Chapter Text
Minho’s eyes scan the bustling room, which is full of members of Stray Kids, makeup artists, costume designers, technicians and more. His makeup is being adjusted by one of the makeup artists- a natural seeming makeup look with glitter under his eyes. He listens to the chaotic room; it feels extremely alive today, despite his melancholic demeanour.
He looks up at the ceiling, doing as he’s told by the makeup artist. It takes a substantial amount of energy to lift his groggy eyelids. For some reason, each muscle has felt foreign in his own body for the past week. He listens to the chatter and laughter that surrounds him- listening particularly to Han’s, as per usual.
“No, that was too high pitched.” Seungmin instructs Han. “Find it yourself.” After receiving Seungmin’s advice, Han practices his line in the chorus until he finds the correct pitch, earning a nod of approval from Seungmin.
Listening to his lover’s voice has been one of his last attempts at lifting his spirits. It’s a habit that he’s developed; he seems to retreat to Han whenever he feels like this. The air around him feels as though it’s been poisoned by fog. Nothing is clear, his thoughts aren’t clear. He lets his eyes drop after receiving permission from his Noona, sighing as he looks down at his thighs in the chair.
“All done!” She says cheerily, clapping her hands. Minho watches as her marble bracelets slide down her slim wrists as she does so, almost reaching the dark sleeves of her shirt- which are rolled up. He pushes himself up onto his feet. He feels his knees shake with the effort. “Thank you.” He says quietly, but she still hears him and smiles in return.
Before having time to process what’s happening, Han bounds over to him and throws himself into Minho’s embrace. “You look so handsome, my Jagiya!” He sings as he holds Minho’s face in his small hands. “The glitter makes your eyes look so pretty. Not that your eyes aren’t already pretty of course! They always are, but they look especially pretty today, don’t they?” He rants. Minho loves to listen to Han’s ranting.
Han understands Minho in a way that some of the other members can often struggle to comprehend. He understands that, just like everybody else, he has difficult times, and he needs to be supported by those around him. Though unlike Han, Minho doesn’t realise when he’s experiencing one of these times, but he understands how to help himself once he knows.
Sometimes it takes days for Minho to realise why he’s feeling so miserable- sometimes someone needs to explain it to him. “I understand that you’re not feeling great today, baby. Are you sure you can get through this? It’s completely okay if you can’t. No one would be angry at you.” Han asks softly, not letting go of him.
Minho knows that he’s having a depressive episode. He’s aware of how difficult it’ll be to get through this Music Video filming, but he never feels ready to limit himself. He’ll never be prepared to stop himself from doing something he loves, especially if he’s doing it because of his bipolar disorder. “I’ll be okay. I’ll just take it easy.” He speaks softly, accidentally mimicking his lover.
Han always trusts Minho to tell him if he feels as though he can’t do something. He has no reason not to. “Okay.” He responds, a small smile across his round cheeks. Minho has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder for three years this weekend. He knows himself better than anyone else ever will.
“Are you ready?” He asks, taking Minho’s hand in his own.
“Hi camera~” Changbin sings sweetly as he lays on the floor. “Today we’re filming the music video for Maniac, the set is spectacular! They’re filming Hyunjin-ie’s part right now.” He mutters, focusing on capturing Hyunjin’s beauty through the lens. “His red hair suits him a lot.” He continues. Suddenly, Han lays down on top of Changbin- making a grand entrance. “Hello everyone!” He yells happily. “Don’t mind the bug that I’m squashing. Jinnie’s afraid of bugs, so I thought I should capture it.”
Changbin squeaks and pushes Han off of him easily. “Don’t be so rude to your Hyung!” He points a finger at Han, framing anger. Han begins to respond, only to be cut off by a harsh bang behind them. The whole set falls into silence in curiosity. “What the fuck was that?” Felix asks. Hyunjin shrugs with raised eyebrows. “I have no idea.” It doesn’t take long for everyone on the large set to resume their conversations. "Whose solo scene will they be shooting after Hyunjin’s?” Changbin asks one of the staff, who checks something that’s written on his clipboard. “Hm… I think Chan-ah’s.” He taps the paper with his pen and smiles down at Han and Changbin. “Wait, where is he?” He asks, frowning with realisation.
As though it was intentional, Chan suddenly enters the set as Changbin begins to respond. Han turns to face the older, only for panic to course through his veins upon seeing the sight in front of him. “Is there a medic in here?” Chan asks. The question seems unreal. “Minho’s hurt.” He says, and only then, does everyone realise that he’s got an arm around an injured Minho.
He’s limping, squeezing his eyes shut and wincing in pain with every step. “What happened?!” Han exclaims as he runs over to the pair of them. “How did you injure yourself?! Where does it hurt?” He interrogates them. “Han-ie. Let’s just get him sat down first. Okay?” Chan says swiftly, using his authoritative and parental voice. “I’ll go find the medic. Stay with him.” He instructs the younger, as if he would’ve done anything but staying with Minho.