Minute 10 - A love which grows in secret just as a gardenia

Love.

What exactly is love? Can love be described by something as simple as words? Probably not, but again what is this feeling we can love? 

To put it in simple words love is the one thing absolutely everyone wants but the tricky thing is that you can't decide who you love and why you love that person. It just happens, if you will so and that's the point falling in love is something you can't control and of course since love is anything but easy there are different ways of loving someone; you can love someone as a friend as a family member or your lover, you can love someone openly as well as in secret.

But why would you love someone in secret? 

There are again several reasons but why wasting some precious time only to maybe get depressed about it , and that is exactly how Woohyun thought about the whole matter. He didn't want to spent time thinking about his newly developed feelings for Sunggyu while the person who got his heart in his hands is having a hard time.

Now is not the time to think, now is the time to try picking up the shattered parts of the one poor person who had already been broken from begin with.

Yes this one poor boy whose tears were nothing but pure pain for Woohyun, that boy who started to behave like a deer, for nobody to be touched, this poor broken young man called Sunggyu.

It's been already two days since Woohyun decided it would be best to take a few days off of school without his parents really know but he could care less he had bigger worries at the moment. 

Sunggyu had always been a little shy and pretty quiet, he rarely smiled and so on but recently due to Hoyas' the older closed up completely and the only emotion he really showed was crying and Woohyun couldn't take it anymore.  Sunggyu changed so much over the time they have been together but now after one person doing the crap of the year all the good developments have been crashed within only seconds. Woohyun felt so helpless, what should he do? How could he held him? Is he even able to help him? Is it better to leave him alone or to be with him all the time? And then again what should he do about his arching heart? Indeed, Woohyun felt never like that. 

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It was already lunch time and yet again Hana felt like anything but eating lunch. Never not even once since she had her eyes on Woohyun the older didn't attend any class for so long and that pissed her pretty much off but to top that all Sunggyu, that attention seeker, was also not in school for two days already and that pissed her even more. 

It was strange at the moment not only these two were missing she hadn't seen her brother in what felt like ages, normally he would walk with her to school or back home or would make her something to eat since there parents are always out or he would talk to her or whatever but he hasn't come home in two days in a row which also pissed her but also troubled her a bit. 

But that isn't the only strange thing which is going on, she heard something about Infinite H and Sunggyu having trouble or something like that which was her plan from begin with but some how she had a bad feeling about the whole matter. It was time to get some information and maybe looking for her brother at her own accord since yeah she wanted to know how they had hurt Sunggyu. 

Her teacher Mrs. Lim was still talking about some math problem but Hana was more focused on polishing her nails than listening to her but as the middle aged woman announced that they would have a earlier lunch break she was all ears. With a great smile resting on her face she walked out of the room walking into the direction of her brother's class room and just as the clock hit 12 she arrived there really to catch her brother for a talk but much for her disappointed he never left the class room since he had never been in it to begin with. 

Where the hell is that older brother of mine?!- she thought annoyed and stomped with her foot on the ground like a spoilt brat what she was. 

"Hana are you looking for your brother?" - asked a boy who she had never seen before with twinkling eyes and some greasy grin on his face most likely because he was able to touch her shoulder.

"Yes, have you seen him by any chance?"- she asked while forcing a smile on her face, she was pretty much disguised by that dude with his ,in her option, lousy look and that ugly smile but she couldn't help it. She wanted to stay popular so she had to endure talking to that lad.

"Ohh I'm sorry but he wasn't in class for days, to be exact I think he hasn't shown up for two days. Haven you noticed since your his sister?"-he asked innocently but damn that question annoyed the hell out of her, why should she know everything about the whereabouts of her brother?

"No I haven't. .."- she answered bitterly trying hard to suppress the urge of adding at the end of her sentence. .

"Oh have you heard of that incident between your brother and Woohyun then?" 

"What incident?"

"Well it's only a rumor since nobody really saw Hoya but it is said that Woohyun broke your brothers' nose because he only touched Sunggyu or something like that, the only thing which I know for sure is that Woohyun carried Sunggyu in bridal style out of the school while apologizing non stop."

"So to summarize everything are you trying to tell me that Woohyun oppa broke my brothers' nose in order to protect Sunggyu?"

"Yeah that's it basically. "-He said but she was already gone as he ended his sentence. 

That just wait! The moment you step into the school grounds again, I personally make your ing life hell....- She thought bitterly and extremely angry, but she wasn't angry about the fact that the nose of her own brother has been broken but that Woohyun protected Sunggyu, probably hurting his hand too. 

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Everything was silent in the room only the singing of birds outside could be heard, it was already around 12 o'clock but Dongwoo just can't bring himself to wake up the sleeping male beside him. He looked so peaceful and this small smile on his lips suited him so much that Dongwoo just continued to look at this friend then walking him up and destroy the peaceful state of the latter.

It was hard, but he knew it was going to be hard, still he wanted nothing then happiness for his friend, his one and only Lee Howon but how to maintain happiness if the person is broken in some way?

Yes, a lot of people are broken because of whatever reason and as much as Dongwoo hated it his Howon was one of these persons. He knew his friend always tried to hide this side of him from everyone and even changed so much as to become a bully but deep in his heart Howon was still the young boy who had been accursed and hit by his own father.  Howon was nowhere as strong as he tried to look like and until two days ago his facade was intact, for no one to look through but now it broke down, completely. Leaving a broken, scared, lonely and sad young man behind. 

The only thing Dongwoo could really do for him now was being there for him and trying to really heal him, it would take time and a lot of effort but Dongwoo was sure he was able to  pick up the shattered parts to put them together again. He was going to bring a happy Howon back and if it was the last thing he would do, because Dongwoo would never leave the one he loves behind, never and that was the key to get Howon back. 

It's already been two days since that incident with Sunggyu and since then they haven't really left the room, yes Howon stayed in his room, in his bed and underneath his blanket because Dongwoo didn't allow nor wanted his friend to go back to his home and he didn't want anyone to see his friend in this state so they kept skipping classes. But Dongwoo didn't do so without a reason, no Dongwoo had several of them, one of them was the possibility of Howon's father coming home and the other was his little sister Hana, sure he loved Hana as his own sister by now but he knew the girl wasn't an angle like Howon thought. Unlike his friend, Dongwoo always had his ears open and therefore heard the one or the other thing like the way she treated her friends or the way she sometimes acted like she was something of more worth then other people but Dongwoo decided for the love of his friend not to stick his nose into that matter since the only two things Lee Howon hold dear to him were Jang Dongwoo and Lee Hana. And to be quite honest Dongwoo was proud and happy to be a part of these two things, nonetheless he was really frighten to tell his friend about his real feelings for him since yeah he loved him to much to brear loosing him and then he was a part of these only things Howon didn't want to lose. So the inner conflict he had for weeks now was calmed because he could keep on living just as a friend as long as he would be by the other's side so at least he thought but as he literally saw Howon breaking apart infront of him he did the one thing which would either break the other completely or save him in a way.

Flashback:

It pained Dongwoo so, so much to look at his friend at the moment, he couldn't even describe how his heart slowly was treared apart as the slightly younger infront of him continued crying while saying stuff which hurt at least as much as the tears which were running down his face. Dongwoo hated it so much but he knew he had to look at his friend and listen to him closely.

"Dongwoo it's the truth actually Woohyun and my father are right I'm not worth your presents, you should start living the life you deserve with only the best grades, the best friends, not someone as rotten as me."

Please...don't say that. Please I'm begging you, don't listen to such a brat and you father is the biggest I've ever met! Please don't tell me I deserve something better when there is nothing better than you, please I could never leave you...please don't push me away.I can't live without you...- Dongwoo thought pained, he didn't want to hear such words, not at all.He closed his eyes for a split of second to blink away the tear which was slowly forming before he opened his eyes again to voice out the one sentence he hoped to much the younger would answer with a 'No'.

"Dongwoo it's the truth actually Woohyun and my father are right I'm not worth your presents, you should start living the life you deserve with only the best grades, the best friends, not someone as rotten as me."

"Would you really like that?"- By all means please say no...I don't know what to do if you say yes.

"I...I"- Hoya stuttered but nothing more left his lips. Dongwoo was relieved by this.

"I don't need the best grades I'm already pretty good and I have the best friend somebody can have, I will never leave you."- I love you.

"W-why? They all did...actually I was alone to begin with, the one who wasn't needed and never loved."- Howon sobbed horribly and his eyes looked pleaded in the direction of Dongwoo, as if they were crying out for him to save him.

No don't say that, don't look at me like that. I don't want to destroy our friendship and I was so sure to rather hide my feelings for ever then ever letting you know but you...you just don't leave me an other opportunity, You know what Lee Howon...I give a ing damn if you want to hear that now or not! I will tell you!

"Well stupid, you are loved."

"By who?"

Stupid I knew you would ask that.

" By me." - It's now or never.

"W-what?"- Hoya asked perplex but only a second later his one and only friend he had since he was a kid placed a tender kiss on his chopped lips. He froze immediately, was Dongwoo just doing some horribly bad joke or was he serious? Dongwoo pulled away after a few seconds but Hoya remained in a frozen like state, his fingertips were ice cold and he felt as confused as never before. With still slightly teary eyes he looked up into Dongwoo's eyes which were now filled with tears.

"What do y-you mean?"- Hoya asked slowly and somehow the bitter smile which formed on Dongwoo's face produced a pain in his heart.

Hoya watched as Dongwoo slowly lifted his long arms and how he placed his warm hands on his own cheeks and then placed his forehead on his owns.

"Well what I mean is ...that I love you."- Dongwoo whispered quietly but still Hoya heard every word clearly.

"D-don't lie to m-me."- Hoya let out a long sob and moved a bit away so their forehead weren't touching anymore and he was able to look at the face of his friend and only one look at the face of his best friend was enough for Hoya to be sure that he meant what he just said. After another quick look at the olders'eyes he closed the distance between them again with a hug and rested his head on Dongwoo's shoulder letting the last tears of the day hit the older's shoulder.

Flashback end

And now the two of them were lying in the bed underneath the one blanket with one of them asleep in the hold of the other.

Dongwoo was closely observing the sleeping Howon in his arms who was hugging him strongly and slowly he began to wake up and within seconds he blinked his eyes a few times to adjust his sight.

As his view was finally clear he looked up to meet Dongwoo's eyes which were formed into half moons due to his smile.

"Did you sleep good?"- He asked sweetly and brushed a strain of hair out of Hoya's face. The latter only nodded his head before he nuzzled his face unto Dongwoo's shoulder only to fall asleep again, yes Donwgoo was sure he was able to heal his friend and if it was the last thing he would do.

So okay first of all sorry for the absents with this story >x< and then kinda sorry that it doesn't really contain Woogyu like not at all but the next is going to be so much WooGyu will want me to stop xD

ps. Dongwoo is going to turn Hoya into a good boy kkkkk and yes he knows that Hana's a little and yes he will tell Hoya at some stage~

(word count approx. 2600)