Work Text:
gwiboon and minho are always there for each other
gwiboon was there for minho when they were seven and the playground bullies made fun of his lisp. she stepped in front of minho, her little hands in fists on her hips and asked them, “with faces like yours do you really think you should be making fun of the way he talks?” the four of them ended up in detention, the bullies with black eyes and bruised shins, minho with a few minor scrapes, and gwiboon with a triumphant smirk. minho was left alone for the rest of the school year and found himself with a new friend.
minho was there for gwiboon when they were twelve and she tripped and fell onto their junior high school’s gravel track, scraping her hands and knees and scratching her forehead. when she sat up there was blood pouring out of a wound just above her eye and he carried her, frantic, into the nurse’s station where he stood, nervously wringing his hands as the nurse cleaned up the blood and applied butterfly stitches to her wound. he was there for gwiboon when she looked in the mirror and pouted, claiming her “beautiful face is going to have a hideous scar. no boy will want to date a girl who looks like she got into a beer fight in a sleazy bar.” something in minho’s chest tightened and he quickly pointed out that scars were like tattoos and gwiboon had just said that her favorite singer’s bicep tattoo was “sexy”. she smiled, tilting her head as she watched his reflection in the mirror.
gwiboon was there for minho every single game he played through high school. football in autumn, basketball in winter, and soccer in spring. no matter the weather, no matter if it was home or away, gwiboon was always there to watch minho furrow his brow and run, chasing a ball up a field or down a court. for a while she tried cheerleading since she was at every game anyway. and she did like the attention and the outfits. but it was just a bit too much to have to be gleeful at every turn and besides, it began to cut into her time with the theatre.
minho was there for gwiboon when she first fell in love. he listened to her go on and on about taemin, how handsome he was and graceful at dance. she giggled about how clumsy he was, finding it endearing that he was constantly losing his phone, his books, his bag. she claimed the age difference didn’t matter, love was love, and minho felt that tightening in his chest again as he congratulated her and wished her the best.
gwiboon was there for minho when he realized he was bisexual. she had suspected for awhile, ever since their freshman year, but it had taken minho a little bit longer. his first crush was on an older boy named jinki who came to support his friend jonghyun, both of whom turned out to be a grade ahead of gwiboon and minho, who wrote some of the songs used in gwiboon’s plays. gwiboon had taken one look at the minho’s goofy face and knew he was smitten. she also knew he would never talk to jinki himself unless greater forces interceded so she told jonghyun to tell jinki that minho thought he was cute and, after consulting with jinki, jonghyun told gwiboon that jinki thought minho was cute too. it was all very high school.
minho was there for gwiboon when they graduated and she found herself falling out of love with taemin.
gwiboon was there for minho when jinki transferred to a university across country and didn’t ask minho to come with him.
minho was there the first time gwiboon got drunk, driving her home.
gwiboon was there for minho when he started drinking after jinki left.
they were there for each other as they entered their second year of university, each newly single and busy with school. minho was an education major with a focus on science and physical education while gwiboon was studying marketing with a minor in theatre: their worlds no longer overlapped the way they had in high school.
minho was there for gwiboon when she was desperate to go to homecoming but her date had to cancel at the last minute. he felt that clench in his chest when she answered her door wearing a pale pink mini halter dress and matching heels. he was struck speechless and could his feel his body flush with the startling realization that he was in love with his best friend. he slipped the corsage on her wrist and propped his elbow out for her to grasp and smiled through the whilr of emotions. they had a lovely time, laughing, dancing, and drinking and when he finally got her home, both of them tipsy he leaned down and kissed her, surprised and pleased when she kissed him back and pulled him into her room by his lapels, kicking the door shut with her foot.
gwiboon was there for minho when he woke up the next morning confused and embarrassed. she laughed as she handed him a prepackaged cereal bowl and poured him milk from her mini-fridge. and then she kissed him on the cheek and smiled as they ate in amiable silence.
for the next fifty years they were there for each other through everything life handed to them, the best and the worst.
minho was there for gwiboon when they told her that this time the cancer wasn’t going to be beat, that the fight was over. minho was there for gwiboon as she breathed her last, as her hand went limp, letting go.
gwiboon is there for minho in every memory, in photographs hung in silver frames, in the faces of their children and grandchildren, and in a small thin wedding band he wears on a chain around his wrist. and for that reason he is able to laugh and to love, to carry on. and he knows, when the time comes, she will be there for him again.