SEQUEL TO HOLD ME
"it's only human."
those are words that stick in the minds of eight boys who have found themselves closer than ever because of a year spent at the same college.
minsung, seungin, changhyunlix... and chan :')
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The cloudless sky had gone marvelously orangey-pink as the sun fell behind the growing waves; the painted horizon was tranquil as could be while the sea rolled on and on, leaving the air on the shore cool, quiet, and peaceful as eight boys watched the sunset.
It all clashed terribly with Minho's grey, overcast mood.
He hadn't questioned it, hadn't protested, hadn't done so much as to frown when Jisung took Felix's hand this morning at the outset of the trip, and chose to sit with him in the back of Changbin's car, leaving no room for a third person as he leaned over to rest against Felix's shoulder. In fact, Minho simply got into Seungmin's car instead, quietly sitting across from Jeongin, his lips twitching upward as an amiable greeting. There was no point in dwelling on what Jisung's actions meant; he knew that already, and focusing on it would just ruin any chances of having a decent time at the beach today.
Jisung's warmth had merely been a fever dream, Minho reasoned, because now that he'd recovered, it was nowhere to be found. Gone with the wind.
...But he second-guessed that this afternoon. It started with the smile that Jisung shot him as they stepped out of the cars at the same time to take in the smell of the ocean. He didn't tear his eyes away as soon as they met Minho's— which had been the extent of their interactions the past few days. It caught him off-guard; making his eyes go wide. The gaze; the grin, they were short-lived (as Jisung turned his head toward the sea just a moment after), but they were warm and real and directed at him.
Though Jisung surprisingly spent more time laying quietly on the beach rather than tramping around in the water with the rest, he was acting more and more like himself the longer he spent in the sun, so Minho suddenly started feeling hopeful. For a moment there, he started to believe that he'd overthought Jisung's apparent coldness towards him. Maybe Jisung had just been tired, and he'd wanted to spend some time with someone who could provide him some comfort for once— and Minho's dramatic ass made a big deal of it; took it personally. ...Or maybe that was just the selfish desperation to still be beside him talking.
Either way, something compelled Minho to forget about his resolution to 'let him slip away easily'; after all, his sense of determination had always been far weaker than he'd have liked. He waited for his moment to approach Jisung, one that would seem somewhat natural and not too pathetically premeditated. Minho went so far as to touch him, out in the open, unsolicited; without first being prompted or encouraged.
And thank goodness, when he took that chance, Jisung was receptive and inviting, like nothing had changed, and he hadn't been completely absent for the past month. Minho was flooded with overwhelming relief.
Jisung looked him in the eye, smiled at him, talked to him... Minho even felt the fire of his fingertips caress his face. It was perfect. And then it was over. Breath hitching, Jisung pulled back abruptly, smile fading, hands falling to his lap, eyes straying. Suddenly Minho felt stiff and awkward, feeling that he'd overstayed his welcome. So he got up and left.
