The Undercover Couple

Chapter 7

When Wonwoo reached Mingyu's doorstep, he genuinely thought about turning around and leaving. The damage was done. Once the investigation finished he would be called back to the office and Mingyu wouldn't be. He wouldn't need to worry about running into Mingyu at the coffee machine or spend sleepless nights trying to outdo the man. In the eyes of M17, he was a hero. And Mingyu was a rogue, reckless agent. He chewed his fingernail, his hand ghosting over the knocker. He could just move on. Forget that it had ever happened.

The door swung open. "Were you confused by the knocker or something, Jeon?" Mingyu asked, abruptly. Wonwoo watched as Mingyu surveyed him for a moment, before striding away from the door, leaving it open. Wonwoo tentatively followed him in. Even though he'd never stepped foot in Mingyu's flat before, it felt familiar to him. He could see the things he'd been missing in his own flat; Mingyu's shoes in a messy pile by the door, his suit jacket thrown over the bannister. It was the marks that Mingyu in all his chaos left behind wherever he went. Tearing his eyes away from the familiar, he finally faced Mingyu, but when he saw the other man he felt like all of the words had disappeared from his brain. Mingyu stood with his arms crossed over a black t-shirt Wonwoo was sure he'd seen before, and a pair of sweatpants, his hair unkept and days of stubble growing on his face. It aged him handsomely, but Wonwoo could tell by the red rimmed eyes and the flush on his cheeks that Mingyu had been crying. Settled on Mingyu's face was an expression that sat somewhere between angry and hopeful, but Wonwoo thought he must've been mistaken.

His brain supplied some words he had no control over as they tumbled out of his mouth. "I've missed you." The phrase hung heavy in the silence, before Wonwoo clapped a hand over his mouth. He had no idea why he said that. Mingyu raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't reply, pinning him with a stare that made Wonwoo squirm. "Sorry—Jesus."

Mingyu's brown eyes raked up and down Wonwoo's face, before he snorted, turning his back on Wonwoo and storming into the kitchen. Wonwoo trailed behind him, his heart pounding. "Sorry. I meant to ask if you're okay?"

"What do you think?" Mingyu retorted, bending down and digging in the freezer. Wonwoo stared at the floor tiles, refusing to indulge in his desire to stare at him. "Catch," Mingyu said, throwing a beer at Wonwoo. He caught it with ease, but enough condensation from the freezer clung to the can that it nearly slipped from his grip. He fumbled it, but recovered his hold just in time. He frowned down at the beer, before putting it on the counter in front of him.

"It's a Tuesday morning, Mingyu." Mingyu ignored him, pulling the tab on his own beer. The crack and hiss of the can punctuated the silence.

"It's five o'clock somewhere," he said, bitterly, before taking a large gulp. Wonwoo watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. His palms began to sweat. Something about having not seen the man for a week made all the little things about him he normally ignored magnified. His mouth dried out. Trying to appear nonchalant, he drummed his fingers on the counter, waiting for the other man to speak.

Mingyu put his beer down with considerable force, the sound making Wonwoo jump. "I'm not a fucking martyr, okay? This is nothing to do with you, so if you're here to just give me your pity I'd rather you fucked off."

"I'm not here to pity you, Mingyu," Wonwoo argued. "I wanted to make sure you're okay, that's all."

Mingyu stared at him for a moment. "How does it feel? To be superhero Jeon? Running into action to save the day."

Wonwoo rolled his eyes. "Fuck off, Mingyu. Just because your brain can't figure out a way in which you might have to share the glory doesn't mean you can get mad at me because I did my fucking job."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You froze, Mingyu," Wonwoo yelled. It felt cathartic, like all the frustration, anger, hurt that had been bubbling below the surface since the warehouse was exploding out of him with the force of a volcanic eruption. "You broke the door down and then you froze. You made us go there with no backup, you refused to wait for anyone, and yet somehow you're still the victim? How does that work, Mingyu? How are you still the one that got wronged when you froze and did nothing as a man bled out in front of you?"