Wonwoo went under surgery on the 26th of July, a day following their return to the hospital. After Jisoo checked Mingyu's report on Wonwoo's mental health, the surgery was given a green light and followed as planned.

Wonwoo's family who had been staying at a hotel had spent the day at the hospital after sending him in with hugs and wishes for a fast recovery. His mother and father had greeted Mingyu when he walked by, but Wonwoo's younger brother refused to even look him in the eye. It was a short meeting--shaking hands, exchanging greetings--and then Mingyu had to go.

His day was filled with visits he had pushed back, and meetings that had been delayed because of him. He didn't have a single second to escape, and every moment that passed by without a word of Wonwoo's wellbeing was slowly choking Mingyu with worry. Although he was clawing for even just a glimpse of the operation room, he was swept away before even being able to turn down that hall.

By the end of the day, he was worn out in every way possible and his mind was only on the thought of leaving as quickly as possible so he could see the one who had been flooding his mind all day.

Mingyu packed his things into his bag and shoved his coat in unhesitantly. He made fast for the hospital wing that held the recovery rooms. He knew the room Wonwoo was in, having heard of it from Jeonghan.

Room 526.

Most of the lights had been turned off, the occasional wall lamp lighting the path for Mingyu to follow. He felt the hospital held an eerie feeling to it as if something he dreaded was waiting for him in the shadows enveloping the halls.

When he reached the fifth floor, he found the room easily.

Mingyu wanted to enter immediately but he found himself frozen to the spot. His arms resting by his sides, his feet rooted to the floor. There was that annoying little nudge in the back of his mind that told him he was going to regret everything he had done, and everything he was about to do.

He didn't want to listen to it, he just wanted to move forward, to open the door and to finally lay eyes on his beautiful friend. So he forced his feet to take a step forward, and his hands to reach out to open the door. It slid to the side smoothly, not a sound coming from the wheels that carried it open.

Mingyu was thankful for the little lamp that had been next to his bed. Wonwoo looked as frail as ever, but his face was peaceful and it almost seemed as if he was smiling in his sleep. Mingyu wondered what he was dreaming for him to have looked so serene.

Mingyu pulled up the chair that was placed against the wall, setting it so he could sit next to Wonwoo's bed.

Cradled under his arms were traces of his family. A cheesy card that was covered in too many colours, a stuffed animal that Mingyu also used to own, and a book.

Unable to stop himself, Mingyu reached for the book, pulling it softly from under his arm. It was one of those cliché romantic novels that Wonwoo was constantly reading. Mingyu had seen Wonwoo reading them so many times before, but this particular hardcover was unfamiliar.

The title was Me Before You and Mingyu knew immediately what it was about. The book had been all the rage a while back, and Mingyu himself would have been swept into it if only he read books.

He disliked fiction, because it always seemed too good to be true and he was afraid that if he ever began to believe in those stories woven by creative minds, he would start looking for a story he knew didn't exist in the real world. He liked dreaming, because he knew that when he woke up, the dream would be over, and there was no evidence that it had ever really existed at all. While a book was read by thousands, experienced by millions, and there would always be traces of it somewhere in reality.

If he ever fell into a story that left him wanting more, he knew he'd never be able to escape it, and ultimately he would be left wishing for nothing. To Mingyu, who had met so many people who were waiting for something that would never come, it was the scariest thing that could happen to him.

Yet something made him flip open the book, the pages fluttering between his fingers as it fell onto a random page. Words jumped out at him, and he felt the sudden urge to read. He was looking for something more, something that would tell him that what he wanted was possible.

He knew what was causing him to crave more, and it wasn't a book or a movie, but the dark-haired man laying before him. Mingyu was still afraid, of course, but Wonwoo was real. His existence in Mingyu's life could no longer be denied, and to Mingyu, anything real was worth believing in.

His lips parted as he began to read the words aloud.

"'Hey Clark', he said.'Tell me something good'. I stared out of the window at the bright-blue Swiss sky and I told him a story of two people."

Mingyu read to the rhythm of Wonwoo's breathing and the sounds of the machines mixed into his voice and Wonwoo's rushes of air.

"Two people who shouldn't have met, and who didn't like each other much when they did, but who found they were the only two people in the world who could possibly have understood each other. And I told him of the adventures they had, the places they had gone, and the things I had seen that I had never expected to."

Mingyu didn't see the small movement of Wonwoo's eyes as they opened, focusing on him as he continued to read.

"I conjured for him electric skies and iridescent seas and evenings full of laughter and silly jokes. I drew a world for him, a world far from a Swiss industrial estate, a world in which he was still somehow the person he had wanted to be. I drew the world he had created for me, full of wonder and possibility."

Mingyu sighed with content as he finished the passage, loving the way the words fit together, and how they created in his mind a picture that he was now becoming used to. His eyes scanned it over again, linking the description with his own experiences with Wonwoo. The only thing he completely ignored was the fact that the two should have never met at all.

His only thought was that his story was a thousand times better.

Mingyu panned his focus downwards, finding the next words to read. He knew it was strange that he was reading to no one, but he thought it was better than worrying over Wonwoo when he was incapable of doing anything.

Just as the next words tumbled out of his lips, he heard a garbled chuckle bubble up from the bed in front of him.

He nearly dropped the book when he saw Wonwoo, eyes open, a smile lighting up his tired face. Another croak of laughter escaped as Mingyu slowly closed the book, setting it onto the bed.

"Are you crying over a book?" Wonwoo whispered, attempting to make his voice louder so that Mingyu could hear.

At first, Mingyu was confused. He had no clue why Wonwoo thought he was crying until he noticed himself that there were tears hanging dangerously at the edges of his eyes. Mingyu knew that the tears weren't for the book, but it was out of happiness when he saw that Wonwoo was awake. He went to wipe them away as fast as he could, scoffing while he did.

"No, I'm not a little crybaby like you."

"Then what were you crying about?" Wonwoo's voice was getting stronger as time passed, his strength coming back to him as he woke up. "Not me, I hope?"

"I was crying at how ridiculous that stuffed animal is," Mingyu said flatly, donning his poker face so Wonwoo wouldn't be able to tell he was lying.

"While you were looking at the book?"

"Do you want me to put you back to sleep?"

Wonwoo let out a burst of laughter before he groaned and clutched his stomach in pain. Mingyu sat up straighter in worry but couldn't do much but sit and watch. Mingyu's face was contorted with worry as he waited for Wonwoo to settle back down.

"I'm sorry I woke you, you should probably sleep more."

Wonwoo shook his head softly, his hair sticking out underneath him, reminding Mingyu vaguely of a lion's mane.

"I wanted to see you as soon as I woke up, so it's okay."

He said it so faintly that Mingyu thought he was hearing things but when it came to him that what he heard wasn't just a product of his imagination, a smile formed on his face. He tried desperately to hold it back, and so it came off as a lop-sided smirk.

"Did you miss me that much?"

Mingyu meant it as a joke, and his smirk made it seem all the more arrogant.

Wonwoo snorted, keeping the moving to a minimum. "No. I just wanted to know what it was that you promised to tell me."

Out of nowhere, Mingyu began choking violently on air when the topic came up, having completely forgotten in his worried state. He hadn't prepared himself to answer, and so was unsure of what to say.

In somewhat of a panic, Mingyu busied his hands by tucking Wonwoo into the bed, putting away the edges that had slipped out while he had slept the entire day. Wonwoo watched with amused eyes, slipping his arms out so he could rest it over the covers.

Mingyu regained his composure as he tucked in the last corner, turning his attention back to Wonwoo's watchful stare.

"I said I'd tell you if you survive, and you're still recovering. Don't get too ahead of yourself." Mingyu cleared his throat awkwardly. "So go to sleep and recover fast."

Wonwoo chuckled, barely moving from where Mingyu had secured him in with the blanket.

"Can I trust you to keep your promise?"

Mingyu fidgeted in his seat. "Do you have so little faith in me, Wonwoo?"

Wonwoo closed his eyes, a smile still resting on his features. "Yes, but it's there. My faith in you is as minimal as the amount of flowers I have in my room."

Immediately, Mingyu perked up to scan the room, glancing at the window, corners, and side table only to find three carnations in a vase next to him. Not believing that those were the only ones, Mingyu got up from his seat and checked the other side of the bed, the closet, and even in the drawers. Mingyu found nothing. He came back before Wonwoo, opening his mouth to talk.

"What? That's basically nothing. Do you really not-"

Mingyu paused when he saw that Wonwoo seemed to have fallen back asleep. His chest was rising and falling at a steady pace, his lips parted slightly, letting out little whistles of air.

"He must've had a tiring day..." Mingyu whispered to himself, assuming that the reason for Wonwoo falling asleep so fast was the drugs in the tubes leading into his veins.

He gathered his things from the ground and pushed the chair back against the wall.

He hovered where he stood for a while. Mingyu didn't want to leave, not yet. He wanted to talk about things that he would never be able to stop rambling about, even if that meant to ramble on to a sleeping friend and silent air. He wanted to sit in the comfort of Wonwoo's presence, and to actually tell him what he had promised to say.

He knew he shouldn't, of course, because he had another day ahead of him and some patients of his own to worry about. Not to mention, visiting hours had long since ended and he shouldn't have been there in the first place.

Mingyu sighed as he stepped a little bit closer to Wonwoo's bed, just watching as Wonwoo began to snore.

Mingyu laughed a little. All those nights that Wonwoo had spent sleeping at his house made Mingyu realize how loud of a sleeper he was. Although they were in two separate rooms, there were times when he would be kept up even later because of Wonwoo's heavy snoring. He didn't mind at the time, and he still didn't think much of it now. The sounds were just evidence that Wonwoo was still there. Mingyu actually liked the fact that Wonwoo snored so loudly.

Mingyu shook his head at how ridiculous he must've been for thinking that. He knew why he thought it, of course, but it just wasn't something that you'd hear from a person every day.

He smiled to himself as he flicked the table lamp off, engulfing the room in darkness. Moonlight filtered in through the thin curtains hanging over the window and Mingyu leaned over the bed ever so slightly, just enough so that his head was over Wonwoo's. The light was clear and its colour was nearly blue. Wonwoo seemed supernatural in that moment, and in Mingyu's eyes, he swore that the light was the result of him glowing.

He had always thought fireflies were beautiful, but none of them could compare to the way Wonwoo looked to Mingyu then. Although he was still, he was more dynamic than a disturbed field covered in dormant fireflies.

"I think I might be in love with you."

And he didn't only think he was in love with Wonwoo, he believed with all of his being that this was the man that he would be willing to give everything to.

He just didn't want to say the full truth yet, not until Wonwoo was safe from everything that could take him away, and not until Mingyu could actually look into his dark eyes to tell him.

For now, uncertainty would have to be enough.

 

--

 

From there, things only went uphill. Wonwoo recovered fairly quickly and underwent multiple procedures to ensure the safety of his health, but otherwise, was doing well.

Mingyu visited him whenever possible and they continued the routine that they had started before the surgery. OHEA resumed, but at that point, it had become more of Mingyu just showing his affection rather than attempting to ensure a happy ending for Wonwoo.

With the way things were going, an ending wasn't anywhere in sight.

Mingyu was aware that Wonwoo's birthday was nearly two weeks after his surgery, and so he had set up a small gathering for his birthday. It wasn't much, just a room filled with friends and family and a couple of too-bright balloons from the gift shop on the first floor. It didn't do much to lighten up the bland hospital room, but the mood was no longer that of a funeral.

Everyone brought a little something as a gift.

Minghao had brought chicken from the delivery place he worked at while Jun gave Wonwoo a baseball signed by some famous pitcher. Seungcheol and his children brought hand drawn portraits of Wonwoo, and Soonyoung dropped by with Dokyeom to give a good luck charm. The gardener had also prepared a bouquet, much to Mingyu's distaste. Chan had come in with a knitted sweater that fit Wonwoo perfectly. Jeonghan and Jisoo came empty-handed, but considering all they had done, it wasn't quite necessary. Even Mingyu's new patient, Jihoon had come in with a can of juice.

Mingyu didn't have much but tacky recipe cards that he had written up by hand. He assumed that since Wonwoo's stomach was sensitive, he would need food that was more gentle on his digestive system so he had spent a night scouring the internet for recipes that were both healthy and delicious. The recipe cards were attached by a metal ring and were nearly illegible due to Mingyu's chicken scratch.

Wonwoo had loved it despite how awful Mingyu thought it was, and he spent most of his time sitting on his bed attempting to decipher the blocks that were scrawled against the white paper. The teasing was incessant and Wonwoo was ruthless with his way of mocking the writing. They didn't stop going back and forth with their shouting and the others watched with knowing eyes.

The night ended peacefully, and then they were back to normal days.

Time passed quickly, and every day was set around their time together. It had reduced considerably compared to the way they were before, but it only made sense with the way their time was taken up by other people. Mingyu's new patient, Jihoon, had anger issues and at first, he was quite the handful. While Wonwoo still had quite a ways to go before he could be cleared.

Soon, the summer passed, and the leaves turned into colours of fire. Mingyu watched as flowers wilted and empty branches came to replace them. An image of the sky seemed like an ocean of sparks and it was clear that fall was in full force.

Once Wonwoo was back at his best, they would sit out on their rock and discuss the books that Mingyu had grown a liking to. Wonwoo would give him suggestions and he would go to buy the book or to borrow them from the library. Their topics for conversation widened, and it only made them more excited about seeing each other every day, despite them being already delighted about each other's presence.

When they sat outside for too long, they would have to brush fallen maple leaves from each other's hair or lap and eventually Mingyu began collecting them. He didn't keep them in a particularly special place, but he actually stuffed them into Wonwoo's jacket as a surprise for him when he would finally don it to leave the hospital.

On days where the wind was too strong for them to go outside, they would sit on the floors next to the windows in the skywalk. At this point, Mingyu no longer cared about the stares from the nurses or other doctors and Wonwoo would feel embarrassed but would never leave. Mingyu realized at this point that he was a psychiatrist who did weird things with his patients all the time, and he shouldn't have been ashamed to do extravagant things with Wonwoo.

He also realized that there were rules as to which lines doctors should not cross, but seeing as he hadn't crossed it yet, Mingyu didn't want to dwell on it.

September 25th, Mingyu had an appointment set up with Jihoon, and they sat outside for a change, breathing in the crisp air of fall.

Jihoon was a patient that didn't have a serious case, but he had a history with abuse and anger issues. Mingyu thought he had improved considerably since the first time they had met in July.

"So you're not using your guitar as a weapon anymore?"

Jihoon shook his head but kept his glance far away from the doctor's.

"It's only used for music now."

Mingyu nodded and leaned forward so he could prop himself up against the table that separated them. In the past, Jihoon had a problem with abuse where he would attempt to hit others with his guitar without a second thought. When Mingyu's talks about how precious human lives are failed to ween him off his abusive behaviours, Mingyu began to tell Jihoon about how fragile and precious musical instruments are. That route seemed to work a lot more than the first.

"Your guitar works wonders, you know that, right?"

Jihoon looked back at the guitar case behind him, smiling as he did. "Yeah, it's almost as if it were magic."

When Jihoon turned to face Mingyu, he gave Jihoon a wide grin.

"So when are you composing me a song?"

Jihoon scoffed. "Why would I ever do that for you?"

"Well, composing songs seems to distract you from the world's evil." As Jihoon had put it before.

"Yes, but why would I make one for you? "

"Because you promised," Mingyu replied simply.

"And why would I keep a promise to you, when you can't even keep a promise to Wonwoo?"

Mingyu was shocked that someone else knew about the promise. So shocked, in fact, that he nearly fell out of his chair.

"W-what promise?" Mingyu asked as he regained his balance as coolly as he could. He cleared his throat and began tapping the table to busy his hands.

Not only was the promise a little embarrassing, but the true nature of it was forbidden. The fact that doctor-patient relationships were unacceptable was obvious to everyone. If Jihoon knew, he could only imagine the amount of other people who knew. He just hoped that the promise wasn't transparent enough to hint others to his emotions.

"I don't know. Wonwoo wanted me to bug you about it."

Mingyu sighed quietly in relief, relaxing back into the curve of the plastic lawn chair he was sitting in.

Jihoon rolled his eyes as he leaned back and crossed his arms. He looked annoyed. "I don't understand why he can't tell you himself, it's not like I'm his messenger or something."

"Because he's a brat."

Despite the statement being an insult, a slight smile was shown on Mingyu's face.

Jihoon sighed and shook his head at the wistful look Mingyu was making.

"Can you guys just get together? It's no secret that you two are obsessed with each other, and Wonwoo's leaving today anyway, so what's the problem?"

It took a minute for Mingyu to understand what Jihoon was saying and when he did, Mingyu jumped up at the sudden news, having only heard it for the first time. He knew that most of the serious things were over and that his departure would be soon, but he had never been given an exact date.

"Today? As in today, today?"

Jihoon rolled his eyes for a second time in a span of two minutes and stood up himself. "Yes, today, today." He bent over to grab his guitar, curling his fingers around the black straps. "I'll leave early, you can go catch your boyfriend."

Mingyu gave a quick bow of appreciation, the tag that Jihoon had haphazardly named Wonwoo flying over his oblivious mind. He didn't utter another word before he left, in too much of a hurry to know what to say. He made immediately for the nearest door and wove his way through the busy lobby. The hospital corridors were typically empty, but the first floor was always buzzing with people.

Mingyu ran through the halls leading to Wonwoo's room, the halls silent save for the occasional nurse who greeted him on his way. As he sped through the skywalk, he spotted Jihoon pushing in the chair he had left out when he had made for the hospital. He sent out a silent thanks to the shortie and continued down until he found Wonwoo's room.

The door was closed, as always, and Mingyu couldn't hear a single sound coming from the other side. For a second, he was afraid he had already missed him, before he reminded himself that Wonwoo's room was typically silent seeing as he spent most of his time reading when he wasn't in Mingyu's company.

Mingyu opened the way to the room, the door sliding aside without a sound. As it came to a stop, he stepped in just in time to see Wonwoo shrug on his jacket unknowingly.

A hundred red and oranges leaves came spilling out through every opening on the dark jacket, covering the pristine floor in hot colours. They glided, and twirled in different directions, some of them reaching the edge of Mingyu's shoes.

The usually bare room was now painted with vibrant leaves.

Wonwoo stood in the middle of it all, his shoes barely visible under all of the foliage that had appeared out of nowhere. He stood stock still and the expression on his face was unreadable.

"Mingyu, you're cleaning this up."

Mingyu was surprised that Wonwoo had figured it out so quickly.

Wonwoo pulled his feet from under the colourful pile and followed the path of leaves with his eyes before they stopped on Mingyu. He turned his body completely so he could face the doctor who stood innocently at the end of the trail. Wonwoo looked annoyed, and Mingyu couldn't help but give him his biggest grin. He stayed where he was, a red floor between the two of them.

"It's to say congratulations."

"And you couldn't just say it like any other person would?"

"That would have been boring."

"That would have been less of a mess."

Mingyu chuckled as he bent over to pick up a leaf, twirling it over by its stem. It's image flickered like a small flame's.

"But isn't it pretty?" Mingyu asked, holding up the leaf so that it lined up next to Wonwoo's face in his vision.

"It could have been pretty outside..."

Mingyu sighed and stopped the leaf. He held it next to Wonwoo's face for a little while more before he put his hand down, letting the leaf fall back to the floor. The smile on his face softened as Wonwoo buttoned up his jacket.

Mingyu wanted to say something but Wonwoo was faster, opening his mouth to let quiet words tumble past his lips.

"... But, thank you." Wonwoo said it quickly, avoiding Mingyu's gaze.

Mingyu had to stop himself from gushing over how cute he was and instead, he laughed a little, taking light steps over to Wonwoo. The leaves crumbled beneath his feet, making a clamor of crunching that was pleasing to the ears.

"So you do like it?" Mingyu asked as he stopped before Wonwoo, tilting his head so his hair would flop over to one side of his forehead.

Wonwoo shrugged, returning the smile Mingyu had kept on for a while. "As long as I'm not the one cleaning it, I guess it's okay."

Mingyu nodded. "That can be arranged."

"Sweet. Then you can stay and take care of this," Wonwoo motioned at the floor with sweeping motions. "and I can go ahead and leave."

Mingyu's reflexes kicked in, and he grabbed Wonwoo's hand without thinking. "You can't leave without me."

Wonwoo's eyes flicked to their hands for a quick second before he returned his attention to Mingyu.

"Why not?"

Mingyu was now fully aware of what he had done but he didn't let go, instead resting their hands between them comfortably. It made him a little flustered, but if Wonwoo wasn't bothered by it, he saw no reason to let go.

"Well, it's a little unfair to me."

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow to question Mingyu.

"I mean -- you didn't even tell me you were leaving today, so I couldn't get anything ready to clean it up," Mingyu continued.

Wonwoo sighed dramatically in mock annoyance.

"Fine, I'll stay behind, but you better make it fast."

Mingyu nodded and let go of Wonwoo's hand reluctantly. He made fast for the door and gave a single glance behind him before he left.

"Don't you dare leave me without warning, okay?"

Wonwoo rolled his eyes.

"I would never." 

 

--

 

Mingyu had swept up the floor while Wonwoo sat on the bed, dangling his legs back and forth off the edge. Once the floor was back to its original state, they left to go back to Mingyu's place.

Wonwoo didn't have a permanent space in Seoul so until he decided to go back to his family, he opted to stay with Mingyu.

Their days were different to how they were the first time Wonwoo stayed over. Now, Mingyu still had to go to work, and Wonwoo wanted to return to his own line of work.

Wonwoo was an editor for anything and everything, and while he was getting on his feet, he had decided to stay with his parents. He worked on projects that ranged from News articles to full novels. He had been required to take a break when he was diagnosed to reduce stress, and now that he was free from his illness, he wanted to get right back to it. He also took advantage of the fact that now he was in Seoul, giving him better options for work projects.

Mingyu gave Wonwoo full access to everything in his house, and Wonwoo spent most of the hours that Mingyu was at work in front of the computer.

On top of his career as an editor, Wonwoo finally took the chance to take the classes he had longed to take before. He took a class for French, telling Mingyu it was because French was the language of romance. He also tried to get his First Aid certificate and having a boyfriend who was a doctor helped him considerably. It was the simple procedures that even Mingyu knew about.

When Mingyu returned, they would make something together to eat and then spend the rest of their evenings lazing around on the couch or walking along the busy streets of Seoul. As always, they never ran out of things to discuss or things to do, and so nights seemed to fly by in seconds.

Mingyu liked to take Wonwoo to new cafés or bookstores so that they could talk about what Wonwoo did in his job. Mingyu would help whenever Wonwoo was stuck and give him ideas whenever he had a block. Wonwoo would return the favor by taking Mingyu on book runs so that he could suggest new stories.

On Mingyu's free days, they would start the mornings by watering the many plants that were now tagged and named. Then, they would go out the entire day to do whatever they wanted. Visiting friends, working on their individual papers, sitting in cafés, shopping and anything they could come up with.

October 11th, a day where Mingyu's schedule was completely open, Mingyu had bought tickets to the amusement park. They dressed up in layers to fight off the bite of late fall and decided to wear their matching shoes.

The park wasn't awfully busy, and most of the lines were empty compared to how crowded they usually were.

The two started off with the simple rides like the tea cups and the merry-go-round. When they stopped by the bumper cars, the two had the area to themselves and went all out in knocking the other out. Rollercoasters and gyro drops were taken with screams and questionable crying from Mingyu. Of course, he refused ever having cried at all, but Wonwoo knew. They decided to move on and forget about it, going immediately to an interactive ride.

When the sun began to set, they bought carnival foods (mainly cotton candy) and played with claw machines. They won each other prizes, but while Wonwoo had gotten Mingyu a cute fist-sized bunny, Mingyu had looked for the ugliest bear and went after it relentlessly until he managed to get it for Wonwoo. He had insisted that the uglier the stuffed animal, the cuter it would become over time. Wonwoo looked at it grumpily before tucking it under his arm, refusing to give it another glance.

Once they had covered most things, Mingyu pointed out that it was the perfect time to ride the Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel actually had a line, albeit short, and they waited behind a family of four as they inched towards the wheel. The little girl sitting in her father's arms would turn to give glances to Wonwoo and Mingyu, and Mingyu would return her curiosity with a grin. She would hide her face in her father's shoulder for a second before looking up again.

Wonwoo smiled at the exchange happening before him and stepped forward so he stood next to Mingyu within the chains that closed in the line.

"You seem to be good with kids, surprisingly."

"Of course, I have to be. Adults aren't the only ones with mental problems, you know." Mingyu said before he gave yet another smile to the girl. "But why are you surprised by this?"

"I thought you'd be too immature to handle them," Wonwoo said, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Hey, I'll have you know I am very mature."

"Really? I don't see it."

The family ahead of them climbed into a cart and the little girl waved at Mingyu before the wheel was moving again.

"Just because you're older than me doesn't mean you can abuse me like this."

"What's the point of me being older, then?"

The two of them stepped into the next cart and placed their stuffed animals next to themselves so they could eat their cotton candy with their free hands. Wonwoo stuffed a piece of the blue sugar into his mouth and continued with what he was saying before.

"I think the wise talks and taking care of should be left to the professional."

"I need taking care of sometimes, though."

"Then get yourself a boyfriend."

Mingyu's eyes widened in surprise as soon as the words left Wonwoo's mouth. It took him a second to realize what he had said.

"Or girlfriend. Or just -- you know, don't date. Whatever works for you." Wonwoo added quickly, trying to get rid of the awkward atmosphere he had just created.

Mingyu nodded silently and they sat without saying a word as the wheel took them around in a circle. They ate their cotton candy while watching the dark horizon. From the ride, everything in the park was visible, and all of the lights on the different attractions resembled the stars above them.

Eventually, the wheel stopped them at the top and Mingyu began talking again.

"In the books, this is when the two lovers would go on the Ferris wheel and confess to each other. Then, the fireworks would go off behind them."

Wonwoo didn't say anything in reply, instead looking at Mingyu suspiciously.

"And in the dramas too. Doesn't this kind of remind you of that scene from My Love From Another Star?" Mingyu continued, not realizing that Wonwoo was waiting for something from him.

Wonwoo thought for a second, putting away his suspicions. "Didn't the guy get rejected?"

Mingyu waved him off. "That's not important, what's important is that he confessed with his heartfelt emotions."

Wonwoo leaned toward Mingyu, squinting his eyes at him. "Are you getting teary-eyed? You must have cried during that scene."

"Why are you always accusing me of crying?" Mingyu asked defensively.

"Because you're always crying."

Their cart jerked a little as they began moving again.

"Says the one who sobs halfway through a book."

"Read it before you judge me!"

"There's no way anything that sad could happen in the middle of the book. It's the endings that always get people."

"They could kill a character in the middle of the book," Wonwoo said as they went by the employee who controlled the ride. He gave them a weird look as they passed.

"Did you just give me spoilers?"

Wonwoo sighed.

"I never said that's what happened."

"Yeah, but you implied i-"

Before Mingyu could continue, Wonwoo shoved a piece of cotton candy in his mouth, effectively shutting him up.

Mingyu scrunched up his eyebrows in frustration but ate the cotton candy anyway.

"By the way, Mingyu, don't you have something to tell me?"

They passed by the top again, all of the lights of the park visible from where they sat. The wind whistled through the caged cart, rustling Mingyu's hair so it stood on end. Wonwoo's shorter hair flew only for a second before falling again.

Mingyu swallowed the sugar that had dissolved in his mouth.

"Yes, I do."

Wonwoo sat against the cushioned seat in anticipation. He had waited a while to hear what it was Mingyu had wanted to tell him. Although Mingyu had promised Wonwoo to tell him his little secret, it had already been a while since he was released from the hospital and he still had no idea what Mingyu wanted to say.

Mingyu laced his hands together on his lap, leaning forward so he could rest on his knees.

"Well, it's nothing much, really..."

Wonwoo nodded, urging him to spill everything.

"But I just wanted to tell you," Mingyu took a dramatic pause. "You should really get some better glasses. Whenever you sit in front of the computer with those round monstrosities, all I can think is: 'Wow, what a nerd.' I know you have the money for new ones, so are you just attached to those or something? Oh, and don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with you being a nerd. Hell, you're cute as a nerd but those glasses take up like half of your face. It reminds me of those fish with eyes bigger than their mouth. Do those exist? I'm probably just making something up from my imagination. Plus, I like when I can see your whole face instead of hiding half of it under rims. Can you imagine the amount of times I've come home and nearly had a heart attack because of those gaping glasses? I didn't think so -- Oh look, ride's over."

Wonwoo turned to see the boy looking at them, and a couple waiting expectantly to get on the ride. The boy that worked as the conductor pressed something and the door unlocked, jumping a little as it opened just a smidge.

Mingyu opened the cage door and stepped out with the stuffed bunny and his cotton candy. He turned to Wonwoo who was frowning where he sat. It was clear that what he heard was not what he had wanted.

"Are you coming?"

Wonwoo huffed and climbed out the door that was being held open.

"I hate you, did you know that, Mingyu?"

"You're going to hate me even more after this," Mingyu said cheerily as he grabbed Wonwoo's hand without hesitation and began running towards the haunted house.

Wonwoo tried to stop them, but despite Mingyu being younger, he was taller and stronger. He pulled them easily past people and the rope barrier surrounding where the line would normally be. Mingyu gave two tickets to the employee in charge of the ride and soon they were standing in the middle of a pitch black room.

"Why are we here of all places?" Wonwoo asked, irritation dripping off his voice.

"It'll be fun, I promise."

Mingyu took Wonwoo's hand one more time and opened the door that would lead them to the rest of the house. The first hall was already enough to get them screaming. A white-clothed dark haired little girl came charging at them from the side and they were left running as fast as they could while they pushed out the loudest screams they had ever made. They couldn't get very far until something came falling from the ceiling down on them. It was slightly damp, but otherwise, none of them stopped long enough to check.

The hall lead to a fork in their path and they stuck to the right, running into a cart that sped across their path. In it was a moving body. Probably another actor but the two of them jumped at the sight anyway, avoiding contact with the cart as they ran down the corridor.

Mingyu lead them into another hall that was lit with strobing white lights. A voice began whispering words they couldn't understand and they shuffled through as fast as they could without knocking over the multiple cupboards that covered the floor.

Once through that hall, they found themselves once again in the darkness.

They were holding each other's hands so tight that they could hardly feel their fingers anymore.

"Once I'm out of here, you're dying Kim Mingyu."

"Please don't say that in a place like this, it makes it seem like it will actually happen."

A light flickered and Mingyu saw the girl from before again. He screamed at the top of his lungs and pulled Wonwoo down a dark hall that branched out every few steps. He could hear the sound of the haunted house actors following them.

Mingyu turned down a hall that was covered in glass cases that held fake body parts.

"Why did you choose this place when you're scared out of your mind?" Wonwoo asked as they passed by the cases with careful steps.

They got through that hall without difficulties and stopped before a door.

"Because it's less cliché for what I want to do."

"Less cliché for what?"

Mingyu placed a hand on the door and pushed it open. He stepped passed the ornate threshold and pulled Wonwoo in with him. The hall was dark like the others but a chandelier was visible above their heads, and famous torn paintings hung along the walls. The style was victorian.

Mingyu pulled Wonwoo forward so that they faced each other; although they could barely see anything. Mingyu didn't need the light anymore, he knew everything about they way Wonwoo's eyes moved, and which way his mouth curved. He had memorized everything about Wonwoo's face and he could imagine exactly what he looked like in that moment.

"Less cliché for me to tell you, that I'm in love with you."

The haunted house's silence suddenly felt warmer, and Mingyu could see Wonwoo shifting slightly where he stood. He didn't say anything but instead, his grip loosened a little.

"I'm in love with you, Wonwoo. I don't really know how or when, but I just know that whenever I see you, I know that my life has changed, and there's really no going back for me anymore." Mingyu reached for Wonwoo's face, and placed his free hand against his cheek. "You've got something about you that is annoyingly lovable."

Wonwoo was still silent, but Mingyu could tell that he was looking right at him through the shadows. Mingyu's heart was beating hard from all the adrenaline and the ridiculously placed confession, and he could only hope that Wonwoo was feeling the same thing.

"I've been afraid to tell you because I thought you'd be taken from me, and then I just wanted to wait for the right time, and I guess this is the right time."

Wonwoo snickered a little, the first noise he made since Mingyu told him about his real emotions.

"I love you." Mingyu repeated.

Without warning, something shoved Mingyu from behind and he went toppling onto Wonwoo. He squealed as his body hit into Wonwoo's. They didn't hit each other hard enough to fall over, but they had to hold each other so they wouldn't lose balance. They held each other in an awkward embrace for a short second, before Mingyu split them apart in a frightened haste.

"Oh , oh , oh ," Mingyu repeated as he pulled himself away from Wonwoo, tightening his grip on Wonwoo's hand once more. They ran down the hall as fast as their legs could take them. Wonwoo tried his best to keep up, and they turned down random halls until they came upon another door. They had ignored everything for the past few corridors and so didn't notice the monsters they had picked up along the way.

"We're going to die, we're going to die, oh I've screwed up. Oh ." Mingyu rambled as he fumbled with the knob, attempting but failing at opening the door that kept them from the safety of the amusement park outside.

"Mingyu, move."

And so Mingyu moved to the side, leaving an opening for Wonwoo to open the door for them. Within a second, it swung open and Wonwoo was pulling them outside to the night sky.

Mingyu hardly had time to breathe before Wonwoo's arms wrapped around him, hugging him so tightly that Mingyu couldn't see his face. His heart was beating wildly from all of the events that were screwing with it, and he now knew that Wonwoo's was too. He could feel it through his chest.

Mingyu heard a small sniffle come from Wonwoo, and he immediately wrapped his arms around the shorter of them.

"Are you crying?"

"Yes I am, you stupid psychiatrist, do you really have to ask? I thought you were good at figuring these things out."

"... Are you scared-"

"No, it's because I love you too, you insufferable idiot."

Mingyu smiled stupidly and squeezed Wonwoo even tighter.

"You're so annoyingly lovable."

--

After their trip had ended with the actors running out and shooing them away, Mingyu and Wonwoo went back to their shared place at Mingyu's apartment, hands woven together. They never let go of each other until they arrived at Mingyu's place.

They left their stuffed animals on the couch and Mingyu went immediately to brew some tea. As always, Wonwoo sat at the island counter and watched Mingyu as he prepared everything; except this time, Wonwoo would bother Mingyu every other second to ask him a question.

"Do you really love me?"

And Mingyu would repeatedly reply with the same thing.

"I really love you, Wonwoo."

It didn't take long for the tea to finish and they took their mugs out to the living room where they curled up against the couch together. They had a completely new topic to talk about now and they couldn't stop the questions that kept coming up.

"Why do you love me?" Wonwoo questioned as he scooted closer Mingyu.

"There's more than one reason... Your eyes, your obsession with books, the way you talk, your childish tendencies..."

"My childish tendencies? Speak for yourself."

"I'm sure you love that about me too."

"Keep dreaming, Mingyu."

"And do you ever dream about me?"

"No comment."

Mingyu chuckled and watched as Wonwoo drank his tea.

"I dream about you sometimes," Mingyu confessed shamelessly.

Wonwoo began coughing on his drink at the sudden comment and had to take a second to regain himself so that he could look Mingyu in the eyes.

"When? About what? Why?"

"I once dreamed that you were sitting in the tree outside of my apartment and hissed at me whenever I tried to take you down."

Wonwoo let out a somewhat relieved laugh.

"Of course it was something completely out of the ordinary."

Mingyu smiled.

"This was before I fell in love with you."

"And when did you know you loved me?" Wonwoo asked.

"When I had to spend an entire day wondering whether or not I'd ever see you again."

"Oh, that's dark."

"And when did you know you loved me?" Mingyu wrapped an arm around Wonwoo's waist and pulled him in so he sat propped against Mingyu's side.

"I don't know, one day I just kind of looked at you and thought: 'Oh, I'm in love with him'."

"Yeah, but what day was that?"

"Really, Mingyu? I have no clue about the exact date."

"Well, you should, because I remember my date."

"Not everyone's got schedules every day to help them remember that stuff."

Mingyu frowned and took a sip of his steaming tea, sighing as he pulled it away.

"I'm disappointed in you, Wonwoo."

"Fine, if you're going to be that way..." Wonwoo pried himself away from Mingyu's grasp and left his tea on the ground. "I'm going to bed now."

He was clearly messing with Mingyu, but the taller sprung to his feet and wrapped a sure hand around Wonwoo's wrist.

Wonwoo was turned back towards Mingyu and he nearly kicked over the cup of tea he had left behind. He went crashing into Mingyu's chest and could feel Mingyu moving with laughter.

"Not yet, I'm sorry, don't go to bed yet."

Wonwoo took a step back so he could look up at Mingyu's smiling eyes.

"And why would I stay behind for you?"

"Hmm." Mingyu thought for a second, his eyes moving around the room to think of something. He thought momentarily that he should say that it was because he loved him, but Mingyu came up with a better idea.

Without hesitation, he reached up to cup Wonwoo's face in his hands and leaned down to land a kiss on his lips. He lingered for a while, wondering if Wonwoo would reciprocate, but when he stood stock still, Mingyu opened his eyes and tilted his head back to see Wonwoo's face.

His ears were insanely red and his eyes opened wide. He looked at Mingyu as if he were seeing him for the first time, and within a second, his own hands were around Mingyu's neck, pulling him back in for another kiss.

This time, the two of them moved together, indulging in every part of the kiss. They explored each other to every extent and when they pulled away, their eyes were glowing and breaths were ragged. The smiles on their faces didn't go unnoticed.

After that, Wonwoo stayed back happily and would surprise Mingyu with a peck or a full-on make-out session between bursts of conversation. Three words were whispered repeatedly until they let into their exhaustion.

"I love you."

They fell asleep on the couch, wrapped together in a small blanket, the taste of tea and each other on their lips.