Rise of a Star - a Minsung Story

Chapter 20

Author's note

Hi! I really need you guys' help for the next chapter, so please answer the question below. I'd very much appreciate it!

Anyway, have fun reading and have a great day <3

Akira

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CW: mentions of an eating disorder (not quite but if you are triggered by ED-like thoughts, skip to 'A loud yell [...]'), mentions of yelling and physical fighting

It was way past midnight when filming finally ended and Felix and Minho had moved back in with the others. Without much conversation everyone said goodnight to each other and went into their own rooms. The rooming situation had changed slightly ever since Felix and Minho were forced to move out. Jeongin, who still officially shared a room with Jisung and Minho, had now moved most of his important things to Chan's room because he shared a bed with him every night anyway. The two were paired in a room with Changbin and Felix. Therefore, Seungmin and Hyunjin as well as Minho and Jisung both had their own rooms, and they were happy with it.

"I'm exhausted", Minho stated, dropping onto his bed with a loud sigh. Jisung walked in shirtless as he returned from the bathroom, "Understandable, I'm glad training starts only at eleven tomorrow". Minho didn't really care about what his boyfriend was saying as he eyed him up and down with a frown. "Have you lost weight again, love?", he asked and sat up to fully face the younger. Jisung tensed visibly and tried to hide his body with his hands while scanning the room for a clean shirt he could reach without moving. The older boy noticed and shoved his shirt – that would have been the only accessible piece of clothing for Jisung – further out of his reach. "Don't hide from me, baby. You never wear a shirt to bed, so why would put one on now? I was just asking you a question", Minho pulled him into his lap and softly caressed Jisung's arms down to his waist. Jisung relaxed into the touch and let his head fall forward onto his boyfriend's shoulder, taking in his soothing scent. "I did... lose a little weight", he said hesitantly, fearing the other's reaction. Minho tried not to show his worries and simply kept on caressing the younger's soft skin. He could feel and see every single one of his ribs, but he ignored it for now. "Why, love?", he carefully asked, earning a muffled sigh in return. "I just- I kind of lost my... appetite? When you weren't there, I never found the motivation to eat. I simply came home, took a shower, and went to bed without dinner. And I woke up and headed straight back to the studio", Jisung explained with a very quiet voice. Minho gently pushed him away, so that he would face him directly. "Why didn't you tell me, love? You know harming your body isn't the right way to deal with stress", Minho kept his voice calm and composed, the last thing he wanted to do was scare the younger. Jisung gulped, tears threatening to roll down his cheeks, "I'm sorry". "You don't have to be sorry. I'm back now, we can work on it together, okay? I just want you to tell me when you are struggling, because I can't always tell what's going on inside of your head if you don't tell me. I know it's hard, but we need to communicate so that we can help each other. You can never forget that there are people who care about you and who love you", Minho's words caused a sob to erupt from Jisung's throat and the younger fell forward into the other's arm, crying his eyes out. "Oh, baby. Come here", Minho picked Jisung up and carefully laid down on his bed with him, rubbing small circles on his partner's back until his sobs eventually turned into sniffles. "Thank you, Min. I really don't deserve you", Jisung whispered after a while, a sad smile on his face. "Don't say that, Ji. You deserve the world", Minho pressed his lips against the younger's, smiling as Jisung eagerly kissed him back. They had both missed kissing each other so incredibly much.

A loud yell disturbed the couple's calm silence, and they could hear Changbin's deep and angry voice booming through the hallway. A door was shut loudly right after and Minho and Jisung both jumped out of bed to see what was going on. In the hallway they saw Chan, covering his eyes and breaking down on the floor, he was sobbing uncontrollably. Minho and Jisung saw Hyunjin and Seungmin from the other end of the hallway, all of them shared the same confused and worried expression. Minho was the first to react, hurrying over to Chan to try and calm him down. Jisung took at deep breath, before walking over to Changbin's and Felix' room to find out what was going on. "Get him out of the hallway, Minho. I'll bring you tissues and some tea", Hyunjin said, referring to their leader, and walked into the kitchen. Seungmin helped Minho to pick Chan up and walk him into Jisung's and Minho's shared bedroom.