✔️The funhouse of murder • Stray Kids X reader✔️

55 ☠️

They always say the first half is the hardest part. It's the part where you get used to newness, it's the half where you struggle to learn new ways, where you struggle to find your place. And yet, no one talks about how hard the second part it. The one where you keep your place, where you keep your concentration, motivation, keep your spirits up. You won't get the fulfillment you did in the first half anymore, you've gotten your compliments, you've reached your peak, now it's just keeping on doing what you've been doing. And while there may be a sense of familiarity in it, a safety net of some sort, rather than quitting early, those who keep going tend to struggle way more in the end. Whether in real life or in games.

And yet, Jisung felt more determined than ever to keep on going strong. Though his eyes were starting to feel quite dry, he had to keep his utmost concentration. He actually had to remind himself this isn't just a video game; it was a game with their lives at stake. He could see the strained look on Minho's face, even though he probably meant to hide it. It pained him to see his brother so terrified while in his hands, but it just gave him all the more motivation to want to prove himself. When he had gotten used to his new home, his new family, who actually took care of him, he started slacking off, and he knew it too. Up to the point where he had everything done for him even; cooking, cleaning, not even his homework he had to do himself. His parents were all too happy to do so for him if it meant making him feel safe.

At some point he started to abuse the situation though. After a few months he already felt more comfortable and safe than he had ever done so before. He had gotten used to the people around him, to school, to his new life, and yet he wished it would just continued this way. Not that it lasted too long though, when his new father had gone into coma because of the crash. Just when he started to get comfortable, his life was thrown upside down. And yet, when he thought he could no longer live the way he did, Minho stepped up, working thrice as hard to make sure his two living family members were taken care off. It felt so wrong to just take it easy, and yet he could not bring himself to get out of the spiral. Which was why he was all too eager to leave when his brother was about to.

It wasn't so much that he did not want to stay behind to take care of his mother, but rather that he wanted to help out his brother achieve this. If they'd survive, they'd have enough to never have to work again. It was incredibly selfish, but giving up on his new lifestyle was not something he had been planning to do anytime soon. If he could just make sure his brother stayed alive, all would be good again. Even with one relative less. And so, if he could do anything to make that happen, he would. No matter if it was at the expense of others. Well, unless it would mean they'd be killed. He still had some morals left. Besides, if anyone were to die, they wouldn't get the money anyways, so what would be the point in that, right?

Just as he passed the flag, he shook his thoughts away. This was not the time to get distracted. They had to survive this mess. Jumping back up the blocks above to avoid the incoming goomba was fairly easy, luckily. The level wasn't too long anymore. As he jumped from block to block, he took a deep breath before jumping from the last one. This time, making it to the other side of the cliff made in the level. Though he couldn't see well what would be beneath it all, it couldn't be good. And still, without doing a single thing himself, Minho's body complied effortlessly to Jisung's instructions. Jumping up the stairs, Jisung had regained his confidence in his skills, actually making Minho jump on top of one of the two Goombas incoming. It always seemed funny to watch it flatten completely. And with another easy jump, he went from jumping on the first, to squashing the second one just as easy.

He already jumped onto the lower terrain, another jump to the other side of the following cliff, only to just see the incoming Goomba. How could he have missed it? Jisung immediately tilted the joystick to the left, hoping with all his might Minho would make it back. He would have instantly been hit otherwise. "Just a little more..." Jisung muttered, as he could see Minho's foot just barely hitting the ground again. "Yes!" he shouted, taking a deep breath. With a little less than a minute left, he waiting just until the Goomba went back into the other direction, finally making the jump right this time, jumping a second time to get up on the tube. He could actually already see the finish from here. "Hyung, I'm getting there!" Jisung shouted proudly, and without even thinking jumping up the blocks, jumping over the last cliff to reach the stairs.

It wasn't until Minho felt the pole around his hands that he opened his eyes again, looking up to see the flag coming back down with him. He immediately shifted his gaze to Jisung with one of the widest, proudest smiles he had ever shown. The timer had stopped, the door making a clicking sound, only for Jisung to storm in with a hug not even a second later. "Hyung, did you see it all? I did it! I made it!" Jisung had already started loosening up the straps Minho was caught in, finally allowing Minho to freely take Jisung in a hug, his hands tangled up in his little brother's hair. "I'm so proud of you, you know that?" He freed himself completely, the both walking up to the now control panel holding up the key.

"Now let's get out of here!"