Stray Kids | Sickfics

Breathe | Minho pt2

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a/n:

tw: swearing

-requested by YansephShipper_08

-as promised, part 2

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₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎

Jisung's pov

...

"M-Min?"

"Minho! What's wrong?!"

Within seconds I was at his side, trying to find out what was happening. I knew from the beginning that something wasn't right, that he shouldn't have practised this much. The way he fell onto his knees, fighting for air, his breaths shallow and erratic scared the shit out of me.

Chan rushed to help, concern etched on his face. He tried talking to Minho but there was barely an answer. The rest watched in confusion, worried expressions on their faces.

"Hyung, w-what should we do?" I desperately asked Chan, who looked almost as pale as Minho himself. He was kneeling next to me whilst the others were keeping some distance to not overwhelm Minho any further.

Suddenly, he weakly pointed to his bag, his hand shaking violently while mumbling something incomprehensible. I quickly ran to his sports bag, rummaging through it, without knowing for what to search. The first thing that came to my mind was some kind of medicine or water or anything else than what I suddenly held in my hands.

Without wasting another second, I brought Minho the inhaler, urging him to take the necessary puffs. Time seemed to stand still as he took in the medication, his body gradually relaxing as his breaths steadied. A wave of relief washed over me as I witnessed the colour returning to his cheeks and the tension in his body easening. Yet, I had know idea that Minho possessed let alone needed something like this. Was this the reason why he acted so differently in the past weeks?

"Minho, are you okay? Is it working?" Chan's voice broke the tense silence, fear lacing his words.

We both helped him to sit upright, his face still a bit pale and beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Here, drink this", Changbin said, offering a bottle of water. He gradually took the bottle, taking small sips as he tried to regain his composure. The concern in the room was palpable as we were all clueless as to what had just happened.

"Do you need anything else? Should I call a doctor? Where's my ph-"

"Hyung, it's okay", Minho suddenly interrupted, heaving a sigh. He tried to sound reassuring but he did not convince any of us.

"Are you sure? Do you know what just happened?", Chan asked, the question that lingered on everyone's mind.

He hesitated, his gaze shifting from one member to another before taking another deep breath.

"Remember our last health check-up? Well, they found something."

Fearing the worst, I held my breath.

"I...I have asthma. It's not a big deal and it's not that bad and I don't want you to be worried for me all the time. I can manage."

Silence hung heavy in the air as we absorbed Minho's words. He looked at us with dead serious eyes but there was a certain hesitancy, a certain fragility in his tone and expression that was enough for me to know that he in fact could not manage. 

And for a moment, I could somehow see why he would hide this condition from us. But I didn't know how he had the strength and determination to keep this act up and more importantly deliever flawless performances at our tour.

I was beyond speechless and the others seemed to feel the same.

"Why...haven't you said anything? You shouldn't have dealt with it on your own. What if something went wrong during our performance? You put yourself at great risk!", Chan lightly scolded, sounding anything but mad.

Minho's eyes flickered with a mix of emotions -hesitation, guilt, or maybe even a hint of frustration. 

"I didn't want to be pitied," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, "I didn't want you guys to see me as weak or treat me differently."

 "I- I wanted to prove that I could handle it on my own." He let out a shaky breath.

I shook my head. The room was filled with a heavy silence, each of us grappling with their own sense of guilt for not realizing any of his struggles earlier. We had missed the signs, unknowingly letting him bear the burden alone.

I was so sure that something wasn't right but did I say something? Should I've said something? Should I've paid more attention to him?

All of a sudden, Minho abrubtly stood up, as if trying to escape the situation.

But before he could take another step, Chan swiftly reached out, his hand gently gripping Minho's arm.

"Minho, wait," he said softly, his eyes filled with sincerity. "I need you to listen to me. We won't pity you, and nothing will change. You're still our incredible dancer, singer, group mate, and friend. We won't treat you any differently."

Minho's eyes met Chan's, seemingly staring into each other's minds for a moment. He hesitated, uncertainty etched on his face, but slowly, he gave in, his body relaxing again. I could sense that he longed to believe Chan's words, to let go of the fear and anxiety that must have built up inside him.

"Did you really think we would look at you differently just because of this condition? There's not a thing in the world that could change the way we see you or how much we care about you. Nothing", Seungmin added.

The rest of us nodded in agreement, our expressions reflecting the unwavering support we had for Minho.

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, gratitude shining in his eyes. He didn't say anything and yet the relief that came from the truth being out in the open was noticable. It was as if a burden had been lifted,, the tension in the room no longer being there.

As Minho sat there, still processing the support and acceptance he had received, I felt an overwhelming urge to step closer to him. With a gentle smile, I closed the distance and reached out to hold his hand, intertwining our finger.

I wanted him to know that he wasn't alone, that he had us, his friends, who would stand by him through thick and thin.

"Don't you dare keep secrets like this again. We're here for each other, that's what we've promised to do and  what we'll continue to do, because we're a team, we stick together.

Don't forget that."

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎

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a/n:

-this will be the last upload for now, I can't say when I'll publish again but I will stay active on here so I'm always open for requests or just talking!

-I wish you all the best! stay safe!

bye for now :)

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