jisung had always loved cherry blossoms.
people would call him childish for it, the fact that he'd visit as many parks as he could in late april or early may, or that he'd press the precious little pink flowers that would flutter down from the trees in his school textbooks so they'd last forever.
he didn't even know why they were so special to him aside from their aesthetic properties, but there was something deeper there that even jisung himself couldn't explain.
until that day.
jisung couldn't stop thinking back on that moment in the hospital, staring into his pale reflection as the little pink blossoms escaped between his lips.
even as he sat in his math class, textbook opened to a page where he'd previously pressed a flower and a little pink stain was left behind, it only reminded him of the dreadfully sweet feeling of the cherry blossom petals gracing his tongue and falling into the sink.
he had an idea of what it meant. after all, he'd seen it play out with hyunjin, just a few days before. all the blood, the longing, the danger of hanahaki disease.
jisung scribbled down formulas and functions mindlessly as his brain ran 100 miles a minute thinking again about his circumstances, and how soon he'd be spitting up blood and-
"what? did you suddenly develop asthma?" a classmate sneered at jisung as he coughed into his hand, catching the single petal that flew out of his mouth so no one would see it.
"sorry." jisung apologized, not entirely sincerely, and not meeting his classmate's eyes so he could try to focus on concealing the baby pink petal in his palm.
"yeah. you should be. we're all trying to pay attention to the teacher and your loud ass coughing isn't helping."
jisung opened his mouth to defend himself against his classmate's sudden aggression, but he was cut off by his teacher.
"that'll be detention for the both of you for disrupting class. room 205 after school."
jisung averted his eyes as he felt the stare of several classmates on him. "understood, mrs.," he muttered.
🌸
jisung made his way to room 205 at the end of the day, pleasantly suprised to find chan and minho there.
"what're you doing in our physics class?" chan singsongly asked, oblivious to jisung's soured mood.
"detention." the younger replied, dropping his bag to the floor with a thump as he begrudgingly sat at one of the desks.
"hang on," minho said with his sly, cat-like grin, walking up to the teacher. jisung watched him approach the teacher's desk and casually lean against it with one arm, having a seemingly casual conversation with each other.
"minho is mrs. park's favourite." chan explained under his breath, arms crossed as he kept his voice down so the other students in detention wouldn't hear. "let's see what trick he pulls out of his sleeve this time."
"well," minho said as he turned around from the desk a few moments later. "time for our weekly tutoring session, jisung. i wouldn't want my favourite tutee falling behind in his classes." he winked.
jisung felt the tips of his ears get hot. that goddamn smile. "r-right! tutoring! forgot i had that today!" jisung nervously laughed, hoping he was selling the part.
mrs. park raised a brow at him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"jisung," minho said through clenched teeth, still maintaining his smile. "let's go. goodbye, mrs. park."
jisung trailed chan and minho out of the classroom, whispering a quiet thank you to minho as the trio walked down the hall.
"so jisung," chan started, "now that you're out of detention, what do you say you come to the mall with me and minho? we're gonna check out this new bakery that opened there!"
"sure," jisung agreed, his throat starting to become raw as he felt a surge of petals in his airway. "give me... give me just a second." the younger nervously laughed, attempting to clear his throat as he made a beeline for a washroom.
he heard chan starting to go off on some tangent about a new song he was working on, thankful that the older was unknowingly distracting minho.
or so he thought.
a few minutes later, while jisung was in the process of hacking up a few more flowers, the washroom door creaked open.
it could be someone else... jisung thought to himself as he quietly picked a few petals off his tongue before opening the stall door.
minho stood right in front of him, and jisung flinched in shock. "geez, hyung! why are you standing so close?"
minho leaned on the stall frame, holding himself up with one arm. jisung hoped his faint blush wasn't visible in the dingy washroom lighting.
"you were just taking a while."
"i was... uh..."
"jisung, i know what this is."
jisung's nervous laugh filled the washroom. "what do you mean?"
"even though things like this are personal, i don't think you should be ashamed of them. i'm always willing to help you." minho wasn't much taller than jisung, but the younger couldn't help but feel tiny in the moment. like he was engulfed by minho's figure, his shadow.
"was i that obvious?" jisung gulped. he couldn't fathom how minho could've figured this out.
"well, i wouldn't say obvious, but,"
"... but?"
"everyone gets constipated, jisung."
"what? that's not- i'm not-"
the washroom door opened again, and this time chan appeared in the doorway. minho backed up from the stall, and jisung made his escape.
"what's all the commotion in here about?" chan asked, furrowing his brows.
"jisung here is-" minho started, that same sly smile gracing his features.
"just feeling a bit light headed! i really need to stop forgetting to drink water!" the younger interjected, face becoming increasingly red.
"you know what they say, jisung." minho slung an arm around jisung's shoulders. "hydrate or die-drate."
"no one is die-drating on my watch!" chan yelled, resuming his role as the designated parent of the friend group and producing a plastic water bottle out of his bag like magic. shoving it against jisung's chest before the younger could protest, chan turned on his heel. "are we going to the mall or what?"
🌸
jisung felt his symptoms worsen everyday. in class, he'd have to force himself not to cough, and sometimes, he would do it anyway despite willing himself with everything he had not to. on one of his meetings with chan and changbin where they delliberated upon which music they wanted to put out next, jisung had to make up some excuse about dog sitting for his neighbour, and left early just to spend the night in his washroom, purging flowers upon flowers. at lunch, jisung found it hard to hold a conversation because the annoying tingling in his throat wouldn't relent.
it was at this point that hyunjin started to catch on.
one day, while walking home, hyunjin made jisung take a detour after chan went off to his own house, placing his hands on jisung's shoulders and staring into his eyes.
"do you have it?" is all hyunjin asked.
jisung shook his head. he was determined to get through this on his own. he knew his friend group was slightly traumatized by the whole sleepover debacle, and minho had to spend a whole day deep-cleaning his washroom after it all went down. jisung didn't want to add to that stress if he could prevent it.
"okay..." hyunjin said, pursing his lips. "you know if something's going on, you can tell me. don't be like me, keeping it in until you almost die."
jisung allowed himself to laugh lightly at the joke, hoping he wouldn't make it to that extent. "thanks, hyunjin."
after hyunjin went his separate way, jisung came to the conclusion: it was either get medical intervention or confess and have it over with.
he didn't know what to do. and he didn't have much time to decide.
🌸
despite knowing minho for most of his adolescence, jisung found it very hard to read him. minho had a few emotions that he'd wear on his sleeve- his happiness, for one, which was jisung's favourite, as well as his anger and annoyance, which didn't prevail as much- but the rest usually remained a mystery.
at lunch that day, it was just that. minho had taken a seat next to jisung, and while all their friends played cards, minho and jisung had both decided they didn't have the energy to participate, and jovially chatted instead.
"in my dance class right now, i've been given a chance to get a solo." minho brought up, picking at his sandwich.
"that's amazing, hyung! how do you get it?"
"i have to choreograph my own dance, and if my teacher likes it, i'll get to compete it in the next upcoming dance competition."
"ooh," jisung cooed, staring at minho's perfect bone structure and sharp features more than focusing on the conversation at hand.
"the issue is, i don't feel drawn to any songs right now. kind of like i've lost inspiration. i was wondering,"
"yes?"
"if you could make me a song."
"oh." jisung knew he was straight up blushing. he felt his throat tingle, and he willed himself to calm down so he didn't accidentally decorate minho's face with a splattering of blood and pink petals.
"up to you, of course," minho's big, sparkly eyes met jisung's gaze for a heartbeat, before looking back down at his lunch.
"i'll do it." jisung firmly responded, as if he'd never been more sure of anything in his life.
"great! the deadline for the dance is in two weeks. so i was hoping we'd be able to spend a few nights in the studio,"
"anything you need."
minho just smiled back at jisung. it was genuine appreciation, but jisung could only wish for it to be more than that one day.
🌸
the first night the two were working on the dance, minho showed up to the studio in his pajama pants and an oversized shirt. jisung internally squealed at how adorable he looked, and probably broke the world record for the hottest temperature of a human body once minho snuggled up next to him, watching him work on the beat.
the two shot ideas back and forth, minho's head in the crook of jisung's neck the entire time. it was nothing new, sitting in such close proximity, but in jisung's recent circumstances, it just felt... different.
of course, after that, jisung got home and faced the inevitable. waves of cherry blossoms erupted from within him. red and pink. he knew he was reaching a dangerous point of the disease.
at school the next day, felix and seungmin eyed him throughout their various classes. they watched him rest his head on his desk, coughing every now and then, and they both agreed that he looked sick. jisung just blamed it on sleep deprivation.
the day after that, he met with chan and changbin again, working on songs, when he felt an onset of the flowers building up in his throat. he quite literally ran home, leaving chan and changbin utterly confused. they sent him tons of messages and call him a few times, but jisung didn't pick up.
by the end of the week, jeongin and jisung went out for ice cream.
"so you like minho hyung?" was the first thing jeongin said to him once they got their cones.
jisung stood there, opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish as he grappled for a response.
"hyung, i know you like him. its obvious. to me and least. and it's fine."
"how did you know?"
"you stare at him constantly, talk about him constantly, try to go where he's going constantly-
"okay, okay, that's enough." jisung said as he smiled down at his feet. "and... don't tell anyone. please."
"i won't. but i just thought i'd ask because i wanted to make sure you didn't end up like hyunjin. you know... with all the..."
"no! no, i'm..." jisung laughed nervously, waving his hands in front of him. "i'm okay."
he's wasn't. he really wasn't.
🌸
it was the night before minho had performed his dance to his class, potentially for a shot at a solo. jisung knew he'd get it, since minho was already the most decorated dancer at his academy, with tons of wins from past solos already under his belt. still, he sat in the studio, watching minho practice.
when minho would dance, each move was delivered precisely with no technical errors, emotion and power surging from every movement. the beat that jisung made built up, approaching the big beat drop, and jisung couldn't contain himself from smiling as minho flawlessly executed his routine.
the music pulsed through the speakers, but suddenly, jisung started to drown it out. he felt like he had to vomit. the washroom wasn't far, so he made a run for it, but then jisung felt a hand grab his as he was rushing across the room to the door.
"not now hyung," jisung wistfully smiled as he tried to free himself of minho's firm grip.
"you don't want to dance with me, sungie?" minho took ahold of jisung's other hand, as he guided him through the steps of the routine.
"i think i feel a nosebleed coming on," jisung tried, making an effort to convince minho to let go of him, as much as he didn't want him to.
"you don't get nosebleeds. you're specifically medicated for that. i know you, jisung." minho laughed, continuing his dancing.
"hyung. please-"
"why are you avoiding me?" minho suddenly said, and his expression became a mix of sadness and something jisung couldn't place.
"i'm not- no-" jisung started to panic. he felt the surge of flowers in his throat. he didn't have long.
"at school, we haven't sat next to each other for a week, and sometimes you randomly disappear when we're hanging out." minho goes on.
somehow, jisung didn't consider that it looked that way to minho. "that's not my intention hyung. but i have to go for a second-"
"see! you're doing it now! avoiding me."
"that's not what this is. i promise."
"that's damn sure what it feels like, jisung."
"i swear to you, it's not!"
"are you seeing someone?" minho asked, as his voice became scarily quiet. "you could have just told me." jisung could have sworn there was tears in minho's eyes. a ghost of a smile crossed the older's face, and minho's thumbs rubbed the back of jisung's hands. "i'd be happy for you." minho dropped jisung's hands.
jisung knew it was not going to be long before everything came out. before he could even respond to minho, he ran out of the studio, and into the street where a dim streetlight illuminated a nearby patch of bushes. jisung knelt in front of one and hundreds of little flowers escaped him.
then, he got up, and ran home before he had to face minho again.
🌸
the following days at school were awkward. aside from the discomfort jisung was in physically, his whole friend group picked up on the tension between him and minho.
minho didn't attempt to talk to him at lunch, and jisung buried himself in calculus homework at the lunch table instead of making an effort to reconcile with minho.
maybe it's better this way. jisung thought. maybe the stupid flowers will go away.
they didn't.
jisung had to skip a whole period that day just so he could purge the buildup of cherry blossoms in his airways.
after school, he had a meeting with chan and changbin. he gets to the school's recording studio before the two others. they took unusually long to get there that day, jisung noted, since he's usually the late one.
after 10 minutes, jisung sat on his phone playing mindless games, and as the door opened, jisung spun in his chair. "chan hyung, changbin hyu-"
"jisung." minho said, his expression unreadable, leaning against the door frame. "can we talk? please?"
minho didn't sound as angry as jisung thought he'd be. instead, he sounded more sad, more pleading.
jisung nodded.
minho dropped his bag by the door and sat in the chair across from jisung. "care to tell me what happened the other night?" minho looked up at jisung behind disheveled hair. by the looks of it, he had ran to the studio from the other side of the school.
"i don't know, hyung. look, there's this thing i should tell you," jisung gulped. was he really about to do this? to confess?
"what is it, sungie?" minho's voice was so gentle, jisung just wanted to fall into his arms and cry.
and then jisung did fall. not into minho's arms, but rather to his knees, as a cloud of pink petals exploded from his mouth.
"oh my god!" was all minho shouted, and jisung had a hand on his back before he could even process what was happening.
"jisung, if this is what i think it is," minho said after a minute, while the younger was still spitting out flowers, "look at me."
jisung looked up. minho was...
smiling?
"i should've told you, i know." jisung said, feeling one of minho's hands reach up to cup his face.
minho laughed. "i thought i was being obvious. apparently i'm not very good at dropping hints."
"no, you're not." jisung agreed.
"at least you didn't almost die like someone we know, right?"
"you might have to kiss me now so we can make sure that doesn't happen." jisung said under his breath, as he sheepishly looked up into minho's eyes.
they sparkle back at him, and minho met his request with no hesitation.
"now i have to clean this all up, don't i?" jisung said once their lips parted, looking down at the mess of flowers and blood below them.
minho hummed, taking ahold of one of jisung's hands. "i think it can wait a bit."
jisung smiled, and the two finally got up, turning only to be faced with chan and changbin standing in the doorway.
"about time," changbin said, clapping slowly.
"how long were you guys there?" jisung practically yelled, grasping his neck with a hand.
"let's see," chan said. "dramatic confession, kiss, aftermath of kiss," chan counted the events on his fingers.
"okay, okay, that's enough." minho finally laughed. "we'll get this cleaned up and i'll leave you guys to your music making."
"i've got it under control." chan said. jisung wanted to protest, but the look in chan's eyes told him he wouldn't let him.
"thanks hyung." jisung could only smile then, and he and minho hurriedly said goodbye to chan and changbin as they walked down the school hallway and outside.
"hey, jisung," minho said after the two remained silent for a while, just walking and holding hands. "i actually found the flowers the night you ran off."
"oh..." jisung didn't know what to say.
"i didn't say anything at the time because i didn't know how to process things. i had to think it all over for a few days,"
"i see," jisung didn't know where the older was going with this.
"all i'm trying to say is, this wasn't a recent thing. i've liked you for a while. i just wanted you to know that."
"i'm glad we had that much in common."
🌸
the two walked around with no particular destination in mind, eventually walking all the way to minho's place.
"movie night?" minho asked, a sneaky smile making its way to his face as his thumb glides across the back of jisung's hand.
"you know i'm always down for a movie night, hyung." jisung smiled in return.
that night, on the couch, the two sat and watched various films and dramas until both of their eyes fluttered closed.
jisung woke up the next morning, finding minho's head on his shoulder, the older still fast asleep. jisung brushed his fingers through minho's hair, taking in the floral scent of his shampoo.
minho's eyes slowly opened, and he planted a kiss on jisung's cheek. "were you watching me sleep?" jisung melted internally at the older's morning voice.
"no, just admiring how nice your hair smells."
"my shampoo is cherry blossomed-scented."
jisung laughed. "of course it is."
🌸
a/n
heyyy anyone who happens to stumble upon this! i uploaded this story more than two years ago now, and i've been promising this spinoff for ages now. well! it took me a while but here it is! now that i'm back, i'll probably be writing more stuff, just because i want to practice my writing. we'll see what's to come, i guess! anyway, hope you enjoyed, starry out!