Work Text:
Mingi still remembered the first time he had shown Youth to anyone.
It had been to Yunho, of course. At the time, even though he was more than aware that the only person he’d ever want to do it with was his best friend, Mingi had said nothing. He didn’t want to make things awkward, not so shortly after having come back from his hiatus.
It had been quite late, as it always turned out to be when Mingi went to the studio on their free days. He wasn’t scheduled to work that day, but he had woken up with an idea on his mind and had to rush to the company to start writing before it slipped away between his fingers. Mingi clung to the melody, repeating it under his breath and taking notes in his phone until he was able to reach his computer with all the appropriate programs to do so.
Mingi had been working all day, barely even acknowledging the presence of his manager who brought him some ramen and rice balls from the 7/11 below so he wouldn’t go the whole day without eating. The egg, spam and fried rice made his stomach happy and he thanked his manager, somewhat embarrassed of how fixated he was being. But he needed to write it down.
It was well past midnight when he deemed the first sample to be completed. He realised his manager had left him a note to just call him whenever Mingi was finished, but he didn’t want to just go home and sleep. He needed to show the sample to someone. Mingi needed to show the sample to Yunho.
Mingi reached for his phone and typed, half expecting the small 1 on their Kakao Talk chat to not disappear. But it did less than a minute after Mingi had sent the message.
민기공주
hey, are you awake?
윤호야
yep, what’s up?
민기공주
can you come pick me up? i’m at the company
윤호야
sure princess, i’m omw
Not too long after, Yunho was there with their manager’s car, a soft smile on his handsome washed-up face. Mingi’s heart somersaulted a little, getting inside the car with a plastic bag. He had bought Yunho a drink and some snacks at the convenience store as a thank you gift.
“You didn’t need to do that,” Yunho said, but accepted the drink and snacks anyway.
“I know, I wanted to,” Mingi replied with a smile, and there was a glint in Yunho’s eyes that made Mingi’s breath hitch in his throat for a second. “Can you drive somewhere calm? I want to show you something.”
Yunho didn’t question the weird request, just nodded and started driving. As he looked for an appropriate place, Mingi fed him small pieces of the assortment of snacks he had bought, making Yunho laugh. It made Mingi so happy, being able to make Yunho laugh so earnestly, without worries. Maybe it was why.
“Is this place okay?” Yunho’s question cut his train of thought, and Mingi looked around. It was a park of sorts, not many lights around and it seemed quiet. Mingi nodded, satisfied.
“Yeah,” and Yunho smiled.
He didn’t question Mingi, he just waited for his best friend to find whatever he was trying to in his pockets and then fumbling to connect his phone to the audio system of the car.
“I was at the company today writing this,” Mingi explained.
“Is this what you were doing the whole day?” Yunho asked. Mingi hummed.
“Yeah, it’s still not finished because I don’t have a bridge, but I want you to listen to it.”
Yunho felt how important this was for Mingi and nodded, giving him the go signal to finally hit play.
The melody was calm, laced with a bit of sadness. Yunho listened intently as Mingi sang the sample lyrics, talking about the hardness of their youth, of the frustrations of not being understood by the adults around them. Yunho reached out timidly and took Mingi’s hand, squeezing it tight and Mingi’s heart started beating fast. He knew deep inside that he had written that song about them. About that tall and handsome boy he had been told to befriend at the dance academy, about how they had tried so hard to follow their dreams and by some kind of miracle, had been able to achieve together.
Mingi felt his throat ache and fought the tears he knew were about to show on his eyes. Yunho was so important to him, so much that his chest felt so full he wasn’t able to form the words to express it. It was a song he had written for Yunho, for the both of them, and it made him feel happy and relieved to see Yunho also understood how deep the message of the song was for him.
The last notes played, fading into the silence of the car, motor revving softly.
“It’s amazing, Mingi,” Yunho said, looking into his eyes. Their fingers were laced now, and Yunho was caressing the back of Mingi’s hand with his thumb. “I’m impressed you did the whole thing today.”
“It came to me this morning and I knew I needed to write it before it went away,” Mingi said softly, still shy about the realisation he had come to. “Do you really like it?”
Mingi’s heart skipped a beat and he knew he was gone even before Yunho whispered softly. “I love it.”
---
It had been almost two years since then. He had shown the song to the producers of the company, who really liked it, but after that the song had been stored in a corner of Mingi’s laptop, alongside his feelings for Yunho. Mingi felt a bit dumb, not having realised before that the reason why he felt so intensely for his best friend wasn’t because Yunho was his best friend, but because he was in love with him.
It had taken him a lot of effort, in fact, it still did every day, but he was determined not to let his feelings get in the way. However, when the producers started talking about a new album with unit songs and asked Mingi about his sample and with whom he wanted to sing it with, he replied Yunho so fast that the producer was left a bit dumbfounded. But it was the truth, it was a song about their Youth, no one else would fit.
“Yunho is supposed to sing with Jongho a ballad,” the producer commented, looking at the notes, “but if he’s okay with it, we can make the change.”
That made Mingi’s resolution waver a little. What if Yunho didn’t want to sing it with him? Yunho was promptly submitted to their meeting, and when the producers told him his duet may change, his face also changed. He looked at Mingi strangely, and the rapper was compelled to talk.
“It’s Youth … you remember, that sample from two years ago?” Yunho’s eyes opened at the realisation and Mingi was relieved to find out that yes, Yunho remembered. “Would you like to sing it… with me?”
Mingi was hating this, being so open and vulnerable in front of the producers. If Yunho refused, what face should he make? What was he supposed to say? But there wasn’t any time to go further down that path, for Yunho quickly answered.
“Of course! I’d love my first unit song to be with you, even more so if you wrote it,” Yunho beamed at him and Mingi smiled back, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in.
“Then that’s settled,” the producer said, satisfied. “We’ll work out the rest ourselves, we expect a full sample in a week.”
The producer left, leaving them alone. Yunho was still smiling, his ears adorably red. Was he embarrassed? “Did you ask them to do that song with me?” Mingi nodded, and the blush on Yunho’s ears extended to his cheeks. God, he was so cute, Mingi wanted to kiss him all over his face and lips. “I’m happy, thank you for thinking of me.”
“There was no one else I’d want to sing it with,” Mingi replied earnestly. Yunho looked at him again with that glow in his eyes that Mingi wasn’t sure how to read but made his heart beat fast. But it went away and Yunho stood up.
“Should we go to start working on it?”
They worked closely together to perfect the song. Mingi had never worked with anyone aside from Hongjoong on his music, so it was refreshing to see Yunho’s ideas and perspectives on the song, so different from what he would have expected from Hongjoong. Yunho created the bridge, the sliver of hope and happiness that was missing from his first lyrics, and Mingi couldn’t help his stupid heart from beating fast and hopeful every time Yunho sang that particular part and looked at him.
They had been showing their progress to the producers and they were happy, but Mingi still felt like something was missing. It wasn’t until a day he was alone in the studio, singing it to himself with the original voiceless music in the background. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn’t hear the door opening. Or maybe he did, he was used to his manager dropping off food or beverages for him, so maybe his brain registered the sound but assumed the usual was happening. It wasn’t until he had reached his part after Yunho’s bridge. He started singing his part and suddenly, a soft and melodic voice joined, complimenting his own perfectly and adding the touch the song needed. Mingi turned his head so fast he almost heard his neck crack.
Yunho was there, a soft smile on his face and two iced drinks in his hands. “You’ve worked hard,” Yunho said, but Mingi wasn’t paying attention to the drink his best friend was putting in his hands.
“Can you do that again?” he asked. Yunho tilted his head like a true puppy and Mingi fought the urge to kiss him once again.
“Do what? Sing your part?”
“No. I mean, yes, but sing it with me?”
Yunho looked a bit baffled, but sat down and nodded. Mingi replayed the song from the bridge and once that specific part came up again, Yunho sang with him and Mingi knew.
That was what was missing. Them, harmonising together, their voices blending perfectly as the final touch to the song. Mingi was looking at Yunho, completely transfixed as the song faded into silence.
“Mingi?” Yunho asked, but Mingi wasn’t listening. Their youth had been hard, but they had overcome everything together. He was able to go back from his hiatus because Yunho called him everyday, even the days he was able to squeeze a quick visit to Mingi’s house, he made sure to call him before bed to ask about his day. Yunho was so important for him, Mingi wasn’t lying when he had hot-headedly commented that he had planned everything he wanted to do with him since the third grade.
But he hadn’t planned to fall in love with him, yet it seemed like the only possible way. The same way Yunho’s voice fitted perfectly with his in the song, Yunho’s hands fitted perfectly inside his. His whole existence fitted perfectly with Mingi's, completing him in all the areas he lacked most. Mingi wondered if Yunho’s lips would also fit his own perfectly.
Yunho had gotten close to him, worry painted all over his face, probably thinking Mingi has overworked himself once again. “Mingi?” he tried again.
But Mingi just grabbed his shirt softly and pulled Yunho in, making their lips crash together. The kiss was soft, almost as if Mingi was testing if it was okay to do this, and soon let go of Yunho’s shirt, breaking the kiss.
Suddenly, the reality of what he had done dawned on him. Mingi’s breath started to accelerate, looking panicked at his best friend and then to the door, pondering if he would be able to run out the door before Yunho caught up to him. But Yunho saw the signs too, so he clasped Mingi’s face between his hands. “Mingi, look at me,” he said softly. “Look at me.”
Mingi obeyed despite feeling his fears and anxiety creeping up his spine. But Yunho’s face wasn’t furious or disgusted. He was flushed, his cheeks and ears dusted in the adorable red shade Mingi had learnt to love, but there was nothing off apart from that.
Yunho smiled at him. “It’s okay, Mingi.” Mingi was going to complain, because how in the world would this be okay? But before he could muster a single word, Yunho leaned in and pressed their lips together again, making Mingi open his eyes in surprise. However, Yunho wasn’t retreating, and even moved his lips, eagering his best friend to reciprocate, so Mingi closed his eyes and let himself go.
Yunho tasted like the iced coffee he was having, but also sweet and comforting, as Yunho had always been to him. Migi barely registered the hands that held him by his waist and jawline, just losing himself in the feeling of their lips together.
They broke the kiss after a while, and when he opened his eyes, Mingi saw again that glow in Yunho’s eyes. He now realised that it was the same love and longing that he himself had when he looked at his best friend.
“I knew they would fit,” Mingi said. Yunho blinked and tilted his head again. This time, Mingi took the liberty to peck his lips.
“What would fit?”
“I was thinking about how we fit so well together,” Mingi explained, taking Yunho his the waist as if his best friend would go away. “Your voice fits so well with mine, your personality complements mine and our hands fit so well together too… I was wondering if your lips would fit mine too.”
Yunho smiled brightly and Mingi mirrored it. “So? They fit well?” Mingi giggled. “Maybe I need to try again.”
They kissed again, the sample forgotten for a while while they let themselves find new sides of the other they hadn’t visited before.
In the end, the song came together almost naturally, in a way that Mingi hadn’t been able to imagine when he first thought of it two years ago. Because Yunho added to the song the same way he added to Mingi. He was bright, positive, the breath of happiness and hope in which he found comfort in the tough times.
And just like everything else in their relationship, their love had grown organically, just a result of each other being the most important person in their life.
It wasn’t easy to conceal how truly happy and grateful he was to have been able to sing Youth with Yunho, to what that song had brought to them. But it was okay, because even if they couldn’t show the world, they made sure to show each other every day behind closed doors. It didn’t mean that suddenly Yunho would stop teasing him or that he would stop accusing Yunho of not being as morally loyal as he should be.
But Mingi knew he would be able to go back to his arms for the love and comfort that Yunho had always given him but ten times more every day. To kissing him, to making love. To them, fitting perfectly together.
Just as Mingi has imagined.