Chapter Text
Two days had passed since the crash and within those two days all Minghao could do was stare at the email that was sent to him by Junhui. He would sometimes stare at it in disbelief, other times in anger and then sometimes in sadness.
“All that time you’ve been staring is all that time you could have come with a response.” Mingyu says, his patience thinning with every second Minghao stared at his phone.
Minghao looked up at him, “You try responding to your ex who randomly says they miss you when it’s been six years! Like what do I even do about this? I just wanted the money for my car!”
Mingyu groaned, “And if that were the case then you would’ve told him that in an email that you could’ve sent since yesterday! Something is obviously holding you back.” He walked over to where his friend was sitting on the couch, plopping himself down.
Minghao scoffed at hid response, “Nothing is holding me back. I just— I’m just in disbelief that he said something like that after what he did to me. He has no right to say he misses me, what the fuck is that? He was the one who left me alone and-“ he started to feel himself choke up.
Mingyu scooted closer to his friend and put an arm around him to pull him in for a hug. Minghao pushed him away weakly, “I don’t need a hug idiot… It was just a dumb high school romance.”
Mingyu shook his head, “Yes you do, idiot. High school or not, you loved him…a lot, and everybody knew that, but of course Junhui had to ruin it…” he rolled his eyes at the last part, still angry at the memory of that day.
“You gotta let go of him now Hao, it’s been six years. He’s a waste of time to be occupying your mind like that. If I was in that car with you I would’ve knocked him out.” Mingyu adds as he let go of Minghao. Minghao laughed, “I know you’d knock him out…”
“But I guess that email really set me back…”
—
“Of course my life just gets worse and worse.” Minghao struggled to say as he tightly held onto the safety harness connected to his belt. He was asked to wash the tall windows today so that meant risking his life.
“They don’t pay us enough to be doing this Chan.” Minghao said after finally being able to make his way down another window.
“Exactly, I don’t even think they’ve updated these harnesses since like 20 years ago. Washing windows, what a way to go out.” Lee Chan sighed, swinging back and forth on his harness.
They continued to work their way down, eventually coming to a midpoint where one of the windows was still left open. The two looked at each other, both clearly annoyed at the person who did this.
“Don’t people understand that window cleaning day means all windows closed?! Ugh these idiots.” Minghao complained as he reached his body over to try and grab the window.
Lee Chan stared at him worriedly, “Minghao, I really think you shouldn’t be doing that.”
“Don’t worry Chan-“ Minghao says with a strained voice as he continued to stretch his body over, practically almost inside the office of the person that left the window open. “—I’ll be fine.” He continued to do his best at closing the window, but it was no use, he couldn’t stretch his body far enough to grab it. Minghao sighed in defeat before seeing a man pass by the office. Still hung over the window, he began waving him down.
“Hey you! Would ya help a janitor out and-“
The man turned around at the voice, eyes becoming wide when he saw it was— “Minghao?”
Minghao’s heart dropped.
“Junhui?!!”
Minghao lost balance upon seeing that it was Junhui that he called out. He swayed back and forth on the small seat and began to panic.
“MINGHAO!” Lee Chan shouted as he watched the older struggle to catch himself. He could see the amount of fear in his eyes, but he didn’t know what it was from. Was it from the possibility of falling or the man that just appeared?
Junhui dropped the coffee that was in his hands and began to run over to the window. Minghao fell out of his seat and was left hanging mid air by his safety harness and one arm holding onto the window. Before he could do anything else to fix the position he was in, he felt a hand grab his. He looked up, Junhui staring down at him with he most worried expression he’d ever seen. Minghao stared up at him, eyes wide. He quickly was pulled up and into the office where the two were now face to face.
Both of their hearts were racing, the adrenaline pumping through their bodies. Minghao decided to speak after an insufferable pause.
“Junhui—“
Junhui pulled him into an embrace.
Minghao froze from the sudden action, but once he snapped back into his sense he began to push the taller away. Junhui just held on tighter.
“Thank god you’re okay.” He whispered. A relived sigh escaped between his lips, hugging the other man even more tightly. Minghao could feel the way his heart began to warm, but he knew that this was wrong. He pushed away from Junhui’s arms again, successful this time.
“I never wanted to see you again.” Minghao said, spears ramming into Junhui’s heart.
Minghao looked up at him angrily, “I hate you.”
Junhui thinks he just broke. Just like those many years ago.
He takes a step forward to the younger, reaching out for him, but Minghao takes a step back.
“Don’t you dare come close to me again. You only cause problem after problem. Earlier it was my car and now you want to humiliate me at my job?! How much more of my life do you plan on ruining? Was my heart not enough for you?!” He shouted, gaining the attention from those walking past Junhui’s office door.
“Minghao you never gave me a chance to explain anything.” Junhui says, his voice soft in order not to scare the younger away.
Minghao scoffed, “Explain what exactly? You being the worst boyfriend to ever exist and leaving without saying goodbye. You ruined me Junhui!” Junhui could feel the frustration build up in his chest, his hands at his side clenched into fists.
“That’s not true!” Junhui says, his voiced raised this time and Minghao is surprised. In all his years of knowing Junhui, he’s never been yelled at like this. It makes the younger extremely confused.
“I never stopped loving you Xu Minghao! I never wanted to hurt you, you were the only thing in my life worth protecting.” Junhui explains, desperation in his voice for Minghao to listen to him.
“Then why didn’t you show me that?!” Minghao shouts.
A silence followed after, the two staring at each other, both waiting for something to happen. Minghao feels himself start to tear up. He turns away, his heart burning the longer he looks at his past lover who seems to have not changed.
“I see you still can’t speak up when it comes to me.” He says, a tear falling down his face.
Junhui wanted to pull him into his arms again, just hold the younger man and keep him there forever. But Minghao didn’t want him. Minghao hates him and even though he has every right to , Junhui doesn’t want to accept that ending. He will not be like his 18 year old self again.
“Let me show you how I’ve changed. Please Minghao.”
Minghao laughs, “So now you want to show me you’ve changed? After six years? You are so fucking funny if you think you’d get a second chance. The only reason we are talking is because you ruined my damn car! If we never crashed into each other another six years would’ve gone by! You never would’ve reached out Junhui! You did nothing all these years so why now?!”
“Because I wasn’t ready to face you!! That crash was a blessing in disguise, it allowed me to approach you because all these years I’ve been a coward.” Junhui responds, but Minghao isn’t buying it.
“I’m sorry Junhui, but I don’t want anything to do with you anymore and these excuses are not going to make up for what you did to me.” The younger says, unbuckling his safety harness and walking out the office door, tears brimming at the corner of his eyes. Minghao blinked them away, refusing to let anymore fall because of Junhui. He continues to storm out, Junhui left standing in the middle of the office with his head down.
Some dumb high school romance this was after all.