(NOT PROOFREAD/EDITED)

Spilling his past to Wonwoo had lifted a weight off of Mingyu's shoulders, and made his heart seemed lighter, especially after bawling his eyes out. Wonwoo had been nothing but comforting, whispering sweet nothings to his ear as he embraced the younger and rubbed his back in a soothing, circular motion. He had also apparently cried himself to sleep in Wonwoo's arms, to which the latter found out once he realised the shaking and crying had stopped. 

Wonwoo had brought a blanket and wrapped it around the younger who was then lying on the sofa, as he was too heavy for Wonwoo to carry. Not having the heart to leave the fragile boy alone, he received permission from his parents to stay the night "at a friend's house". A million thoughts swarmed his mind that night as he sat next to the sleeping Mingyu, and one of them was that he hadn't expected Mingyu to have faced that unfortunate situation. His parents were gone in a blink of an eye without any warnings. 

The cheerful Mingyu who played pranks on the students in school to bring about laughter, was actually broken inside, far from being repaired. 

Maybe to Mingyu himself, those broken pieces were slowly mending back together as Wonwoo stayed by his side.

It was an hour later that Mingyu woke up and found himself alone on the couch. For a second, he had thought Wonwoo had left, until the person in question emerged from the bathroom, wearing one of his shirts. Upon seeing that he was awake, Wonwoo rushed over to his side.

"Hey," he smiled, taking Mingyu's hand in his. "Do you want something to eat?"

The younger only managed to nod, staring at Wonwoo. His heart skipped a beat.

Wonwoo made his way over to the kitchen, already used to the other's home. Getting some ingredients from the cupboards and refrigerator, he prepared a chicken ham sandwich with vegetables. As he was putting the ingredients together, Mingyu made his way over to the kitchen, sitting at the island. 

"Is that my shirt?" Mingyu asked out of the blue, a smile forming on his face.

Wonwoo, who was just arranging the lettuce on the sandwich, froze. He turned to the younger with a sheepish look. 

"Hope you didn't mind. I thought I'd stay over for tonight. We could watch movies all night, or just talk, if you'd like." 

Resting his chin on a palm, Mingyu simply continued to smile. "I'd love that."

Finishing preparing the sandwich, Wonwoo cut it into two and placed it in front of Mingyu. He proceeded to clean the mess he'd made. 

Mingyu picked up the sandwich, taking a bite. "Thank you."

Wonwoo placed an ingredient back into the cupboard, going to sit across Mingyu and offering him a smile. "I'd thought you'd be hungry."

"No, not just the sandwich."

The older tilted his head to the side, questioningly.

"Thank you for being here, in my life," Mingyu replied seriously. 

The worried expression that was on Wonwoo's face quickly turned into relief. "For the record, I'm thankful that you're in my life too."

Mingyu laughed. "We're so cheesy. But really, thank you for being here with me. I... I haven't opened up to anyone after the accident. My sister only knew what was reported on the news, but she didn't find out from me. It was hard for me at the time. I wouldn't talk to anyone for a month. I taught myself to keep everything bottled up inside me. The counsellors that came to talk to me told me I shouldn't do otherwise. It was bad for my mental health. But what I saw that day... I didn't want to tell anyone about it. I didn't even want to think about it."

Wonwoo reached his hands across the table, taking Mingyu's in his. He kept silent, knowing that it was best for Mingyu to finally let everything off his chest.

"It was after a few months later that I finally talked more. My dad's words were- and still are- clear in my head. He told me to live my life. I shouldn't keep stressing out. That's when it all started. The pranking. I remembered watching a hilarious prank video with my dad once. We couldn't stop laughing. It was from then that I found the idea to do pranks myself. The funny reactions from those who got pranked not only brought me slight happiness, but the responses from other students too." 

The other smiled, rubbing Mingyu's hand with his thumb. "You sure do cause a huge uproar in school. It gives the students something to get excited about."

Mingyu gave a chuckle. "It brought you to me, too." 

"That's true," Wonwoo agreed. "Although even if we hadn't met that night in school, I'd still be talking to you at least."

"Really?" Mingyu asked, surprised.

"Remember when I talked to you at the store once? Who would randomly start a conversation with the cashier who happens to go to their school? You weren't even in your school uniform, yet I recognised you," Wonwoo spoke. 

Mingyu's eyes widened slightly. 

"Even if I didn't know I was attracted to you like now, I actually wanted to get to know you. You seemed like a cool person."

This fact had intrigued and surprised the younger. He didn't realised that Wonwoo had taken notice of him before. "Wow," was his only reply.

Wonwoo looked embarrassed, scratching the back of his head. "Why don't you finish your sandwich?" he asked, changing the subject.

The fondness in Mingyu's heart continued to grow for Wonwoo. 

*

After Mingyu had finished his midnight snack, the couple laid down in his room. Mingyu's sister, Minah, wasn't home that night due to a company gathering, so it was just the both of them. 

Wonwoo had his hands under his head as he laid next to Mingyu and stared at the ceiling. 

"You know," he started, "I have a confession to make."

"That you like me?" Mingyu asked jokingly, as he too gazed up into nothingness.

Wonwoo laughed. "Well, that too." He sighed. "My brother was adopted. He was left at the orphanage the moment he was born, and my parents took him in when I was two. He's still my baby brother, though. The thing is, he doesn't know it yet. Maybe he's had his suspicions, but my parents haven't told him anything. I wanted to tell him, but my parents wanted to wait till he's a bit mature so he wouldn't do anything drastic. I'm afraid of what would happen if he does find out." 

"I see..." Mingyu responded. "What's his name again?"

"Seungkwan. He's name is Seungkwan," Wonwoo replied. "His sir name before was Boo, though." He smiled sadly.

The name rang some bells in Mingyu's head, yet he couldn't think where he'd heard it before.

Instead, he turned to the older, taking him into his arms. Wonwoo reciprocated the hug, bringing his arms around the taller's torso.

"You're warm," Wonwoo sighed contentedly, making Mingyu laugh.

"You too," he replied. "Thanks for sharing your concerns with me, Hyung. It makes me happy knowing you trust me enough to tell me that."

Wonwoo closed his eyes. "I do trust you, Gyu. And I like you. A lot."

The smile on Mingyu's face was so bright it'd probably give everyone a sunburn. Hearing those words from Wonwoo made him feel like the happiest person. Bringing a hand up to caress Wonwoo's face, he tilted it up and pressed his lips onto his. Wonwoo smiled as he kissed back softly. While one of Mingyu's hands cupped the older's cheek, the other traced down his neck. Wonwoo shivered.

Mingyu moved his hand to pull Wonwoo closer as the kiss then grew deeper. He poured his feelings out into the kiss as he parted the older's lips. The atmosphere in the room grew more intense as everything became more fervent. Mingyu's hand roamed around the older, stopping at his shoulder where the oversized shirt exposed his skin. He dared himself to slip his hand underneath the shirt slightly, making Wonwoo gasp and pull away suddenly.

The both of them stared at each other, out of breath. 

"I like you too," Mingyu breathed. ", I think I'm in love with you, Jeon Wonwoo."

Their lips re-connected once more. 

*

"It's been so silent for weeks now. I'm so bored," Soonyoung complained.

"Stop whining and study, Soonyoung," Jun reprimanded, hitting the back of his friend's head. 

Wonwoo and his friends were currently in the classroom. Due to their teacher that was absent that day, there was a substitute that simply told the students to study quietly.

Seungcheol turned from his seat to face his friends in interest. "That's true though. There hasn't been a single prank since the aluminium foil prank. With how minor that one was, it makes me anticipate what prank will be next." He laughed.

Wonwoo, who wanted to stay out of the conversation, put down his pen and finally decided to join in on the gossip. "What do you think will happen if the pranks just... I don't know, stop?" he asked, gaining mixed reactions from his friends.

"There'd be no reason for me to come to school anymore," Soonyoung cried dramatically.

"Yah," Seungcheol threw an eraser at him. "Aren't we a reason?" Despite that, the friends knew Soonyoung was simply just joking around. 

"I guess it'll be good," Jun replied thoughtfully. "Maybe it shows that these pranksters finally just want to focus on school  and not risk getting caught anymore."

The enquirer nodded. It wasn't that Mingyu had wanted to stop pranking. However, he had been thinking what would happen if Mingyu were to finally stop doing so. 

Seungcheol gave him a curious look. "Why did you ask? Are you going to feel disappointed?"

Wonwoo shook his head. "Nothing, I just suddenly thought about it. I was interested in it once, but now..." He trailed off, and the others just nodded.

"Is it just me or is the weather really hot today?" Soonyoung asked. "Oh, it's just me. I'm hot." 

Everyone laughed, though he earned a light punch from Jun. Now that his friend had mentioned it, Wonwoo was now aware of the beads of sweat on his forehead. He wiped them off with his uniform sleeve, deciding to loosen his tie and the top button of his uniform. 

"Yeah, the weather forecast said that it's going to be really hot for the next few days or so," Jun replied, fanning himself with a piece of paper.

"No wonder..." Soonyoung muttered. "I feel like my skin is going to melt off my- Jeon Wonwoo, is that a hickey?" 

Wonwoo's eyes widened as his head snapped up from where he was just looking at. "W-what?"

His friend narrowed his eyes. "Yup, that's definitely a hickey. Did you get a girlfriend or something?"

This piqued the interest of his other two friends. Wonwoo's hand immediately went to cover up his collar bones. Crap. I forgot about that.  Mingyu had done that the day before... Mingyu, I'm going to kill you.

"What is this? Are you going to hide things from us Wonwoo?" Jun asked.

"Yeah," Seungcheol addded. "Besides, I kinda notice something's off with you lately. Like, when you stare at something on your phone and there's this huge smile on your face."

Wonwoo was at a lost. He wasn't sure if he was ready to tell his friends about everything yet. Mingyu was definitely ready to tell his friends and Wonwoo's about their relationship. But doing so would also disclose the fact that Wonwoo wasn't like most guys.

"I...Pfffft, why would you think so?" Wonwoo decided to reply, albeit unconvincingly. "This... This is just a bruise, from when I hit it on my bed."

"Sureee," Soonyoung said. "Really, though. You can tell us anything. It could be a guy and we won't care."

Wonwoo stiffened. He'd said it.  "You guys... Won't care?"

"It's a guy?" Seungcheol asked, shock evident in his voice. This. Wonwoo was afraid of this reaction.

"No, no," Wonwoo quickly replied. "I was just surprised Soonyoung said you guys won't care if I were to be together with another guy."

"What's wrong with that?" Jun asked. Soonyoung agreed.

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that. Didn't you ask me about being bi too the other time?" He clasped his hands together, as if he just thought of something. "It really is a guy, isn't it? You wouldn't have asked me if liking a guy is wrong, if you aren't experiencing it yourself." 

"I'm lost," Jun spoke. "So when did Wonwoo ask about being bi?"

"During the sleepover," Soonyoung replied before the still shocked Wonwoo could defend himself. "You two were asleep."

"Is it Mingyu?" Seungcheol asked suddenly. 

. . He's figured it out. 

"Mingyu?" Soonyoung echoed. "Oh yeah, you've been really close with him lately, and you were the one who introduced him to us."

"You look extra pale, Wonwoo," Jun pointed out. "It must be really true then-"

"No. No, it's not, okay? He's not- He's not my... It's not a guy okay?" Wonwoo interrupted, getting riled up.

Seungcheol observed him, to which Wonwoo avoided looking his direction. He got up then, excusing himself to the restroom after getting permission from the substitute teacher.

With hurried steps, he walked towards the male restroom, locking himself in a cubicle and taking a seat at the closed toilet. He then fished out his phone from his pocket, typing a text to Mingyu rapidly.

  WW: They found out
  WW: I didn't tell them, they just jumped to conclusions
  WW: But they're right anyways
  WW: I'm panicking now
  WW: Idk what to do

A reply came almost immediately.

MG: Relax, hyung
MG: What do you mean they found out?

  WW: About us. That I might like guys.

This time, Mingyu's reply came five minutes later.

MG: Is it really bad?
MG: Is it bad that they know about us?

Wonwoo was surprised. He thought Mingyu knew of his fear and unreadiness to tell people about this matter. 

  WW: You know I'm not ready, Mingyu. 

MG: Then when else will you be?

The older didn't know how to reply to that. He could sense the younger was upset, and knew it wasn't fair to him. 

MG: Where are you now?

  WW: Hiding in the toilet cubicle till the period ends
  WW: Why

There was no reply. Instead, a few minutes later, there were footsteps entering the restroom, walking past each opened cubicle till it stopped right in front of the one Wonwoo was in. 

"Wonwoo... Hyung?" Mingyu's familiar voice asked. 

Wonwoo stood up, unlocking the door in a flash. "What are you-"

Before he could say anything, Mingyu pushed him back into the cubicle, locking the door behind them. The space was too crammed for two grown boys. Mingyu pulled the older into a hug wordlessly, and Wonwoo simply just welcomed the warmth of the gesture. 

After a few minutes, Mingyu pulled away. "Thought you might need some comforting," he smiled. 

"But your classes?"

"Maths was boring anyways."

Wonwoo chuckled, shaking his head in mock disapproval. His expression then turned serious. "I'm sorry, again, for being so unfair to you," he apologised. "I just... This all seems foreign to me. I really just don't know what I should do."

Mingyu sighed softly, bringing a hand up to the older's cheek lovingly. "Wonwoo hyung, let's just tell them."

Wonwoo's eyes widened. "But-"

"Maybe all you have to do is tell your friends about this for this anxiousness of yours to go away," Mingyu explained. "I know you're still confused, but... You like me, right?"

There was no hesitation as Wonwoo nodded quickly. 

"Then why is it so hard to for you to tell others?"

Wonwoo was silent as he thought through Mingyu's words. Wonwoo did like Mingyu, and may be in love with him too. So if all that matters were his feelings, why was it so hard to just tell his friends? Even Soonyoung had given a bit of encouragement earlier on.  

"Okay," Wonwoo finally whispered, but it could still be heard by the other. "Let's tell them after school." He looked into Mingyu's eyes that were now shining. 

"O- okay, Thank you, hyung," Mingyu spoke, a bright smile adorning his face.

Wonwoo's smile mirrored his. Although he was worried, he would do whatever it takes just to see that smile on Mingyu. "You know, you don't really have to call me Hyung anymore."

"Really?" The younger asked in delight. "Okay then, Wonwoo. Or should I call you Won? That sounds like our currency. Woo? Like Wooooooooo. I'll just call you Wonwoo then."

Wonwoo laughed.

Mingyu then leaned in close, whispering, "I love you, Wonwoo," before capturing Wonwoo's lips with his. 

***

A/N: Sigh. I love meanie. 

So finally after sooooooooo long, an update! Sorry for not being able to upload early. I was honestly packed with so many school things to do. :( This chapter is slightly longer to make up for that, and also that scene with them in mingyu's room too. Hue hue. 

So firstly, I just want to thank everyone who subscribed, cuz I now passed 100 subscribers! Ohmygosh this is unreal. Thanks so much! ;-;

next, can we just talk about seventeen's comeback like they made my heart go boom boom for real and the songs in the album... oh gosh the songs are so good and we have so much of wonwoo singing in lean on me, quick pace and flower smile/laughter like his voice is just *inserts many heart-eyed emojis* i just love his voice it makes me cry and hiphop unit's lean on me is just asdfghjgmfklgnj im not screaming really there's so many meanie moments during their performance in the showcase did anyone notice in the beginning right before mingyu's part wonwoo was enocuraging him and mingyu laughed and smiled so widely that when he sang he had that huge smile on his face and did you also notice in one part it looked as if wonwoo wanted to lean his head on mingyu too omg i love boyfriends lmao i love them so much and and andddddd flower smile or laughter was so good and not only cuz wonwoo's voice in it sounds gold but the meaning made me cry for real okay end of my continuous ranting about how much i love their album lmao pls stream their songs and vote for them in music shows let's give seventeen their first win for boom boom

THERE'S SO MANY MEANIE MOMENTS LATELY MY HEART IS WEAK.

NOT PROOFREAD/EDITED cuz I'm in the middle of my test week. I had to write this chapter soon cuz right after my last test I'll be going on a vacation overseas and there won't be time to update and I owe you all a chapter. :(

P.S. I had to google how to write a kiss scene cuz god knows I have no freaking clue how to describe it lmao