Chapter Text
“Can’t we bury him already?” Jihoon said nonchalantly, crossing his arms and legs. He glared at Mingyu, hunched on the table, ineffectively hiding behind a book that wasn’t even big enough to cover his face.
“While I usually follow what you want, dear,” Soonyoung began, leaning back and wrapping an arm around Jihoon’s shoulders. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to bury the young master.”
Jihoon clicked his tongue. Soonyoung smiled and ran his hands through Jihoon’s hair, a typically successful gesture that calmed Jihoon down.
“You could at least say hi,” Jeonghan flipped his hair, turning his head as he turned another page of a book he was reading. “You didn’t even do that when we entered the library. That’s rude, Mingyu.”
Mingyu groaned. He doesn’t understand why these three were there in the first place! He just wanted to read a book quietly, and maybe have an actual decent conversation with the very cute librarian manning the front desk.
He raised his head, his eyes just above the top of the book that failed at hiding him. The librarian looked up at the customer in front of him, and smiled, handing over the book and the borrower’s library card.
God. Why was he so cute?
Mingyu groaned again, thumping his head against the desk loudly. It was so loud that three of his companions jumped in surprise. At the corner of his eye, Jeonghan noticed that the librarian jumped and looked worried, too.
“Hyuuung,” Mingyu whined, turning his head so that his cheek was resting on the table. There was an angry red spot on Mingyu’s forehead. Jeonghan chuckled. He leaned over and ran his hand through Mingyu’s hair. Evidently, it’s a good technique to calm everyone down in the family.
Mingyu closed his eyes, and sighed. He loved the feeling of Jeonghan’s hand running through his hair. It calmed him down, and made him forget why he was panicking in the first place.
It was short-lived.
“Uhm, excuse me?” A deep voice asked them and Mingyu’s head shot up. He sat straight, back stiff and eyes wide. Jeonghan watched as Mingyu straightened up, his hand that was playing with Mingyu’s hair, dangling in the air. Soonyoung and Jihoon looked from Mingyu to the owner of the deep voice.
“I hope you’re alright?” He asked. Everyone’s eyes turned to Mingyu. Mingyu flushed and mentally cursed all his hyungs because could they be any more obvious ? “That was a pretty loud bump.”
“Don’t worry,” Soonyoung said in a tone that Mingyu definitely never liked since they were children. “All he needs is a kiss to feel better.”
Mingyu scowled at Soonyoung who laughed at him with a shrug. Mingyu turned back to look at the man. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed when it seemed like it went over the man’s head.
“Oh.” Damn it. “I see then. Well, I have ointment in the first aid kit, just in case that kiss doesn’t work.”
“Thanks, Wonwoo.” Jeonghan said, and Wonwoo blinked before nodding and turning his heel.
As abruptly he arrived, he left. Mingyu sighed and leaned his forehead onto his palm. He winced, immediately regretting that decision. Jeonghan’s hand went under his fringe, pushing his bangs up to see just how red the spot was. He didn’t press on it, reading Mingyu’s face that it was pretty tender.
“Ask for that ointment. I don’t think kisses from any of us is gonna lessen your pain.” Jeonghan teased back, but pushed Mingyu out of his chair. Luckily, Mingyu always had good reflexes, so he was able to stable himself and avoided landing on his ass. He glared at Jeonghan, but Jeonghan looked at him pointedly, and raised a brow. Ugh , it was as effective as his mother’s.
Grumbling, Mingyu walked behind a borrower. When Wonwoo looked up, hand reaching out to take a book or two, his eyes grew wide. Mingyu raised a hand and rubbed it lightly on his nape. It was embarrassing.
“Uhm…” He began, as Wonwoo lowered his hand and looked at him expectedly. He tilted his head a bit and it was taking nearly all of Mingyu not to cup his face. “Ointment?” That wasn’t a even a full sentence, Kim .
Wonwoo gave a small smile. It was really a small movement of his lips. But he bent under his table, before coming back up with a first aid kit. He opened it and dabbed a bit of the ointment onto a gauze bandage. Mingyu watched, shifting his weight to the balls of his feet, awkwardly waiting. Wonwoo stood up and Mingyu reached out his arms only to be left hanging.
Wonwoo plastered the gauze onto his forehead, harder than it should have been since Mingyu leaned down, the impact causing him to wince. His hands hung in the air, practically caging Wonwoo’s waist over the front desk.
As cliche as it was, time seemed to have stopped. Mingyu’s eyes widened as it looked directly into Wonwoo’s. Wonwoo’s eyes were widening at the sudden realization that apparently, Mingyu was reaching out for the bandage with ointment instead of waiting for Wonwoo to put it on his forehead for him.
Mingyu opened his mouth, mind still frantically searching for something to say, and the moment snapped. Wonwoo pulled back quickly, stepping farther from Mingyu. The bandage was left plastered on Mingyu’s forehead, and it should have been hilarious, if the atmosphere wasn’t so awkward and thick.
The bandage slipped a little. Mingyu reached for it and pushed it up, wincing at the pressure. He mumbled a quiet thanks, keeping his hand on his forehead to stop the bandage from slipping. He walked back to the table, not noticing that everyone was watching them both.
Once he sat down, Jihoon and Jeonghan sighed. Mingyu folded his arms on the table and plopped his head down. Jeonghan rubbed his back, while Soonyoung reached over to pat his head. Jihoon clicked his tongue in irritation.
“We can’t hear you, Mingyu,” Jeonghan said when random noises came from Mingyu, muffled because of his arms and the table.
Mingyu raised his head, letting his chin fold on his arms in a pout. “He was so cute, but it was so awkward. Why is this my life.” He leaned behind his arms again to hide, as the other three stayed silent, not knowing what to say in the situation because where was the lie.
Jeonghan’s phone vibrated on the table, and it made Mingyu whine a little too loudly for the library. Soonyoung and Jihoon pushed their chairs and stood up. Soonyoung pat Mingyu’s shoulder again before they made their way to the exit. Mingyu raised his head again and watched as Soonyoung casually placed a hand on the small of Jihoon’s back, not really pushing or guiding, but like a protective gesture. He grimaced, jealous of their relationship.
An arm landed on his other shoulder, and he twisted his head to look up at Jeonghan who was already standing. “Come on,” Jeonghan said, face and tone a bit sympathetic. “You have training with Seungcheol.”
It only caused the opposite effect, because Mingyu groaned loudly (again) and missing his arms by just a bit, slipping down to hit his head on the table (again).
They walked out with the redness on Mingyu’s forehead seemingly brighter than earlier.