Set in Stone [Minsung]

Chapter 2

I bravely take a step closer to you
But this step was never easy

It scares Minho how easy it is to fit in with Jisung's group.

With Chan, Hyunjin and Seungmin, the atmosphere is usually chill, with the occasional heavy royal-related tension. Minho obviously loves his friends, and they're all he's ever known. With Jisung and his friends, it's a completely different story. They're almost embarrassingly loud and far more energetic than Minho thought was humanly possible. In the span of an hour, Minho has managed to process the surface of Jisung's friends' personalities: Changbin is the eldest and looks all intimidating but turns out to be extremely sensitive, especially when he's teased by the younger students; Felix is just as warm in the inside as he looks, with a grin comparable to sunshine; Jeongin is like Seungmin, a savage hiding behind a baby-face, being the main perpetrator of all the snide, pessimistic comments aimed at Changbin. Minho can't help but think that Hyunjin and Seungmin would fit right in, too, with their personalities perfectly complementing these people. Minho doesn't want to get too attached as it's already bad enough that he's so drawn to Jisung, but he's sure it's too late for that. It feels like he's been friends with this group for ages. He wants to be friends for a long, long time.

Of course, that can never happen.

"Hey, Minho, are you okay? Is the food not good?"

Minho snaps out of his brooding stupor, violently dragged back to the present by Jisung's concerned, gentle questions. He turns his head to face Jisung, who is sitting beside him. It takes all of Minho's will to not get lost in Jisung's eyes and end up staring at him forever, or at least until Jisung freaks out and realises that Minho's a creep. Minho clears his throat and averts his gaze to his food, which he realises he hasn't touched for a few minutes.

He gives Jisung a small smile, replying, "No, it's great. I'm just a bit tired, you know."

Jisung nods in sympathy, even though he must be even more exhausted than Minho. Being this close to Jisung for a prolonged period of time, Minho can see in more detail how weary Jisung looks with his eyebags and drooping eyelids. Minho lets out a sigh without realising, although the sound is drowned out by Jeongin and Changbin shouting playful insults at each other while Felix grills the meat with a small smile.

Without thinking, Minho states, "You should take care of yourself better, Jisung."

Jisung blinks at him, looking confused. Minho blinks back, cursing his loose tongue. He has been wanting to say that for a while now, and he's finally gotten the chance. Jisung lets out a soft chuckle, ruffling his hair shyly.

"I should. I just get carried away sometimes, lost in my music. This morning was the first time I've collapsed in the hallway, though, so I'm thankful you were there to save me," Jisung says with a sheepish grin.

Minho presses his lips together and narrows his eyes. "If you carry on like this, you'll be collapsing even more frequently. It's not good for you, Jisung."

Minho is probably in no position to scold Jisung's disregard for his own health, but he needs to let it all out. Jisung sighs and nods. He's about to say something in response, but he's interrupted by Changbin, who cheers and claps Minho on his back.

"Exactly! Tell him, Minho! He never listens to us, so maybe he'll listen to you. You princess-carried him this morning, right? Maybe if you do that more often, Jisung will finally come around and actually get some rest," Changbin proposes, shooting a sharp, disapproving glare at Jisung.

Minho feels his face blush. He'd love to carry Jisung again if it means he'll get his crush to take better care of himself. And he'd just love to carry Jisung in general.