Slow dancing in the dark| meanie

S E V E N T E E N <17

TW: mentions of insomnia.

"No coffee for you right, Jeon?" Mingyu started as they sat across from each other picking up the menu.

"Nah." Wonwoo tried to sound casual as he slightly shook his head.

"And how come?" The younger knew exactly what he was doing.

"Just cause." Wonwoo shrugged.

And so their little banter started as they fired back and forth.

"So you've never had coffee?"

"I have."

"When did you decide you didn't like it anymore?"

"It's not about preference."

"Then what is it about?"

"I can't-" Wonwoo stopped himself. "It doesn't matter-"

"I hate when you say that." Mingyu gritted his teeth together.

"Why?" Wonwoo sighed.

"Because it matters to me."

"It shouldn't." The cold side of Wonwoo was being brought out again.

The thing about Wonwoo was that he had been alone from a very young age. As a child he learned to take care of himself with no help from anyone, and soon he learned to take care of other people and put them before he put himself but as he got older it turned into something rather toxic more than just pure genuineness.

He had always managed to treat the people
close to him delicately, but so far no one had been able to do it for him. Sure, his friends were great but he never let anyone in. At least not far enough to bring such warmth to him as he did to others.

And that's exactly what he was doing now. Warning Mingyu and being cold towards him so that the younger would be repulsed because nothing was scarier in wonwoos eyes than what he saw right now, right across from him.

He saw Mingyu who seemed so honest and caring and for a second Wonwoo did consider telling him such a small secret as to why he didn't drink coffee but he stopped himself when he remembered the exact reason he didn't drink the bitter drink.

"Insomnia." Mingyu started and Wonwoo's heart stopped beating for a second. "Characterized by persistent problems falling and or staying asleep."

"What is this?" Wonwoo started laughing. "You tryna give me a vocabulary lesson?"

Mingyu saw the fear emitting from wonwoo's eyes because he had been laid bare, in clear view for the younger to examine and as it turns out, he hit a nerve.

"You have insomnia." Mingyu dead panned and Wonwoo hated hearing those words come out of his mouth so much.

"Okay." The older nodded as his heart constricted.

Bad thoughts fled to his brain, telling him that the only reason Mingyu had been so genuine to him was so he could find a weakness in the older and then use it against him, or possibly tell the whole school who would in return taunt him.

"Okay?" Mingyu repeated. "That's all you have to say?"

"What do you want me to say Mingyu?" Wonwoo pinched the bridge of his nose. "You got me?" He mocked.

"Wonwoo-"

Wonwoo cut him off. "Well you got me Mingyu. You can laugh at me now." He waited for laughter to emerge from the younger but it never came.

"It's not-" Mingyu was having trouble coming up with the right words for some reason. "I didn't- "

Wonwoo looked outside the window before attempting to get up.

"Sit down, Jeon." Mingyu pulled him down by the arm.

And so he did. As Wonwoo reluctantly sat down again, Mingyu looked at him a little while longer before he started speaking again. Trying to gather up his thoughts as to not say the wrong thing and ruin everything he had managed to build up with the older.

"I knew there was a bigger reason as to why you didn't want to go to hoshi hyung's sleepover so I thought back to when we went to the library and I remembered you made this comment on how coffee isn't good for insomniacs so I put two and two together." Mingyu tried to make him understand. "And those dark purple bags under your eyes aren't helping your case."

Wonwoo had to stop and reevaluate everything Mingyu was saying because no one had ever paid so much attention to him and his words before, no one had paid attention to the little sarcastic comments he made about sleep and certainly no one had paid attention to the way that he was or the things that he did.

His words were always over looked. He was always over looked. But apparently not by Mingyu.

"Oh." Was all he managed to say.

"I'm sorry." Mingyu sounded so mature and for some reason Wonwoo wanted to laugh in his face. "You don't deserve it."

"Mingyu." Wonwoo shook his head. "Don't worry about this. It's not your problem and-"

"But it's your problem." Mingyu interrupted him.

"It's-I-" Wonwoo decided to just shut his mouth when no words came to form.

"I'm sorry that you've had to deal with it alone up until now but you don't have to anymore. I won't tell anyone if you're not comfortable with that but I will help you." Mingyu sighed. "There has to be some medicine or-"

"Mingyu." Wonwoo stopped him.

"What?"

"Why?" Wonwoo questioned.

"Why what?" Mingyu raised an eyebrow.

"Why did you think so much about this? Why do you want to help me?" Wonwoo looked at him expressionless despite how he was feeling on the inside.

"I don't- I don't know." Mingyu lied. "We're friends now so I guess I want to be there for you just like how you were there for me."

No details were given but the faded memory came back alive in both of their minds as they stared at each other.

"I don't need your help." Wonwoo finally said.

"There you go again." Mingyu gritted his teeth. "You think that being cold towards people will make them back away from you but how long are you gonna keep that up?"

Wonwoo shifted in his seat as the younger continued.

"Cant you accept the fact that I actually want to be there for you? That I'm not as bad as you've always perceived me as?"

"That's not the problem here." Wonwoo shook his head. "You don't need to get caught up in my mess."

"And that's not for you to decide." Mingyu gestured for a waiter to come to their table.

Wonwoo eyed him from across the table, trying to figure out what had happened to the Mingyu that used to throw tiny rocks at him in the play ground and make fun of him for wearing glasses to school or the Mingyu that got into a fight with almost everyone in school for the smallest reason. But maybe, just maybe Mingyu had changed and that part of him was gone. So now Wonwoo let himself believe that the younger really did care for him because even though it was a foreign feeling compared to his friends who would force feed him. It seemed almost natural coming from Mingyu, it was something he could easily get used to.

"Two mango slushees please." Wonwoo was brought out of his thoughts as Mingyu spoke to the waiter.

Wonwoo gently smiled as he saw Mingyu do the same.

"Mango slushee huh?" The elder asked.

"I've never really liked coffee anyway." Mingyu shrugged.

And maybe him not drinking coffee anymore didn't help in any way shape or form but Mingyu did hope from the bottom of his heart that it would bring even the tiniest bit of comfort to Wonwoo.