Down The Rabbit Hole And What They Found There - [Bang Chan, Lee Know]

Love is in the air - and Minsung misunging... finally

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It's obviously not Alice's fault if he can't sleep anymore. The fault is in their impending schedules, which leave them really little free time every day. The amount of recording they have to do in a short space of time is almost impossible - for humans, they are idols, and they worked hard to be so successful that they will all faint on a set before being ungrateful of their opportunity. They all dreamed this, this is good. Is it stressful and tiring? Yes, but if they don't do this, then what's the option? See? It's not difficult. They love what they do, so it's easy. But, she eventually did put a thought in Minho's mind, and he can't stop thinking about it. Why should he talk to Jisung? What does it have to do with him being queer? Because, if you hope for an oblivious Minho, totally unable to read the room or use his intuition on things, you are going to be disappointed. He's smart, and he knows how to connect the dots! Maybe he's raising his hopes a little too high, but he can't get anything done, he keeps thinking! There are too many clues: Jisung having Alice's number but still not talking to her (he asked about it, and Jisung said he hasn't been texting her, so he believes him); the puzzled face Jisung had the day after the vmas, the serious tone he used; and then them being more distant than usual.

And now, the moment he decides to talk to Alice, to discuss about them, him and her, her and him, Minho and Alice - she immediately asks about Jisung. And then she asks about his sexuality - something is boiling! And her telling him to let her know? Was Jisung having a gay awakening or something? And what has this to do with Alice? Jisung would obviously have known by now if he was even slightly fruity!

So when two days later they are alone in the studio, listening to the base Jisung talked him about, Minho's eyes are constantly fixed on his friend, who is looking in front of him, totally concentrating on the base he composed. He just did a little draft of the lyrics, something about love being really intuitive and knowing it is painful but wanting it either way. Jisung is the real mind behind the actual lyrics, but Minho really tries to be helpful, making suggestions of mental images that can fit the vibe of the song. But at some point, Minho is just... curious? Tired? He's convinced that Jisung could never be interested in him, so he's sure this is about something else. If he's sure Jisung could never love him, he's okay, because it's better than being rejected for other reasons than romantic or sexual orientation.

"Jisung-ah", he calls once the song ends, and Jisung turns his face to him, a soft smile playing on his lips. Probably waiting for him to ask something about the song, maybe even complaining about having to sing on falsetto once again.

"Do you have to tell me something?" he asked deadpan, because that's how he talks, bluntly and honest- Hannie knows that, and Hannie always gets him. So Hannie suddenly breathing heavily is concerning.

"W-why? Is the song?" he demanded, and Minho was quick to get closer and take Jisung's hands in his, basically forcing the other to give him his full attention.

"No." he replied, elbows on his own thighs, looking from down to up, aware that even that little difference in position can really help Jisung get grounded. This is one of his patterns. Now, don't get Jisung wrong. He deals with his anxiety almost perfectly after years of therapy. He got his own balance between being an idol and being a little weirdo himself, so his members help has become less needed over time. But this is actually a tough topic, and Minho knows it, that's why he waited to be alone and made sure Jisung was in a good headspace. Jisung is not made of glass, Jisung is like steel - but he's still sensible and emotions can hit him hard. Being a dancer is not the same as being a lyricist, and Minho knows that. His words are studied by millions of people around the globes, he feels pressure from it. And Minho would not change Jisung for anything in the world - these are all things that made him more him, more his Jisung. Minho had always felt misunderstood, that's true, don't ask him about school times - but now he knows that everything he went through brought him to Jisung, so it's fine. It was worth it.