strawberry shortcake

42. a bet

"Do we have Coke?" Jisung jumped up to sit on the kitchen island, and kicked his feet like a little kid. He was still too excited form Minho accepting his proposal. "Which kind? We have them all." Seungmin replied with a bored undertone, his gaze fixed on his phone and Jisung rolled his eyes. "The drink. I need to mix it with Redbull to keep me awake."

This made him finally look up and raise his eyebrows in question, a disgusted expression settling on his features. "You shouldn't, you know energy drinks make your anxiety worse. Besides, it's disgusting."

"I'll be fine, I just need to be awake."

"Pancakes are ready!" Hyunjin cheered from the stove and happily placed three plates full of pancakes on the dining table. Jisung looked up at Minho with a bright smile on his lips and patted his side, Seungmin's words long forgotten. "Go have some, he's surprisingly good."

"You won't eat?"

"I'm not hungry. I just need the drink. Go sit down. I'll be there in a minute." He placed a soft kiss on Minho's cheek and sent him a smile before he jumped down from the kitchen island and made his way to the fridge.

Once he mixed his energy bomb he headed back to the rest and sat right next to Minho who only looked up at him with a smile, then continued his conversation with Hyunjin talking and laughing about something Jisung didn't catch due to being too stuck in his thoughts. He was getting anxious, just as Seungmin said. Thinking about the complications at his job and what could happen if he didn't solve them.

The older's hand reached out to one of Jisung's thighs to rub gentle circles on the clothed skin in order to calm him down and stayed there for the rest of the breakfast.

When they all finished their food and Jisung his deadly drink, his knees bouncing much more by the time he was done, him and Minho were the only ones to stay behind.

"Everything alright? You're awfully quiet today." Minho asked, worries lacing his voice. Jisung forced a little smile and shook his head. He appreciated the way Minho noticed little details, tried to help out when the time wasn't ideal then always waited until the appropriate time came to point them out.

"I'm fine, just tired. Can I give you a ride? I have a meeting nearby anyways." Jisung looked away to not let him know something's bothering him and stood up from his place since they were supposed to get going soon.

"Sure." Following close behind him Minho watched the younger with suspicious eyes until they reached the main door and started dressing up to go out.

"You know you can talk to me, right?"

"Yeah. Chop chop we need to go." Jisung opened the door for them and Minho got ready as well with a sigh. He didn't like the way Jisung distanced and wasn't willing to share his thoughts. It made him worry.

As they walked outside, Hyunjin lifted his head up from his phone and waved a hand at Minho. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, but would you mind if I went with Jisung?" Hyunjin looked a bit surprised but in the end only shook his head. "Nah it's fine with me, just be there on time."

"We'll be there quicker than you!" Jisung called from his own car, grinning at Hyunjin in challenging manner, the older returning the smile. "We'll see about that, Sungie!" And with that Jisung's mood shifted completely, from previously anxious to now confident about his winning. Minho stood between them, confused about what was going on, but interested in their sudden competitive shift. He went back to Jisung's side who gently wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer, catching him off guard. He didn't know what caused Jisung to be so openly affectionate all of a sudden, but he couldn't complain.