Chapter Text
Minho woke up later than usual that day, the kind of slow, heavy morning where nothing felt urgent and everything felt just a little quieter than it should have. The house was calm, sunlight slipping in through the curtains in soft lines, and for a moment, he just lay there staring at the ceiling, letting the stillness settle into him.
It didn’t last long.
His phone buzzed.
Minho didn’t reach for it immediately. He already had a vague idea of who it might be, and somehow, that was enough to make him wait a few seconds longer than necessary before finally picking it up.
Group chat.
He tapped it open.
SKZ 🔥🔥🔥
Sungie
LOOK AT THIS
A second later, another message.
Sungie
he dragged me out for this last night btw i didn’t even want to go
Minho scrolled down.
A video.
He hesitated for a fraction of a second before pressing play.
The camera shook slightly, laughter spilling through the speakers before the frame steadied just enough to show Jisung—half out of breath, hair messy, eyes crinkled in that way they always did when he was genuinely amused.
“Stop—no, show them,” Jisung’s voice came through, clearly directed at whoever was holding the phone.
The camera flipped.
Jiho came into view, grinning like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“Hi,” he said casually, lifting something into frame—a plush toy from what looked like an arcade claw machine. “I won this for him after like ten tries.”
“That’s not impressive,” Jisung’s voice cut in immediately. “You wasted so much money.”
“Worth it,” Jiho said, shrugging.
The camera flipped back.
Jisung rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.
Minho’s thumb hovered over the screen for a second longer before he locked it.
The chat was already flooding.
Changbin muscle 💪💪
Omg why does it lowk look like a wolf-chan plushie
Hyunjin (airfried)
i love it
Lix
it’s so cute 😍
Jeongin baby
he looks proud for no reason
Sungie
he SHOULDNT be proud
it’s ugly
Minho stared at the messages.
Then typed.
You
looks like you
Sungie
EXCUSE ME???
The chat exploded.
Changbin muscle 💪💪
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Hyunjin (airfried)
didn’t even hesitate
Lix
that was so fast
Minho smirked faintly, but it didn’t quite settle the way it usually did.
Sungie
you’re insane
i’m never sending anything again
You
finally some peace
Sungie
blocked
Minho let out a quiet breath through his nose.
It was normal.
Everything about it was normal.
The rest of the day passed quietly.
Too quietly.
Minho kept himself occupied—helping his mother here and there, absentmindedly playing with the cats, scrolling through his phone without really paying attention to anything.
The group chat stayed active.
Jisung sent a few more things- random pictures, a complaint about Jiho stealing his drink, a blurry shot of food that looked half-eaten.
Minho saw all of it.
Didn’t reply to most of it.
It wasn’t intentional.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
Evening settled in slowly.
The sky dimmed, the house grew quieter, and Minho found himself back in his room again, sitting on the edge of his bed with his phone in his hand.
A notification popped up.
Jisung.
Minho stared at it for a second before opening it.
Sungie
you’ve been awefully quiet lately
Minho exhaled softly.
You
really? we literally talked in the gc this morning tho?
Sungie
yeah... but this is different
A pause.
Sungie
did i do something? is something wrong??
hyung its been almost a week since we had a call.
you said you'd tell me if anything was wrong. what is it?
Minho’s fingers stilled.
There it was.
He stared at the screen, something tightening in his chest in a way he couldn’t quite ignore.
You
no
Sungie
then why are you acting weird
Minho leaned back slightly, eyes flicking to the ceiling.
You
i’m literally the same
Sungie
you’re not
Minho didn’t reply immediately.
On the other side, the typing bubble appeared.
Disappeared.
Sungie
okay maybe i’m overthinking
Minho swallowed.
You
you are
Sungie
wow okay
You
go bother someone else
Sungie
rude
A pause.
Sungie
:can we call now?
Minho’s thumb hovered over the screen.
For a second, he almost pressed it.
But he didn't.
You
im a little busy rn
The reply came out too quickly.
Too easily.
Minho stared at it.
On the other side, there was another pause.
Longer this time.
Sungie
ok fine
Minho’s chest tightened slightly.
Sungie
its fine
That was it.
No teasing.
No pushing.
Just that.
Minho locked his phone, setting it down beside him as he leaned back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling again.
The room felt quieter than before.
He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand over his face.
It was fine.
This was fine.
This was what he wanted.
Distance.
Control.
Something safer than whatever this was becoming.
His phone buzzed again.
Minho didn’t move.
It buzzed once more.
Then stopped.
A few seconds passed before he finally reached for it again, unlocking the screen.
Jisung.
Sungie
anyway i’m gonna head out again with Jiho
ttyl
Minho stared at the message.
You
have fun
The reply came a second later.
Sungie
yeah
No emoji.
No extra comment.
Just that.
Minho stared at it for a moment longer before locking his phone again.
The silence settled in once more.
Was he doing the right thing?