Chapter Text
Mingyu had grown so used to Wonwoo’s presence in his life that he couldn’t remember when their closeness had first begun. It felt like something that had always been there—organic, familiar, like a childhood blanket he never really outgrew.
If Wonwoo leaned into him, Mingyu stayed still.
If Wonwoo tucked Mingyu’s hair behind his ear, Mingyu let him.
If Wonwoo held his arm while crossing the street, Mingyu didn’t question it.
It was simply the rhythm of their friendship—soft, instinctive, unspoken.
Their affection was never intentional. It was simply them.
Walking to class with their hands intertwined because Wonwoo hated crowds.
Mingyu didn’t even realize he was still holding Wonwoo’s hand until someone pointed it out.
“Uy, close niyo ah,” a classmate teased lightly as they passed by.
Mingyu blinked, looked down at their linked hands, and said, “Oh—sorry, Wons.”
Wonwoo only tightened his grip.
“Why are you apologizing? My hand’s warm.”
Mingyu flushed. Their classmates exchanged knowing looks. The teasing resumed.
He tried pulling away, but Wonwoo didn’t let him.
“Relax,” Wonwoo laughed. “It’s just me.”
___
During breaks, Wonwoo clung to Mingyu from behind whenever he was distracted, head resting between Mingyu’s shoulder blades.
“Min,” Wonwoo whined one afternoon, hugging him from behind while he stared at his phone, “I’m hungry.”
“Then order food,” Mingyu replied.
“I want yours.”
Mingyu sighed dramatically. “You always want mine.”
Wonwoo only burrowed closer, chin settling on Mingyu’s shoulder.
“You like sharing with me.”
He wasn’t wrong.
When Mingyu finally bought a sandwich, Wonwoo sat close enough that their thighs touched and stole bites without asking.
“Hoy, akin ba ‘yan?” Mingyu protested.
“To share,” Wonwoo said simply, leaning his head on Mingyu’s shoulder as he chewed. “Everything is to share.”
Someone nearby whispered, “Ang sweet naman nila.”
Mingyu pretended not to hear, but his ears burned.
___
In the library, Wonwoo often played with Mingyu’s hair as he studied.
Not to flirt — just to soothe himself.
Mingyu would be writing notes when Wonwoo, without looking away from his laptop, reached over and brushed his fingers through Mingyu’s hair.
“You’re too stiff,” Wonwoo murmured. “Relax your brain.”
Mingyu didn’t argue. He leaned into the touch every single time.
Joshua, passing by, raised a brow. “You two are… something.”
Mingyu stiffened.
Wonwoo didn’t.
He looked Joshua straight in the eye and said, “We’ve always been like this.”
But Joshua’s smirk said he didn’t believe that was all.
___
Walking across campus between classes, Wonwoo casually leaned his head on Mingyu’s shoulder.
Sometimes because he was sleepy.
Sometimes because he wanted comfort.
Sometimes for no reason at all.
“Why do you always do that?” Mingyu complained half-heartedly.
Wonwoo hummed. “Your shoulder fits my head.”
“You have your own shoulders.”
“But they’re not yours.”
Every time Wonwoo did it, nearby classmates would look… then whisper… then giggle.
Mingyu heard all of it.
Wonwoo heard none of it — or pretended not to.
____
The teasing started out playful.
“Uy, kayo ba?”
“Best friends don’t act like that, diba?”
“Wonwoo, baka naman may gusto ka kay Mingyu?”
Wonwoo always laughed it off, completely unfazed.
But Mingyu…
Mingyu started freezing at the comments.
Started noticing how close Wonwoo always was.
Started hearing the teasing differently.
Suddenly—
Holding hands felt too noticeable.
Hugs felt too intimate.
Leaning on each other felt too intentional.
Sharing food felt too couple-like.
And Wonwoo’s fingers in his hair—
That was the worst.
Because Mingyu began to wonder—
Were they seeing something he wasn’t ready to face?
Wonwoo remained the same.
Soft. Close. Unquestioning.
But Mingyu…
Mingyu began pulling back.
Not because he disliked the affection—
But because suddenly, he didn’t know what to do with it.
Because suddenly…
He felt something.
Something he wasn’t ready for.
___
It was lunch under the acacia tree when all their friends gathered in their usual noisy mix. Wonwoo’s group—Jeonghan, Seungkwan, Hoshi, Jihoon, Chan, and Jun—was sprawled across one side, while Mingyu sat with his own: Cheol, Joshua, Seokmin, Hao, and Vernon.
Except… Mingyu wasn’t really with them.
As always, he’d drifted to the middle, settling beside Wonwoo like it was the most natural place for him to be.
“Hold still,” Wonwoo murmured, leaning close enough that Mingyu felt the warm brush of his breath on his cheek.
Mingyu blinked. “What?”
“You have grass on your hair.” Wonwoo’s fingers threaded through Mingyu’s hair, careful, gentle.
Jeonghan perked up immediately. “Oh? Public display of affection ba ‘to?”
Mingyu groaned. “Han, please—”
Before he could finish, a loud group of guys approached from the field—Mingyu’s basketball teammates: Jongwoo, Minjun, Kevin, Taehwan, and Lior.
Older, brawny, loud, and very much the type who lived for teasing.
“YO, MINGYU!” Jongwoo shouted. “Bro, bakit may nag-aayos ng buhok mo? Girlfriend mo ba yan?”
Wonwoo froze.
Mingyu sighed. “Teammates ko,” he muttered under his breath.
Minjun raised an eyebrow. “Damn, bro. PDA sa lunch break?”
Kevin grinned wickedly. “Parang romcom poster. ‘Tall jock and his smart, cute—’”
“HUH?!” Mingyu nearly choked.
Lior whistled. “Pre, laki mo pero parang ikaw yung pinoprotect.” He pointed at Wonwoo. “Is he your… type?”
Mingyu felt his face burn. “GUYS. STOP.”
Wonwoo pulled his hand back slowly, embarrassed but composed.
“It’s just grass,” he muttered.
Taehwan snickered, “Sweet naman.”
Joshua sent the teammates a glare. “Calm lang, guys.”
But the basketball boys were relentless, circling Mingyu like sharks smelling blood.
“Ganda nung dynamic niyo ah,” Jongwoo teased. “Soft boy tsaka tall boy.”
“Imposibleng walang meaning yan?” Minjun smirked. “Bro, intimate ‘yun.”
Mingyu’s ears were on fire. “Wala! It’s—not like that!”
But they only laughed harder.
Wonwoo didn’t say anything…yet Mingyu noticed he had shifted slightly farther from him.
Not far.
Just… not as close.
And the strange, barely noticeable gap made something in Mingyu’s chest tighten.
—
After PE class, the basketball team pushed the teasing even further.
Mingyu was tying his shoe when Wonwoo kneeling beside him caught everyone’s attention.
“Di ka pa rin marunong magtali,” Wonwoo murmured, brushing Mingyu’s fingers aside as he retied the laces. “If you tie it like this, hindi ka matatapilok.”
Kevin almost screamed. “BRO. HINDE. THAT’S A COUPLE THING.”
Taehwan pointed accusingly. “Ganyan kayo? Helping each other tie your shoes? Parang proposal na yan!”
“Proposal agad?!” Mingyu shot back, mortified.
Lior crossed his arms. “Be honest—kayo ba ni Wonwoo?”
Wonwoo’s hand stilled.
Mingyu saw the tiniest flinch.
Jeonghan immediately yelled, “GRABE! BINABAGO NIYO ENERGY NG FRIENDSHIP NILA!”
Jihoon rolled his eyes. “You’re all idiots.”
But the basketball guys continued:
“Pre, if another guy tied my laces like that? Malisya na ‘yun.”
“Are you courting him?”
“Or… siya ba kumokontrol sa’yo? Cute naman.”
Mingyu sputtered. “Parang tanga!”
Wonwoo stood abruptly. “I just didn’t want him to fall,” he said quietly.
But his voice trembled at the edges, as if something about the teasing made him feel exposed in ways he didn’t want.
Mingyu felt it—how Wonwoo avoided his eyes afterward.
He couldn’t explain it, but it hurt somewhere small.
—
The worst was the rainy afternoon.
Mingyu forgot his umbrella, of course.
He always did.
Before he could even curse at the sky, Wonwoo appeared, umbrella in hand.
“Min,” he called out softly. “Tara.”
“You’ll get wet,” Mingyu said.
“Okay lang. Waterproof ata to” Wonwoo pulled him under the small circle of space beneath the umbrella.
And there it was again—Wonwoo’s hand around Mingyu’s arm, pulling him close, like instinct.
Just then, the basketball team rounded the corner—and exploded.
“BROOOOOOO!” Jongwoo screamed. “NAKAYAKAP KA PA?!”
Minjun clapped like a seagull. “Di talaga kayo sa lagay na yan? THIS IS SO ROMANTIC.”
Kevin held his chest. “Under one umbrella? Pre, sa movies lang ‘yan nangyayari.”
Lior added, “Kayo talaga. Aminin niyo na.”
Mingyu groaned. “Guys—it’s RAINING!”
But they kept going.
“Does he sleep over?”
“Do you hold hands?”
“Binubuhat mo ba siya after games?”
“Is he your inspiration pag free throw?”
“STOP!!!” Mingyu finally snapped—but he was laughing through his embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Wonwoo’s grip on Mingyu’s arm tightened almost imperceptibly.
Not pulling him closer.
Not letting go either.
Somewhere between the laughter, the teasing, the chaos—something unnamed pulsed quietly between them.
Mingyu felt it.
Wonwoo felt it.
Their friends definitely felt it.
But neither acknowledged it, too wrapped up in the comfort they knew, too young to understand the kind of closeness they were toeing the line of.
For now—
they were boys who didn’t question tenderness.
Boys who never counted the small touches.
Boys who didn’t realize how easily they could bruise each other later.
And this—this innocent, uncomplicated warmth—
was the last chapter of their childhood softness.
Soon, the world would look at their closeness differently.
Soon, whispers would grow sharper.
Soon, Mingyu would hear laughter that didn’t feel like jokes anymore.
But for now—
Wonwoo leaned just a little closer under the rain.
Mingyu didn’t step away.
And everything still felt safe.