show me that you're vulnerable

what do you think

getting to know minho is hard. jisung wanted to know everything about the elder, he wanted to get inside his brain and watch each thought play out so he could perfectly understand minho. he wasn't easy to read by his body language and sometimes asking him how he felt wasn't any help because he wouldn't share his thoughts.

jisung has been trying to figure out minho as if he was some sort of  puzzle jisung was trying to fit the pieces together to, but in the end he just overwhelmed himself with how oddly shaped the pieces were. sometimes jisung would lose the pieces and sometimes there were odd pieces that just didn't fit anywhere into the imaginary puzzle that was minho in his mind.

jisung went in late to work and chan immediately knew something was up, jisung loved his job. he was able to do exactly what he wanted to do with no limits and it was his passion. jisung works with chan and changbin whom he loves and is excited to see them each weekend, if anything jisung would be the first one in the studio.

chan and changbin were sitting at the desk they shared, an empty chair where jisung would usually sit was placed beside chan.

he opened the door and walked into the dimly lit room and over to the chair, chan almost sighed just knowing the conversation that they were about to have all too well.

chan has had to hear jisung question every single detail about his friendship with minho at least once a month for the entirety of their friendship. he knows exactly when jisung is in this mood because he gets quiet, pretends everything is fine, and shows up late.

chan stares at jisung with almost a glare in his eyes, not knowing if he wants to start the conversation just to get it over with or if he wanted to pretend he doesn't see jisungs hurt just to spare himself just this once, but in the end chan is way too caring and selfless to do that.

"minho?.." chan sighs looking at jisung with a puzzled face. jisungs head whips in chan's direction immediately

"hm?"

"what's going on with you and minho?" chan says. jisung kind of hates the way chan knows exactly when he's feeling like this, but at the same time, for some odd reason it gives him butterflies.

it's like, for some odd reason, having issues with minho and his friends being able to clock it is feeding his delusions.

"i just don't get him hyung." jisung slides his hands up to grab his cap off of his head brushing his free hand through his hair once to adjust it before placing the hat back on his head, hiding the top half of his face hoping it will cover his flushed skin.

changbin never really said his opinions about the situations though he did have a lot of them. he just sat back and watched and gave the younger support when he needed it by helping with work or other simple actions that could've been easily viewed as just being friendly.

chan have his advice to jisung, cut him some slack on his work to give him time to think, and encouraged him to speak to minho about any issues like he always would because "the key to a healthy relationship is communication"

changbin listened as he added some final touches to jisungs work, really just cleaning it up before giving it to chan. jisung really appreciated changbin doing this for him since adding the final touches and rereading what he written was his least favorite part, but changbin didn't seem to mind doing it, or he was just good at pretending.

•••

"oh so you're this minho guy that the little one won't stop stressing over." changbin said with a smirk on his lips, he reached his hand out in front of himself waiting for minho to shake his hand but it never happened. instead minho just stared at him like he had eight heads

"okay then, i can see why he worries if this is how you act around everyone." bin laughs, the best way to get someone to open up and act less awkward is by breaking the ice. if you immediately start joking around it should lighten the mood.

"by little one you mean...?" minho gave a blank expression.

"han jisung." changbin was over the jokes, he was no longer in the mood. "look dude, I'd really appreciate it if you would just, ya know,  talk to him. i don't know you of course, but i do know that every time you stress jisung out i have to do all of his work so." changbins eyes narrow as he speaks as he starts to glare at minho.

"hm, interesting. who are you again?" a soft smile taking over minho's lips involuntarily.

changbin definitely understands why jisung is always so worried about not understanding this guy, his actions and words do not correlate.

changin rolled his eyes and let out a laugh
"just please, talk to him. he needs it." he says before leaving.

minho doesn't know what to think
does he stress jisung out that bad? what could he possibly do? who the hell is that guy?

•••

"do you know a guy.." minho throws his hoodie onto his bed where jisung was sitting waiting for him to arrive.

"please hyung be a little more vague." jisung responds sarcastically.

"i don't know, big muscles, like really-"

"changbin?" jisung questions.

"maybe? well he works with you." minho sits in the edge of the bed next to the younger. "what does he know about me?"

"i don't know? not a lot i'd assume? why?" jisung looks up from his phone screen locking eyes with the elder.

"hmm, he seems to know a lot more than me." minho tilts his head. "he had a lot of nerve to come up to me and tell me about my issues as if he knows me, so, do you want to be truthful with me baby? what did you tell him."

if a sentence could give someone whiplash it would definitely be that one. jisungs heart pounded hard against his chest.

"issues?" jisung looked down at the floor playing with his hands. unexpectedly he felt minho's hand on his chin pulling his face up to look at him again. jisung felt like the heat was rising, he felt his face get redder and his heart beat harder.

"sung." minho kept his hand placed on jisungs chin.

"you never talk to me hyung, you're very confusing." jisung was able to free his face and look away from the elder with the sharp gaze.

"how so?"

"well you.." jisung pauses

"go on." minho encourages the conversation. his tone isn't really mad or concerned, it's more soft than jisung would imagine.

"are you embarrassed of me?" jisung asked, tears welled in his eyes, he looks up at minho for the first time without being forced.

"embarrassed of you?" minho is shocked. why would he be embarrassed of him

"in public, you don't let people see us together. you brush me off."

"jisung.. i'm not embarrassed of you. i just don't want people thinking wrong about us." minho says slinging his arm around jisungs back. he wasn't planning for this conversation to get so emotional.

"right.." jisung says in a small voice.

"is that bad?" minho asks, completely oblivious.

"when are we going to be able to live freely. what's so bad about what people think of us? seriously." jisung was practically yelling as the tears in his eyes quickly fell and leaned his head into minhos shoulder.

minho wasn't sure what to make out of this conversation, but he thought better than prying at jisung for answers in this state of mind. all he did was wrap his arm around the crying boy to try and soothe him