Unending Rain

A Minyoon story

by Eiryia

It was a couple of minutes passed two in the morning when he arrived home. The rain had poured down heavily all evening, but the gray rain clouds had finally begun dissolving giving room for the black night sky.  

Stepping out of the taxi Mino stared up at the the old apartment complex where he lived. It was built more than thirty years before he was born and it had certainly seen better days. Thick leaf covered vines climbed the walls and there were cracked windows at the top of the building where the vines now had begun making its way inside. Ever since he got his new job had the made plans to move out, but there was something that kept him in place.  

The sad melody was drifting down towards him as he slowly made his way up the stairs. For every step he took did a hollow echo spread around the circular stair room making it harder to hear the faint guitar music.  

Like always would he take a break outside the door where the music was seeping out from. If anything did it sound even sadder this night.  

He was about to walk over to his own apartment door when he noticed something different from all the other nights: singing. 

A low voice blended with the guitar accords, it was powerful in it’s own right, but seemed to crack at certain parts. Staring at the door he felt a greater pull towards it than ever.  

Unable to resist he took a step closer and put a hand on the worn wooden panel that was the surface of the door. The faint light from the roof lamp glinted it the door knob as a silent dare, egging him on. The rough texture of the wood felt nice to touch and for a moment he felt closer to whatever it was that had such an immense pull on him than he had ever been before. 

It was a sudden harsh fluttering sound that brought him back to his senses. Doves hid from the rain on the top beams in the attic. Sometimes they made their way in to the stair room following the light of the huge windows on the west wall. One of them must have been startled by something. 

Staring up into the poorly lit room he though he could see the shadow of a dove against the banister a couple of floors up. Shaking his head at the uninvited guest he took the last few steps left between him and his apartment. 

Announcing his arrival into the emptiness of his apartment in a low voice he dropped his leather jacket on the closest chair. He could still faintly hear the music through the wall, but that was only if he kept quiet.  

Pulling of his shirt he threw it in the laundry basket, he was struggling with a sock when a strange plonk of a sound made its way through the wall. Wondering if one of the guitar strings just broke he stifled a laugh, that must have surprised the poor soul on the other side of the wall.  

He fell asleep to the sound of the rain on his window, the broken guitar string must have killed the musicians spirit because there was no more guitar playing that night. 

He slept until the afternoon and woke to the same sound of rain as he had gone to sleep to. Work was on the agenda and he gave a loud sigh at the thought of it. Going back out into the rain was the last thing he wanted.  

Getting dressed he listened for sounds from his neighbor, but the rush of heavy rain was all that could be heard.  

After a quick bite of dry bread and a sip of milk that was about to expire had he locked himself out of the apartment. He weren’t in a rush, yet he made the turn out the door at quite a speed causing him to almost collide with the person standing in the hall.  

His hair was dark, dripping from the rain and his expression unexpectedly blank for someone who had almost been rundown outside his own apartment.  

Mino apologized profusely and offered to hold his neighbors plastic bags while he unlocked his door. The bags were filled with groceries, reminding him that he too needed to go shopping soon.  

It was only now he realized that this was the person who played such sad guitar music out through the night. He certainly got the miserable musician look going for him. He was painfully skinny, with slender hands and thin wrists. His outfit was plain and mostly black.  

He had this aura though, this thing about him that drew you in. Mino noticed that right away. When their eyes met for only a second as his neighbor turned in the door after unlocking it, was he certain that he needed to do something so they could get to know each other better. 

The guy had grabbed his bags back the moment after they exchanged that one look and the door had slammed shut after a quick "thank you" from his neighbor.  

Mino felt slightly confused as he slowly made his way down the stairs. He had expected that things would un mystify themselves after he had finally been able to see this strange person living next door.  

          "Turns out I was wrong" he mumbled to himself and pulled up the zipper of his jacket before walking into the rain. He was more intrigued than ever.  

Work that night dragged on and he found himself wrecking his mind at every quiet moment. He was trying to come up with an excuse he could use that would allow him to knock on his neighbors door with good reason.  

He had gone through all the clichés first: borrowing sugar, complain about the noise, ask for bug spray. He had disregarded them quickly as not very convincing lies. He didn’t bake, he loved the noises and would be miserable if they disappeared and so far had there not been a single bug to complain about. Maybe he needed to thank all the intruding birds after all? 

He needed something better, something more him.  

When he walked out from work close to three in the morning had he made up his mind. It was perfect. It had to wait until he got a day off however as it required him to go out shopping.  

It had just begun raining when he had stepped up on the old stairs leading to the entrance of the huge building he called home. Exhaustion hung heavy over him, yet he always found that small spring in his step to walk up the stairs. He was curious, would there be music tonight?  

Reaching the door of his neighbor he was met with silence. Only a echoing pit pat from raindrops which had made their way through the broken window on the top floor was to be heard.  

Mino sighed as disappointment hit him hard. He let it sink in for a moment before walking over to his own door. It was only a few days left until the weekend and his day off. The lack of music tonight only strengthened his resolve.  

There had been no guitar music for the rest of the week. The sound of a CD had played the next night, some old rock ballads Mino vaguely remembered from his childhood, but except from that had there only been the sound of the rain to keep him company.  

When the weekend finally got there had he put his plan into action and now he was standing there, in front of the door he had lingered by so many times, about to knock on it for the first time. 

          "Yes?" a messy head of hair poked out of from behind the door a long minute after Mino had knocked on it. 

          "Hello" he said in return. All his words were gone. Everything he had practice saying over and over in his head had evaporated into nothingness. The moment he had seen his neighbors face it had all gone blank. Instead of his clever lines filled with convincing excuses he said: 

          "Care to share a meal?" and held up a bag with takeaway food. When his neighbor didn't respond had he also held up another smaller bag in his other hand. 

          "I brought you this too" he said just as awkwardly, realizing he must look like a complete idiot with both hands in the air now. Taking both hands down quickly he continued: "It’s for your music, I missed it this week" 

His neighbor was obviously curious now, he took the small bag after Mino held it out more casually towards him. In the bag was a couple of different kinds of guitar strings. 

          "These I can use" his neighbor said and held up one of the packages of strings. 

          "I meant to go out and get them earlier this week, but the weather has been so terrible" he continued and had already turned to walk back into his apartment. Mino, still waiting by the door wondered what he should do now. 

All it took was one exchanged glance between them and he was stepping over the magical threshold into the apartment. 

          "Tell me about it" he said, throwing one angry look out the gray window where the rain still could be heard. So it was the reason for the lack of music the previous days.

          "This song I almost finished the other night, funnily enough it’s about the rain" his neighbor told him. He finished attaching the string to his guitar and then he started playing a melody that Mino knew all too well already. Following every note he hummed it to himself as he began setting out the food on the small wooden table between them. 

The window next to him was slightly open and a couple of the vines that covered the outside of the building had begun creeping it’s way inside. The never ending pitter patter from the rain along with rustling leaves from the wind blended perfectly with the melody Seungyoon was playing. 

Then he stopped and looked up. 

          "I’ve written lyrics too, but I got a pretty bad cold at the moment. Let’s eat and have something warm to drink and then maybe my voice wont crack as badly" 

Mino nodded and watched as the other guy get to his feet, picked another glass down from a shelf as he already had one filled with water on the table. Then he took down two very worn coffee mugs. 

          "Tea?" he asked and held up both mugs. He had smiled when Mino accepted and they were soon making their way through the heaps of food Mino had brought. The guy was very skinny so he had picked up more than double of what he would normally eat thinking he could do with some extra calories. 

          "I’m Seungyoon by the way. What’s your name and how long have you been living here?" 

Mino proceeded to introduce himself before explaining how he had bought his place back when he had been a student Seungyoon nodded to show that he was paying attention while eating. Mino didn't say anything about his plans to move, but mentioned his work and how it was going well even if the odd hours were killing him. 

          "I moved in here only a couple of months before you. I’m still a student, working on a masters" He scooped up some more food and had to take a break from talking to chew. 

          "Studying music?" Mino asked before taking another bite of his food. He was so absorbed in this person in front of him he almost forgot to eat which was very unusual for him. 

          "Yes, classic guitar being what I specialize in" Seungyoon replied. It wouldn't have been hard to guess seeing the state of his hands. They had probably needed these last days break to heal a little. 

They finished eating and as promised had Seungyoon picked up his guitar again. 

          "Let me know what you think?" he asked before he began playing. 

The lyrics were sad, sadder than the melody, filled with melancholy and longing. Yet it was beautiful and very calming to listen to. Closing his eyes Mino let his mind fill with images created by the beautiful lyrics. He could see distant shores, heavy rain and heartbreak but it was as if it was all something he observed from the outside. As if he was just a quiet observer, unable to help. 

He was so absorbed in his own thoughts he didn't notice the song ending. 

          "So what do you think?" Seungyoon asked and took a sip of his now probably cold tea. Mino told him his honest opinion and a few of the images that popped up in his head while listening. Seungyoon nodded approvingly. 

          "I like your perspective of it, I got another one. Want to hear?" he asked, Seungyoon was smiling a little now and it brought his already good looks up to an entire new level of handsome. Every excuse to stay longer worked for Mino and so Seungyoon played the next song and then another.      

They sat like that until the rain got completely swallowed by the darkness. They had switched out their tea with something stronger that Mino had fetched from his apartment and Seungyoon had found them blankets. 

When Seungyoon’s voice had given out to his cold had he kept going with his guitar. Sometimes Mino had hummed what he remembered from listening through the wall which seemed to amuse Seungyoon greatly.

It was only hours away from dawn when the music stopped. Mino who was more than a little drunk by now staggered to his feet, but something in Seungyoon’s expression made him hesitate. It felt a bit like abandoning a puppy at a roadside. 

          "It’s raining" he mumbled, still imagining the poor puppy getting soaked in the rain. Not thinking clearly at all he picked up the thick woolen blanket from his chair and wrapped it around Seungyoon who was still sitting on his chair. 

Returning to his senses a little Mino blinked. Seungyoon bushy hair was poking out from the top of the cone of blankets that was tightly wrapped around him and it was the cutest thing.   

          "Let’s do this again some day soon" he said taking the few steps that was between him and the door out of the apartment. He was about to turn the door knob when he heard Seungyoon ask: 

          "When?" 

From underneath all his blankets. A flutter of something he had not felt in a long time appeared in his chest then and he turned back to take one last look as he told Seungyoon his next day off was the coming Wednesday. 

Time couldn't pass fast enough and the next days felt like a drag. It took everything he had to stop himself from stopping and knocking on that door when he passed it. He was worried too, because there had hardly been any music playing the following days. 

When Wednesday finally got there had the Tuesday before been filled with complete silence. When he had knocked on the door to check what kind of food Seungyoon wanted there had been no response. Turning the doorknob and peeking in he saw a skinny foot dangling out over the edge of the couch by the window. 

Hesitating he said Seungyoon’s name a couple of times, but got no response. In the end had he taken of his shoes and stepped inside.  

Crouching down into an awkward frog pose he looked at the sleeping Seungyoon. Relived that he at least weren't dead he picked up another blanket and folded it over him. Then he wrote a note and propped it up against the fold in the blanket saying he would be back in the afternoon with dinner. 

That day had been one of the rare sunny ones and their dinner had been filled with afternoon sunshine. Seungyoon had explained about his somewhat extreme sleeping habits and how he often slept for almost full days between deadlines. 

Then they played music, talked about music and ended their night by listening to some of Seungyoon’s old cd’s while drinking beer. 

Mino walked back to his apartment floating on clouds, drifting with the summer breeze and doing his best to store every moment of the evening in his memory. Seungyoon’s laugh, their never ending exchange of glances and how their hand had lingered by the others on several occasions. 

Pulling of his t-shirt he walked over to the window to let the same warm summer breeze fill his apartment. It was all he needed to re-live the evening and he dropped into bed smiling the cheesiest smile ever to have appeared on his face. 

He had only just begun drifting of to sleep when he heard a knock on his door. Rolling out of bed he looked at his watch confused. It was still night, or at least very early morning. 

          "You forgot this" Seungyoon mumbled and held up his wallet. Thanking him he turned and put the wallet on the small table by the door. 

          "Your place is cozier than mine" Seungyoon said, poking his head around Mino to take another look into the apartment. 

          "Let’s eat here next time" he said pouting a little before poking Mino’s bare chest in an almost accusingly way as if he had been hiding some kind of secret from him. Hand lingering on his chest for only a moment longer the pout turned into a small smile. 

          "Goodnight" he said and turned to walk back into his apartment. Still too tired to comprehend the situation Mino leaned on the doorway. Watching Seungyoon open the door to his own apartment he mumbled: 

          "Visit anytime" more to himself than to Seungyoon. Then he turned and went swayingly back to his bed. 

The next month they kept meeting like that, sometimes at his place other times at Seungyoon’s. They started planning what food to eat the next time and taking turns in picking it up as neither of them were good at cooking. They didn't share much about themselves or what was going on in their lives. It was all about music, art or occasionally about the news. Mino had to admit that he was curious, but he never managed to bring himself to ask. 

It was after their fifth time eating together they had to break their weekly habit because he was to go out of the country for work. Seungyoon had seemed a little disappointed by this when he brought it up, but didn't comment on it. 

The seasons was beginning to change again and Mino could easily pick up on the change in the air. No more sleeping with the windows vide open and he had begun bringing a jacket to work. 

Seungyoon seemed prone to catching seasonal colds and so Mino had picked up some cold remedies along with some food that he had left hanging on Seungyoon’s door when he stopped by his apartment to pick up his suitcase. He had rather unusually told Mino about something he was working on that had a fast approaching deadline and he worried this would take a further toll on Seungyoon’s health. 

Waiting in the hall for the taxi that would take him to the air port Mino heard the first drops of rain fall against the colored glass window in the huge hall. 

          "This year has been one big rain fest" he grumbled as he pulled his suit jacket up over his head and sprinted to the car. 

The flight had gone well and he was now getting situated at his temporary office in his hotel room. He would be representing the company for almost two weeks, a big task, but nothing he couldn't handle. 

He found himself throwing glances at his phone while working, regretting that he never had thought to get Seungyoon’s phone number. Friends did that right? So he could have asked, but there was this thing, in the air between them. Something that made asking hard, because if he had asked it felt as if he was addressing the issue of them. Which he knew was silly, but still.. 

          "I sound like a woman, over analyzing like an idiot" he said to the fat cat figure waving its paw at him on the desk. 

          "I can’t help it though, you should see the guy. So skinny, with long dark hair and sleepy eyes occasionally glinting of genius or mischief" the cat only kept waving its paw, getting annoyed at it he put it in the desk drawer. 

          "You can’t simply wave these matters away" he huffed slamming the drawer shut a bit harder than he had intended. 

Work kept him busy for the entirety of his stay, but there wasn’t a day he didn't think about Seungyoon and what they would have talked about, eaten and listened to if they had met that week. 

When he arrived back in the city he was met with the same terrible weather as he had left behind. His trip had earned him an extra day off and he now met the weekend with more free time than he had ever had since starting this job. 

He had made the taxi driver stop a few blocks away from his apartment building so that he could pick up some food. The rain was still pouring and so he opted to jog home instead of dealing with an umbrella. 

It was a poor choice as he was carrying a suitcase along with his groceries and wearing a suit. When he finally arrived home was he soaking wet and fighting hard not to swear at the heavens for the continuous bad weather. 

Distracted by his current state did he hardly notice the letter and the notice left on Seungyoon’s door mat. The same notice was on his, but he just shoved it aside thinking it was the apartment committee announcing the beginning of the repairs to the roof windows. 

It was only after he was done showering and had sat down to eat he noticed the silence. There was no sounds to be heard from the apartment next doors. Figuring Seungyoon was probably having one of his sleep marathons he wrapped himself in his duvet and opened one of the windows. It was only from his bed or as the backdrop to Seungyoon’s music that he could fully enjoy the sound of the rain. 

Having slept way too little the last days of his trip he fell into a deep dreamless sleep. 

It was the next morning, his first day off and he was excited to start planning his day with Seungyoon. Getting dressed he even combed his hair before stepping out his front door. The letter and the notice from the night before was still outside Seungyoon’s door, picking them up, planning on handing them over he knocked on the door. 

There was no answer. Knocking again he still didn't hear a sound. Only the shuffle of doves up by the ceiling and the occasional echo caused by his movements. Grabbing the door knob he found that the door was locked. 

Deciding to do some errands he headed out into the city, he would check back later in case Seungyoon was out. 

The door stayed locked through out the day, and there wasn’t a sound to be heard. He was getting worried, one time when they had agreed to meet but there had been a change of plans had Seungyoon slipped a note under his door. This time there was no note. 

It was late evening when he gave up. Calling his favorite Chinese takeaway place he continued to make guesses at what could have happened. 

He had to meet the takeaway guy at the main door and it was on his way back up to the apartment he had run into one of the old ladies living one floor bellow him. 

          "How is your neighbor doing? Have he returned home yet?" she asked him, making him freeze with his foot mid-air hovering across the next step in the stairs. 

          "What? Something happened?" he asked, slowly putting his foot down again. The woman shook her head at him before answering his question. 

          "Poor guy, got sick. Pneumonia is my guess, the janitor drove him to the doctors office. He told me when returning that they had ended up at the hospital" Having worried about Seungyoon getting sick all week he couldn't say that he was surprised, but the hospital? 

Mino had asked her which hospital they had gone to, but she didn't know. Excusing himself he had hurried back up to his apartment, almost leaving his Chinese food in the stairs as he went. He knew he had the number to the janitor stuck away somewhere in his cupboard. 

          "I’ve told you a hundred times already, it’s not my job to change the lightbulbs inside your apartment!" was the first thing Mino heard as the janitor picked up the phone. 

          "I’m perfectly capable of changing the lightbulbs myself thank you" he grumbled back before he began asking about Seungyoon. The janitor didn't seem too worried and had given him the address to the hospital Seungyoon was at a couple of minutes into the conversation. 

Hanging up almost before he said his thanks Mino put on his jacket. The hospital weren't that far away and he needed to know how Seungyoon was doing. 

He had caught a bus going in the right direction of the hospital and within half an hourwas he standing at the stairs to the main entrance to the hospital. The nurse at the desk had directed him to Seungyoon’s room, but told him visiting hours were almost over. Ignoring her he hurried down the hall. 

Taking the wrong turn had led him to make a round tour of the ward, but now he was finally standing in front of the correct room number. He was just about to knock when the door opened. 

          "Hello there" Seungyoon said, just as surprised to see him judging by the sound of his voice. 

          "I heard you got sick while I was away so I came to check on you" he told Seungyoon, trying not to sound too worried. Seungyoon smiled at this and dangled his coat in the air between them. 

          "I’m being discharged, I’m on my way home now! Care to accompany me?" Mino couldn't have been happier to hear the news of this and a while later were they climbing into a taxi on their way home.  

The silence between them felt different as they drove through the now dark city. Mino didn't dare to turn and look at Seungyoon because each time he tried to sneak a peek he saw Seungyoon’s smile in his peripheral vision and chickened out. When he finally decided what to say had Seungyoon spoken at the same time leaving them both to silence again. 

          "How was the trip?" Seungyoon finally asked. 

          "Busy, I’m glad it’s over" Mino replied. There weren't much to say on the matter. They had just made a turn and would be on their street soon. 

          "How long did you stay at the hospital for? and what was it that put you there?" he asked, their building coming into view. 

          "I was there for three days and I got pneumonia" Seungyoon said casually. Mino nodded, the old woman had been right then. He could tell by the way Seungyoon was coughing that it was more than a little cold. 

There was no more time to discuss the matter because they had arrived home. Seungyoon paid the driver while Mino carried Seungyoon’s things up the stairs. When they were almost at their landing had Seungyoon stopped to catch his breath mumbling something about stupid pneumonia. Remembering his now probably cold Chinese food Mino decided to invite Seungyoon over for an evening snack. 

          "How about some food?" he said casually while looking for his keys. 

          "You cooking?" Seungyoon teased having caught up to him. 

          "I can if you want me to" Mino replied, immediately regretting his offer as he was no good as a cook. Seungyoon looked surprised at his reply and a wide smile was now spreading across his face. 

          "I want you to" he replied "Just let me change out of these clothes that reek of hospital and I’ll be over there in a few minutes" 

Mino then watched Seungyoon step into his apartment, wondering what in the world he would serve with the things he had in his fridge. Frantically scurrying his shelves he tried to think, but was soon distracted by the sound of Seungyoon coughing so hard he heard it clearly through the wall. 

He got some cheese and vegetables laying around that his mother, had sent him, rice, different spices, cereal, some bread and ketchup. Looking at his Chinese food for inspiration an idea began to form. 

          "Smells good" Seungyoon said while inspecting his plate. 

Mino could only laugh. He had the heater and made them some tea to go with the meal just to make sure Seungyoon wouldn't get cold while he was there. 

          "You know very well I don't cook much" he excused and took his first brave bite of his cooking. It was actually pretty good and he felt his shoulder sink a few notches in relief as he took another bite. 

          "What do you call this dish then? Surely it got a name?" Seungyoon said already chewing away at his food. Thinking for a moment Mino held up a finger as if stricken by a genius idea. 

          "Mino’s magical pizza" he said lacking all kinds of originality. Seungyoon’s rolling laughter filled the apartment then. It was bread topped with squashed tomatoes and ketchup, Chinese grilled meat and his mom’s cheese. He had dropped the pepper on it and so it was a rather spicy dish in it’s own right. Guessing Seungyoon couldn't taste much with his pneumonia anyway he was just happy that he was eating. 

          "Magical" Seungyoon had repeated several times through out the meal, mocking Mino’s pronunciation as he had tried to make it sound Italian and failed hard.

After eating they watched a movie on Mino’s tiny tv which he had inherited from his sister when she had gone and bought herself a bigger one the previous year. He never watched tv anyway so it was more a case of just owning one. 

          "American action movies are entertaining, but what is the message here?" Seungyoon commented half an hour into the movie. Mino didn't know the cast and didn't care much for the plot, but replied: 

          "The message is that there is none, it’s just violence and big explosions. Stuff people think look neat in cinemas" He was exhausted from his day and couldn't care less if the main character just got shot in the shoulder. 

          "You don't seem too interested in the movie" Seungyoon noted after the sidekick got abducted while the main one was squirming on the ground from the pain of his gunshot. 

          "I’m just tired, it’s been a long day" he admitted. Seungyoon turned down the volume of the tv then and scooted a bit closer on the sofa. 

          "Take a nap then, I’ll tell you how it ended" he said and patted his lap while putting away the remote control. Confused Mino looked from the tv to Seungyoon. Did he mean for him to rest on his lap? Deciding he could play it of as confusion if he got it wrong he grabbed the closest pillow and propped it up against Seungyoon’s leg. 

          "Promise to wake me when it’s done then" he said hoping to sound casual. 

It didn't take long for him to get sleepy, even if their sudden closeness had made his heart rate speed up considerably.  

Mino woke to the sound of the movies music score, the room had gone dark, only lit by the tv and a small lamp in the kitchen. Slender fingers were playing gently with his hair, making it stand up in odd angles before flattening it again. It was so comfortable he didn't want to reveal that he was awake yet. 

          "I know you are awake, your breathing changed. What are you thinking about?" Seungyoon asked after a while. 

Opening his eyes he stared up into the ceiling, he didn't want to sit up because that meant that their moment of closeness would be over. Instead he decided to be honest: 

          "I was thinking about you" he explained "How I was worried when you were gone today and how happy I am that you are back now" he blinked and looked up at Seungyoon. "By the way, me laying like this.. Is what you have contagious?" he asked, after all had he just come back from the hospital. 

Seungyoon looked down at him. Then he smiled, one of those rare wonky smiles where Mino could easily see that he was thinking about something clever. 

          "Only one way to find out" Seungyoon said and then he leaned down closer. Stopping with their noses almost touching he blew a small puff of air at his face before laughing a little. 

And then he kissed him, full on, soft lips meeting with his and he was so surprised by it he almost sat up. His arms flew up on reflex, but instead of pushing Seungyoon away like one would normally do had he wrapped his arms gently around Seungyoon’s neck. 

Getting over the initial shock he couldn't care less if he got pneumonia from this. He already felt feverish and the clouds he had felt move him from apartment to apartment due to happiness on previous occasions was nothing compared to this. Pure bliss in the shape of perfect lips, warm skin and gentle hands caressing his cheek gently. 

Pulling away Seungyoon rubbed his face, Mino could see through the darkness of the room that his face had turned a light shade of pink. 

          "If it’s contagious then you most certainly caught it by now, I’m sorry if you got snot on you" he said half laughing, half hiding his face. 

Mino found that he couldn't stop smiling, he was completely overtaken by happiness. Staring up at Seungyoon he weren't sure what to do with this happiness. He could have danced, sung a song or even rolled on the floor. Instead he sat up, blinked and apologized for what he was about to do. 

Grabbing Seungyoon with both arms he pulled him as close as he dared to with the fear of breaking the guy in half if he pulled any harder on him. 

          "I’m so happy right now, who cares if it’s contagious" he said without letting go an inch. He could still smell a hint of hospital from Seungyoon, but feeling the warmth of his neck against his own cheek was the most reassuring thing. When he felt Seungyoon shift slightly, embracing him back the moment was complete. 

A part of Mino wanted to confess right away, tell him how much he treasured every single moment they spent together and how much he had missed him while he was away. Instead he sighed while making sure to store this moment in the depths of his mind with the others. 

          "I missed you while you were away and I was so happy when you appeared at the hospital today" Seungyoon said while pulling away from their slightly backbreaking hug. 

          "I missed you too and I regretted not asking for your number before leaving" he confessed in return. 

The news person on tv announced the news in that moment, telling them it was already two in the morning. 

          "I’m tired, but I don't want to leave" Seungyoon said, turning slightly to have a closer look at the tv screen. 

          "I’d miss you if you left" Mino said, feeling like he was repeating some very cheesy line from some romance movie, but it was the truth after all. 

          "It’s settled then" Seungyoon announced in a very decisive way before picking up the pillow that had dropped to the floor during their hug. Handing the pillow to Mino he only smiled. 

That was the first night they slept together, Seungyoon never really moved out after that and they began using the two apartments shared as if it was one big one. When Seungyoon finished his degree the next year did they sell both of their apartments and bought a place together without leaky ceilings, but with just as much charm.

Authors note: It's been a while so thank you for stopping by even if it's been so long. I'll probably be changing platforms for where I put my writing come autumn, but I'm still testing different ones. I'll update my profile when I've made the move for good.

This story weren't intended as one of hefty romance, but an attempt at showing that love can just sneak into your life in a calm kind of way. Two lonely souls finding companionship and love through common interest. I don't know if I've achieved that, but I tried my best. What do you think?

Kind words are always appreciated and thanks again for reading ❤︎