Chapter Text
“Are you still moping,” Sungjong asks the Myungsoo-shaped lump on the dorm bed. He toes off his shoes and drops onto his own bed.
The Myungsoo lump shifts until a head peeks out of the blanket. "I'm not moping."
Sungjong lets out a snort as he turns onto his side to look at his roommate. "It's been months since you guys broke up. If you’re still not over him why don’t you just tell him?”
"He hates me. Again."
"Well, you did dump him."
Myungsoo whines at the (true) statement and pulls the blanket back over his head. He doesn't blame Sungyeol for hating his guts. He'd pretty much broken the older boy's heart when he'd told him it would be better for the both of them if they stopped seeing each other before Myungsoo started college. At the time, Myungsoo had felt like they should quit while they were ahead. He loved Sungyeol (still loves Sungyeol), but college is supposed to be about new experiences and finding yourself. It had seemed smarter to start it by himself. It's not that he didn't trust that they could stay faithful to each other. In the three years they were together he'd never felt the urge to even look at anyone else and he's confident Sungyeol hadn't either. Yet Myungsoo had thought about it over and over and he'd concluded that as much as it would hurt, they were still young. They still had so much to see and do and learn. They should be free to experience all of it. Sungyeol had understood the logic in all of that, but didn't think it had to be true for the two of them.
Now after six months Myungsoo isn't so sure breaking up with Sungyeol had been a good idea. He misses Sungyeol; misses being with him. But unfortunately for him, Sungyeol has gone back to despising his existence. And he actually has a valid reason to this time.
"You're still coming to watch Sunggyu's show tomorrow, right?"
Myungsoo moves the blanket from his face at the question. "Is he gonna be there?" They both know who he means.
Sungjong had been focused on his phone (most likely texting Howon), but he turns his attention to his friend. Myungsoo looks especially pitiful all bundled up on his bed. Sungyeol would be sadistically pleased to see the effect his absence has had on his ex-boyfriend.
"That doesn't mean you can't still come," he says.
Myungsoo sighs, not entirely convinced. "He won't want me there."
"I want you there," Sungjong replies sincerely.
The other falls silent at that, staring up at ceiling as he considers agreeing. He hasn't seen Sungyeol face-to-face since they broke up. The older boy has made it a point to avoid any interaction whatsoever with him. That's a feat considering their colleges are right next to each other. Sungyeol won't be happy to see him, but the other guys will be and that's all the reason he needs to go.
"Fine," Myungsoo sighs, "I'll go."
The café is nearly crowded when Sungjong and Myungsoo finally arrive. The latter had hesitated at the door before his friend gave him a gentle nudge to go inside. Their friends (or maybe they're just Sungjong's friends now) are gathered around two tables. Dongwoo and Woohyun are at one while Howon and Sungyeol are sitting at the other. Myungsoo can only stare at the back of his ex-boyfriend's head as he gets closer. Even though he knows it won't happen, he still hopes Sungyeol might be just the slightest bit happy to see him.
Dongwoo notices the two of them first, a gigantic smile stretching across his face. He jumps out of his seat and bounds over to them. The rib-cracking bear hug Myungsoo gets enveloped in prevents him from seeing Sungyeol's initial reaction. When he can finally breathe again, his eyes go straight to the other boy. As expected, there's a scowl on Sungyeol's face, but his gaze is fixed on Sungjong.
"What the hell is he doing here?"
Myungsoo drops his eyes to the floor. The brusque tone stings, reminding him of the last time Sungyeol had deigned to pay attention to him. He thinks about the comfort of his warm bed and fluffy blanket waiting for him back in his dorm room. No matter what Sungjong says this really wasn't a good idea. He should just leave now and save everyone from the tension.
As if reading his mind, Dongwoo wraps an arm around Myungsoo's waist and leads him to sit with him and Woohyun. The older boys immediately start asking him questions and he tries his best to answer them. He knows that they're genuinely curious about how he's adjusting to college life, but he can also tell they're trying to deflect any of the awkwardness that's bound to crop up.
"I invited him," he hears Sungjong tell Sungyeol. The way he says it leaves no room for Sungyeol to argue with him. That’s not to say he won’t try anyway.
Dongwoo persuades Myungsoo to go with him to get something to drink, preventing him from overhearing anything his ex might've been about to say. Dongwoo's eyes are full of concern when he turns to Myungsoo. "So why did you guys break up," he asks after they've picked up their drinks. “I don’t mean to pry. I just…don't understand how things could end up like this. You two seemed really happy and in love. I tried asking Sungyeol, but he won’t say anything besides that you’re an idiot and I’m sure there’s more to it than that.”
"No, that's about it." Breaking up with the person you love because you want them to be happy is a pretty dumb thing to do. In hindsight, Myungsoo wishes he hadn't been so stubborn. He pokes at the marshmallows floating in his hot chocolate. "I was a huge idiot and now he hates me, so go figure."
Dongwoo wraps a comforting arm around his shoulders and gives him a soft smile. "I'm going to ignore the fact that you didn't actually answer my question because it sounds like you still want to be with him."
Myungsoo sighs, his eyes drifting over to where Sungyeol's sitting. "Does it even matter now?"
"Of course it does." Dongwoo's eyes are bright and Myungsoo thinks he sees the wheels turning behind them. "Then I can help get you guys back together. Please let me help you guys get back together."
Before Myungsoo can say anything (preferably "hell no"), the lights dim slightly. He seizes the opportunity to get out of the conversation. "Oh, Sunggyu's about to start." Fortunately, Dongwoo lets him slip away.
Unfortunately, he spends the rest of the night trying to convince Myungsoo of how perfect he is for the so-called job of reuniting him with Sungyeol.