Stay ~ A Stray Kids Fanfic

Han

Han's POV

     "Aish, this heat is getting the worst of me," Changbin groans from somewhere behind me. We were all scattered about the roof, waiting as Hyunjin finished up the rest of his mural, or at least what he needed finished.

     Jeongin sits beside me, his face taunt and expressionless. I nudge him a shoulder. He quakes awake as if stuck in a hypnosis.
     "You okay?"

     He goes quiet again. "Yeah. I'm just tired."

     I couldn't agree more. It was bad enough that I was forced to participate in soccer, and now Hyunjin had to drag us all up here so he could finish. Another groan sounds from Changbin.

     "God, be patient! I'm almost done," Hyunjin scolds, a laugh coming from Felix and Chris sitting by the edge. A little ledge was there for Felix to sit on while the President chose to lean his weight on the cement barrier. The two returned to their original conversation. I was happy to see Felix smiling amidst the chaos that just burst into his life. His world was crumbling, and yet his smile stayed bright and shining.

     I turn back to Hyunjin still painting, his fingers flexed with his grip on the brush. Everything that came from that brush was like magic. Like Hyunjin could wield the wand and make beautiful paintings with a single wave.

     "Was soccer fun?" He suddenly asks, my attention pulling away from watching Seungmin reading, his head lying on a crossed leg of Minho who stalled on his phone. My smile stays as I turn towards the blonde.

     "It was fun."

     "Was it? That's good. Can't say the same about kickball." We both stifle a subtle laugh. I loved seeing Hyunjin smile. He could make the whole world bright with those bright cheeks and suppressed sunlight hidden in his eyes.

     I then look back Minho, his face washed with sweat. Seungmin flips a page in his book and pulls a daisy from the crevice of the spine. He holds it up to the basketball player who bursts in giggles as they share a moment of camaraderie. Seeing everyone in their own worlds was fascinating if not relieving. It felt like I had done something right.  

     Then I looked back at Jeongin beside me. My smile fades seeing him scrolling on his phone, a smudge of dirt on his cheek, and dazed in a somber state. I didn't know what to ask. What would I say to make him feel better? What if it made him worse? I keep my hands in my lap.

     "So are you going to Homecoming?" Hyunjin asks, making sure to poke a paint brush at Jeongin to reel him into the conversation too.

     The youngest looks up and pauses. "Uh, actually yeah."

     My eyes widen and I square my shoulders to him. "With who?" I ask.

     "You don't know her," he dismisses. "She's a sophomore too."

     A quick chuckle sounds from Hyunjin. "Hey, good for you kid," he says with a smile, not taking his eyes off of the sunflower he was currently trying to perfect. He goes on. "Best advice I could give someone your age is make sure you're happy. Girls will sometimes get out of a relationship when they aren't happy and claim that guys don't ever because they don't care. But if you don't want to be with her anymore, you don't need to."

     The sophomore straightens up and peers down, his cheeks crimson. "We're not dating," is all he replies with.

     "I'm just throwing that out there. I regret not getting out of a few relationships when I wanted to and it was all because I was scared of what my friends would think." He pulls away his brush while in thought. I wave of memories sweep over like a shadow before he shakes it away like pesky, upcoming sneeze. "I'm sure she's great, Jeongin! I'm happy for you."