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Mumbling was heard from outside of the room, though, in a closet, everything sounded like mumbling. Minghao could just barely hear the words, "Where's Minghao?"
Shit.
See, he didn't mean to run off so suddenly, and he didn't even think anyone would notice if he wasn't there, but they did. The group was in the practice room not too long ago for their morning rehearsal. It was the afternoon now. He figured the other members were heading out to get away from the stuffy dorm building, void of air conditioning. Couldn't they just leave without him?
"Okay people, this is now a Minghao search party, operation Where Would Minghao Be?" Soonyoung, unmistakably, was assigning people to look for him in a silly fashion. "I, will supervise."
"Why are you supervising?" Chan questioned. Laughter echoed from outside the hallway. Minghao realized how close they were.
"Fine--whatever, let's just find him! And quick, Seungcheolie-hyung is impatient." Soonyoung sent the kids off, with some being more unmotivated than others. Seokmin still seemed bright though, as he called Minghao's name like he was a puppy.
Minghao just needed to clear his brain. He didn't want to see anyone. He seemed pathetic, bundled up in a corner of a dark closet. He wasn't even in his own room, rather, Seungkwan, Seokmin, and Joshua's room. Then, Minghao heard someone cough.
"Minghao, you can't stay in there for the entire day." Joshua said. Minghao froze, realizing that he had been caught. He stayed silent. "Minghao?" Joshua came over and turned the knob of the closet.
"Hey, hyung." Minghao smiled shyly. Joshua sat down next to him on the dusty floor of the closet. At this point, Minghao was nothing more than a head poking out of a blanket pile.
"Is this the thing about Junhui?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Joshua gave him a long look of concern before having his attention directed to the door.
"Shua-hyung! Come help!" Joshua slowly got up and told Minghao that he had to go, but would be back. Minghao looked up and nodded.
"Oh, and um, hyung? Don't tell anyone I'm here. Especially Junhui." As much as Joshua wanted to smirk and say I knew it, he nodded silently and patted Minghao's head before shutting the closet door, leaving the smallest gap open.
-
It wasn't even five minutes later when Soonyoung burst into the dorm room and threw open the closet door to find Minghao, still in his previous state. So much for Joshua not telling anyone.
"Are you okay? Why are you hiding in here? Did I work you too hard earlier? Ah, I should have let you run through the new steps by yourself--" Soonyoung said frantically. Minghao had to say I'm okay three times before Soonyoung stopped shaking him. "Can you at least...tell me what's wrong? It might help." Minghao took a deep breath. "You can trust me." Soonyoung reassured.
"Last night, Junhui told me that..." Soonyoung listened intently. "...that he loved me."
Soonyoung's expression softened. He waited for Minghao to finish, but it seemed those were all of the feelings he could manage for the time being. "Well, that's okay. I tell the members I love them all the time, because I do." Soonyoung smiled.
"No...but," Minghao spoke up again. "I think he meant it in the other way. We almost kissed." Minghao rested his head on his knees, bundling up closer. Soonyoung gasped. "A-and..." Minghao struggled. "I guess I'm upset because...I'm scared. I'm scared, and I don't know what to do." Soonyoung leaned in to give him a tight hug.
"Do you feel the same way about him?"
Minghao responded, muffled by the blankets. "I always have."
"Then I think there's only one thing you can do." Minghao looked up, uncertainty in his eyes. "You guys will get through this. Just trust yourself." Minghao didn't want to say any more.
"Thanks, hyung."
"I should probably meet up with the others. Hansolie wanted ice cream, so we're heading out. It doesn't seem like you're dying to go with, so, want anything?" Minghao shook his head. "Alright. And stop hiding in those blankets, it's like eighty degrees in here." Soonyoung said with a laugh. He gently closed the closet door. Minghao waited to hear the others leave. Once the halls were silent, he stood up, sliding out of the closet.
What Minghao did not expect to see the moment he stepped into the hallway, was, the person he wanted to see least.
He saw that person anyway. Wen Junhui stood in front of him, eyes locked on his.
Suddenly, Minghao felt like hiding again.
-
The two moved to their shared room, sat on the floor against a bed frame. Jun broke the silence, but not with anything Minghao thought he was going to say.
"Your hair is really fluffy and messy today." Junhui gave a soft smile. Minghao looked down. "It's cute." It became increasingly harder for Minghao to hide the rising color in his cheeks. Junhui wouldn't look the other boy in the eyes; the tense silence becoming thicker between them.
Minghao looked up finally. "Stop calling me cute," he voiced with an unintentional pout. It was as if he was trying to be cuter and cuter, with his fluffed up hair and sleeves that hung way past his hands. Junhui really couldn't take it.
"I'm sorry," Junhui began. "For yesterday. And everything. I don't need to hear an answer if you'll never have one, and I never meant to make you uncomfortable. Can we just...go back to how we were before?" Junhui was always the one to be bolder and brighter. It hurt Minghao to see him as uncertain and shaken up as he was by the situation. Minghao recalled the events of last night, late in the evening when the others were already asleep. Minghao couldn't sleep again, the week was simply so stressful and generally terrible preparing for promotions, a time where you can't possibly feel anything but down.
And Junhui was there next to him, to let him talk, to talk with him, to cry with him. He could never forget the feeling of security in Junhui's arms through the darkness. It had all happened so fast, they were so close. One, "I love you," and Minghao felt like he couldn't breathe. Minghao pulled back and let go of Junhui. He needed time to think, even though he had always known that he was inevitably in love with Wen Junhui. It's terrifying, to let someone know so much of you, to tell someone how much you care about them, and Minghao just left Jun without an answer,
Without an "I love you too."
Minghao was still staring off into space, paralyzed by fear. Junhui gently turned Minghao's head to look at him. "Just...pretend I never said anything, okay?"
For some reason, Junhui couldn't let go of his grasp on Minghao's chin. Their gazes rivaled each other in intensity.
"No." Minghao blurted suddenly. Junhui blinked in confusion and shock.
"W-what do you mean? It's better if we just put my feelings aside, and--"
"I leaned in too, didn't I?" Minghao mumbled, unable to look Junhui in the eyes again. "I never broke away. Why would you just pretend nothing ever happened and treat me like any other friend when....when..." Minghao caught his breath. "...when I always wanted something more, too?" Junhui froze.
"Then why--I don't understand, why didn't you--since when--why--mmph--" Jun was cut off by Minghao, pressing his lips to Jun's in one quick motion. It was so quick that Junhui barely had time to process what was happening. In a few seconds, Minghao pulled back and crossed his arms, unwilling to look at Junhui again.
"You dummy. I feel the same, okay? I was just," Minghao paused. "scared. Like, really, really scared." Junhui, still looking like a deer in headlights, broke into a smile. He instinctively grabbed Minghao's hand.
"What were you so scared of?" Junhui asked gently, voice low.
"I don't know, what the members would think, what everyone else would think. It took me forever to even admit to myself that I like guys, and then you come along and suddenly I'm forced to admit it, because there's no other explanation to why I feel the way I do around you. You're telling me you weren't ever scared?" Minghao exhaled.
Junhui intertwined their fingers. "Of course I was scared. At some point I just realized that...there's no point in hiding who you are. Especially not to the people you care about the most. Hey, if it makes you feel any better, half of the members are pining after each other too." Minghao snorted, which Jun couldn't help but smile at.
Minghao moved in closer to Junhui, nuzzling his head on his shoulder.
"You know, I could get used to this." Minghao hummed.
"We've cuddled before, except you would push me away and act like you didn't want it." Junhui teased. Minghao flushed a bright pink, though Junhui was red in the face too as Minghao buried his face in Junhui's chest. "You're adorable."
"Stop..." Minghao whined. He fell back, and in the quiet afternoon, the two fell asleep.
-
"Kids!" Jeonghan yelled. "Hurry and come out, the ice cream is going to melt!"
"I'm gay!" Seungkwan shouts.
"Not what I meant, but good for you!"
Jihoon snickers at the kids and looks at them fondly. He continues down the hall in search of the others, until Soonyoung taps him on the shoulder from behind. "Come look," He whispered. Soonyoung dragged Jihoon into the six member dorm room. Upon entering, they found Junhui and Minghao, cuddled up against each other, fast asleep.
Soonyoung wiped away a fake tear. Jihoon rolled his eyes. "Their noses are bopped togther!" Soonyoung wailed. "That's so fucking cute! Jihoon, how do you not think they're cute?" Jihoon hid a smile and sighed.
"Alright, they're pretty fucking cute."
Still asleep, Minghao snuggled closer to Junhui. Jihoon didn't have the heart to wake them up.
Minghao, softly, mumbled three words.