Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was 2.a.m when Jisung finally left the studio after a long night of working on a new song. He was exhausted and gathered his stuff to get back to his dorm. He pulled out his phone and looked at a chat room with all the members of Stray Kids in it. Surprisingly, the only one online was... Minho.  

“I wonder what he's doing up so late?” Jisung thought. He had a feeling that something had been going on with Minho. His behavior lately seemed... off. He decided to message him on their private conversation in order not to wake the others up with a text notification.  

“Hyung, you're still not sleeping? Wyd?”  

Minho was, indeed, on his phone very late, but didn’t notice Jisung's message right away. When he finally saw it, he didn’t really know what to say so he took his time before responding.  

“Oh, just relaxing for a bit after a long day. And you?  

Why are you still up? You should go sleep.”  

“I was working on a new song in the studio, I'm only getting back to the dorms now.  

I'll have to try hard not to wake the others up.  

It's too bad Chan isn't my roommate anymore, at least I wouldn't have to worry about waking him late lol”   

Jisung reached the dorms while writing his reply. With utmost precaution, he entered the building and carefully opened the door. He went through the living room and found that the place was as messy as ever, but he was way too tired, and it was too late to clean up now anyway. He put it on his mental to-do list for the next day and carefully opened the door to the room he shared with I.N. At the same time, Minho texted him back and Jisung tried to muffle the sound of his phone that he forgot to put on silent. He froze for a second, trying to assess whether he woke the younger up or not. Fortunately, it seemed like he hadn’t. 

“Yea lol, it would have been much worse if Chan was your roommate.  

I'm pretty sure Chan would yell at you if he was.  

And I'd probably join him in yelling at you lol...   

But you really shouldn't stay up so late, it's bad for your health, you know?”  

Minho wrote his answer while smiling playfully at his phone. Annoying and teasing Jisung were one of his favorite pastimes. 

In the other dorm, Jisung also smiled while reading the message and imagining both of his hyungs nagging him for not sleeping when they were clearly no better than him. He texted back while starting to get ready for bed, as silently as possible.  

“Yeah I know haha, I was just... Really inspired tonight I guess.  

I wanted to make the most of it!  

But I'll be going to sleep soon now don't worry hyung”  

“Alright, good night.   

And also, good luck keeping quiet while moving around the dorms.  

I'm sure the others are definitely asleep.”   

“Yeah the dorms are super messy here, I almost fell while trying to reach my room silently.  

But it's okay! I'm a ninja quokka”  

He sent a sticker with a hamster dressed as a ninja. 

"Good night Lee Know hyung"  

Minho laughed at the sticker and Jisung's little joke. The younger was always so silly and cute. Minho couldn’t help but find him adorable most of the time.  

“Good night, little hamster~”  

He smiled and kissed his phone lightly, pretending he was kissing Jisung's hand. 

Jisung got undressed and settled comfortably in his bed. He congratulated himself for not waking up the whole dorm. He chuckled softly as he read Minho’s text. He had worked well tonight and was in a good mood, and maybe the tiredness also made him a little bit uninhibited. He decided to send a quick selfie of his face with his cheeks puffed like a hamster and as if he was sending a good night kiss. He discreetly managed to take the picture and send it to Minho before putting his phone on the side of his bed to sleep. 

As soon as he received the picture, Minho looked at it and blushed a little. He hadn't expected Jisung to send a selfie of himself – he understood that the younger must have been really tired to do something so unusual of him, or maybe happy with his evening – but he wasn't complaining about it at all. He couldn't help but smile as he saved the photo on his phone in his “Favorites” album, among pictures of his three cats. 

Jisung slept in the next day. He didn't really mean to, but he had been sleeping late the past couple of days and it seemed like his accumulated fatigue caught up to him this morning. It was already past 11.a.m and yet, he was still soundly asleep. I.N had tried waking him up earlier, but nothing worked so he gave up eventually. Instead, he went to greet the other members who arrived in the dorm. They usually all met up in one dorm or the other before starting their day, since they all had to go work together most of the time anyway, and today it was in this dorm. So soon, the dorm came to life as everyone started greeting each other and talking about their plans and stuff for the day. Minho was one of them and when he talked with his friends and noticed that Jisung wasn’t there, he asked I.N who told him that he was still sleeping in his room. So, he took it upon himself to go wake him up and nag him about sleeping in. 

Upon entering the room, a ray of light penetrated the darkness and Minho could see Jisung, fast asleep in his bed. He walked up to the bed and looked down at Jisung. His hair was disheveled, and half of his blanket was on the floor, exposing a lot of his naked chest. Even the light didn't seem to bother him. Minho bent down to get closer to Jisung, planning to wake him up gently. But as he got closer, he started to feel nervous. Jisung looked so peaceful yet so delicate. He couldn't help but blush when looking at his exposed chest. He lightly brushed a few strands of Jisung's hair away from his face and looked at him for a few seconds before realizing what he was doing. He shook the sleeping one gently.  

“Jisungie~ Wake up~” He whispered, not wanting to create too much noise to bother the others or wake him in a scare. 

Jisung didn’t seem to react and continued to breath slowly, fast asleep. Minho tried to call him once again but there was no reaction. Maybe he didn't speak loud enough... But he didn't want to scare him. He blushed and bend over Jisung, getting closer to his face and body. He whispered his name once again. 

“Jisung... You should really wake up now... If you don't wake up soon I might—” 

At that moment, Minho realized what he was saying but didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he placed his hand on Jisung's chest, feeling his heartbeat. Minho couldn't help but blush more as he felt his chest rise and fall with each beat. He looked at Jisung's face once again and realized how peaceful he looked, it was almost as if he was an angel, lying down asleep. Minho just couldn’t help but keep looking at him. 

Until I.N entered the room. Lee Know was surprised and quickly took his hand off of Jisung's chest, hoping that I.N didn't see it. He turned his face away from the light to hide his rosy cheeks and act natural. 

“Come on Hannie hyung, you have to wake up now, we have a shooting in 30 minutes!” I.N grumbled while coming near Jisung's bed. His grumbles seemed to work and Jisung slowly emerged. He looked around, still groggy. 

“Huh?”  

Jisung was still half asleep and there was no doubt about it. Minho put a hand on Jisung’s back to get him to sit up, hoping it would help him awaken. His back was warm in Minho's hand. He could feel the sheet creases marks on Jisung's back from having slept so long in the same position. Jisung was still a bit groggy but finally starting to get more conscious of his surroundings as he looked around the room. 

“Hyung, what are you doing here...? Oh yeah, the shoot... What time is it right now?” 

“It's already past 11 a.m., we have to get going soon.” I.N whined. 

“Yeah, it's already late. We're going to need to leave in like 15 minutes to be on time... Why do you look so tired?” Minho asked, focused on looking at Jisung's face, not knowing where else to look. He then realized his hand was still on Jisung's back and quickly pulled away, smiling slightly. 

“Oh yeah, sorry about that... I-I slept like a rock haha.” 

 Jisung laughed it off, making sure to be as energetic and silly as he was usually even though his head was still dozy. He suddenly realized how little time he had to get ready before leaving and started getting up. As he was doing so, the cover fell from his chest, revealing it completely. Minho blushed furiously and turned his head so that neither I.N nor Jisung could see his reaction. 

“Well now that you're awake, I'd better go get ready too.” 

Minho's face looked like a tomato as he looked away. His chest was starting to feel hot, and he just wanted to escape the room as soon as possible, but a small part of him couldn't just leave yet. He stood up and turned towards the door but as he was about to leave, he hesitated for a moment to look back at Jisung. Minho's eyes filled with longing as he couldn't help but stare. Suddenly, he heard I.N talking to him. 

“What are you doing? We have to go. Now.” 

“Yes, yes—” 

He left the room reluctantly. But it was probably for the best, he thought. What was he about to do anyway? He shrugged his head while walking towards the living room to get back with the others. 

The ride to the shooting was a bit awkward since Minho couldn't stop thinking about Jisung and how close he was from him just a moment ago. The selfie that he sent him during the night was also a cause of great turmoil in his little head. Jisung couldn't be more oblivious to anything, he was getting ready for the shoot in the backseat, humming to the song that they had just recorded. I.N was also in the backseat, watching Minho with an amused expression. Minho quickly turned to look out of the window as soon as he realized that I.N was watching him. 

The shooting went well. It lasted for 2 hours and after that, all the members decided to go eat together. The eight of them thus went to a Korean barbecue restaurant and stuffed themselves. Minho was starting to enjoy the day and this morning’s incident was already in the past. Now he was just enjoying the company of his friends and the lighthearted mood. However, when he looked over at Jisung and saw him smiling, Minho couldn't help but be distracted by him. Minho would laugh every now and then with the others, but his laugh was clearly a bit more genuine and louder when he looked at Jisung. 

The group parted ways after eating, as they all had different schedules. Minho was a bit sad to be separated from Jisung but work is work and he couldn't do anything against it. He knew they would probably see each other later that day when they'll all go practice their dance moves. Minho tried his best to focus on his schedule and not think about anything else, and he almost succeeded. But the closer he was getting from dance practice, the more absentminded he was becoming, his mind wandering about, thinking about a special someone he missed and was impatient to see again. 

Minho eventually got to the dance practice and the other members were already there. The members didn't know the choreography quite well, so they had to practice more than usual. Minho looked over at Jisung, who was already practicing hard. Minho couldn't help but watch him, feeling his chest heat up and his face go red as he saw just how focused Jisung was. He looked like an angel, practicing his moves so carefully and so determined. Minho suddenly knew that he had to learn those moves now, he'd give an arm to impress Jisung like that. He gave his best too, practicing with all his heart. He was also helping the other members who were having a hard time with some of the most difficult moves. When he came to help Jisung, he couldn't help but notices that he seemed tired out, maybe more than he should have been, considering the complexity of the choreography they were practicing. 

“Hey, Han, are you okay? Maybe you should take a break?” 

Jisung seemed a bit surprised at Minho's sudden question. “Ye-... Of course, I’m alright! I am just taking my time to learn the moves.” *He replied but his answer wasn’t all that convincing. 

The others looked over to see what was happening and I.N realized how exhausted Jisung looked. 

“Hyung, don't push yourself too much.” 

Jisung only nodded and continued practicing, ignoring Minho and I.N's worry for him. 

Chan joined in the conversation and tried to get Jisung to take a break too. “Han, maybe you should call it a day and go rest a little at the dorm. It's okay, we know you've been working until late in the night these days.” 

Jisung was a bit frustrated by his friends worry for him but tried not to let it show. He didn’t want to look weak or have people worry for him. It was worse than anything for him and he preferred suffering alone over being pitied or having people worry because of him. He smiled and turned towards his leader. 

“I'm okay, really. I want to keep practicing with you all. I'll rest later.” 

Jisung continued to practice with everyone else, smiling and making sure everyone felt reassured about his physical state and it seemed to be the case for almost everyone. Only I.N still seemed concerned, and Minho couldn't help but steal glances at him every now and then, worried. They could see that Jisung was pretty tired as he practiced. It was obvious that he had not been getting much sleep lately and his movements seemed quite slower than usual. Jisung smiled but they could also see through his smile as he was clearly hiding something. 

“Jisung... You look tired.” 

Jisung started to feel irritated as everyone kept telling him he looked unwell. 

“I'm fine, okay? Stop worrying about me guys, please, I'm really okay.” 

He wanted his words to reassure his friends but there was a hint of anger in them that he couldn’t quite conceal. As he looked at I.N and saw that his harsh tone may have hurt him a little, he finally gave up and headed towards the door, ready to go away. 

“Fine, if that's what it takes to reassure you, I'll go get some rest. See you tomorrow guys~” Once again, he tried to laugh it off and sound bubbly to reassure his friends. 

They were all a bit surprised to see how angry Jisung got suddenly, but I.N quickly realized why, and he stepped in to say something too. I.N knew Jisung well enough to know that it was not okay for Jisung to be that tired, but he also knew that he didn’t like people to worry about him. 

“Alright, alright! We believe you! You can go home to rest.” 

The other members nodded in approval, except Minho who looked over at Jisung as he walked towards the door. Jisung left the practice room. The remaining members briefly looked at each other before getting back into practice. At the end of the session, Minho approached I.N. He knew that they were roommates and thought that I.N. might have an idea as to why Jisung reacted the way he did.  

“Hey I.N. I'm a bit worried about Han, he really seems tired, and he had so much trouble waking up this morning...” *I.N. nodded and Minho continued, “When you get back to your dorm tonight, would you mind sending me a text? Just to tell me if Jisung's feeling better, please.” 

I.N nodded and patted Minho's shoulder gently to reassure him. 

“I will. Don't worry, I am sure he's alright. He's just working himself too hard lately.” 

Minho bobbed his head and thanked I.N before they both leave. Minho couldn't help but be worried for Jisung, but he also knew that the best thing he could do for Jisung would be to give him the break from practicing and space that he may need right now. 

Around 11 p.m., I.N still hadn't updated Minho on Jisung's state. Minho thought he might have forgotten about it, so he sent him a text message. 

“Hey, Jeongin. You were supposed to send me a message did you forget you airhead? How's Jisung?”  

I.N started typing a message, at least that's what the little bubble icon on Minho's phone suggested but then it disappeared. It reappeared a couple of seconds letter only to disappear again. This happened a couple of times. It seemed like I.N was writing messages then deleting them before rewriting them. Finally, Minho received a text from I.N. 

“Sorry, hyung I forgot. He's okay, he's sleeping.”  

Minho raised an eyebrow when he read I.N's text message. It took him quite a while to write such a short message and he couldn't help but be a little bit suspicious. He didn't want to be intrusive though, so he decided to not ask I.N any questions and just wait for tomorrow to see Jisung himself. He may be overthinking. It wouldn’t be the first time. 

Minho ended up falling asleep. When he woke up the next morning, he still felt a bit weird about yesterday's conversation with I.N and Jisung's reaction during dance practice. He was worried but he tried to brush it off. Seeing how Jisung reacted when people worried about him, he didn't want to anger him again today. He got dressed and left his dorm, ready to tackle the schedules of the day. 

Minho walked into the practice room again, feeling a bit tired. He saw that the other members were already practicing, and he quickly took his place together with them to start practicing the choreography. Everyone seemed slightly tired, it was the fourth day they had to practice, and they were all starting to get sick of it. But the members were also excited because the shooting they had yesterday turned out to be great and the producer said that they would be releasing the song very soon! Minho couldn't help but look over at Jisung, wanting to see how his condition was today. 

When Minho looked over at Jisung, he felt his heart sink. Jisung was trying to save face, but Minho could clearly see that he was paler and looked exhausted. He looked at I.N, visibly confused as to why Jisung looked so tired when he was supposed to have slept all evening and night. I.N. avoided his gaze but Minho couldn't tell if it was intentional or not. He tried to continue practicing without worrying too much. After all, it could be accumulated fatigue since Jisung worked so much every day. He tried to distract himself from his thoughts, but his eyes kept going at Jisung to watch over him. After the end of practice, Minho walked over to Jisung. 

“Jisung, I'm going back to the dorms, do you want to go toget—” 

Minho couldn't finish his sentence as I.N interrupted by coming in between Jisung and him and grabbed Jisung's arm. 

“Han hyung, remember you told me you'll accompany me today. Let's get going.” I.N looked at Jisung with a serious gaze while keeping a lighthearted tone. 

“Ah, yeah that's right.” He scratched the back of his neck and gave a timid smile to Minho “Sorry Lee Know hyung, but let's catch up later, okay?” He smiled faintly before I.N dragged him by the arm, and they left the practice room together.  

Minho looked over at I.N, a bit annoyed that he just interrupted his conversation with Jisung. He knew I.N well enough to realize that there was something fishy going on. Minho thought to follow I.N and Jisung, but he didn't want to make Jisung uncomfortable either. He couldn't help but sigh softly when Jisung looked at him and smiled feebly. Minho saw immediately how tired Jisung still was, but he chose to ignore his concerns for a moment. He didn't want to cause a scene. 

Minho went to his dorm and enjoyed the rest of the day with Changbin, and Hyunjin who came over to watch some videos on their bigger television. It wasn't bad but a part of his mind was still thinking about Jisung and his current state. He sent him several text messages throughout the afternoon but none of them were answered. When Jisung finally answered, his answers were a bit elusive. 

“I'm sorry I didn't answer your messages... I've been out today.”  

 Minho sighed and wondered where Jisung could've been. He felt bad that Jisung was out all day when he needed to rest. But Minho also realized that he was worrying too much about Jisung, and he tried to shake these thoughts off. 

“It's okay, don't sweat it. But take care of yourself please...”  

Minho didn't want to sound pushy or anger Jisung by worrying about him, but he still wanted to let him know that he was there for him if he ever needed him. 

“If you need anything don't hesitate to ask me.  

You know you can, right?”  

There was no answer for a couple of minutes and Minho was starting to wonder if Jisung was annoyed by his texting when his phone finally rang with a text notification. 

“I know hyung, thank you~”  

Jisung's text was followed by a cute hamster sticker, one he often sent. Minho smiled as he saw it. He felt a bit better seeing that Jisung was still okay. It appeared that he was in high spirits, so Minho just decided to end the conversation here. 

“It's okay. Take care!”  

As the evening passed, Minho couldn't help but wonder where Jisung had spent all day or if he was alright. He tried not to worry too much about it, but he couldn't help it, Jisung was already pushing himself too hard for Minho not to be concerned. Eventually Minho fell asleep, and another day ended like that.  

The following days were a bit more peaceful. Minho could see that Jisung seemed to be feeling better and his fatigue didn't seem as heavy on him. They practiced for several days, and everything was going alright until the day they finally decided to give the members two days off. Minho was really looking forward to these days off, he was already so tired after days of practicing and he couldn't wait to rest properly and to catch up on all the things he missed over the previous days. 

Minho, Hyunjin, Félix and Jisung spent the whole day together. They went shopping and to the movies. The whole day was really fun and relaxing as their activities didn't require a lot of energy for once. On the evening, they went to a restaurant and ate together with the other four members who met up with them. The eight of them seemed to enjoy their evening pretty well and time flew fast. 

Minho had been stealing glances at Jisung the whole day, making sure that he seemed less fatigued than before. Jisung had looked pretty happy the whole day but as the end of the day was drawing close, he looked like he was feeling a bit out of it. Minho wondered if he had something on his mind or if he was just starting to feel a bit tired. He thought about asking him after dinner, but before he knew it, dinner was already ending, and everyone was heading back to their dorms. 

As they were all heading towards the dorms, Jisung spoke. “Leave without me guys, I want to go work on a new song I've been thinking about recently so since I have some time now, I'll go to the studio~” He smiled and turned away to go towards the studio building. 

Minho looked a bit confused. It was already late, and he didn't want Jisung to exhaust himself with work even on his days-off. He was about to ask him if he wanted someone to come with him when I.N tugged his sweatshirt. 

“Lee Know hyung, we'll go watch a movie in the dorms all together. You're coming with us, right?” 

I.N talked loudly and after his offer everyone started to chatter about which movie to watch and push each other towards the dorms excitedly, so Minho couldn't follow Jisung or talk to him. 

Minho was a bit disappointed that everyone was so excited about watching a movie together that they just left Jisung behind. He knew that Jisung always worked too hard, and he shouldn't have let him go to work in the studio by himself at night. He sighed and followed the rest of the members into the dorm that I.N, Seungmin, Hyunjin and Jisung shared. 

They watched movies until very late that night. Almost everyone had fallen asleep while watching. Hyunjin carried I.N to his bed where he could sleep more comfortably. Changbin and Félix had fallen asleep under the blanket they shared and Seungmin fought hard to stay awake but after bobbing his head a couple of times it seemed like he had finally gave in to his tiredness and fallen asleep on Chan's shoulder. Chan smiled while seeing that and tried his best not to move in order not to wake him up. 

It was almost 3 a.m. now and Jisung still didn't show up at the dorm. Minho was starting to get really worried. Did something happen to him on his way to the studio? He decided to send a text to Jisung, just to check on him and be reassured that he was okay, even though he was clearly working too late for his own good. 

His message stayed unanswered, and Minho felt his anxiety grow with every passing minute. He couldn't stop looking at his phone, expecting Jisung to answer him. But nothing came. After 15 long – never-ending it seemed – minutes, he couldn't take it anymore. He had to go check on Jisung himself. He quietly waved at Chan and Hyunjin to warn them that he was leaving and left as silently as possible to not wake the others up. He exited the dorm and walked in the cold streets, thoughts swirling in his head. 

He quickly made his way to the studio building and when he finally reached the studio where Jisung usually worked and recorded, he stopped for a minute in front of the door, listening to the noises he might hear coming from inside. But it was dead silent. No music, not even typing on a keyboard. Minho was confused and wondered if Jisung was even here, so he opened the door and was taken aback by what he saw. 

Jisung was sitting on a chair, in front of the desk that was in the room. He was disheveled and staring blankly at his laptop's screen. He didn't react right away when Minho entered the room, but he quickly turned his head and looked at Minho with a surprised expression. 

“Hyung? What are you doing here so late?” 

Minho's heart skipped a beat. Jisung didn't seem well. He was trying to act natural, but Minho could clearly see that something was off. His eyes were red and puffy, and it seemed like he had... Cried? He wasn’t sure. Minho was puzzled, wondering what had happened to Jisung tonight. He searched for the right words, still confused by the situation. 

“Uh... why aren't you home? It's... kind of late. Are you alright?” 

Jisung tried to laugh it off casually and seem natural and silly once again. 

“Oh yeah, sorry hyung. I guess I fell asleep while working haha.” He looked at his phone and saw the dozens of message notification from Minho. Once again, he tried to laugh it off playfully. “Wow hyung you must have been really worried haha. Did you use up all your data tonight hehe? Sorry~” Jisung started packing his stuff to leave. “It's pretty late, sorry for making you worry. You should get back to your dorm and get some sleep too.” He smiled at Minho with an expression that wanted to appear reassuring. 

Minho watched as Jisung tried to fake his laugh, and he wasn't really buying it. He was worried about Jisung, and he was disappointed to see that Jisung was still trying to make excuses up for working so late. 

“Jisung, please don't... don't brush this off. You know you have to take care of yourself. Don't work that much, I'm serious.” 

Minho crossed his arms and looked at Jisung with a serious expression. He couldn't let this slide this time. Jisung stopped for a moment and looked at Minho. He sighted and smiled, a faint but real smile this time. 

“I know hyung, I'm okay don't worry. I'll go back to the dorms and sleep now. I don't want to worry my favorite hyung~” 

Minho relaxed a bit when Jisung smiled and said he'll go back to the dorms to sleep. Minho knew that Jisung always tried to hide his feelings, especially when it came to work. He felt relieved that Jisung agreed to go back, but he still wanted to make sure that everything was alright with him. 

“Just... just promise me that you'll rest properly, okay? And call me if you need anything, okay?” 

He smiled as he said that, hoping that Jisung would understand that he meant what he said. Jisung smiled in return. A faint but warm smile. 

“Yes, I'll do just that. Don't worry Lee Know hyung~” 

The two boys started heading back to Jisung's dorm. Minho felt a bit reassured, but he still couldn't shake the thought of Jisung's red and puffy eyes out of his mind. He tried to hide his concern. 

When they arrived at Jisung's dorm, they ran into Félix, Changbin and Chan that were about to leave to go back to their own dorm. They said good night to Jisung as he entered his room. Jisung smiled at Minho and closed the door behind him. Minho stared at the door for a couple seconds before following Félix, Changbin and Chan to the dorm they shared with him. He was a bit reassured now that he knew that Jisung was sleeping at his dorm. 

Once in his own room, Minho got ready to sleep and as he was about to turn off the lights, he checked his phone one last time. He was relieved to see that Jisung was not connected to his phone. “It must mean that he's sleeping at last” he thought to himself. Even though he couldn't find out why Jisung looked like he had been crying, Minho tried not to think about it anymore. Jisung didn't like it when people were worried about him, and Minho didn't want him to feel his worry and be uncomfortable. His thoughts started to drift as he fell asleep... 

The next morning, Minho woke up earlier than usual. He sat up in his bed and yawned, the feeling of worry about Jisung from last night still lingering in the back of his mind. He looked over at Félix, who appeared to have not moved much during his sleep. Minho let out another sigh and he laid back down in his bed and went back to sleep for a few more minutes. He knew the dorm would soon be noisy with Changbin waking up and that now were the only minutes of tranquility left so he indulged in them. 

Jisung looked pretty tired that day, but Minho tried not to overthink it. He thought that it was only natural since his friend had been working late the last night. But as days went by, Minho noticed that Jisung's state seemed to worsen. He looked paler each day and it seemed like he slept less and less. I.N also looked worried for Jisung, as if he knew something the others didn't but when Minho questioned him, he couldn't get anything out of him. 

Minho's heart was aching from seeing Jisung in such a tired state and yet, each time someone tried to talk to him, Jisung would brush their worries off with a laugh and a smile. Minho didn't know what to do anymore to help his friend. 

One day, Minho woke up early and decided to go to the practice room to start his dance practice before the others could come in. Some moves were hard for him, and he felt like he needed that extra time to practice. He got ready silently, making sure to not wake his roommates up and went to the practice room. It was still early so he didn't expect to find anyone there. But when he opened the door, he was surprised to see Jisung, curled up on the couch in the room. 

The sight of Jisung taking a nap in the practice room caught Minho off guard, and he stared at the sleeping Jisung for a moment, thinking of what to do. Minho wondered why Jisung came here of all places instead of his own room. He walked up to Jisung slowly and crouched beside him. 

“Jisung?” 

Minho called out to Jisung and hoped to wake him up. Since he got closer to Jisung, Minho could hear that his breath was shaky. He didn't seem to be having a peaceful nap. He could see Jisung's eyes moving under his eyelids. Minho was wondering what he could be dreaming about when Jisung flinched. He seemed more restless now even though he was sleeping. “Is he having a nightmare?” Minho thought. He decided it may be better to wake him up. He leaned closer to Jisung and tapped his shoulder gently. 

“Jisung, wake up...” 

Jisung flinched and opened his eyes. He looked lost as he emerged, as if he didn't know where he was anymore. He looked around, his body still shaking a bit. When he looked over at Minho, Minho could see that Jisung's eyes were wet. It seemed like he really was having a nightmare. 

Jisung finally seemed to understand where he was and what happened. He tried to regain his composure.  

“Oh, hi hyung. Huh... What time is it now, is it already time for dance practice?” He looked around, searching for the others. 

“Huh... no... it's still... early... I came here to practice dance alone.” Minho spoke in a soft tone, before glancing at Jisung's eyes again and looking worried. “Are you... are you okay, Jisung? Did you have a nightmare?” 

Jisung turned away and wiped his eyes, seemingly embarrassed. 

“Oh, I see, haha. Huh... seems like I had one yeah. Happens, right? But I can't remember it though. Probably for the best haha." He laughed it off. 

Jisung tried act casually, but his body was still shaking ever so slightly. Minho watched as Jisung turned away, seemingly embarrassed about having a nightmare. He knew that Jisung wasn't the type to talk about his feelings when something was up, so Minho wasn't surprised by Jisung's response. 

“Jisung... you look like you haven't slept. How long have you been working?” 

Minho was getting really concerned about Jisung's well-being. Jisung was getting restless and was grabbing his own hand to hide the fact that they were shaking to Minho. 

“Oh, but I've slept don't worry! I've only been here for a couple more minutes than you haha~” 

Minho was worried as he noticed that Jisung didn't even know what time it was right now or for how long Minho had been in the room himself, so Jisung answering that he had only been here for a couple of minutes was probably a trick to hide how long he's been here. He was too familiar with Jisung's normal habits to know when something was off. 

“Jisung... how long have you been working, really?” 

Minho looked at Jisung, he couldn't accept Jisung's fake excuses anymore, he was worried about him, and he needed to know what the real problem was. Jisung scratched his neck while looking away, then he looked at Minho again with a serious face. 

“Okay you want to know why I was sleeping here? The truth is...” 

Jisung's face was really serious, almost grave as he stared in Minho's eyes. Minho was focused on Jisung's explanation, hoping to finally get an answer to his concern.  

“I.N's snoring is way too loud!” 

Jisung said that with a whining voice, trying to be as convincing as possible. Minho's eyes widened in surprise when he heard Jisung's excuse. He clearly wasn't expecting that, and it seemed like a rather ridiculous explanation. He thought that Jisung was going to say something more serious, as it was clear that he had been working too much. 

“His snoring? That's... that's it? You were tired because of our annoying little maknae?” 

He sighed and rolled his eyes slightly but couldn't help but feel worried for Jisung again. He just knew that there was more to the story than I.N's snoring. Jisung laughed and continued with his excuse 

“Yeah, this baby bread is louder than anything I've ever heard haha” He chuckled then stood up “I'm going to the restroom to freshen up a bit.”  

He waved at Minho with a smile and left the room. Minho was growing more and more anxious. He could feel that Jisung wasn't telling him all the truth, but he had no way and no right to force it out of him if he didn't want to talk about it. He started training his dance moves while waiting for Jisung to come back and for the others to arrive. 

The others came shortly after, even before Jisung got back from the restroom and the eight of them started practicing, giving Minho no time to investigate Jisung's state further. When they finally had a break, Félix and Jisung left to grab drinks for everyone, and Minho seized the opportunity to talk to I.N. He walked up to I.N who was on the couch and asked to talk to him. 

“Hey I.N, hum... About Jisung—” 

I.N cut him off, looking a bit anxious. “Oh yeah, Jisung came in a bit late today, he overslept haha but it's okay, I'll wake him up earlier tomorrow” 

He quickly went away as Jisung and Félix entered the room with the beverages. Minho was dumbfounded. He knew Jisung didn't sleep in today because he found him in the practice room. Minho was puzzled. Why would I.N. claim that Jisung slept when clearly, he didn't? 

Everyone resumed the training and Minho had no choice but to bury his thoughts in the back of his mind until he could confront his friends about it. As he trained, he was getting impatient. He planned to confront Jisung and I.N as soon as their dance practice would be over but when it finally was, he looked around the room but couldn't find any of them anymore. He was confused and asked Changbin if he had seen where I.N and Jisung went. 

“Yeah, I.N. said they had an appointment they had to rush to, and they hurried away.” 

Minho became even more confused when he heard that I.N and Jisung had left to go somewhere. What appointment could they have that was more important at this moment? Jisung looked like he needed to rest more, why was he so busy with other stuff instead of taking care of himself properly? Minho was now even more worried than before, as he didn't know what was going on. He asked Changbin if he knew what appointment I.N and Jisung were talking about. But Changbin had no idea. 

Once again, Jisung's state seemed to improve for a couple of days. Minho was happy to see that but still worried it might worsen again. And that's exactly what happened. Jisung's state worsened again, even more than the last time. He looked distraught most of the time, often lost in thought or spacing out. I.N looked more anxious too. 

One day, as they were practicing, Jisung made a wrong move and collapsed on the floor. Everyone was surprised to see Jisung collapse, and Minho looked worried as he rushed to his side. He was worried when he noticed that I.N was also getting anxious, which meant that Jisung was probably worse than he thought. Minho kneeled down on the floor next to Jisung and put his hand on his shoulder to check on him. 

“Hey Jisung... are you alright?” He asked with a worried tone. 

He wasn't sure what to do now that Jisung had just collapsed on the floor. Jisung was clearly hurting. He may have sprained his ankle when falling. 

Chan inspected his ankle. “You should rest a bit. You look hurt and tired.” 

Jisung tried to hide his pain and answered while gritting his teeth. “I'm okay hyung, I don't need to rest.” 

But Félix cut him off. “He's right Han, you should go back to the dorm and sleep a bit.” 

“I don't want to sleep!” Jisung almost shouted, visibly angry. He stopped for a second after his outburst and tried to regain composure. “I'm okay guys really. But you're right, I should probably go back to the dorms since I can't practice anymore today. You continue practicing, don't worry about me.” 

Everyone was shocked and surprised by Jisung's sudden outburst. Minho was shocked by Jisung's outburst as well. It was clear that he was trying to downplay his condition and the fact that he hurt himself, but now he even refused to go rest. He didn't know what else to do to help him and he was worried. Minho looked at I.N and noticed his worried look as well. He thought that maybe I.N knew what was going on, but it was clear that he wasn't going to say anything. Minho felt lost and didn't know how to proceed. 

Changbin helped Jisung up and, seeing how red his ankle was, offered to piggyback him to his dorm, since it was clear he shouldn't be walking right now. Jisung started by refusing but after a few steps the pain was too much, and he gave in. Hyunjin helped him get on Changbin's back. Minho was hurting from seeing Jisung in such a poor state and being hurt. He looked exhausted and sad. When Changbin and Jisung left the room, Chan, Hyunjin, Seungmin and Félix followed them to make sure they were steady and wouldn't fall. 

Only Minho and I.N were left in the room. When the latter started going towards the door to follow the others, Minho turned at him, suddenly sulking and started approaching him menacingly. I.N saw that Minho was fuming and started feeling scared. He took a few steps back but before he knew it, the wall was already against his back. Minho pinned I.N against the wall and got closer to his face. I.N couldn't escape him anymore, he would have to answer his questions now. Minho had enough of not knowing the truth. He was determined to get answers from the maknae by any means necessary, even if it meant scaring him a little. 

“Look, I know that you know what's been going on with Jisung. You have to tell me, what is happening? What's wrong with him? You're worried about him, and I want the truth.” 

Minho was glaring at I.N. Although he liked I.N like a little brother, his worry for Jisung was above everything and he couldn't think about anything else at the moment. I.N was clearly scared and anxious. He started stuttering.  

“H-Hyung, I... Really, I-I don't—” 

Minho punched the wall right beside I.N and made him flinch. 

“No more games I.N. Jisung hurt himself today and he looks like a walking corpse. So now you tell me what's happening. Right now!” 

Minho was fuming, I.N had never seen him so angry and worried at the same time. Minho was mad at I.N, as he was just avoiding the question and making it more complicated. He knew that I.N was hiding something, and Minho was determined to have the truth. He was worried but also very protective towards Jisung now, he just wanted to help his friend who was obviously not fine. 

“I.N, look at me and be honest for a moment. I know Jisung doesn't talk much, but I want to hear it from you since you seem to know more than I do. What's wrong with him? Is he sick?” 

I.N was hesitant but in front of Minho's anger and worry, he finally gave in. 

“Well... Kinda. He's been having trouble sleeping recently. He would often wake up in the middle of the night because of nightmares. At first, I thought it was nothing, but it kept happening, to the point where he would be afraid of falling asleep. I finally managed to convince him to go see a doctor a few weeks ago and things seemed to improve after that. He slept well but soon enough the nightmares came back... I didn't notice at first, but he kept avoiding our room. He would exhaust himself every day and when I confronted him, he told me it was the only way for him to sleep without having nightmares. He told me he didn't have nightmares when he was too tired to dream but I told him this couldn't go on. So, I went with him to see his doctor again and he got a new prescription. I thought it was working... But it seems like it's not working anymore again, and I don't know how to help him...” 

I.N said all that in one breath, looking both anxious and desperate. Minho was really worried, as I.N's explanation just made him realize that Jisung needed more help than before. Minho's eyes widened in surprise. 

“Nightmares? Jisung has been having nightmares?” 

He took a step back and thought about it. He turned to I.N again and spoke with a soft tone. 

“You say that Jisung got medication and it helped for a while, but now it's not working. Do you know what those nightmares are about? Why is he so afraid?” 

I.N looked a bit relieved now that he had told Minho everything. 

“No, I don't know... He doesn't want to talk about it.” He paused and looked at Minho with remorseful eyes. “Lee Know hyung, I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone sooner. Jisung made me promise not to talk about it...” His voice was apologetic and shaking a bit. 

Minho thought that it was weird that Jisung seemed to be avoiding having the conversation with anyone. He had clearly been going through something, but he refused to talk about it. When I.N said that Jisung made him promise not to talk about it, Minho realized how serious it really was. He knew Jisung didn’t like to worry others or talk about his problems but still. He seemed to really have a hard time and Minho couldn’t help but feel so helpless and sad, not being able to help his dearest friend. He looked at I.N again and, seeing how shaken he seemed, tried to reassure him. He put his hand on the younger’s shoulder and talked softly. 

“Hey I.N, don't worry about it. You did the right thing by telling me. We'll try to find a solution so that Jisung gets better.” 

A thought suddenly crossed Minho's mind. If Jisung was afraid of sleeping, he would probably feel really bad being bedridden and alone with his thoughts and anxiety. 

“Say... Could you lend me your dorm's key please? I can't let Jisung alone knowing what I know now.” 

I.N hesitated for a second then nodded and handed him his keys. Just as he was about to leave the room, the other members entered, and Minho brushed past them to go in the corridor without looking back. They looked at him with wondering eyes, not understanding what was happening, and watched him go to the elevator and leave them. They all asked I.N what was going on with Minho. I.N told the group that Minho was really worried for Jisung and he left to check on him, as Jisung had hurt his ankle earlier. The group was a little surprised, but they understood Minho was worried and I.N said they should keep practicing. On his way to the dorm, Minho met Changbin coming the other way, coming back after dropping Jisung at his dorm. He quickly answered that he was going to check on Jisung when Changbin asked him where he was going, and he left in a hurry. 

Minho arrived at the dorm building and quickly went inside, thinking about how Jisung must have been feeling at that moment. Maybe the nightmares were worse than he thought, since Jisung even refused to sleep and was avoiding being at home. He didn't want to worry too much, but Minho just wanted to make sure that Jisung was alright. He took the stairs two at a time and when he finally reached the floor where the dorm was, he stood for a second in front of the door before opening it. He was out of breath and thinking about what he'd tell Jisung when the door opened in front of him, and he opened his eyes wide at the same time. 

Jisung was standing on the other side of the door, his hand still on the doorknob. He was dressed and had his bag with him.  It was clear that he was headed somewhere. He was also surprised to run into Minho in front of his dorm. 

“Huh? Hyung...?” 

Minho felt a wave of worry and anger rise inside of him. Jisung was about to go out? As soon as they told him to stay in bed and recover?! He was about to yell at him when he noticed Jisung's eyes, they looked like he hadn't slept in ages, they were dark and tired. His anger disappeared as fast as it had formed, and Minho took a step back and sighed. His voice softened. 

“Hey Jisung... why are you dressed like that...? Where are you going?” *He asked him, hoping it wasn't what he thought. 

Jisung hesitated before answering. “Oh I... I was just gonna buy some ice for my ankle.” 

It was a blatant lie and it made Minho's heart sink. He looked at him with desperate eyes and tried to speak as softly as he could. “Jisung... I'm pretty sure you have ice at your dorm though...” 

Jisung looked resigned and turned around to go back inside. He was limping and Minho had a heartache when he saw it. Jisung moved from the entrance and went back to his room. Minho went to the kitchen, opened the freezer and took out an ice pocket for Jisung. He then went to his room. Jisung was getting rid of his bag and coat. Minho looked at him and saw the pain and exhaustion in his eyes. 

“Jisungie... sit here for a moment, let's at least put the ice pack on your ankle.” He said it calmly, trying to keep the worry out of his voice. He just wanted to be sure that Jisung was okay. 

Jisung laid on his bed and let Minho apply the ice pack on his ankle. He shivered when the cold pack touched his naked skin. 

“Sorry...” 

Jisung didn't answer. He was clearly exhausted, both physically and mentally, and it showed. Seeing his friend looking so tired and lost was really hard for Minho. Since it looked like he wouldn't put up a fight anymore, Minho decided to try and ask him about his condition 

“Listen Jisung... I know you're not feeling well. You can pretend all you want but you can't fool me. And I know you don't want to talk about it but... I can't bear seeing you like that.” 

Jisung didn't answer once again. He was zoning out. Minho sighted and decided he couldn't beat around the bush anymore. 

“I know you're afraid of falling asleep because you're having nightmares.” He said that with the softest and most understanding voice he could. He didn't want to get Jisung's back up. Faced with a lack of response once again, he tried to fill the silence as much as possible so Jisung wouldn’t have to explain too much or talk about it more than necessary. “I know you're not telling anyone because you don't want us to worry about it as well, but I'm already worried. The nightmares must be really bad if you haven't slept normally in a while.” 

Jisung's eyes started to get wet, but he fought the tears. He had kept that to himself for so long. Minho's gentle voice was reaching his very heart and made him warm. Minho continued to look at Jisung with gentle eyes. He put his hand softly on Jisung's arm, trying to reassure him. Minho saw that Jisung's eyes were getting wet, as he was feeling the overwhelming amount of worry and stress that his friend was carrying on his shoulders alone. Minho realized it must have been hard on Jisung keeping to himself, so he wanted to assure him now. Minho's hand on his arm was comforting and Jisung felt some calmness coming from the gesture. He nodded and took a deep breath. 

“Yeah... they're bad.” 

He said quietly, but that was a big answer for him. Jisung swallowed with difficulty. He had a lump in his throat. 

Minho didn't ask anything more. Jisung had already made a big step by answering him and he didn't want to pressure him even more. He was thinking of a way to help his friend calm down and get some rest. He had an idea. He slowly sat on Jisung's bed, right next to him, his back against the headboard. 

“Jisung... What if you tried to get some sleep now? I could wake you up if I see you having another nightmare. You can't go without sleep forever, you know...” 

Jisung blinked at Minho, considering the idea. He was so tired. But also, so afraid. He started unconsciously biting at his lower lip while thinking. Minho could identify Jisung’s habits he had when overthinking and knew that’s what was happening.  

“Come on, Jisung, please...” 

He gently tugged on the other’s arm and made him lay against him, Jisung’s head on his chest. In another context, Minho would probably have been flustered at the idea of Jisung sleeping on his chest but right now he was just worried about his friend. 

Jisung laid there, his head on Minho's chest, listening to his heartbeat. Minho was breathing softly, and his chest was rising with each breath. It was very peaceful. 

After some time, Minho felt Jisung's body loosen up and understood that he had probably fallen asleep. He spent the following hours monitoring Jisung's sleep, making sure to notice any twitch or whimper he could hear from his friend but there were none. He looked at his face while he was sleeping. Jisung was really cute with his round cheeks and cute nose. 

Minho was less worried now that he finally knew what was going on with Jisung and that he could watch over him and help him. His hand wandered about on Jisung's arm while his other hand was gently stroking his hair, making sure not to wake him up. After some time, he shyly intertwined his fingers with Jisung’s and continued to look at his peaceful breathing. 

Even though Minho wasn't very tired, he ended up falling asleep as well, after several hours of watching over Jisung. 

Minho slowly began emerging. For a second, he wondered where he was but then it all came back to him, and he got really anxious when he realized that he has fallen asleep when he should have been monitoring Jisung's sleep. He lowered his head to look at Jisung and caught his eye. He stuttered shamefully. 

“Jisung, I-I'm sorry... I was supposed to watch over you—” 

Jisung smiled, his head still resting on Minho's chest. “It's okay hyung. I know you probably stayed awake for hours yesterday. And I didn't have any nightmare thanks to you...” 

Minho was relieved to hear that, but he still felt bad for falling asleep. He caressed Jisung's hair again, feeling at ease. 

“I'm glad I was able to help you, but I feel dumb because I fell asleep while I was supposed to watch over you. I'm sorry Jisungie.” 

Minho looked a little embarrassed, but he was still happy to see that Jisung had slept well. Jisung smiled. 

“It's okay. I would feel bad if you were exhausted because you helped me sleep. And I'm pretty sure you almost didn't get any sleep.” 

It was true, Minho didn't sleep more than an hour and a half but still. He wouldn't tell his friend that and make him feel guilty, so Minho didn't answer anything. 

“Do you feel better?” He asked instead in a soft and careful voice, trying not to sound too worried for him. 

Jisung made a reassuring smile to try and ease Minho's anxiety. “Yes, I'm much better now.” 

Minho looked at Jisung's ankle. The ice pack had fallen during the night, but Jisung's ankle still seemed a lot less swollen than yesterday. He touched it carefully to try and assess how bad it was. Jisung flinched but didn't seem to suffer that much. It was encouraging. Some rest would be enough for it to be better. Minho grabbed the ice pocket from the floor and put it back on Jisung’s ankle before standing up and going towards the door. 

“Huh? You're leaving?” Jisung asked with a hint of surprise and disappointment in his voice. 

Minho gave him a tender smile. 

“I'm just gonna get you something for breakfast. Don't move.” 

Minho was surprised but slightly happy when Jisung sounded disappointed when he thought that he was going to leave for a moment, as it meant Jisung was feeling good enough to spend time with Minho. Before Jisung could even say anything more, Minho left the room already and went to the kitchen. 

Minho put the kettle on to make some tea for him and Jisung and decided to make some quick breakfast as well. While he was making some toasts, Minho was also thinking about what they could possibly do today. Maybe they could watch a movie together or play some games. There was no way he would let him go out today, so if he had to spend the whole day with Jisung to avoid that, he would gladly do it. For Jisung’s health, of course. 

As he was walking back towards Jisung's room, Minho noticed I.N sleeping on the couch. He realized that, indeed, he hadn't seen I.N go to his room last night and understood that he must have slept on the couch to not bother them or wake them up. He felt grateful for his thoughtfulness. Minho knew that I.N was probably feeling bad for hiding Jisung's problem all this time, but Minho didn't hold any grudge against him. He knew he was only being loyal to Jisung. He came closer to the couch and put a blanket over I.N. 

Minho then went back to Jisung's room with their breakfast. He put the tray of food on the nightstand and settled back next to Jisung on the bed. 

“Are you hungry?” 

He grabbed the plate with the toasts and handed one to Jisung who took it and started eating it. While Jisung was eating, Minho carefully checked up on him. He still had dark circles under his eyes and looked a bit pale, but he was clearly better than yesterday. This night really did him good. Minho sighed in relief. Minho was glad to see that Jisung was eating, as he knew that he usually lost his appetite when he was too worried. He was looking a little better, so Minho was relieved. He picked up a cup of coffee and sipped from it for a moment. Minho knew Jisung was in the early stages of recovery, and it was clear that it was already an accomplishment that he was able to eat something. 

“You look better than yesterday. How do you feel?” 

Jisung paused for a second, thinking to himself before answering. 

“I'm still tired, but at the same time I feel refreshed. It's been a while since I've felt refreshed when waking up haha.” He laughed a little. 

Minho looked at him with tender eyes. He understood that Jisung paused to think about whether he should be honest about his feeling, and the fact that he chose to be and told him so openly about how he was feeling made Minho really happy. He felt like he was finally getting close to Jisung again after weeks of secrecy and avoidance. Minho gave Jisung a gentle smile. 

“I'm glad to hear that. You know, we don't have much to do today. You hurt your ankle so you can't possibly practice and I'm pretty sure the others wouldn't mind covering for me. Do you want to stay here and relax today?” His eyes were hopeful, he didn't want Jisung to try to work in his state today. 

Jisung was relieved when Minho didn't act shocked or surprised when he shared his feelings for the moment. Jisung had felt very lonely, and it was refreshing to speak to Minho in such an honest way. 

“You're right. I should probably take it easy today or my ankle will just take more time to heal.” 

Minho smiled and ruffled Jisung's hair gently. “Good boy~ What do you want to do today then?” 

Jisung smiled a bit when he felt Minho's hand ruffle his hair. He liked that gesture a lot. 

“I don't know. I'm fine with doing anything, really. Playing games or watching a movie sounds nice, honestly.” 

Minho smiled and nodded. “Okay, I'll come up with something then. But first, would you mind letting me use you guys' bathroom? I need to freshen up real quick.” 

“Of course. Make yourself at home.” 

Minho stood up and left the room. As he entered the bathroom, he could see, out of the corner of his eye, I.N entering the room he shared with Jisung. He couldn't really hear him, but it sounded like I.N was apologizing for breaking his promise and talking about Jisung's problem to Minho. Minho didn't want to eavesdrop, so he quickly closed the bathroom door and undressed to take a shower. 

As soon as he got into the shower and the warm water hit his skin, Minho let out a relieved sigh. Although he didn't sleep much, he was feeling better just knowing that Jisung felt better as well. He thought back on everything that happened during the previous weeks, now that he knew more about Jisung's state. He understood that the night he found Jisung in the studio, he had probably really been crying because of his nightmare already, and that the morning when he found Jisung asleep in the practice room, he was probably there to exhaust himself and avoid sleeping. He understood why I.N lied to him that day and pretended that Jisung was sleeping, and also where the two of them rushed off after practice. 

Minho let out a long sigh. He really wanted to find a way to help Jisung get rid of what was on his mind. He thought about this night, and it finally hit him. He didn't really think about it yesterday because he was so worried but now that he had some time, the thought of Jisung sleeping on his chest made him blush. He had watched him sleep almost all night and he couldn't have been cuter. Minho put his head under the shower stream to try and stop blushing. 

Minho took a very long shower, trying to organize his thoughts. When he finally got out of the shower, he spent even more time just staring at the mirror, thinking about what to do next to keep Jisung occupied while making him take it easy. 

Jisung was still waiting in his room but, after quite some time passed without any noise coming from the bathroom, he started to wonder if everything was alright in there. He got slightly worried knowing that Minho hadn’t slept much during the night and decided to go check on him before he could start overthinking. He limped towards the bathroom, trying not to rely too much on his bruised ankle. Jisung reached the bathroom's door and leaned against it to relieve his ankle a bit. 

On the other side of the door, inside the bathroom, Minho sighed. He didn't have any clean clothes and didn't want to wear the ones he had slept with again. He tied his bath towel on his hips and was ready to go ask Hyunjin for clean clothes, as they were almost the same size. 

When Minho opened the door, Jisung who was leaning against it almost fell and crashed on Minho's bare chest. Minho, feeling a sudden and unexpected weight on his chest, looked down and saw Jisung about to fall, so he instinctively put his arms around him to help him stay still and balanced. 

His arms caught Jisung before he could fall, but suddenly Minho was face-to-face with his friend. The thought of how close they currently were came to his mind, and Minho started slightly blushing as well. He hoped that Jisung didn't notice it. 

Jisung's face was on Minho's bare chest, and he could feel his own cheeks get hotter. Minho's chest was warm and slightly moist, as well as his arms that were around Jisung to prevent him from falling. Jisung avoided Minho's gaze. He didn't want Minho to see that he was blushing and make things awkward between them. But as he was doing that, he couldn't notice that Minho was doing the same thing, also blushing and not wanting the other to notice. Two oblivious boys blushing at each other while trying to hide it.  

After a couple of seconds staying like that, Minho made sure that Jisung had some balance again and that he didn't hurt his ankle more by almost falling. Minho realized that Jisung's face was too close to his own, meaning that he probably noticed Minho blushing. But when Minho realized that Jisung was also blushing, he felt it would be better to say nothing about it and just act normal. Minho couldn't believe that such a simple encounter could be this nerve-racking, but he felt happy to have Jisung close to him in any case.  

Minho looked up at Jisung as he took away his arms from around him and tried to act casual. “You alright?” 

Jisung scratched the back of his neck, still blushing a bit but trying to regain composure and act as if nothing happened. 

“Y-Yes, I'm fine, I just slipped.” He paused for a second. “I'll let you get dressed now.” Jisung turned away awkwardly and went back into his room. 

Minho stayed there a couple of seconds to try and calm his heartbeat. When he finally stopped blushing, he went to Hyunjin's room and asked him to lend him some clothes. Hyunjin who was only waking up mumbled a few words and let him pick something in his closet. Minho used this occasion to tell him he would stay here today to watch over Jisung and asked Hyunjin to cover for him with the others, as he was already well advanced in his dance practice anyway. Hyunjin agreed and told him to take care of Jisung. He went back to the bathroom to get dressed quickly before going back to Jisung. 

When he entered Jisung's room, Minho noticed I.N gathering his stuff. He was probably not coming back today to give them some privacy and let Jisung rest. When I.N noticed Minho he lowered his head, still a bit shameful that he had to lie to him. Minho gave him a small smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder to signify that he didn't resent him and I.N left the room. 

Minho turned his gaze towards Jisung. He was sitting in his bed with his laptop on his laps. He didn't seem uncomfortable anymore but rather focused on his computer. Minho sat beside him carefully. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Oh! Um... nothing really. I thought that I would start writing a song, since I have some time now.” 

Jisung had turned to speak to Minho but turned back and focused back on his computer again. He couldn't help but also look at Minho out of the corner of his eye, trying to see if Minho was still blushing after what happened earlier. 

Minho squinted and pinched Jisung's cheek lightly. “No work for you today. Did you forget already? You have to rest.” He took the laptop from Jisung, saved his file and closed it. 

“Hey!” Jisung interjected. 

Minho raised an eyebrow and stared at him with a playful expression that looked like he was telling him “Will you dare talk back to me?”. Jisung's heart skipped at beat at Minho's piercing eyes, and he tried not to think again about what had happened earlier in the bathroom. Minho turned his head back towards the laptop. 

“How about we watch a movie instead?” 

Jisung tried to protest about Minho taking away his laptop, but when Minho stared at him, he became nervous and didn't say anything back. He was just glad that Minho's eyes were no longer focused on him, because that way he didn't feel self-conscious anymore. 

“Right... sorry. Um. A movie sounds like a good idea, yeah.” 

He felt better again, especially since Minho didn't really seem angry at him. They both knew that Minho was right about Jisung needing to rest in order to heal. Minho found a movie and they started their relaxing day. 

They spent the whole day together, watching movies, playing and resting. Several times during the day, Jisung's head started to nod off and each time Minho would stop what they were doing and lie Jisung down on his chest so he could sleep a bit. Every time he would hold his hand and gently stroke his hair to make sure that Jisung didn't feel alone or scared and assure him that he would wake him up if he had a nightmare. 

Jisung was really glad to have Minho by his side, taking care of him and watching over him. He was getting used to sleeping on Minho's chest and his heartbeat sounded like a lullaby to him. Minho was so gentle when stroking his hair and holding his hand it made Jisung's heart flutter every time. He slept several time during the day, not much each time but he didn't have any nightmare at all. 

Minho noticed how Jisung felt more and more comfortable around him, which made him happy. The fact that Jisung slept and felt safe next to him was very heartwarming, and Minho tried to make him feel as safe as possible, even when the movie was going on and they weren't directly facing each other. Minho still looked at Jisung from time to time out of habit, and it was obvious how handsome and adorable Jisung looked to him right now, almost even more than usual. Every time he looked at him, his heart fluttered a little in the best way. 

After several long hours, Minho and Jisung heard some noise coming from the living room. It seemed like the other members had finished their activities and all went to this dorm to check on Jisung. Since they had spent the whole day resting, Minho and Jisung decided to get out of Jisung's room and spend some time with their friends in the living room. They all ate and laughed together the whole evening. Then it started getting late.

As the evening was ending, Changbin, Chan and Félix started getting ready to head out and go back to their dorm for the night. Minho was stealing glances at Jisung, not sure about what to do for the night coming. Jisung looked at Minho and smiled at him. 

“You should go rest at your dorm too. You didn't sleep much last time.” 

Minho was hesitant. He didn't want Jisung to be anxious about sleeping again or anything as soon as he'd leave. Jisung saw Minho's expression and understood what he was thinking about and gave him a reassuring smile. 

“Don't worry hyung, I got a lot of rest today thanks to you. I want you to rest too. Please... I won't be able to sleep if I'm worrying about you.” 

He smiled and tried to reassure Minho. His smile was genuine and thankful. Minho was about to say something when he noticed Jisung's smile. He was glad to see such a genuine smile on Jisung's face so he couldn't help but smile back at him. He nodded his head in agreement and took the opportunity to give Jisung a quick hug. 

“Alright. Okay. I'll rest at my dorm then. Try not to get worried or nervous if I'm not there.” 

Jisung chuckled softly and his cheeks became a bit red as Minho hug him. Minho left with his roommates and went back to his dorm. He got undressed and crashed on his bed as soon as he got home. He looked at his phone one last time before sleeping and sent a quick text to Jisung to tell him that he got home okay and wish him a goodnight. 

Jisung read Minho's text as soon as he sent it. After a quick reply, Jisung put his phone aside and tried to not think much about Minho before falling asleep. He knew that he would miss sleeping next to Minho next to him, but he had to try and stay strong. He didn’t want to depend on his friend too much and become a burden to him or anyone. Especially not to him. Jisung closed his eyes and tried to sleep. When he fell asleep, his mind was filled with a lot of Minho's sweet smiles and little acts that he did throughout the whole day. 

Minho got a good night of sleep. As soon as he woke up, he got dressed and headed toward Jisung's dorm. Seungmin opened the door and let him in. After a quick greeting, he came across Jisung in the living room. 

“Hey... Did you sleep well?” 

Minho checked Jisung carefully. He seemed in a good mood and less tired than the previous days, which made Minho feel relieved. 

“Hello hyung. Well, it wasn't as peaceful as when you were here, but it was still resting.” 

Jisung chuckled and smiled warmly. He couldn’t hide how much he missed Minho's presence while he slept. Minho could see it on Jisung's face and how he acted. Jisung was still happy and grateful, but it also seemed like he missed Minho in other ways as well. He wasn't hiding it either, probably because Minho had become so important to him. 

“I'm glad to hear that. Though it would seem that you still like when I'm there a bit too much.” 

Minho tried to joke a bit and smiled back at Jisung. Jisung blushed quickly but maintained his composure. It was true, he liked it when Minho was there with him. He felt so dumb for pushing him away the previous weeks, but he just didn't want him to know about the nightmares and worry about him. When thinking back, it was what led Minho to worry even more and Jisung felt stupid now that he realized that. But he decided not to dwell on the past and brushed those thoughts aside. 

The way Jisung was acting now was very different from the cold mask he had been putting up throughout the whole week. Minho was glad to see that Jisung had stopped isolating himself and that they seemed to have made up now. Jisung was smiling again, and it made Minho's heart flutter. Minho made the youngest sit down at the kitchen's table and checked on his ankle. It was already better looking and Jisung almost wasn't limping anymore when walking. It may not be sprained after all. 

Since their schedule didn't involve any kind of exercise today and because Jisung wouldn't stop whining about it, Minho authorized him to come to work with him and the others today. After getting ready, they left the dorm to go to the studio, Jisung relying on Minho when walking was becoming too difficult. They got some stares on the way to the studio, but Jisung tried to ignore them. Minho held onto Jisung's arm and guided him every step on the way to make sure he wouldn't trip or slip off balance. Jisung's ankle seemed to be a bit better now, but Minho wasn't sure; and he didn't want to take any risks. Minho kept holding onto Jisung's arm when they arrived at the studio, feeling that he didn't want to let go of him just yet. 

Everyone was already in the studio when Minho and Jisung entered. Chan was in the recoding booth and Changbin was monitoring him. They all looked happy when seeing Jisung in a better state. They made some room for his to sit on the couch and the recording session went as usual. Minho sat beside him, not wanting to get too far from him, just in case he’d need anything. Jisung was happy to be back with his members, as it helped to lift up his good mood. He was glad to see their smiles and he liked how comfortable and normal it felt to just be there with them again. 

Around lunchtime, Jisung started feeling sleepy and Minho noticed it. While the others were heading out to have lunch, Minho dragged Jisung in an empty practice room. 

Jisung was surprised and a bit confused. “Hyung, what are you doing? Shouldn't we go eat with the others?” 

“You're tired right? Come here, you can sleep on the couch for some time before the others come back. I'll watch over you.” 

Minho was so careful with Jisung it made his heart beat a bit faster. Jisung was really thankful for Minho's thoughtfulness. Jisung laid on his side on the couch. 

“You should go eat, hyung...” 

Minho sat on the floor, beside the couch, his head close to Jisung and took his hand. 

“No way. I'm staying with you. Now get some rest.” 

He approached his fingers from Jisung's eyes playfully, as if he was about to poke them if Jisung didn't close his eyes. Jisung chuckled and closed his eyes. He was feeling really thankful. He focused on the warmth from Minho's hand and quickly fell asleep. Minho stayed by Jisung's side the whole time he was sleeping, making sure to not make any noise as to not wake him up. Minho was very careful with everything that he did, and his movements and thoughts seemed to be all about making sure that Jisung's sleep was the sweetest and calmest it could be. Minho didn't move until Jisung started to wake up. 

When he did, Jisung was smiling. He slept without nightmares once again. Minho smiled at him as Jisung was opening his eyes slowly. Jisung thanked him and told him that he slept well and without nightmares. Jisung hugged Minho tightly, he was really grateful. Minho was also happy and relieved to see that Jisung could get some sleep this way too. They both got up and left the room to go find something to eat quickly and move on to their other schedules. 

After that, taking a nap in the practice room during lunch break became a habit. Minho couldn't go to Jisung's dorm and watch over him every night because they were afraid to bother I.N and the others, and Jisung didn't want Minho to lose too much sleep while watching over him. So, they slept in their own dorms, but Minho would drag Jisung to an empty room every day to make sure he'd get some quality sleep when he could watch over him. It became a habit of theirs. Jisung would lie on a couch or on the floor and Minho would watch him sleep while holding his hand and occasionally stroke his hair. 

Since it was now a habit of their days, Jisung wasn't feeling any embarrassment anymore when they went to take their little naps. Minho was just glad to have the time with Jisung, and Jisung felt comfortable enough with Minho by his side that the two of them could just chill together comfortably even though it was during business hours. When Jisung and Minho left the practice room to continue with their schedules, they didn't think about their routine as something that was weird or wrong. It was just a normal part of their days now. 

Jisung looked better these days. He may still have had some nightmares during the nights, but they calmed down a bit and his naps during lunch time really helped regulate his sleep and fatigue levels. Their little routine went on for days. 

But as their comeback was drawing nearer, they started having less and less time. Minho was the main dancer of most of the new songs and that kept him incredibly busy. He still wanted to enjoy those little off times with Jisung but it was just impossible for him at the moment. Now it was already the fifth time in a row that he had to take care of something during lunch and couldn't watch over Jisung's sleeping. They almost couldn't see each other except for when they were practicing but it was only for work, and they had so much stuff going on that they could barely talk about anything but work. Minho was feeling really bad, and he noticed that Jisung wasn't going to the practice room to sleep anymore when he couldn't join him, but he couldn't even find the time to talk about it with Jisung. It made him worried. 

As Minho was busy, Jisung missed his presence even more each day. He wasn't able to get enough sleep again and his nightmares were back, but he couldn't drag Minho with him during his breaks anymore. Jisung started to miss Minho more and more by the day. The nights without Minho were the worst. Jisung felt so alone in those moments. He couldn't even tell Minho about it anymore, since Minho was so busy. Minho didn't know how worried Jisung had become at night. 

Today was the sixth day in a row that Minho couldn't see Jisung and watch over his sleep. That night, he came home at 1 a.m. after practicing all evening and crashed on his bed, feeling exhausted. He looked at his phone to see if he had any texts and sighed. He was missing Jisung badly. He was about to get undressed to sleep when his phone rang. He was a little surprised. Who could be calling at such a late hour? He looked at the screen and saw the maknae’s name, which made him even more surprised. He didn’t hesitate to answer the phone, wondering why I.N had felt the need to call him at such a late hour, and hoping that everything was alright. 

His heart sank when he heard I.N's tone. He seemed desperate and panicked. 

“Lee Know hyung, i-is Han hyung with you?” 

Minho's heart started to race. What did he mean by that? Wasn't Jisung supposed to be at their dorm at this hour? 

“What? What do you mean, he's not at your dorm?!” 

Minho's mind went blank for a moment as he was trying to process everything. He felt like he was about to faint, and his thoughts were racing. Where was Jisung? What if something had happened to him? Minho tried not to panic and spoke calmly back to I.N. Panicking right now, when he didn’t even know the situation, would only make things worse. 

“H-hold on a second, I.N. Is everything alright? Are you saying that Han isn't at your dorm? What's going on? Where is he?” 

I.N's voice was shaking but he didn't hesitate. He didn't want to hide anything anymore. And he was panicking really bad, worrying about his roommate. 

“I-I'm sorry, I don't— He's been having nightmares again recently and I fear he went back to his old habit of just not sleeping... I don't understand he was getting better and then—” I.N kept interrupting himself, clearly panicking. 

Minho called him with a serious tone to make him snap out of it. “I.N come on, focus. Where is Han? Since when his he out?” 

I.N tried to give an explanation as clear as his panicking mind could form. 

“I don't know, hyung. When his nightmares started to become too much, he said that this was too hard, that it was too painful. He said he needed to get sleep during the day but couldn't anymore either...” I.N sighed, trying to calm down and think clearly. “He went out about half an hour ago. He had his bag, so I thought he was just going to the convenience store but it's only a couple of minutes away and he's still not back or answering his phone...” 

Minho was terrified. He feared the worst now that I.N told him Jisung went back to not sleeping at all. Dozens of scenarios raced in his mind. What if he had hurt himself again? What if he fainted from exhaustion somewhere outside? What if someone took advantage of his tiredness? Minho's heart was beating out of his chest as he was panicking. He tried to regain a bit of composure. Now was not the time to let his imagination run wild. He had to find Jisung! 

“Okay I.N, listen to me. I'll go look for him outside. You stay at your dorm and text me if he comes back.” 

As he was telling that to I.N, Minho stood up, grabbed his coat and rushed out of his dorm after hanging up. 

Minho rushed to the convenience store but found no trace of Jisung there. He kept calling him, but his calls were unanswered. After what felt like an hour looking everywhere, Minho's call finally got answered. He stopped when, instead of hearing Jisung's voicemail message, he heard that the call had been picked up. But there was still no sound on the other side. 

Minho asked confusedly, “J-Jisung? You there?...” 

There were a few seconds of silence that felt like whole minutes for Minho before Jisung finally answered. When he heard his voice, Minho's heart sank once again. 

“H-Hyung... I couldn't sleep...” 

Jisung's voice was hurt, broken, desperate, as if he had been crying. Minho felt his heart shatter into pieces. Jisung sounded like he was in so much pain. He swallowed hardly before speaking, trying to keep his voice as calm and composed as possible and not show the fear and worry that were eating at him. 

“Jisung... Where are you right now?” 

Jisung answered slowly, his voice still broken. “I'm... At the studio...” 

Minho's mind started racing again. As soon as he heard where Jisung was, he started sprinting in that direction. 

“Stay there Jisung, don't you dare go anywhere else before I'm here.” 

Minho's voice may have sounded a bit harsh, but he was desperate for Jisung to stay where he was and not leave before he could find him. When he reached the building where the studio was, Minho rushed inside. He didn't want to wait for the elevator, so he ran up the stairs two at a time. He opened every room that he came across, hoping to find Jisung inside, without success. He finally found him in the practice room. It was the one where they used to rest during lunch break. Minho saw him through the round window that was on the door. Jisung was curled up on the couch and this sight of him gave Minho a heartache. He looked so miserable and weak. Jisung was facing the other way so he couldn't see his face, but Minho knew from his voice when they talked on the phone that he had probably been crying. Minho took out his phone and briefly sent a text to I.N, telling him that he had found Jisung and was with him now and not to worry anymore. Then he entered the room. 

He didn’t want to scare him, so Minho walked calmly towards the couch and sat down next to Jisung. He didn’t speak a word, as if he was just trying to offer a comforting presence. 

Jisung was sobbing silently. He didn't look at Minho and stayed hunched up. After a few seconds, Minho held out his hand and cautiously approached it from Jisung's hair. He stroked his hair in a warm and gentle way and at that moment, Minho's warmth made Jisung break down into tears. Minho was so gentle and patient with him, Jisung felt overwhelmed with thankfulness but also a terrible feeling of shame, as if he had disappointed him by acting how he was. Jisung was now shaking and sobbing violently. 

“I-I'm sorry h-hyung. I'm so worthless I c-can't even do something a-as simple as s-sleep...” 

Jisung was bawling his eyes out and Minho felt his heart crumble. It pained him so much to see Jisung hurting. He put his other hand of Jisung's hand a squeezed it gently. 

“Don't say that please Jisung... You're anything but worthless...” 

He tried to make his voice as soft as possible and hide his sorrow and concern. He just wanted Jisung to calm down right now but he wasn't sure how to do so. Minho's heart broke once again, as he remembered how much Jisung blamed and hated himself for every single little thing. He took Jisung in his arms and cradled him, wanting to show him that he felt he was worth something and that he wasn't at all worthless. He continued to speak in a calming voice, making sure that Jisung felt safe and appreciated by him. 

“Jisung, don't blame yourself for anything. It's okay, that's not your fault.” 

Minho continued to hold Jisung's hand and cradle him. Jisung continued crying for a long time, sobbing and breathing heavily. It really hurt Minho to see him in such a miserable state, but he didn't say anything. He just gave Jisung the time he needed to cry as much as he needed to calm down. After a while, Minho started to rock Jisung in his arms, hoping to make him feel a bit more comfortable and less stressed. Minho was still holding Jisung in his arms when Jisung finally calmed himself down a bit from crying. 

Jisung had stopped crying. Now he was only sniffing a bit while staring blankly in front of him. He looked more exhausted than ever, and Minho didn't know if it was because of all the crying, because he couldn't sleep before or a mix of both. This sight was really heart wrenching for him. As Jisung seemed to have calmed down, Minho slowly stopped hugging him and slowly moved back to give him some space. He wasn't going to get up and leave at all, but he still wanted to let Jisung breath, not knowing if he might feel a bit trapped in his embrace. Minho was hesitant to ask but he just had to know at this point. 

“Jisung... Did you not sleep at all the past days...?” 

Jisung flinched when he heard the question. He didn't want to disappoint Minho and he was certain that he would be. He clenched his teeth, trying not to cry again. He wasn't even sure he had any tears left anymore. 

Minho noticed Jisung's reaction and tried to reassure him. “Hey, it's okay. I'm not mad at you. You hear me?” As if he was reading Jisung's mind, he continued. “I'm not disappointed either. I know you can't control the nightmares.” 

Minho tried his best to keep himself calm and reassuring. He knew very well that if Jisung thought he'd disappointed or hurt Minho, he'd only blame himself even more than he already did. Minho knew what a guilt tripper Jisung could be. 

“Jisung, it's okay. You haven't done anything wrong or disappointed me in any way. I know you can't control it, Jisung. I promise, I understand, and I'm still here for you, no matter what.” 

Jisung looked at Minho for the first time tonight. His eyes were sparkling with tears, his cheeks were red and crossed by trails of salt left by his crying. He looked exhausted and Minho felt a lump in his throat in front of this miserable sight. He gently pushed a strand of messy hair that was in Jisung's face and smiled softly. 

Minho seemed so gentle and kind with Jisung, as if he knew all of Jisung's struggles and vulnerabilities. After having to spend so many days alone and not being able to sleep, Jisung looked quite drained, which worried Minho as he continued to look Jisung over while he smiled softly at him. Jisung smiled softly back to Minho, trying to hold back his tears, not wanting Minho to feel guilty for what he'd put himself through these past few days. 

Minho asked him hesitantly. “Do you... want to talk about it?” 

Jisung didn't answer for a second but then slowly shook his head. He wasn't ready yet. And Minho wanted to respect his privacy and wishes so he didn't push him any further. Pressuring him right now was the last thing he wanted. 

“Can you at least tell me what you were doing here in the middle of the night?” He was about to tell him that I.N was worried but didn't. He knew that Jisung would feel guilty about making his friend worry and he didn't need that right now, so he kept it to himself. 

“I couldn't sleep so I thought... Since I slept so peacefully here when you were with me...” 

It was a partial truth, but Jisung couldn't bring himself to say everything out loud, even to Minho. The truth was that Jisung had missed Minho the past few days, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He knew that his friend was busy, just like every other member and he didn't want to bother him with his sleeping problem. But facts were that when he slept with Minho watching over him, he didn't have any nightmare. And now he may had become used to it. He didn't want to depend so much on his friend but at the same time, he wanted to see him all the time. And not only because he helped him sleep... But that, Jisung wasn't sure if he was ready to acknowledge it himself. Jisung looked at Minho and talked with a timid voice. 

“Minho... Thanks for always being there for me. It really means a lot to me, and you already helped me so much. You really are a good friend...” 

Minho's heart skipped a bit. Jisung didn't usually call him “Minho”, he rather called him “Hyung” or “Lee Know” but hearing Jisung use his first name made him feel something. He was touched. On the other hand, when Jisung said that he was a good friend, Minho felt like Jisung sounded a bit sad. He wasn't sure why, but it didn't seem quite right for him either. Minho decided to tell Jisung some of his honest thoughts, no matter how vulnerable that made him right now. Jisung was so hurt right now, though. Minho was not sure if Jisung was ready to hear what Minho had to say at the moment, or not but he wanted to reassure him in any way he could. 

“Jisung... I know you know this already, but... you're a lot more than just a good friend. You're family to me, and much more than that, even. I care for you a lot, Jisung.” 

Jisung blushed slightly. He was already feeling conflicted with his feelings and now Minho told him that? He didn't want to start thinking about it and imagine weird things. His feelings were conflicted, and he was at a loss. 

Minho's heart was racing like crazy, and he was so nervous. He was almost ready to go back on his word and not speak the words he wanted to say to Jisung, since he figured that Jisung wasn't prepared to hear that from him. Jisung was already going through enough of his own conflicts. 

Both of the boys were now blushing a bit, thoughts racing in their heads and hearts pounding in their chest, but both were completely oblivious to the other's reaction, not noticing that they had conflicting but mutual feelings for each other, too preoccupied by their own feelings and reactions they were trying to hide from the other. 

Jisung didn't want Minho to see him blush, as he didn't want to look awkward and he slowly came closer to Minho to hug him shyly, forcing him to lean back against the armrest a bit. Minho was a bit surprised that Jisung was the one who initiated the hug but happy at the same time. He thought that Jisung may have felt lonely and might want some closure. Or maybe it was just his way to show his thankfulness. He wrapped his arms around Jisung and held him against him. He hoped Jisung wouldn't notice that Minho's heart was beating fast. He didn't want to make him feel awkward and not want to hug him anymore. 

Minho didn't want to break the silence. He didn't want to pressure Jisung into talking if he didn't want it. Instead, he continued to hug him tightly. After a long time without moving, Minho started to wonder if Jisung had fallen asleep in his arms. Not that he would mind it, quite the contrary actually. He gently moved one of his hands to Jisung's head and caressed his hair. No reaction from Jisung. He whispered, afraid to wake him up if he was really sleeping. 

“Jisung... Did you fall asleep...?” 

Once again, he didn't get any response. Jisung's breathing was slow and even, so Minho started to really think that Jisung might be asleep. He didn't feel uncomfortable at all since Jisung had already slept on his chest in the past. Rather, he was glad that Jisung rested. It seemed to have been a long and difficult night for him today. Without even thinking, he kissed the top of Jisung's head. 

“Sleep well Jisungie~” He whispered once again. Then, almost in a breath, he said words he would have never dared to say if he knew that Jisung was actually awake. He murmured “I love you...” 

Jisung's heart almost stopped with shock as he heard Minho whisper “I love you” near his ear. His face was still buried in Minho's arm, and he couldn't seem to move away from him. He just froze in his spot and was unable to say a single word right now. Jisung's whole world felt flipped upside down, and he wasn't sure if what Minho said was the truth or not, nor what it meant exactly. His breath was fast and erratic, since having Minho speak these words to him suddenly made his heart race even faster once again. Pictures of Minho’s face where everywhere in his head and his thoughts were swirling, wondering what he meant with these words, trying not to overthink but overthinking anyway, no knowing what weigh to give to those words, if they were meant in a friendly way or... Jisung’s train of thought was on the verge of derailing with all that thinking in his tired little brain. 

After a few seconds, Jisung gathered his courage. He wasn't thinking straight anymore anyway and decided to go all in. He raised his head slowly and looked at Minho. Their faces were very close from each other, only a couple of inches away. Jisung was blushing heavily. 

Minho watched Jisung raise his head with surprise. Had he been awake the whole time? Minho started blushing and his heart was racing when he saw the determined look in Jisung's eyes and his red cheeks. Before he could say anything, Jisung put his lips against Minho's, a bit awkwardly. Minho was stunned. He couldn't believe what was happening. But his whole world suddenly brightened, and he felt his heart pounding even faster once he realized what was happening. He took a moment to really understand that it was actually happening. 

Jisung took his lips off of Minho's and drew back just a bit. He was all red as he raised his eyes to meet Minho's. This sight made Minho lose his mind. All his blood rushed to his face and his heart started beating out of his chest. He put his hand on the back of Jisung's head and brought him closer to kiss him again. The kiss was less shy this time, as both of them felt like they could finally do something they've waited so long for. The second kiss was deeper and more passionate, as both of them had to let go of everything they hadn't said all of these years. It was as if everything Minho never said, was coming out of his lips now. He felt like he couldn't hold himself back anymore. His heart was beating incredibly fast. 

They kissed again and again until they were too out of breath to continue. They parted and looked at each other, al red and breathing heavily. Their eyes were filled with pure passion and love as they looked at each other. Then they broke the silence by chuckling. They were still euphoric and couldn't grasp what had just happened, as if it was all a sweet dream. They looked at each other tenderly. 

Minho still couldn't believe what was happening, but Jisung's smile made the moment so much more real. Jisung's eyes were filled with love and warmth, and Minho got lost in them. Jisung took Minho's hand and kissed it softly before finally answering him. 

“I love you too Minho...” 

Minho was on cloud nine. He had finally heard Jisung say the words he only dreamt of hearing him say. He took Jisung in his arms and hugged him tightly, afraid he might tear up if Jisung continued to look at him with such lovely eyes. He held him firmly, Jisung being his only anchor in this beautiful world right now. Jisung held Minho tight too. He still didn't believe what had just happened, but he was so happy and couldn't imagine being anywhere besides Minho's embrace right now. The two boys stayed in each other peaceful embrace for a very long time, occasionally giggling and kissing each other. They were both so happy and radiating with love at the moment. 

After a long time, they both started dozing off. This night had been so full of emotions for both of them. Minho rolled his scarf to use it as a pillow and they laid down more comfortably on the couch. Jisung put his head on Minho's chest, just over his heart and listened to the lullaby of his heart beats. Minho kept kissing and playing with Jisung's hair. Jisung took Minho's hand and looked at it. He finally felt complete. As they were both falling asleep with a smile on their faces and their thoughts started to drift off, Jisung thought to himself. 

“I wonder, if I couldn't fall asleep before, was it because you weren't there to hold my hand?”