athlete and the uni student | minsung

10

minho woke up, still tight in jisung's grasp, groaning softly. he was so comfy, and he had nothing to do today.

he had no reason to wake up yet.

he just wanted it to stay this way forever. but he knew it wouldn't.

he knew it was a joke.

then when jisung didn't need him, he would toss him off to the side and act like minho didn't even exist.

jisung stirred next to him, his arms still tightly wrapped around minho's waist. he squinted an eye open and gave minho a sleepy smile. "morning." he murmured.

minho felt a flutter in his chest at the latter, but quickly pushed it aside. this was all an act, after all. he couldn't get too caught up in his own feelings. he forced a small smile and muttered a greeting back.

throughout the day, minho tried to push his doubts aside. he and jisung talked and laughed like they always did, spending their time playing video games and lounging around jisung's dorm.

jisung's friends came over for a few hours, and minho found himself laughing at their jokes and enjoying their company, even as he tried to ignore the growing sense of guilt gnawing at him.

as the day progressed, the act grew more and more difficult for minho to maintain. every time he looked at jisung, he felt something stirring in his chest. it was more than just friendship or casual attraction.

minho had true feelings for jisung, feelings he couldn't bring himself to admit or act upon. he knew that this was all just a charade, that he and jisung were pretending to be boyfriends. he didn't want to ruin their friendship by confessing his true feelings and making things complicated.

as the day came to a close, jisung peppered minho with kisses before locking lips with him. "i'm so lucky to have you as my boyfriend," jisung whispered between kisses.

minho tried to smile and reciprocate, but he found it increasingly difficult to ignore the nagging feeling that he was walking on thin ice.

he knew he would have to tell jisung the truth eventually. but for now, he pushed his doubts aside, and let himself forget about everything but the warmth of jisung's embrace.

-----

throughout the school day, minho did his best to avoid jisung. he ducked into classrooms, took different routes between classes, and even skipped lunch to stay out of jisung's sight.

he knew it was selfish, but he couldn't bear the thought of facing jisung after realizing his own true feelings. it was only a matter of time before jisung caught up with him.

as the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, minho braced himself for the encounter he had been dreading. he hurried towards the school entrance, hoping to slip away unnoticed. but luck was not on his side that day.

just as he was walking towards the dorm, jisung's voice called out from behind him. "minho! wait up!"

minho froze in his tracks, his heart sinking. he turned to face jisung, forcing a smile on his face. "hey jisung, what's up?" jisung's concerned expression gave away his worry. "what's been going on with you today? you've been avoiding me all day, and it's not like you."

minho's throat tightened, and he looked down, unable to maintain eye contact. he couldn't bear to see the kindness in jisung's eyes, knowing that he couldn't reciprocate the same depth of emotions. "i... i've just been busy, that's all. caught up with some stuff."

jisung stepped closer, his voice filled with genuine concern. "minho, you don't have to go through things alone. you know that, right? we're a team, remember?"

the weight of jisung's words hit minho like a ton of bricks, and he felt his composure slipping away. tears welled up in his eyes, and before he could stop himself, he began to sob uncontrollably.

jisung's expression quickly shifted from concern to panic. he carefully wrapped his arms around minho, pulling him into a comforting embrace. "hey, hey, it's okay. you don't have to hide your feelings from me, minho. i'm here for you."

minho shook in jisung's arms, the floodgates of his emotions opened. he tried to speak, but only choked sobs escaped his lips. he couldn't find the words to explain that his feelings were real, that the fake dating had only made it harder for him to suppress his love for jisung.

without saying a word, jisung held onto minho tighter, providing a shoulder to lean on. they stood there by the school entrance, minho's tears soaking jisung's shoulder, as the weight of their tangled emotions felt almost suffocating.

"i'll take you to my dorm, and you can sleep over, hm?"