I Can Do Both *REUPLOAD*

✧16✧

"Talent show?"

Jisung whispered the words to himself as he stared at the shiney poster tacked to the school's announcement board.

Minho, who was rather limp, leaned in closer from where he stood beside the younger and nudged him with his shoulder.

"Are you planning on signing up?"

"Oh hell no," Jisung shook his head, subconsciously backing up from the board, "I can't do that."

"Why not? I have the feeling past you would have jumped at the opportunity."

"W—Well I'm not past me, I'm present me. I can't just go on stage and perform like I used to. That was ruined for me a long time ago."

"What if I was with you?"

Jisung snapped his head, locking eyes with Minho.

"What?" he asked heavily, eyes wide in disbelief.

"I mean, we can perform together. Us, Minsung," Minho suggested with a shy smile, reaching out for the younger boy's hands, holding them in his own hand and swinging them by their sides.

"I—I don't know—"

"Oh hell yeah, I'm so excited for this year's talent show. I'm finally ready to enter!" a familiar voice resonated through the hallway, pure Australian accent filling the surrounding ears.

Jisung instinctively pushed himself closer to Minho as Chan, along with the rest of the group, huddled around him, jumping on each other's backs and mumbling in excitement. What was new though, was Hyunjin standing alongside none other than Lee Felix.

"Why don't we all enter together?" Minho spoke through the noise, silencing his friends.

Eyes trailed Jisung up and down, who was hiding in Minho's side, clinging desperately onto the fabric wrapped around the older's arm.

"With him?" Hyunjin asked in disbelief, earning a light slap from Felix and Chan, along with a strike in the back of his neck by Seungmin.

"Of course he can join us," Seungmin said, rolling his eyes.

"He does have an extensive music background," Minho mused, placing his hand on the small of Jisung's back, guiding him forward.

"And I never knew of this why?" Chan marveled, spinning on his heels slowly with his head tilted to the side. Jisung wanted to back up into the wall as Chan rushed to him and grabbed his biceps, shaking him slightly as he beamed.

"We should totally get together soon! All of us! Guys, we can write a fucking song," Chan said happily, turning to meet faces with the rest. All of which were smiling and bouncing with excitement.

"When should we start?" Changbin asked, using the penick attached to the clipboard that hung on the board to sign their names. "And we need a group name eventually. I can't imagine going up to have the announcer read off such a long list of names. Plus, everyone is going to have a stage name."

"As for the stage name, we can discuss that later. But why don't we all meet up today? Is everyone free?" Chan asked, receiving a collective nod from the group.

"Whose house are we meeting up at?" Jeongin piped.

"W—We can go to mine? I have a studio..." Jisung spoke, immediately clearing his dry throat in hopes to alleviate his wobbling voice.

This was quite new to the group of friends as neither one of them had stepped foot into his house besides Felix. Even when the boy was dead drunk, he was taken to the door and left. There seemed to be an underlying agreement to never step foot into the household.

Was it out of spite because he was more fortunate? Or was it because of the smell of sex that lingered in the air of every room? Possibly it was the fact that almost every square inch of that household had been a sex location at some point.

Whatever the reason was, it was sworn that no matter what, they would not enter that house.

"Uhhh, I don't know," Seungmin cringed, starting the sudden low roar of the group.

"Guys. He has what we need. Stop being so obdurate and mulish and fucking cooperate," Minho sighed, fed up with their anti-prudent behavior.

Minho knew it wasn't his place to talk about Jisung's past but it needed to become clear to the group that Jisung was no longer the same person.

"Sorry. We'd all gladly use your place as our practice hub. I have some equipment of my own I'd like to bring over as well since my own place is rather small for all of us. I have some stuff I've been working on," Chan said, bowing awkwardly, the rest following.

"Great. Let's meet up after school. We can ride in the limo," Minho said, clapping with a rather fake and cheesy attitude, a forced smile plastered across his face.

"Now, we have a class to get to."

Minho ended the conversation just like that, tugging on Jisung's arm and leading him away from the crowd, barely managing to hide his own limp.

"Damn, bro got railed. It's so obvious," Felix snorted, helping after he earned a few well deserved snacks from the others.

✧

"Baby, we have to make them see that you're different," Minho sighed, slowing to a stop outside of their next class.

"I can't tell them, Min. I'm not ready," Jisung shook his head, looking down in shame.

"Hey, hey, no, it's okay. Look at me," Minho corrected, using his index finger to lift Jisung's face up by the chin.

"You don't have to just yet. But try not to get so affected by their harsh words. They aren't used to it and they probably think you're playing a trick on them. They'll get it eventually. I'm here for you, okay?"

"Hhh, thank you, Min. I needed that," Jisung smiled softly, letting out the breath he was holding in and allowing himself to collapse in the other's arms.

The arms that kept him warm during the cold, endless nights.

The arms that wrapped around his slim waist and squeezed the skin there whether for comfort, praise, or more intimate actions.

The arms he fantasized about frequently. Specifically when the older worked out.

The arms that would forever hold him and keep him safe from the dangers of the world.

The arms of someone he loved more than the amount of love he even had in his heart.

"Of course," that same man said.

He loved him.

word count: 1062

idk how or why im still alive

Thoughts? Suggestions? What should happen next? please vote 🙏