𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 || 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐖𝐨𝐧

Five

"My venus, sleep tight."

Wonwoo holds his gaze at Mingyu's sleeping figure. Seungcheol was right on Mingyu being a snorer, but Wonwoo only thought of it as a cute hum.

He can't help but stare at the man sleeping on the bed. He doesn't notice it before but Mingyu's blanket was the moon on the center and had stars scattered around it, something a child would have. Mingyu had what looked like a star projector at his bedside table and a lamp that is shaped like pluto.

Mingyu has his heart laid out scattered in his room; the mini sculpture, posters of astronauts, stacks of books about the stars – it all looked like Mingyu had his own universe inside his room and Wonwoo just can't help but feel so attached.

Wonwoo hears Mingyu snore loudly and he averts his eyes at him. Mingyu's breathing was steady and slow, his chest rising and falling in a steady pace. Wonwoo traces his gaze on Mingyu's features; his skin as gold as the sun's surface, hair soft at the edges of his brows, lips as red as the dust of mars.

If someone was to ask Wonwoo what beauty is before, he would say that it was subjective to every human being and that it was a social construct to keep the status quo stable. But after meeting Mingyu, he thinks beauty is of love that radiates – Mingyu radiates love even if he was lonely. He radiates the love that everyone craves for, innocent and soft; a love that no one can fathom but craves to reach.

When Mingyu tells Wonwoo the reason why he chose astronomy, he finds himself falling in love. He finds out that his heart races for him when Mingyu says the universe is everything and Wonwoo thought to himself that Mingyu is his universe.

And maybe it was going too fast, but he loves beyond degrees because love is hard to give. Wonwoo has only ever loved a few amounts of people, and he loves his brother the most. But ever since Mingyu, he thinks that he can mourn for his brother, love him in peace without a tear falling from his face; he thinks he can finally let his own soul rest from all the pain the death of his brother brought.

Wonwoo doesn't have plans of leaving, preferring to sleep on the couch of the apartment. But he keeps his thoughts attached to the mere existence of Mingyu as he leaves the room to sit on the living room couch.

He turns his head towards the kitchen when he hears footsteps. Wonwoo's thoughts were interrupted by Seungcheol who was standing beside the kitchen island, holding a glass half-empty with water. "Ah hyung! Mingyu said that you'd stay at your boyfriend's tonight."

Seungcheol sighs and sips from his glass. "Jeonghan and I were worried about Mingyu. We were scared that Mingyu is hurt."

"Hurt over what, hyung?"

"Calling you over." Seungcheol finishes the water with one gulp. "It's a long story, Wonwoo, I would rather have you hear it from Mingyu." The older leaves the glass on the kitchen island. "You must be special to be invited inside Mingyu's bedroom." Seungcheol walks towards him to sit beside Wonwoo. "It took me months to even take a glimpse of his room."

Wonwoo gives a small smile. "I don't think I'm any special, hyung."

They stay silent for awhile but Wonwoo's gaze is fixated at Mingyu's door.

"Wonwoo." The both of them simultaneously looks at each other, locking eyes. He sees how Seungcheol's expression change from soft to dark and serious, his irises reading Wonwoo's face. "Mingyu's really hard to love."

Wonwoo furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "I don't think so, hyung. He's really easy to be with."

"Believe me when I say this, Wonwoo. Mingyu's hard to love. He's hard to reach, hard to hold onto all because of the past that keeps his heart captive. He pushes people away and avoids giving himself the time to cry. So if you ever plan on telling him you love him, you can't leave him in the dark. It's either he loves or doesn't love at all." Seungcheol sighs as he leans on the couch, his eyes closing.

"How do you know I love him? I never said I did."

Seungcheol laughs and looks at Wonwoo's confused face. "I know somebody is in love with Mingyu just by looking. It's in their eyes and how they look at him. I once had those eyes for him, once loved him dearly, but it was so hard to love somebody who can't trust you and prefers to be away than beside you. There was a time I wanted to end any relationship with him, end our friendship, but his eyes convinced me to stay. Then Joshua came."

"Joshua? His ex-boyfriend?"

"Yeah. Joshua was the perfect one for Gyu; the understanding one, takes the initiative to hold Mingyu close, and comes back when Gyu pushes him away. Nothing stops Joshua from loving Mingyu with all the light he bears."

"Except for his family."

"Exactly." Seungcheol releases a defeated breath. "All the walls that was broken around Mingyu was coming back together and next thing you know, he locks himself up inside his head and he doesn't shed a single tear." The older man pinches his nose bridge in frustration. "When he's hurt, he doesn't say it. When he's in pain, he doesn't show it." Seungcheol looks at him. "So I'm warning you now, Wonwoo, if you plan on leaving when Mingyu tells you the reality of his heart, might as well leave now before he falls in love again."

"I don't plan on leaving him or hurting him."

"Promise me that, Wonwoo." Seungcheol's voice was low and Wonwoo could feel the love for Mingyu from the mere vibrations of his voice.

"I promise, hyung."

Seungcheol stands. "Good. Because if you break that promise, I swear to any god out there that I will come looking for you." Seungcheol then locks eyes with Wonwoo. "This isn't a threat but a reminder, okay?"

Wonwoo gives the elder a small smile. "I understand. You obviously care for him."

"Fuck yeah, I do. I'll get you fresh blankets and a pillow for you. Don't hesitate to get anything from the kitchen, okay?"

Seungcheol walks away from Wonwoo and goes inside his room, and moments later brings out a fresh blanket and a pillow. Seungcheol hands it to him as he removes the blanket that Mingyu used.

"Thank you, hyung."

Seungcheol walks away with a smile and an okay sign. "No problem." Seungcheol says and walks inside his room again, shutting the door behind him.

Wonwoo is left with silence that is peaceful, but his head is still trying to process everything the elder man just told him. Wonwoo never thought of Mingyu as hard to love or pushes people away, but Wonwoo is convinced that he doesn't know everything that is Mingyu with the short amount of time they have been together. Wonwoo only noticed now that Mingyu only makes him talk, always keeps the conversation rolling if it isn't about him; excuses of 'enough about me' to avert to how Wonwoo's day was. But the small facts of Mingyu already made Wonwoo fall deeply in love; how his favorite coffee is actually filled with so much sugar which contradicts what people think that he drinks bitter coffee. That Mingyu likes his ramen mild-spicy than spicy. That he prefers to walk than take a bike, and lie down to look out his window than go out to drink. There are so many things he loves about Mingyu, all those small things that completes him, and Wonwoo thinks that's enough to keep his heart settled for one.

Wonwoo notices a picture frame that is facing down on the table by the window. In curiosity, Wonwoo stands and walks towards it with careful and silent steps. He reaches for the frame and flips it over. He sees a young boy being held at the shoulders by an old man with wide shoulders and hair whitening at the roots, and a woman opposite the man with dimples so sweet and hair so smooth. Wonwoo fixes his gaze at the young boy at the middle. The boy looks like he was 9 years old, his hair almost reaching his eyes and eyelashes so long. Wonwoo realizes that it was Mingyu from the dimples on his cheeks. He was chubbier, tan peeking out of his sleeves, but his eyes had the same shine.

It took Wonwoo a moment before he sees the cracks on the glass of the picture frame. The scratches and dents on the edges of the frame makes it seem like the frame is frequently being thrown around or being dropped with a force. The picture inside had a fold mark in between Mingyu and the woman, and the ink of the picture is fading from probably water that dropped on the paper. Wonwoo places the frame back, fixed and standing up before he goes back to sitting on the couch.

Wonwoo is left with more questions he wants to ask Mingyu, but he'll ask some other time, giving in to his tired eyes, sleeping on the living room couch while letting the faint sounds of Mingyu's snores lull him to sleep.