Still A_Stray: Living With Stray Kids (ot8 fanfic)

Chapter 34

Shall we dance all night, yeah?

Chan was so grateful when he saw me leading Jisung back into the auditorium his knees wobbled.

There was time for explaining the situation later, after the fans and prying eyes and media cameras had gone, and we did. I let Jisung do most of the talking, only stepping in when Chan had crushed him into an embrace tightly enough that Jisung could barely breathe. "Hyung, you're crushing my diaphragm," he'd wheezed.

"I'm sorry," was all Chan could say. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Jisung repeated that he was alright as many times as Chan apologized, but I knew the words had little effect. They were lost on all the members as well, who watched the scene with solemn faces, guilty they hadn't been able to get to Jisung when he'd needed them.

Chan caught my eye after Minho had pried him away from Jisung, his eyes filled with words he didn't need to say. I just offered him a smile and what little reassurance I could give.

The members stayed by Jisung's side after that, at the Hyunracha dorm, even though I knew they had to wake up early tomorrow for their music video shooting. We played a few games, turning on the music in the background, some of the members getting up to sing and dance along. Jisung didn't—Minho's arm stayed wrapped around his shoulders most of the night—but by the time Jeongin and Changbin were popping their hips out to Antifragile, he was smiling: a light but permanent kind of smile, one that left a residue, .

"Have you heard Le Sserafim's new release, Yeji?" Seungmin asked me, pointing and laughing at Jeongin. "It's called 'Unforgiven.'"

I nodded. "Kazuha slayed."

"Oh, Unforgiven?" Chan asked, reaching for his phone. "I'll put that one on next."

"We should dance to it on the coffee table," Jisung offered. "I can do Chaewon's floor part before the chorus."

"Something tells me that won't go well," Minho mused.

Jisung blinked. "Why?"

I frowned at him. "Don't you ever get that little voice in your head telling you what you're about to do is a terrible mistake?"

"...no?"

Felix opened his mouth, then closed it. "That explains ... so much."

I laughed, but when my gaze caught Felix's, it turned bitter in my throat. Whereas Hyunjin had appeared obviously distant to anyone who knew him, Felix was the same as he always was with the members: laughing, talking, cheering on Jeongin and Changbin. But I saw his pain in the flash of his eyes when they strayed too close to where Hyunjin was sitting, like he'd looked too closely at the sun. And I saw it when he looked at me.

He was careful to hide it, except for those moments when it slipped through. He was so good at it the members didn't notice—though that was also because their attention was mainly on Jisung. So good I knew he'd had far too much practice.

Felix was someone who tucked his anguish neatly into his pockets and zipped them up all the way, to save for later when there were less people around who cared about him that might notice.

"Either way, the answer is still no," Chan added, and I blinked, realizing the group hadn't fallen into the same well of thoughts that I had.

Jisung stuck his lip out, pouting. "You're just saying that because you think it's a too girly song and you don't think I can get it right."

"No, I'm saying it because the last time you did an interpretive dance on the coffee table, you almost broke Jungkook's arm," Chan shot back. "I have no qualms with girly songs. Changbin is literally dancing to Antifragile right now."