stray kids imagines

jisung | shielded by love

ʳᵉᵠᵘᵉˢᵗᵉᵈ ᵇʸ starsforskzzz
-------------------------------
angst. fluff / 1177
-------------------------------

it was one of those nights where everything felt like it should have been different.

you and your friends had been planning for a while to just hang out and have fun. but deep down, you knew that this wasn’t exactly your usual type of hangout.

most of the girls were fun in their own way, but you always had that nagging feeling that they weren’t the kind of people who truly had your back.

still, you couldn’t resist the temptation to be around them, even if they didn’t always make you feel good about yourself.

and then there was jisung. despite the unease you sometimes felt around the others, he was always there. always looking out for you, always making sure you felt safe and cared for. he didn’t have to, but he did.

tonight, he was sitting right next to you, his arm resting behind you as you leaned against him. you could feel the warmth of his body, the solid reassurance that, no matter what, he was your safe space.

the night started off as normal. small talk, laughter, some teasing, and you felt like maybe things weren’t so bad. but then you noticed it - the way your friends were looking at you.

their words, casual as they seemed, were cutting deeper than they usually did. one of the girls made a comment about you being a bit too "nervous" all the time, and another one laughed like it was a joke, a comment about how you were "always overreacting."

you tried to brush it off, but it stung, and you could feel your stomach starting to churn uncomfortably.

jisung must have sensed it too. he always could. you hadn’t even said anything, but you felt his presence shift beside you as he leaned a bit closer.

he had a way of making you feel like everything would be okay, just by being there. his hand slipped into yours under the table, his fingers lightly brushing against yours in a silent offer of comfort.

still, your stomach was twisting in ways that made you want to retreat into yourself.

as the night wore on, you took a sip of a drink one of the girls had made for you. you didn’t think anything of it at first, but as soon as the liquid hit your stomach, you felt a wave of nausea rush over you. the edges of your vision started to blur slightly, and you put your hand over your stomach, feeling a small groan slip out.

"hey, are you okay?" jisung asked, his voice low and concerned as he felt your body lean against him more.

you nodded quickly, trying to push past the sudden wave of dizziness, but he wasn’t buying it. his hand moved to your stomach, rubbing circles gently as he whispered, "you’re not okay, are you?"

you sighed, closing your eyes for a second. "just a little sick, i think. maybe the drink."

jisung’s eyes narrowed as he glanced over at the cup in your hand. his expression darkened, and you didn’t know why, but something about the way he was staring at it made you feel uneasy.

he placed his hand on your back, helping you sit up a little straighter as your friends began whispering amongst themselves, their voices turning into a low hum of gossip.

you barely caught the words, but you didn’t have to hear them clearly to know what they were saying.

their giggles were like daggers, poking at your insecurities, making fun of the way you acted, the way you "overreacted" when you were anxious. it wasn’t the first time they’d said things like that, but tonight, it felt different. sharper.

you tried to ignore them, but it was hard when all you could focus on was the ache in your stomach and the way they were laughing at you behind your back.

you tightened your grip on jisung’s hand, running your fingers through his, needing the comfort, needing the distraction. but you could feel him tense beside you, his posture shifting slightly as he kept his gaze on your cup.

after a long beat, jisung’s voice broke through the growing tension. "I’m going to check something," he muttered under his breath, standing up quickly.

you watched as he grabbed the cup off the table, his fingers curling around it, lifting it to inspect the contents.

he paused, his face growing darker by the second, and his gaze flicked from the cup to your friends.

"you’ve got to be kidding me," jisung said, his voice low and shaking with anger. he leaned forward, his eyes scanning the girls sitting across from you. "this was a joke, huh? putting something in her drink?"

the girls went silent for a second, caught off guard by the sharpness in his tone. one of them let out a nervous laugh, clearly unsure of how to respond.

but jisung didn’t wait for them to explain themselves. he stepped forward, holding the cup out, showing them the ice that wasn’t floating anymore.

"you think she wouldn’t notice? you think I wouldn’t notice?" he snapped. "this isn’t funny, and you all should be ashamed of yourselves."

you blinked up at him, still feeling unsteady, but more than anything, you were taken aback by the fire in his eyes. jisung never got angry - not like this.

he was always so calm, always so collected. but now, in front of your friends, he was standing his ground for you, and it made your heart swell with gratitude.

"don’t even think about laughing this off," jisung continued, his voice unwavering as he looked directly at each of them. "I’m not going to let you treat her like this. she’s not some joke to you."

you felt his hand on your back again, gently guiding you behind him as he stood between you and the girls.

your heart pounded, but this time, it wasn’t from anxiety. it was because of the raw emotion he was showing you. he was protecting you, and you realized in that moment how much you needed it.

"I want you all to leave," jisung said firmly, his eyes locked on the girls. "now."

none of them said anything after that. they just gathered their things, exchanging awkward glances before quickly retreating. as the door clicked shut behind them, jisung turned back to you, his expression softening instantly as he crouched down to your level.

"are you okay?" he asked quietly, his hand lifting to touch your face gently.

you nodded slowly, your eyes welling up with unshed tears. "thank you," you whispered, your voice shaky. you had never felt more cared for, more seen than you did in that moment.

"you don’t have to thank me," jisung said, his smile small but genuine. "I’m always going to have your back. always."

you took a deep breath, resting your head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around you, holding you close. for the first time that night, you felt calm. safe. everything was going to be okay.