cliché

❝[☁️] e i g h t 八

As soon as both of them showed up, Ms Khan explained their detention and ordered them around. She told them that they have to finish all the decorations in two hours top which appeared to be impossible to accomplish, seeing how much of the scenography had to be prepared. Minho really had better things to do than to waste his time here.

They sit in silence. A painfully awkward one. They seem to have picked opposite classroom corners, just to work on their tasks separately; an unspoken agreement on ignoring each other heavily lingering in the atmosphere, making the room feel oddly suffocating.

Minho remembers yesterday's conversation with Jisung, carried through Twitter undercover. Why did Jisung so easily opened up to Lee Know? Was it the fact that he enjoyed his fanfics? Was it the fact that Jisung thought that Lee Know doesn't know him in real life and probably never will? Minho thought of it; if any of his favourite authors would ever reach out to him and offer support, Minho would probably spill everything out without second thought. That's what Jisung must have felt. It kind of hurt Minho to know that Jisung will have hard time opening up to him, if he ever will in the first place.

The blond boy said he pushed him away because Minho got too close, which leaves the older wondering... What does it mean "too close"? Jisung doesn't seem to have such a problem with other random students he has been making friends with. Minho can't understand how a single hang out – which wasn't even a hang out since they were forced to work on a project – and a brief encounter in the library could make Jisung feel like Minho was getting too close.

Suddenly Minho blushes, recalling how Jisung called him hot. Did Minho really look like a straight cis guy? He kinda expected it, he wasn't so sure about his sexuality himself. He always found himself attracted to what's non-conventional, specifically finding his interest in people who were avoiding created by society standards. It could be androgynous beauty, maybe genderless style, or just the way they carried themselves – Minho felt drawn to such people.

And Jisung... Jisung was that type of person, Minho noticed. The choice of clothing, his makeup, even the soft, feminine features he possessed and purposely highlighted, bringing it forward... Not mentioning his interest in gay fanfics Minho wrote.... Yeah, Minho had his quirks too.

Before Minho could shake those thoughts off, he already found himself feeling something peculiar, almost tingly at the bottom of his stomach. He realised – he never actually hated Jisung, he just was envious of his carefree attitude. Everything seemed to be so easy for the boy, either it was getting good grades, being extremely social and recognisable in his environment, or simply being able to laugh about the smallest things. What Minho considered annoying wasn't Jisung himself, more like the fact that he had something that Minho felt like he could never achieve. The positive mindset, or simply, happiness. Even the tiniest bit of it.

Only after Minho got to see a bit of Jisung's more vulnerable side, it clicked for him – Jisung wasn't any different, and it was so unfair of Minho to assume that the boy's life must have always been easy on him. Only after Jisung's mask fell off, revealing that fearful and timid boy, far away from outspoken and charismatic persona of that Han Jisung, Minho finally understood. Everyone was carrying their burden.

Minho is pulled out of his thoughts as he hears a low huff behind his back, followed by a noise of several small things falling to the ground. He turns around, seeing as Jisung already kneels on the floor, a ripped carton by his feet as he cleans the mess his clumsiness caused.

"It tore open," Jisung mutters as if to himself, yet the need to explain himself outweighing the need to ignore Minho's presence and his piercing gaze.

The older sighs quietly and grabs a new box. He approaches the blond boy, helping him to gather the stuff back into one place.