand away from where he was scratching himself and holding it loosely in his hand, carefully to not overwhelm minho.
after saying what has been on his chest for weeks now he can't help the tears that brim his eyes. minho definitely didn't cry often but he felt helpless.
chan gets it, he really does.
"c'mere." chan says bringing minho close to his chest and wrapping his arms around him.
minho was strong and didn't show much emotional feelings but chan couldn't help but feel like a wall was broken down at hearing the boys soft sniffles.
"it's okay min, everything you just said is normal. it's okay to be stressed and to cry but you can always feel better, it just takes time. minho seriously you don't need to feel worried about coming to me." he says kinda stern because he really needs the younger to understand it, "i know that you don't want to be a burden, but i swear you could never be." he says into minho's hair. his voice was sincere toward the end, like he truly meant it.
minho felt relief wash over him so he let his shoulders sink into the hug. he felt secure in chan's hold, for the first time the ground underneath him wasn't shaking.
after a while minho nods and wipes his face, pulling away from the embrace, "i know, just can't help it i guess." he says in a soft hum.
it's silent for a while which makes sense, minho got it off his chest and now there's noting to really be said. plus when he was more vulnerable and sad he tended to become quieter. just a 'minho thing' chan guesses.
"anything else you want to talk about?" chan asks softly, rubbing minho's knee.
minho stays quiet for a bit, "maybe tomorrow."
and that's enough for chan because it means minho might open up more later. when he was ready of course.
"i'm tired." minho says laying on chan's bed and snuggling up into to the warmth.
chan chuckles, minho was adorable to him no matter what state he was in. slowly chan takes minho's shoes off, followed by his own before he laid with minho, wrapping an arm around the silent boy.
minho didn't try to fight it like usual, it was comforting to know that someone was next to him.
it wasn't long before he feel asleep and he actually fell asleep this time, unlike other nights where he felt as if he just couldn't.
it was nice to talk to chan and everything felt peaceful for the first time in a long while.
<3