Mingyu had always felt a strange, inexplicable connection to the sound of a beating heart
825 words by Sophie

Mingyu had always felt a strange, inexplicable connection to the sound of a beating heart.

    The reverberation of his own heart beating had given him strength in some of his weakest times - it may have even saved his life on a few occasions.

    It wasn’t that he just enjoyed the sound, but more that he found the idea of it so utterly captivating. When he heard a heart beating, he felt that he had to do everything in his power to keep it beating for as long as possible.

    This feeling of protectiveness occurred most often in the case of Wonwoo’s heart. When laying his ear to Wonwoo’s chest, hearing his heart pumping soft and slow against his flesh, Mingyu felt so perfectly content. A sensation of nirvana encompassed him that he had never experienced before. Wonwoo’s heart instantly became Mingyu’s most important priority; something so precious and fragile needed to be protected at all costs, and Mingyu couldn’t be more thrilled to be the one to take on that role. The role of guarding Jeon Wonwoo’s heart.

On this particular night, Wonwoo’s body was stretched lengthwise across the couch, his head resting atop Mingyu’s lap. They had been watching a movie, but it was quiet and slow, causing the sleepy Wonwoo to doze off and dream about something more exciting. His week had been fast-paced and exhausting, Mingyu thought as he ran his fingers gently through Wonwoo’s dark hair; he deserved to get as much rest as he could.

    The movie ended before Mingyu had even had the chance to get into the plot of it, the credits rolling up the screen at a crawling pace as a soft piano medley played through the speakers. Mingyu reached for the remote, turning the volume down low, before focusing himself back on Wonwoo.

    Gazing upon his sleeping expression, Mingyu ran his index finger lightly over the features of Wonwoo’s face, beginning at the middle of his forehead and working his way slowing to the bridge of his nose. Tracing the outline of Wonwoo’s lips, Mingyu thought that no one could have crafted someone that was more beautiful than the boy he had fallen so deeply in love with. And to think that that boy loved him back was something Mingyu was still unable to wrap his head around, after all these years.

    Pushing the stray strands of hair from his face, Mingyu studied Wonwoo’s eyelids, watching as his eyelashes would flutter every ten or so seconds. Mingyu wondered what Wonwoo was dreaming about, if anything at all. He never talked much about what happened in his mind when he slept. Was that because he had a lot of nightmares? Mingyu’s hand caressed the top of Wonwoo’s head, slowly rubbing his thumb against his scalp. If he was having a nightmare, hopefully Mingyu’s comfort mechanisms would help it go away.

    At that moment, Mingyu couldn’t help but think about the thing that had been on his mind for a while, more consistently as time continued to pass. From past experience, every time things started to get really good for him - especially in relationships - it wouldn’t be long before something would happen and that source of happiness would disappear. Mingyu was beginning to wonder if it was coming time for that to happen with Wonwoo, that he had spent enough time basking in the presence of Wonwoo, and that he would soon lose him.

    Because he feared that this could happen at any moment, Mingyu made it a habit to take time to sit back and really appreciate Wonwoo. He spent a lot of his time gazing at Wonwoo, sometimes even being caught by him and causing him to feel embarrassed, his cheeks attaining a light shade of pink as he tried to hide his face from Mingyu.

Mingyu had also become a lot more hands-on than he had been at the beginning of their relationship, constantly reaching for Wonwoo’s hand and holding it tightly within his, as if letting it go would cause Wonwoo to disappear. Mingyu savored every kiss Wonwoo gave him, every word he spoke, every look in his direction. And, even in doing all of this, Mingyu knew that no time with Wonwoo would ever feel like enough.

Fingers lightly touching the cotton of Wonwoo’s t-shirt, Mingyu rested the palm of his hand above the man’s heart. The body heat radiating from Wonwoo’s chest warmed Mingyu’s chilled hand, and he waited patiently to feel the pulsing of the heart underneath.

Slow and gentle, Wonwoo’s heart fluttered rhythmically beneath the younger’s hand. Mingyu’s eyes quivered shut, as if not utilizing one of his senses would increase the intensity of another. He stayed as still as possible so that he wouldn’t lose the feeling of Wonwoo’s heart against his palm, and wished more than anything that he could stay like that forever, knowing that he couldn’t possibly get any happier than he was in that moment.