Chapter Text
"And I still do, love you hyung."
Mingyu's eyes convey what words can't, looking at Wonwoo, his love , with such fondness and adoration that Wonwoo knows Mingyu isn't lying. His heart pounds, his face flushes, and he doesn't even notice the attention of eleven people currently on him. He only sees Mingyu, the sweet, loving, ever patient Mingyu. So with a shaky voice, he calls for him.
"M-Mingyu-" He starts, though still unsure of what to say.
"It's fine, I just wanted to get it off my chest and let you know." Mingyu cuts him off with a soft understanding smile, "You don't have to say or do anything you don't want to okay?" And oh , does Mingyu know the things he does to Wonwoo's poor heart?
Seungcheol's voice cuts through the silence in the room. "Hey guys, it's pretty late. Why don't we all head back home?" His eyes hinting to the rest of the guys to get out of this place right now!
Receiving the clear memo, everyone scrambles to get up, picking up the bags they have thrown all over the floor. "Thanks Mingyu, we had an amazing time today, see you two around soon!" Seokmin gleefully says, sounding very unnatural and out of place in the quiet room. Joshua grabs the hood of Seokmin's hoodie and pulls him toward the door and almost trips over a stray blanket abandoned on the floor. Soon enough, Mingyu and Wonwoo are left alone in their loft, the place so silent they could hear a pin drop. Wonwoo blinks at the now empty, messy space, and he turns his head back to Mingyu.
"Mingyu I-" Wonwoo begins again.
"Hyung, it's really okay-"
"Let me finish, Gyu." Wonwoo smacks his back, leaving Mingyu looking like a hurt puppy, his big figure hunched up as he rubs the pained skin, lips pulled into an adorable pout.
"I won't say anything I don't mean, Mingyu-yah." Wonwoo gets back on track, trying his best not to think of wanting to kiss his pout away, because why -
Wonwoo takes a deep breath, "I'm not a hundred percent sure of my own feelings yet, and I think I might need some time to understand them. In the meantime though," Wonwoo holds Mingyu's hands in his, "let's keep going, like we've been for the past month."
Mingyu's eyes meet his, and he sees worry wash away from Mingyu's expression, now replaced with a relieved grin.
"Okay," Mingyu lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He interlaces their fingers before dragging Wonwoo to their shared bedroom, falling on the comfortable sheets side by side, and Wonwoo thinks that maybe, just maybe, he could get used to this.
A few days later, Mingyu deems Wonwoo ready to leave the house. The weather's great, clear skies, and in the past few days, it's gotten pretty warm. So Mingyu and Wonwoo decide to make a trip to the convenience store just a few blocks away to restock their kitchen, a perfect way for Wonwoo to slowly get used to getting around their neighbourhood.
Wonwoo habitually holds Mingyu's arm when they walk out the house, he feels safer like that.
"The air's fresh today," Mingyu notes.
"Mhm," Wonwoo agrees, he doesn't remember the last time he's been out of the house like this, other than that one time Mingyu brought him to the park, he remembers. They both ended up leaving less than half an hour after they arrived because Wonwoo claimed it was too cold at night.
"I have a list of things to buy, but feel free to add on whatever you need yeah?" Mingyu tells him as they stop in front of a crossing. Which gets Wonwoo thinking, he's been craving ice cream.
He hears a chuckle from beside him and he realises he voiced his thoughts out.
"Ice cream huh?" Mingyu smiles at him and leads the way towards the convenience store when the traffic light turns green.
Wonwoo laughs in response. "Yes Mingyu, ice cream. I hope they have the right flav-"
The deafening sound of an engine distracts Wonwoo, and he whips his head towards it. The next thing he sees is a motorcycle speeding towards his direction, and he freezes.
Flashbacks of the accident come flooding to him all at once, overwhelming him. The same sound of the engine, blinding lights that shone onto his face and the terrifying sound of glass shattering filled his senses. He barely registers getting pulled backwards, followed by a gush of wind from the passing motorcycle in front of him.
Memories of that night flashed before his eyes like an old film, the remembers the sound of rain hitting metal, vague screams of help, and his throbbing head. Wonwoo can't breathe. His chest suddenly feels too tight, as if somebody was strangling him and he desperately gasps for air, his hand gripping his chest in agony as he falls to the ground.
Mingyu drops to his knees, both arms firmly wrapped around Wonwoo. He panics, calling for Wonwoo but the elder doesn't seem to be able to hear him. He shouts and yells but to no avail, Wonwoo was in too deep in his memories. He shifts to look at the blinking green light, signalling that there was not much time before the cars would start running. He thinks quick, changing his position and placing his hands under Wonwoo's back and knees, lifting him up hastily and running to the other side of the road just before the red light turns on.
Mingyu finds the nearest bench outside the convenience store and places Wonwoo down gently. By now, Wonwoo isn't gasping for air anymore, but he still seems to be in his headspace. So Mingyu kneels down before Wonwoo and tries again.
"Hyung, Wonwoo hyung?"
No response.
He places both of Wonwoo's hands in his and he rubs them slowly. "Hyung, please, you're safe now okay?"
Still no response.
Mingyu stops himself before he says his next word, debating. He takes another look at Wonwoo. His eyes are unfocused, hands strengthless as well. He takes a deep breath.
"Sweetheart?"
He waits with bated breath. After the longest three seconds in Mingyu's life, he sees Wonwoo's eyes slowly shift, blinking once, then twice, finding the source of the voice.
Mingyu lets out a relieved sigh, "Hyung-"
"Say that again,"
"What?"
"Repeat what you just said," Wonwoo pants, still slightly breathless.
It clicks in Mingyu's brain. Oh .
"Sweetheart?"
Wonwoo's eyes light up at that word, even though he tries his best not to show it. The tingling sensation he gets when Mingyu calls him that is so addictive that he wants to hear it all the time.
"That sounds nice,"
He didn't expect that one simple word to be able to calm him down. He found himself in an endless repeat of the accident like a broken cassette tape, playing over and over again until he heard Mingyu call for him.
"Are you okay?" Mingyu ever so patiently asks.
It takes some time for Wonwoo to form a sentence with jumbled up words in his mind, but he does answer, "Yeah, I'm fine."
"No, no you aren't. Tell me about it. Is it fine here? Or should we go home? I-"
Wonwoo knows Mingyu would just ramble on endlessly so he speaks up instead, "I'm good here, just,"
"Just?" Mingyu urges.
"Just get us some ice cream."
Mingyu wants to coo at Wonwoo so badly right now. He takes a step towards the store, but then turns back almost immediately.
"I don't wanna leave you," He pouts.
Wonwoo is a
weak
man for Mingyu's pout. Or just Mingyu in general. What did he do to deserve this man?
He smiles.
"I'll be fine, Gyu. You'll be back quick won't you?"
Mingyu nods quickly and rushes into the store, bumping into the glass doors in his haste. Wonwoo thinks he's absolutely adorable.
Out comes Mingyu in less than two minutes, holding two small tubs of ice cream. He stretches his left hand towards Wonwoo, "Here, your coffee ice cream."
Wonwoo takes the ice cream. "How did you know I liked coffee flavoured ice cream?"
"You seem to forget that I know every single thing about you, Jeon Wonwoo."
Wonwoo feels his cheeks heat up and fails to hide his blush in time before Mingyu gets to notice.
"Hyung, are you okay? You seem red-" Mingyu reaches his hand out to touch Wonwoo's forehead.
Wonwoo flinches and leans away from Mingyu's touch, muttering a quick, "I-I'm fine, nothing to worry about." Mingyu doesn't buy it, but still retreats his hand.
Mingyu takes a seat next to Wonwoo, close enough that their shoulders brush against each other whenever one of them moves.
"So," Mingyu begins, "what happened back there?"
Wonwoo thinks back, hands unknowingly reaching out to Mingyu's. Mingyu takes them in his own. "They came back to me, my memories of the accident." And Mingyu's eyes widen ever so slightly. "I think the motorcycle triggered it. It was like, reliving that accident all over again."
Mingyu squeezes his hands, attempting to provide some sort of comfort.
"I'm so sorry hyung, I should've noticed the-"
"Nuh uh, Mingyu. Don't start blaming yourself."
"But-"
Wonwoo stands up abruptly, pulling Mingyu along with him. "Let's get home shall we?" And who is Mingyu to deny the love of his life?
The two brisk walk side by side, just basking in the warm sunlight while eating their ice cream.
"I don't understand how you love mint choco ice cream Gyu, doesn't it taste like toothpaste?" Wonwoo asks out of pure curiosity.
Mingyu pauses for a split second because, Wonwoo asked the exact same question couple of years back. Jeon Wonwoo really still is the same Jeon Wonwoo from before, he thinks.
"I just like it hyung, and it doesn't taste like toothpaste!"
Wonwoo giggles as he accepts Mingyu's explanation. How could it be that someone as cute, as kind, as perfect as Mingyu had fallen for him , someone who's literally no fun and constantly in need of care?
----
The next few days are spent holed up in their loft, watching movies, painting on canvases, cooking - just Mingyu really, the kitchen has been deemed out of bounds to Wonwoo because he almost burned down the building trying to cook ramen, don't ask him how - and a bunch of laughter and teasing.
Being with Mingyu feels so natural, and especially with how time is flying by, he gets very used to seeing the boy around him all the time. They never run out of things to talk about, nor do they ever sit in awkward silence. Which is really strange now that he thinks about it, because based on the experiences built up on the past two months, he learns that he's a really introverted person and he absolutely hates moments of silence as he finds it so excruciatingly awkward. With Mingyu however, he enjoys the silence and basks in the attention Mingyu gives him, whether the boy is stroking his hair or playing with his fingers, he finds that he likes it very much.
Ever since the day of the motorcycle incident, Mingyu has been extremely protective of Wonwoo. When they head out to a nearby shopping mall or to the convenience store again, he always places a firm arm around Wonwoo's waist, keeping him as close as possible to himself. The first time it happened, Wonwoo yelped when he felt Mingyu's hand, with Mingyu explaining himself by saying, "I'm keeping you safe,"
The hold he has on Wonwoo feels so safe, and Wonwoo will never admit that he imagines the same grip on his waist at night when he isn't able to fall asleep due to the traumatic memories he can't get rid of. That usually does the trick and that really shows how protected Wonwoo feels when Mingyu's around. He does feel a little disappointed though, because while Mingyu does occasionally initiate body contact with him, Mingyu never touches him when they sleep other than that one time Mingyu had to comfort Wonwoo. He can't think of why , and it frustrates him to no end.
One afternoon when Mingyu places their lunch on their table, he proposes the idea of hanging out, this time to somewhere further.
"I was thinking we could go to Namsan Tower? If that's fine with you?" Mingyu asks as he uses his chopsticks to place vegetables and slices of meat into his bowl.
Wonwoo gratefully accepts them, tasting the savoury pork belly as he says, "Are you asking me out on a date?" He jokes.
"Hmm, maybe?" Mingyu teases back, wriggling his eyebrows.
Wonwoo breaks out in giggles, ones that Mingyu wishes he could hear every single day of his life.
"Sure, when are we going?"
Mingyu munches on his food, mouth full when he answers, "Today."
Later that afternoon, both of them were out the door and hopping into Mingyu's car.
Mingyu did intend to leave the house an hour earlier, but dear Wonwoo couldn't decide on what to wear, complaining to Mingyu that he doesn't look good after his fifth outfit change. Mingyu looks at Wonwoo in disbelief, because honestly, when does Wonwoo not look good? Finally, Mingyu tosses him a white tank top, beige linen pants and a white button down (which he doesn't button), to finish the look. And god , Wonwoo looks ethereal even with such a simple outfit.
Mingyu takes a step back to admire the man, who is shyly avoiding eye contact.
"Seriously, Mingyu? It doesn't even look that good-"
"Oh, shut up." Mingyu says before tilting his head slightly, thinking of something. Then, he raises his arms to reach behind his own neck and takes off his necklace to put it around Wonwoo's neck instead. Surprised by Mingyu's hands suddenly around him, he flinches before looking down at where the necklace, Mingyu's necklace , now lay beautifully on his neck, the silver chain resting on his defined collarbones.
He touches the textured metal, the pendent is shaped like a palm leaf and he has to agree it does perfect his current look. Mingyu looks satisfied with his work as he traces the chain on Wonwoo's collarbone, "You look stunning, shut up with the 'I don't look good' shit okay?" He scolds.
Wonwoo nods dumbly in response.
"Let's go hyung,"
And so Wonwoo finds himself in the passenger seat of Mingyu's car less than ten minutes later, looking out the window to see tall buildings and skyscrapers pass by them as Mingyu drives through the roads of Seoul.
He turns his head to glance at Mingyu, who has his right hand holding the steering wheel and his left on the middle compartment separating Mingyu's and Wonwoo's seats. Wonwoo's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to Mingyu's arms, it was almost like he was showing off his veins on his lower arm and when his muscles flex when he makes a turn, Wonwoo's jaw drops.
"Like the view?" Mingyu's deep voice pauses his fantasies, "A photo lasts longer," He says, a smirk forming on his lips.
Wonwoo's face instantly turn beet red, knowing he's been exposed. He really couldn't be more obvious with the staring huh?
"Can't blame me," He shrugs, shying away as he says, "you're the one who's looking so good."
He hears a chuckle from Mingyu. Seconds later, he feels Mingyu lean closer to him when the red light turns on, barely inches away from Wonwoo's face. Mingyu tilts his head and makes eye contact with him.
"I think you're the one who's looking so pretty," Mingyu hides the last two words that forms in his head, pretty for me .
Wonwoo blushes even more if possible, and Mingyu thinks he's the cutest person he's ever seen. He takes pride in being able to make Wonwoo shy. Seeing the flustered boy, he leans back to his own seat and starts driving, his smile never leaving his lips.
When they reach the place after climbing a ridiculously long way to reach the top, Mingyu brings Wonwoo to a cozy restaurant. It was already close to dinner time with how much time they spent to get here.
Mingyu honestly wonders if he should have brought him to a more fancy place but the thought gets wiped out of his head when Wonwoo's eyes widen in a pleasant surprise as he steps into the place.
With wooden tiled floors, dream catchers hanging off some parts of the wall, and aesthetically pleasing lighting, Wonwoo loves it. There weren't many people there, so they would be able to have conversations without needing to shout across the table. Comfortable and peaceful, just how Wonwoo likes it.
The waitress brings them to a table next to the glass windows, and it overlooks the beautiful scenery at Namsan. Since it's the spring season, flowers were in full bloom, making the scenery colourful and bright.
"Thank you for bringing me here Mingyu-ah," He says to Mingyu, who had already been looking at him while he was busy admiring the view.
"Anything for you, hyung."
The food was delicious indeed, him and Mingyu having cute little banters as they ate, like why would Mingyu choose to pour the sauce over the tangsuyuk instead of dipping it? The little debate caused the both of them to burst out laughing at one point, Mingyu choking on his soda.
When they were done, Mingyu paid the bill - he had no intentions of letting Wonwoo pay, even though the latter was pretty adamant about wanting to do so - and left the restaurant.
Now that the sun was starting to set, the sky was like a cascade of colors showering the sky, a symphony of hues painting the evening a pretty pastel pink and orange.
Mingyu looks at Wonwoo, who's currently in awe of the view. "The sky is really beautiful today," Wonwoo comments.
Mingyu smiles, eyes still fixated on Wonwoo. "It is." And God knows he wasn't referring to the sky.
As they walk around the area, both leisurely strolling and enjoying the fresh air, Wonwoo realises their hands kept brushing against each other's, and his heart thuds. He looks up to see Mingyu not paying any mind, so Wonwoo musters his courage and holds Mingyu's large hands, sighing contentedly at the warmth.
Mingyu stops in his tracks and glances down at their hands, then at Wonwoo, who's looking away again, shy. He giggles at his cute hyung and then moves to interlace their fingers. At this, Wonwoo makes eye contact with him, cheeks tinted a light shade of pink.
They eventually reach the pagoda near the tower, and they sit down on one of the benches underneath it. The cool evening breeze makes Wonwoo shiver a little, and of course, Mingyu notices. He takes off his own jacket and covers Wonwoo in it, a coo at the tip of his tongue when Wonwoo crouches to make himself smaller and engulf himself in Mingyu's jacket. Wonwoo likes how he can smell the scent of Mingyu's cologne from his jacket, and he almost forgets his plan for today. He takes a deep breath before starting.
"Mingyu-yah," He calls softly.
"Mm?" Mingyu looks toward him, his hands placed on the bench on both sides of his thighs.
"I-" Oh god, was he really about to do this?
Mingyu patiently waits for him to start talking.
"Remember what I said, a couple of weeks ago? That I needed time to think about my feelings?" Wonwoo's fingers fidget with the hem of Mingyu's jacket.
"Yeah?"
"I-I think I'm ready," He breathes out, eyes flickering to Mingyu, worried about his reaction.
Mingyu didn't think Wonwoo would actually spend time to think about it. Not that he thinks Wonwoo couldn't be bothered, but he wasn't keeping his expectations high, and tried his best to treat Wonwoo like a friend. That's why he refused to cave in and cuddle Wonwoo to sleep every night though his entire being was itching to do just that. So he prepares himself for Wonwoo's answer, and he knows he will respect his answer no matter what, as long as it makes Wonwoo happy.
Mingyu nods his head in encouragement for Wonwoo to continue. And maybe he should have given himself some time to be ready because the next words that come out of Wonwoo's mouth left him speechless.
"I like you, Mingyu."
Huh?
As if sensing his confusion and disbelief, Wonwoo repeats himself after giggling.
"I said I like you, Kim Mingyu."
Oh. My. God. Did Wonwoo just confess to him-
He bets his eyes are as big as saucers right now, mind still loading and trying to process the fact that Jeon Wonwoo, the gorgeous man in front of him, just confessed even after he lost his memories. He takes a moment before asking, "A-are you serious? You like me? Why-" and he gets cut off by sound sweet sound of Wonwoo's laughter.
"Why not, Mingyu? There are so many reasons to love you and I fell for every single one of them. And before you ask, no, I'm not saying this out of pressure or wanting to pay you back, I really do, love you Mingyu."
How does Wonwoo manage to read his mind so well? Mingyu, brain now functioning, steps up to ask the next question he's been dying to ask for the longest time. He holds Wonwoo's hands again.
"Then, Jeon Wonwoo, will you be my boyfriend?" A tinge on nostalgia hits him when he realises he's asked the exact same question seven years ago.
Wonwoo brings their hands to his cheek as he answers, the same way he did all those years back, "Of course,"
Wonwoo doesn't have enough time to say anything else before Mingyu surges forward and he feels plush warm lips against his own, and in the chilly weather, Wonwoo melts into their kiss, heartbeats syncing. Mingyu presses in even more, his hand coming to hold Wonwoo's neck.
Wonwoo giggles into the kiss and gently pushes the eager man away. Mingyu pouts.
"We are so not going to start making out here," Wonwoo utters, embarrassed as he stands up to leave, trying to run away from the situation. But Mingyu catches him, and they end up walking together under the pretty lights.
"I honestly don't think anything much is going to change, we're already so close, and I literally live under your roof." Wonwoo thinks.
" Our roof." Mingyu corrects, "And if you think nothing much is going to change, you are so wrong about me," Mingyu wraps his hand around Wonwoo's thin waist, a smirk on his handsome face.
Wonwoo chuckles, "Prove me wrong then," he challenges, making Mingyu raise his eyebrows. "But, I do want something to change," He begins, "quit calling me hyung."
Mingyu furrows his eyebrows, "Huh? What else do I-"
Oh. Ohhh . Okay he gets it.
But he doesn't let it show on his face and instead, decides to tease his Wonwoo hyung about it.
"How else would I call you hyung?" He holds his snicker.
Wonwoo groans, "Y-you know, the nickname you called me the other day..."
"Nickname? When-"
"Oh god, Mingyu youcalledmesweetheart," Wonwoo says the last few words so quickly in his embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that-" Oh, Mingyu wants to laugh so bad.
"Sweetheart," Wonwoo says for the last time in the tiniest voice ever. But when Mingyu all but stares at him with so much love and adoration in his eyes, Wonwoo stumbles.
"You know what, never mind. Forget-"
"Sweetheart." Mingyu smiles, "I heard you, love."
Wonwoo feels like a pile of goo, melting at the nicknames flowing out of Mingyu's mouth. Mingyu laughs at him, pulling him into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry baby, I heard you the first time."
Wonwoo scoffs in disbelief, "So you made me repeat myself even though you knew?! Kim Mingyu!" He struggles to free himself from Mingyu's grip but fails, the other man being far too strong for him, and it wasn't like Wonwoo was trying his best either.
An eternity of bickering later, Mingyu finally brings Wonwoo to the Love Locks. There were hundreds of locks hanging on the metal railings, each of them a different color with names written on them. Mingyu leads him to a specific pastel pink coloured lock, with two names written on it.
'Jeon Wonwoo 🤍 Kim Mingyu
Let's love each other forever
23.02.16'
Wonwoo doesn't know why, but he feels tears prickling at his eyes and he feels sentimental, like he missed this. He smooths his thumb over the lock, letting himself feel.
"We wrote this seven years ago," Mingyu explains.
Then, he takes something out of his pocket, a lock.
"Shall we write a new one?"
Wonwoo nods and he takes the marker Mingyu hands him. Carefully, he writes,
'Jeon Wonwoo 🤍 Kim Mingyu
We will love each other forever
19.04.22'
Seeing what Wonwoo wrote, a teardrop rolls down Mingyu's face as he thinks back of everything that has happened between them, from meeting, to falling in love, to the accident, and then falling in love once again. He quickly wipes the tear away.
Mingyu helps Wonwoo put up the lock, placing it right beside their old one.
Wonwoo looks at it, satisfied.
"I really did fall in love with you all over again huh?" He leans his head against Mingyu's chest, hearing his heart beat.
"Yes, yes you did."
"I love you." Wonwoo initiates closing his eyes as he feels Mingyu's arms come around him. He feels so utterly loved, protected and happy. He was lucky to have Mingyu, to have someone who knows all his likes and dislikes, would go to the ends of the earth for him, and someone who simply just, loves him. He's happy he finds all of that in Mingyu, and he can't be more grateful.
"I love you too, sweetheart."