STAY - Against The System | CHOSEN 2 (MINSUNG FF)

THIRTEEN

2320.12.22

“Come one, just one sip!” Jisung’s big, shiny puppy eyes almost got him. Almost.
“No way. You always empty the bottle. Go buy your own.”
“But..” Yearning, the younger boy stares at the strawberry milk in Minho's hand. “But I love strawberry milk!”
“And so do I.” The elder took a sip of his favorite drink and took in the scenery.
The rooftop of their high school was empty today since the weather has gotten more foggy and gray over the forenoon. Now, at lunchtime, only a few students had decided to spend their break up here. Jisung and him shared a bench in the back of the rooftop, far from the door.

Minho liked this weather. The fog hid the higher city buildings in the distance and painted the scenery in a somehow gloomy mood. The fog also swallowed the traffic noises around the school. On the rooftop it sounded like the whole hustle and bustle took place far away from the boys.

When Minho looked back at his friend, the boy was still staring at him.
The elder sighted. “Okay, but just ONE sip!”
Happily Jisung took the small bottle to put it on his lips.
His lips…
Jisung stopped drinking when he noticed his friend’s look. “You are staring.”
“I’m not.”
"Yes, you are.”
After another sip he gave the bottle back, half empty, of course. But Minho couldn’t care less.

A tiny drop of pink milk stayed in the corner of the younger’s mouth which the latter didn’t seem to notice. Like in trance Minho reached out to touch the other boy’s lips with his index finger. “You got some milk there”, he explained to the confused Jisung, still focused on the lips in front of him.
They felt so soft under his touch, so warm.
The younger stayed quiet, letting his best friend do - whatever this was. Minho slowly wiped the finger over his lip, swiping the droplet of milk away.
“Done.” He spoke lower now, almost whispering. His gaze wandered from the soft lips up to Jisung’s eyes.
Stunning eyes. The most beautiful eyes the world has ever seen. Minho was sure about that.

“Minho?”
But the latter didn’t even hear the boy whispering his name.
“Ji. What if I told you that I like you?”
“You know that I like you too.”
They still kept their voices low, it seemed like the foggy silence around them had gotten even more present, now that the two boys had scooted closer to each other. Without realizing they had turned their bodies to each other, their noses almost touching, both a bit rosy from the cold autumn air and excitement.

“Not in that way, stupid.” Somehow their hands found each other. Jisung played with the elder’s fingers.

Ring finger, middle finger, index finger.

Then he looked back into Minho’s eyes. “I know.”

Index finger, middle finger, ring finger.

But his eyes stayed on Minho’s.

What would you do if the softest, deepest,  most chocolaty eyes would look at you like this, through long, thick lashes, somehow expecting.
You would fall.

Minho already had done this a hundred times, it was like he was used to this. He kept falling into the dark orbs, again and again, every single time they would look at him.

“Ji, did you know that your eyes are eating me alive?”
The younger boy chuckled. “Should I close them, then?”
And with Jisung closing his beautiful eyes their lips finally met. Minho could get lost in the touch of his friend’s lips, carefully moving on his own. He didn’t care about anything but the feeling that filled his heart to the brim, fuzzy and bubbly, electrically and sweet.
And after falling into Jisung’s eyes again and falling into the most innocent kiss he ever had, he also fell for his best friend with everything he had, harder than ever.

“Ji.”
Minho woke up, the tingling feeling on his lips only a memory of what could have been, maybe in another universe. The boy felt dizzy, the dream still clear in his head.
“It was a dream. Only a dream.” Mumbling he got up to get a glass of water.
Some nights were like this- he would dream of Jisung, it would feel unbelievable real and after waking up he would crave the other boy’s presence more than he usually did anyway, more than ever. And there was nothing that Minho could do about it.
While going back to his room a tear found its lonely way down his cheek.

*

Jisung shook the small ice crystals out his hair. This winter was no fun. The temperatures went down to where people only left the house if they really had to. And, well, then there was Jisung. He took that uncomfortable weather, only to visit his best friend.
“I think my pinky froze to death.” He tried moving it. “I feel nothing.”
Felix just rolled his eyes. “Chill, the feeling will come back. If it helps I could bite your finger?”
“Hell no, stay away!”
“Hot chocolate?”
“Hot chocolate.”

The boys wanted to discuss their plans for the upcoming new years eve. They always celebrated with the whole gang but this year would be different.

Jisung took a sip of the warm, sweet chocolate. “Did you talk to Minho?”
“I did. And”, the younger also drank a bit, “he said he’s not interested in celebrating at all. He said he would just stay at home and watch some movies, nothing special. But I don’t want him to be alone, especially on that day. I am worried.”

Jisung sighted. He thought the same. Staying alone on new years eve, the day where even the air itself felt loaded with emotions and you couldn’t escape at least one or two traces of sadness and sentimentality. That didn’t sound right.
The younger continued “So I thought about asking Changbin if Minho could celebrate with him and Hyerin. But I don’t know… Binnie would surely say yes but splitting our group like this doesn’t feel right.”
“I know what you mean. This year is weird. Seungmin has to stay with his girlfriend since she broke her leg, Chan has to work.”
“What a crime.”
“So there is you, Jeongin, Hyunjin, Changbin and Hyerin and… Min and me. Why, oh why do we two have to plan this year??”
“Because we volunteered last year…”

They decided to call their friends, maybe it would be easier to find a way together. Surprisingly everyone picked up the phone.

Jisung: “Guys, it’s about new year's eve. As you know we can’t celebrate together this year and Lix and I are pretty at a loss.”

Felix: “Minho told me he doesn't want to celebrate but I don’t want him to be alone that night.”

Changbin: “He could celebrate with Hyerin and me, that would be no problem.”

Jeongin: “Wait, so it would just be Lix, Hyunjin, Jisung and me? That’s pretty sad, man.”

Hyunjin: “I agree. I’m sick of it. All because of this stupid mistake. I want my gang back.”

Felix: “Trust me, we all do.”

Jeongin: “Does it stay forever like this? Do Minho and Jisung have to avoid each other for the rest of their life?”

Silence.

Jisung: “I’ll leave the rest to Lix. Bye guys.”

Changbin: “Innie…”

Jeongin: “I’m sorry.”

In the end they decided to go with the first idea. Changbin would be the one who would make sure that Minho would spend new year’s eve at his and Hyerin’s place and the rest would come over to Jisung’s apartment. They quickly went through who would bring what and bid goodbye afterwards.

Jisung had stayed in the room the whole time, curled into Felix’ soft blanket, cuddling a big cow plushie.
“Ji, do you need something?” The younger softly stroke his friend’s hair. It hurt him to see the boy like this.
Said boy shook his head. “You can’t give me what I need, nobody can.”

“I am sorry, Ji.” Felix cuddled up behind the now sniffing boy, hugging him, hoping that all the love and healing energy he tried to send somehow would reach Jisung. “I am here for you.”

A plan formed in the freckled boy’s head while laying there, trying to comfort his best friend. There must be a way to make him happy, at least for a day. And Felix would find this way, he wanted to see the lively glow in Jisung’s eyes again. No matter what.