All The Little Moments ~ Hyunlix/Minsung

Minho's Gift ~ MinSung

Today was another busy day for Stray Kids, their schedule jam-packed as usual. They'd already done a photo-shoot in the morning, and after a short break for lunch they were in the First Take studio, getting ready to record a song.

This wasn't the first time they'd been here - they'd recorded Slump in this studio last year, so they knew what to expect.

Minho looked around as everyone took their places and made sure the mics were working properly. He smiled happily as he saw how relaxed everyone seemed to be, joking and playing around, almost as if they were at home in their dorm.

After a few moments, though, he instinctively looked to his left, as he noticed the lack of noise coming from Jisung. Jisung was normally the loudest of the group, so Minho was instantly worried by his silence.

His insticts had been right - there was something wrong; he could tell just by looking at the younger boy. The slumped posture, his head down, the way he was nervously playing with his fingers. And most telling of all, the way he scratched his arm every so often, seemingly without even realising it. Minho had known Jisung long enough to know what all that meant - his boyfriend was panicking on the inside.

"Oh, Hannie," Minho whispered, his heart breaking.

He reached out, instinctively wanting to comfort his boyfriend, but stopped when he remembered the plethora of cameras positioned around the room. A few anguished seconds later he came to a decision, and patted the younger awkwardly on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, it'll all be over in five minutes!"

Minho laughed a very unnatural laugh as the other boy looked up at him, a weak smile on his face. He gave a forced kind of smile back, his heart breaking even more as he saw that his efforts weren't paying off at all.

If anything, Jisung now looked hurt as well as anxious. He could obviously tell that Minho wasn't showing his true feelings, and the fact that his own boyfriend wasn't giving him the love and support he needed right now was having a visible effect. Gazing at Jisung's sad face, the older couldn't help thinking that he looked completely broken.

Minho's own face took on a panicky look now, horrified that he'd managed to make matters worse rather than better. He knew he had to fix things, and fast, as the recording was going to start any minute now. He glanced around the room once more and saw that no one was paying them any attention, too busy having fun.

Turning back to Jisung, Minho put his hand gently on his shoulder and squeezed. When Jisung looked at him again, the older gave him a radiant, heart-felt smile - his special smile, the one he reserved for Jisung.

The effect was instantaneous. The younger's face lit up like the sun, and a beautiful smile spread across it like liquid gold. Minho could see Jisung relaxing straight away, and the tension cascaded out of his own body too.

Just then a voice came through the speaker, saying it was time to begin. The two boys sighed, taking one last look at each other before turning to face the rest of the group.

Once the room fell silent, Chan started singing in his beautiful, haunting voice. Minho closed his eyes for a moment, feeling like he was floating on a cloud. Soon Changbin started rapping, followed by Hyunjin. Minho quickly glanced in Jisung's direction, and was happy to see that the younger was still looking fairly relaxed.

A minute later it was Minho's turn to sing the first half of the chorus. He put his heart and soul into the lines, as always, and smiled to himself at the end, feeling satisfied. But as Seungmin took over, Minho glanced to his left and his face fell in an instant.

Jisung was panicking again, and he looked worse than before. In fact, Minho thought, he looked like he was on the brink of a full-on panic attack. Minho guessed it was because of the younger's solo rap, which was coming up just after the chorus, so he knew he only had a few seconds to help his boyfriend.

The seconds seemed to stretch out endlessly as Minho's mind suddenly raced like a runaway train. What can I do? he wondered desperately. A million ideas flashed through his brain, each one rejected in an instant.

But suddenly one idea stood out from all the others, a beacon of light in the chaotic kaleidoscope of Minho's mind. He remembered another time like this, back when they were trainees, when he was the one panicking, and Jisung held his hand to calm him down. Maybe now he could finally return Jisung's gift, and calm him down in the same way.

As the chorus was coming to an end, Minho reached out his hand and took hold of Jisung's shaking one, intertwining their fingers and squeezing.

Jisung whipped his head around, a look of surprise on his beautiful face. But after a second, a relieved smile emerged, and he gazed into Minho's eyes solemnly. The older gazed wonderingly at his boyfriend's face; it was as though Jisung had been lost in the wilderness, but was now safe at home again.

Minho watched, mesmerised, as every one of Jisung's muscles relaxed. He stood up straight, with his head held high, confidence radiating from every pore. Holding the older's gaze, he performed his rap flawlessly, flashing a smile at Minho once he was finished.

Minho smiled back at him, relief and pride sweeping across his face. He went to let go of the younger's hand, but Jisung was holding on tightly. Surprised, but not unhappy, Minho squeezed his boyfriend's hand again as he turned his attention back to the group and the music.

The song continued on without a hitch, and soon it came to an end, the members all breathing sighs of relief once it was finished.

"Hey Ji - that was an awesome rap, mate!" called Chan from across the studio, a wide grin on his face.

Everyone else started congratulating Jisung, then, a few even clapping and whistling.

A blush rose up the younger's cheeks, but he didn't look at his admiring friends. His gaze was on Minho, both the older's hands now clasped in his own.

"Thank you," he whispered, giving Minho his special smile.

Minho just smiled back, his heart too full for words. Holding Jisung's hand was the best thing he'd ever done, and he didn't want to ever let go.