RED | nyukyu ✓

twenty one

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 : 𝐡𝐮𝐠 𝐦𝐞
❝ stay beside me, stay with me.
don't let go of me and my hand. ❞
⁻ ʲᵒᵒⁿⁱˡ ʲᵘⁿᵍ ⁻

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changmin had no idea when he fell asleep but when he woke up to see the sleeping face of choi chanhee, he felt his heart hammer against his chest, his head still on the boy's lap.

ever since he had seen chanhee with younghoon, he began distancing himself and drowning himself in endless dancing, the dance room becoming more of his room than his actual dorm. but because of him putting his all into every routine he did, he had also been ignoring his own needs. running on about twelve energy drinks a day, it was about time that his body decided to shut down on him but before it could, chanhee entered the room and gave changmin a sudden rush of momentary adrenaline.

he didn't want to see chanhee. hell, he had gone through great lengths to avoid him at all costs. but the second chanhee had pulled him into an embrace, he knew he couldn't get over him that easily.

and now, there he was staring at his crush who had his head leaning against the wall, an arm draped around changmin and it took everything in the dancer to stop himself from reaching up and tracing the features of chanhee's face.

carefully, changmin propped himself up, shifting slightly so that he was against the wall. gently, he brought chanhee's head to his shoulder, trying to be as quiet as possible to ensure that he didn't wake the boy up.

changmin wanted to stay like that for as long as possible, leaning his own head against chanhee's.

"this wouldn't mean anything to you would it?" changmin thought out loud. "you like younghoon and-"

"what are you rambling about?" changmin immediately distanced himself from chanhee, the slightly older boy stumbling because of how his body was leaning against changmin's previously. "and for your information, i don't like anybody but myself," chanhee said, collecting himself and fixing his mask. "what made you think that in the first place ji?"

changmin had no idea what to say. if he confessed to seeing the boy being carried by younghoon, would he seem like a stalker? on the other hand, if he outed younghoon for liking chanhee, he'd seem like a complete prick wouldn't he?

"i-i don't know! i figured that since you seemed so comfortable with him, you probably liked him or something along those lines and-" chanhee chuckled, changmin immediately wondering if he had said something wrong.

"if it makes you feel better, you're the first person i've actively searched for in this school. you're also the first person who confessed to me so maybe, you have a special place in my mind. i'm comfortable with younghoon because he's my roommate but it doesn't mean that i'm uncomfortable with you - in fact, i'd say i quite like your presence ji changmin so you really shouldn't compare yourself with younghoon since i've known him longer," chanhee said, taking off his mask and showing changmin a small smile. "and besides, if i didn't feel somewhat comfortable around you, i wouldn't ever take this thing off," he added on, waving his black mask around.

changmin felt a rush of emotions passing through him so quickly that he couldn't even make a single feeling out, all of them mixing with one another and making him feel overall confused inside. he didn't know if chanhee was aware of the effect his words had over him, sending his heart into overdrive and giving him so many mixed signals from his initial rejection that all changmin could do was nod in reply. he simply had no words to encompass all that he felt in that instance and was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would say something stupid again like confessing (for what would be the third time).

"have you eaten dinner?" chanhee asked, changmin shaking his head. to be frank, changmin hadn't eaten a proper meal in ten days and in all honesty, he wondered if his insides were still functional. "you have that list right? the places to take chanhee list?" changmin blushed a bright red at the fact that he remembered but nevertheless nodded and took out his phone to show said list to chanhee, their fingers lightly brushing against one another when he passed the phone to the black haired boy.

chanhee scrolled through, looking at every option and finally, once he picked one, he showed it to changmin. "let's go here. i'll pay for it." changmin looked at the restaurant he picked and felt himself becoming more embarrassed simply because he had put a heart next to it and had written 'date vibes' with tons of sparkles.

before changmin could even start defending himself, chanhee had stood up, offering a hand for him to take as his other hand put his mask back on. "hurry up ji changmin. we don't have all day," chanhee stated, snapping changmin out of his daze. when changmin placed his hand in chanhee's, chanhee immediately interlocked fingers with him, helping him up.

before they left the dance room, chanhee stopped in his tracks, still holding changmin's hand. "i just want to say this now ji changmin. i don't like anyone but if you avoid me again, i will truly never speak to you again because i'm giving a part of myself to you with every second we spend together, even if it isn't romantically. i seem to have grown rather fond of you so don't disappear on me like that ever again, okay changmin?"

changmin felt as though his heart had leapt out of his chest and had landed right into chanhee's hands and at any moment, if chanhee so pleases, he could shatter his heart into a million and one pieces.

but it was a risk changmin was willing to take, nodding his head and locking pinky fingers with chanhee.

"i promise."

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author's note:

are nyukyu finally progressing after 21 chapters??? anyways, hope youre all doing well loves <3