Being friends with Wonwoo was much easier said than done. Mingyu thought it would be a piece of cake considering things. But then again, considering things it made sense that it was surprisingly complicated. 

Mingyu and Wonwoo had went from being strangers to pretend boyfriends to we-actually-like-each-other-a-lot to very complicated to breaking up despite loving each other. The complicated development of their relationship made Mingyu sigh. It wasn't like it would be particularly difficult to become friends with Wonwoo; he knew they had a handful of similar interests already. The issue lied with being just friends with Wonwoo. 

The first time that the two of them saw each other again was when Soonyoung barged in Mingyu's apartment and dragged the younger to eating breakfast with him and Jihoon. Despite Mingyu's initial protests, he was actually happy to see his hyungs again and was even more delighted when they went to Jam Jam. 

"Oh, hey, Soonyoung, Jihoon, Mingyu." Wonwoo smiled at them, pulling out his notebook. "What will you guys have?"

I want waffles! Bring me what Jun makes best!" Soonyoung exclaimed. "Oh, Minghao was looking for him by the way." 
Wonwoo chuckled as he wrote down the order. "Jun's going to see him after our shift, no worries." He raised an eyebrow at Jihoon. "And you, Hoonie?" 
Jihoon glared at his boyfriend. "I told you not to tell Won you called me that!" He kicked Wonwoo when he just started laughing. "Mean but I'll have blueberry pancakes." 
Wonwoo pouted. "You kicked me and I'm the mean one." He then directed his gaze at Mingyu. "And you, Gyu?"
"I'll have your favorites, baby, thanks." Mingyu said, not bothering to check the menu at all. He always ordered Wonwoo's recommendation. 

It took him half a minute to realize the silence that suddenly fell between the group. Turning his head slowly, he was met with incredulous gazes with Wonwoo even blushing. Mingyu furrowed his brows, mentally running through what he might have done wrong until it dawned on him.
"Oh . I'm sorry! I just.. I, uhm, used to calling you baby! I'm so sorry!" Mingyu stammered out, flushing with embarrassment. 
Wonwoo coughed, putting on a smile though he was still blushing furiously. "It's okay. I'll, uh, go tell Jun your order now. Wait here." 

Soonyoung instantly started laughing once Wonwoo was out of sight. Jihoon was rolling his eyes but he looked pretty amused as well. Mingyu groaned at how stupidly careless he was. He was supposed to be Wonwoo's friend and he was still calling the older baby.

Hyung,it's not that funny." Mingyu complained when Soonyoung didn't stop laughing. 
"It is." Soonyoung said impishly. "So, I'm guessing you two talked it out with an ending of 'let's remain good friends' but you can't."
Mingyu sighed. "It's our first time seeing each other after that so cut me some slack."
"But can you do it? You both still like each other, right? How are you guys supposed to be just friends?" Jihoon asked seriously.
"Beats me." Mingyu admitted. "I just said it cause it felt like I was going to completely lose Wonwoo if I didn't do anything." 
Soonyoung hummed. "This could be good for you guys too. Take things slow this time around, you know?" 
"I guess so." Jihoon said hesitantly. He fixed Mingyu a look before shrugging. "If you're going to be friends, you need to start calling him Wonwoo hyung then." 
"Oh my God." 
--
Mingyu was still at a loss on how to approach Wonwoo as a friend. The embarrassment he felt at Jam Jam still lingered at the back of his mind especially since Minki was the one to deliver their food. Wonwoo must have thought that Mingyu couldn't handle his own proposition. 

Mingyu groaned because it was partially true. Even when he said that he just wanted to be friends, his body knew otherwise. He just wanted to hug Wonwoo every time he saw the older, maybe kiss him a little bit too. So, definitely not friendly thoughts. 

"Mingyu?" Jisoo's voice snapped him out of his train of thought. "You alright there?"
Mingyu sighed. "Fabulous." He muttered sarcastically.

Jisoo hummed knowingly, leading Mingyu into another direction. "The whole 'we're just friends' thing?"
"Soonyoung hyung is such a huge gossip, I swear." Mingyu hissed.
"Jihoon and Junghan were the ones talking about it actually." Jisoo chuckled. "You still don't know what to do?"
"No." Mingyu sighed dejectedly. "It's just.. That... Hyung! Ugh! Every time I see him, I just want to cuddle him and shower him with praises."
"Friends do that." Jisoo pointed out.
"You know what I mean." Mingyu whined.
Jisoo chuckled again. "Yeah, sorry. You just looked really stressed; it's actually pretty hilarious."
"Glad I entertained you." Mingyu grumbled.
"Maybe you should avoid hanging out with just Wonwoo. I think you're bound to slip up and call him baby again." Jisoo laughed when Mingyu groaned again. "Okay, that part was from Soonyoung. But yeah, you should approach Won with a crowd." 
"You shouldn't approach hyung period." A third voice snapped.
Mingyu turned around, shrinking back into himself a little when he saw who it was. "Hey, Hansol."
"I don't know you." Hansol glared at him before turning to Joshua. "You didn't tell me this guy was coming along."
Jisoo frowned at the youngest. "Hansol, that's not how you talk to someone older."
"Yeah but it is how I talk to someone that broke my hyung's heart." Hansol retaliated. 
Mingyu stepped in front of Jisoo, not wanting the situation to get out of hand. He knew that his hyung would come to his defense even when he didn't deserve it and he didn't want to ruin the two's friendship. "Hansol, you're right that I hurt Wonwoo. You already punched me before because I made him cry and this time was way worse. You probably don't want to talk to me at all but I just want to apologize for everything that has happened."

Hansol raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. "What, no excuses?"
"Honestly, is there any acceptable excuse for what I did?" Mingyu shrugged.
"You have a point there." Hansol answered before heaving a deep sigh. "I want to get mad at you and trust me I was really ing pissed at you. But it isn't up to me. Hyung already told me everything that happened so I know that getting mad at you is pointless." 
Mingyu blinked at what the younger had said. "So, you're not mad at me? You're okay with me talking to Wonwoo still?"
Hansol frowned, a crease appearing between his eyebrows as he mulled it over. "Okay, those are two different things. I am mad at you but I just realized it was pointless acting upon that. As for the second, well, hyung would be way more upset if you didn't talk to him."

Mingyu stared at Hansol, realizing this was probably the closest to forgiveness he could get at this point. Before he could help himself, he pulled the younger closer and had wrapped him in a tight hug. Hansol grumbled but slowly hugged him back, awkwardly tapping his back while Jisoo just chuckled beside the two of them.

"I knew you were a softie." Jisoo teased, nudging Hansol once Mingyu had let go of the younger.
Hansol rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Josh." He turned to Mingyu. "I do have something to ask you though."
"Sure, what is it, Hansol?" Mingyu replied, immensely relieved that things were okay between them.
"Did you really love hyung? Or was it all just pretend for you?" Hansol kept his eyes on Mingyu's as he waited for an answer.
"It ... It was never a lie for me. I really liked him from the start. And now, well, I love him. I love him a lot." Mingyu admitted, cheeks aflame. It was the first time that he had admitted as much to someone else. 

It seemed like the embarrassment was worth it since Hansol smiled at him, the kind that said he was proud of Mingyu. Jisoo even slow clapped for him before reminding the two that they had somewhere to be. The three of them spent the afternoon together and when it was time for them to go home, Mingyu couldn't help but feel like he won the lottery.
--
"So, tell everyone you know or everyone you want to know, okay?" Soonyoung chirped excitedly. 
Mingyu laughed at Jihoon's unhappy face, whining when he got a kick in the shin for it. "You are a very violent little child." He practically flew out of his seat, cowering between Jisoo and Junghan when Jihoon stood up, murderous glint in his eye trained on Mingyu. 
Junghan sighed, patting Mingyu's head as he focused on Soonyoung. "This party you're throwing... Are you going to hold it at your place?"
"Over my and Soonyoung's dead body." Jihoon answered before his boyfriend could. "I don't want our home to be crawling with strangers."
Soonyoung nodded. "I found a really nice place closeby. It's a studio type of apartment over by the restaurant where we celebrated."
Jisoo whistled. "Aren't those newly constructed? Must be expensive renting it out."

Soonyoung hummed, shrugging before sitting down beside Jihoon. He pulled on one of the earphones that the smaller had in his ear, kissing Jihoon's cheek before focusing on the plate he was working on. Mingyu watched them before carefully going back to his seat, sighing in relief when Jihoon didn't do anything to him. 

"Soonyoung really is happy about the showcase's turnout, isn't he?" Junghan asked, knowing that the two weren't listening.
Mingyu nodded. "The school paper wrote a long feature about it and even interviewed a bunch of them. It makes sense why he's so happy about it."
"I'm actually more surprised that Jihoon said yes to the party." Jisoo admitted. "We all know how he doesn't really like parties."

It's for Soonyoung." Junghan said as an explanation. "Also, he's been demoted from Youngie to Soonyoung again. Anyway, who are you guys going to invite? Knowing Soonyoung, he probably already told the whole dance club and maybe his classmates. I don't know if there's anyone I know that hasn't been invited yet." Junghan pouted, leaning on Jisoo.
Jisoo nodded, pressing a quick kiss on the other's head. "Same. Some guys had already texted me they were excited about the party before I even found out about the party."
"I guess it's the same for me too." Mingyu mumbled before he suddenly perked up. "Soonyoung hyung probably already invited Wonwoo right?" 
Jisoo and Junghan exchanged looks before sharing a secret smile. Jisoo's voice had a teasing lilt when he spoke. "Well, yeah, probably. But you should invite Wonwoo too."
"Why? Wouldn't that be redundant?" Mingyu asked but he had already pulled out his phone, opening his conversation with Wonwoo.
Junghan chuckled. "Mingyu, an invite means you want that person to be there. I think Wonwoo would really appreciate you inviting him." 

Mingyu blushed, knowing what Junghan was implying. With a meek nod, he started typing out a message to Wonwoo. He had to try a couple of times since the first ones always had 'babe', 'baby' or 'love' in them. Mingyu groaned as he erased the messaged he had typed out again. Being friends was so hard.

To: Freaking Cute Guy with a Deep Voice Wonwoo
Hey. Soonyoung hyung's having a party this Saturday. 
Which you probably already know cause it's hyung. But. Well.
This is me. Asking you to come.
Please? :)

Mingyu read and reread the message before hitting send. He wondered if it was too pushy but a part of him knew that it was probably the best he could come up with. He gave his hyungs a small thumbs up once he had sent the message and tried to focus on the notes he was rewriting. By the teasing smiles he was receiving from both Jisoo and Junghan, it was obviously not working. 

When Mingyu's phone vibrated, he quickly lunged at it, almost making the device crash into the pavement. Soonyoung and Jihoon both paused in their work to look at him skeptically while Jisoo and Junghan were both trying to contain their laughter.

"Sorry." Mingyu muttered sheepishly. 

He waited for Soonyoung and Jihoon to return their attention back to whatever they were doing, sending Jisoo and Junghan a pointed look before opening the message he had received.

From: Freaking Cute Guy with a Deep Voice Wonwoo
Heyy! I was just wondering if you would invite me.
Yeah, Soonyoung told me.
But. I was waiting for your invite....
Is that bad?>//<
Anyway see you Saturday!

Mingyu groaned loudly, lightly smacking his head on the table as he tried not to blush. Wonwoo was so unfair; he was being so cute and it was unfair. Was he this cute to his friends all the time? Maybe he was. That would explain how Seungcheol handled being around him for so long.

Uh, Mingyu?" Junghan asked worriedly.
Mingyu raised his head, a dopy smile on his face. "I can't wait for Saturday, hyung." 
--
Hansol surprised Mingyu by giving him some advice on how to become friends or at least talk comfortably with Wonwoo in their current situation. When Jisoo had told him what Hansol's idea was, Mingyu wasn't too surprised;he had been toying with the idea ever since the whole ordeal started. Maybe since this was Hansol suggesting it, Mingyu deemed it as a worthy try. 

Mingyu waited until the party to put things in action. He didn't want to do it through text and Seungcheol or Doyoon was always with Wonwoo when he dropped by Jam Jam. Seungcheol's glares were more than enough to intimidate Mingyu into keeping the conversation with Wonwoo short. Doyoon was the complete opposite of Seungcheol, never passing up an opportunity to tease the two of them. Mingyu couldn't decide which was worse. 

Mingyu arrived at the party with Jisoo and Junghan and couldn't help but whistle at how nice the place looked. The three of them were pretty early but there were already a lot of people chatting around the room. Mingyu even spotted Seungyeon, Soonyoung's older sister, mixing some drinks by the bar. 

"Yah!" Soonyoung exclaimed as he jumped on Mingyu, nearly toppling the two of them. "About time you guys got here."
"We aren't even half an hour late, hyung. Why are there already so many people?" Mingyu replied. 
Jihoon appeared behind Soonyoung, handing the three of them drinks. "This is just the dance club and their significant others." He looked around the room. "God, this is going to be a long night."
"Cheer up, Jihoon. At least we're here now." Junghan grinned, ruffling the younger's hair.
"Yeah, there's that." Jihoon smiled, leaning against the touch more. 
"So cute!" Soonyoung exclaimed, kissing his boyfriend's cheek.

Jihoon rolled his eyes but moved closer to Soonyoung's side. The five of them occupied the couch close to the snacks, talking about whatever came to mind. Soonyoung had to leave to talk to the other guests though so the others followed suit, checking if they knew anyone else. Mingyu declined their offer to join them, making himself comfortable on the couch as he waited. 

Mingyu kept his eye on the door, waiting for Wonwoo and the others to arrive. Hansol had promised to keep Seungcheol and Doyoon away so the two of them would get the chance to talk. He wasn't sure if the younger could do it but Mingyu would take the risk.

"Easy there." Soonyoung teased, appearing out of nowhere. He snorted seeing Mingyu shoot up when Wonwoo walked in. "Let the host greet them first."
Mingyu nodded, motioning for Soonyoung to go ahead. "Sorry, just got excited."
"No duh." Jihoon said, laughing at Mingyu's flushed face as he followed after his boyfriend. 

Mingyu pouted, rubbing the back of his neck. They made their way through the crowd that had somehow formed there without Mingyu even noticing. They would get stopped often, people wanting to talk to Soonyoung for one reason or another. Soonyoung expertly handled them, chatting briefly before making his way to the next guests. 

"You look like you're thinking of ways to kill everyone here." Mingyu whispered when it looked like they weren't going to be moving anytime soon. He glanced at the girl Soonyoung was talking to, recognizing her from one of the exhibits that the College of Architecture would hold.
Jihoon looked back at him. "Maybe not everyone. I'd spare Jisoo and Junghan hyung." He huffed when he saw that Soonyoung still wasn't done. "Babe." He raised his voice, clinging onto Soonyoung's arm, voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Let's not keep Wonwoo and the others waiting." 
Soonyoung visibly swallowed, smiling at the girl politely. "I'll see you around, noona! Have a great time here!"

"Bye, noona." Jihoon echoed. 

Mingyu rolled his eyes; Soonyoung was so whipped for Jihoon sometimes. Those thoughts flew out of his mind when he spotted Wonwoo though. A grin broke out on his face before he could even ponder about it, body moving by mere memory. The older looked adorable in an oversized sweater, the sweater paws around the drink he was holding making it even cuter.

"You guys made it!" Soonyoung called out. 
"Everyone was so excited about it! Who knew you were such a big deal?" Seokmin exclaimed, nearly vibrating with excitement.
Soonyoung chuckled, a shy smile on his lips. "Nah, it's not completely me. The other guys on the club are pretty famous." He smirked, turning his head to the addition to the group. "Hello there, Minghao. I see you did find a ride to bring you here." He glanced at Jun meaningfully.
"Oh my God. Don't even get me started on them. They kept looking at each other throughout the ride here. I thought Jun hyung would crash the car!" Seungkwan exclaimed, making the two blush. 
Doyoon luckily saved the two from further teasing when he looped an arm around Seungcheol's neck, pointing to a small gathering by the table. "Cheol, beer pong! Come on! I just know we're going to win it!"
"Yah, you're heavy! I don't want to play either." Seungcheol answered, looking at wonwoo.
Wonwoo sighed. "I'll be fine. Go play." 
Hansol and Mingyu stared at each other, a silent conversation passing between them. Hansol sighed dramatically, grabbing Doyoon's arm, making everyone stare at them in shock. "Guess it can't be helped then. Come on, demon hyung. I'll be your partner for beer pong."
Doyoon's eyes lit up, removing his hold on Seungcheol and quickly putting his arm around Hansol. "That's my kind of guy! Let's go!" He ushered Hansol to the group.
Seungcheol looked shocked for a moment before storming after them. "Yah, Jang Doyoon! You are not playing beer pong, do you hear me, Hansol?!"

Jihoon watched the three of them with an amused smile. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say Seungcheol is Hansol's overprotective boyfriend."
"Ah, that phase..." Seungkwan said, laughing under his breath. "That could have been a huge disaster or the best thing ever." 
"Could have been." Seokmin agreed. He chuckled, hooking an arm around Soonyoung's. "Enough about that. Let's go have some fun!" 

Soonyoung nodded eagerly before turning around, bringing Seokmin and Seungkwan with him. Jihoon just rolled his eyes, waving at them before guiding Jun and Minghao to assumably where Junghan and Jisoo were. Mingyu had noticed that Jun seemed at ease with their oldest so the excitement on the Chinese lad's face was understandable. Wonwoo shook his head at the outstretched hand, choosing to lean back against the wall as he watched everyone else. 

"So, Seungcheol hyung and Hansol?" Mingyu asked curiously.
Wonwoo grinned. "Cheol liked teasing Hansol before, like literally about everything. Then Sol got pissed and demanded to know why and then Seungcheol just said that he liked Hansol."
Mingyu quirked an eyebrow. "What did Hansol do?"
"Called Seungcheol an idiot but he was blushing so bad that it didn't matter. Things pretty much ended there though." 

Mingyu hummed, imagining the two of them together. Somehow, he couldn't because he knew about Chan. He glanced at Wonwoo who was mouthing along to the song playing; there was also the fact that Seungcheol was in love with the still ignorant Wonwoo. Mingyu wondered if that was it, if ignorance to the truth was the reason why Seungcheol and Wonwoo had remained friends. The thought of forever hiding what he felt for the older made Mingyu uneasy. 

"Something wrong, Gyu?" Wonwoo asked, foot gently nudging the younger's. 
It was a small thing but it made Mingyu smile for some reason. "I was just thinking of something."
"Oh? Still about Cheol and Hansol?"

No, more about you actually." 
Wonwoo looked startled by what the younger had said. The shock was quickly replaced by curiosity though. "What about me then?" 

Mingyu stared at Wonwoo, knowing that the older really didn't have a clue what he was talking about. He wondered if he shouldn't say what was on his mind;things were going smoothly for them right now. What if he just ruined it? However, he also knew that there was no way he wouldn't slip up in the future. Just trying not to think about it brought the whole thing front and center. 

"I like you, Wonwoo." Mingyu blurted out, taking a moment to appreciate the way Wonwoo's cheeks immediately colored. "I know I promised to be friends with you but I don't know if I can handle pretending that it's the only thing I want from you. This isn't me asking you to take me back as your boyfriend. This is just me saying that I want to be your friend then your boyfriend in the future." 

Mingyu felt grateful for the crowd encompassing the room. The thrum of the music and the passing different bodies gave the moment a quilt of privacy. It was utterly ironic but the crowd made this moment their own, that among all this happenings around them, they shared this confession.

Wonwoo had returned his eyes on the ground, feet gently tapping the ground. Mingyu didn't mind the reaction. In fact, he sort of guessed that the older would be reduced to this cute, shy mess at his honesty. Mingyu being honest was probably one of his weaknesses as the younger had come to noticed. 

"You are definitely not emotionally constipated anymore." Wonwoo finally spoke but his voice was just a whisper. Mingyu had to lean in to hear him closely. "You're so unfair, Kim, utterly unfair." Wonwoo whispered by the younger's ear before pressing a quick kiss on the shell of Mingyu's ear.
 

Mingyu startled, pulling back as the blood rushed to his face. Wonwoo just laughed at his dumbfounded expression, pinching Mingyu's cheek for added measure. It took a moment but Mingyu shook himself out of his shock, retaliating by poking Wonwoo's sides, grinning at the yelp he would get. 

Mingyu couldn't contain the grin on his face as he and Wonwoo tried to tickle each other while trying not to spill Wonwoo's drink; maybe honesty really was the best policy.
--
The night turned out to be best that Mingyu had recently. After messing around with Wonwoo for a bit, the older was dragged away by some people he knew to play Jenga. Mingyu considered following after him but stopped himself from doing so. This was a friends' night so he would let Wonwoo have his fun. That said, he found himself drifting to where Seokmin and Seungkwan were battling with Soonyoung and Jihoon on the Wii. It was a pretty intense game; Seokmin apparently having a competitive streak to match Jihoon's. Soon enough, a crowd had formed around the two couples, cheering loudly for their own bets. It was a pretty close match, game after game was played until Jihoon won in the tennis game, marking the victory for their team. Soonyoung whooped loudly, grabbing his boyfriend by the waist before spinning him around. Jihoon didn't even mind, cheering just as loud as he grinned triumphantly. Mingyu could spy Junghan recording the whole thing and made a mental note to ask a copy from his hyung later. 

Mingyu then drifted to where Jisoo was. The older was still on the couch that they had occupied earlier accompanied by Jun and Minghao. He sat down beside them, chuckling when he found out that they were talking about anime. Jisoo's eyes were practically shining as he told them about his favorites. It was something that Mingyu had heard a hundred times before but he still listened, finding enjoyment on how the whole thing made his hyung so happy. The topic moved to different things then and Mingyu found himself arguing with Minghao about something pretty inane. Jun and Jisoo were laughing between them as the two of them continued to bicker. 

"Whoo! I told ya we'd be the best!" Doyoon's voice suddenly rang in the air. Everyone turned their eyes on the beer pong group. "Am I right or am I right?"

You're dumb." Seungcheol said, preparing to take a shot. He had his free arm around Hansol's shoulder, presumably to keep an eye on the younger while the other was poised to shoot. He squinted his eye, taking aim before letting the ball fly. Everyone whooped when it got in the cup. "That's what I'm talking about!" 

Hansol whistled, clapping loudly before reaching for a ball. His hand was quickly swatted away by Seungcheol, resulting in the younger frowning. Doyoon just laughed, ruffling Hansol's hair, earning a scowl from the latter. 

"Hyung, something disgusting touched me." Hansol complained.
Seungcheol laughed. "Doyoon is pretty disgusting."
" the both of you." Doyoon said, pouting before taking a shot. He groaned loudly when it missed by a mile. "See, you guys are bad luck." He didn't really seemed to mind as he reached for the cup though. 
Hansol's eyes lit up, eyeing the cup hungrily. "Since I'm part of this bad luck, I'll drink it for you, hyung."
Doyoon grinned, handing the cup over. "Here you are, Hansollie."
"Don't get flattered into doing something just because you were called hyung." Seungcheol scolded, taking the cup from Hansol and drinking it in one shot.
"Cheol is going to get Hansol's nerves pretty soon." 
Mingyu hummed, shifting a bit so Wonwoo could sit down beside him. "How was Jenga?" 
Wonwoo laughed. "I at it. Everything just kept falling down." He hummed. "The drinks as punishment tasted nice though." 
Mingyu chuckled, the fruity scent from the older making more sense. "Glad you had fun then." 
"Yeah, Soonyoung knows everyone I know and people I didn't know that knew me." Wonwoo grinned, looking at the other's direction. "Uh-oh, I think Seokmin just demanded a rematch."
Mingyu turned, rolling his eyes. "They'll be up until dawn then." 
"I wouldn't mind if this night doesn't end, would you?" Wonwoo asked, voice all soft and gentle that the younger's gaze naturally fell on him.

Mingyu smiled, moving just a bit closer to him. "I wouldn't mind at all." 

A.N: look who finally updated... omg. I'm not even going to lie: I was in such a gutter in this chapter. I love SVT but it's sort of difficult to write them all hanging out together and being friends so I apologize for that. 

Plus I do find it hard ro become friends with your ex so fresh out of the relationship so there's that.

OH guess what just turned a year old??? Yes, it is this fic. I have no idea whether to be happy or not cause I am still not done. Nghh, im sorry. 

Anyway, i hope this chapter didn't too bad. Mian if it did.lemme.know!! Love you all xx
Fun fact: This was supposed to be HansolxSeungcheol actually. Hahahahaha.