from zero » hyungwonho

xi

To: asswipe 
hey 

To: asswipe 
heyyyyyy 

To: asswipe 
minhyuk, dude. are you ok? 

To: asswipe 
did something happen? 

To: asswipe 
are you angry with me or smth? 

To: asswipe 
come on man this isn't like you 

To: asswipe 
i'm actually getting worried you ass 

To: asswipe 
it's been like three days i miss my bro 

To: asswipe 
if you're mad at me then i'm sorry?? just please talk to me 

To: asswipe 
i gotta go to work now. please stay safe 

A scowl graced Hoseok's features as he switched his phone to silent and stuffed it in his pocket, pushing the door open that led to his classroom.

Why wasn't Minhyuk answering his phone? Was he ignoring everyone or just Hoseok? Was he angry at him for something? Was he dead? So many questions swam around Hoseok's mind and Hyungwon must have noticed the puzzled look on his face as he stood up from his circle of children and made his way over to Hoseok.

"Hey, are you ok?" He asked softly, the voice causing Hoseok to jump nevertheless.

He looked up at Hyungwon, face contorting into an expression of bewilderment. "Wha- what are you doing here so early?"

All Hyungwon could do was smile.

~*~

Hyungwon knew something was off with Hoseok.

He seemed slower than usual, and a lot more lost in his own world. Granted, Hyungwon hadn't seen Hoseok for three years, but he could still tell when something wasn't right with him.

During story time, he pulled him over to the kitchen area of the nursery so the two of them could prepare lunch for the children - and also so he could talk to Hoseok properly.

"What's going on with you today?" He asked softly, and Hoseok sighed, running his hands through his hair before huffing again.

"Minhyuk's ignoring me," he answered, voice low and tired as he set his gaze down to the task at hand - evenly dividing the rice.

"Is that the one who hates me?" Hyungwon asked, beginning his task of cutting up the chicken bites.

Hoseok looked up at Hyungwon with a scowl on his face. "Minhyuk doesn't hate you."

"I'm sure he does," Hyungwon let out through a brief laugh. "But this isn't about me. Do you know why he's ignoring you?"

"No idea," Hoseok grunted, he himself becoming frustrated with the situation.

Noticing Hoseok's frown and veins bulging in his arms, Hyungwon stepped away from his own station to step behind Hoseok and wrap his arms cautiously - slowly - around Hoseok's waist from behind, leaving him enough time to push Hyungwon away if he wanted to.

But he didn't, and let Hyungwon rest his head on his shoulder, Hyungwon's large hands slowly beginning to rub Hoseok's arms up and down in an attempt to soothe the tenseness there.

"Is this ok?" He asked quietly, and Hoseok nodded. "Just checking. Didn't want to cross any boundaries."

Hoseok let out a silent chuckle at Hyungwon's thoughtfulness and let himself relax in the younger male's arms.

"Are you two dating?" A small voice asked behind them, and Hyungwon tore himself away from Hoseok so quickly you would think Hoseok was a hot surface and Hyungwon was an innocent little boy being burnt.

When the two men turned around to see a little girl standing there, looking at them quizzically, the panicked expressions they wore soon turn soft.

"Ah, not quite," Hyungwon answered before Hoseok could, kneeling down to the girl's height. "What are you doing inside? Aren't you supposed to be outside playing with the others?"

"No one wants to play with me," the girl answered, and Hyungwon reached out to pat her head.

"Don't worry, we'll keep you company, won't we, Hoseok?" Hyungwon asked, beaming at Hoseok who simply smiled back and made an 'ok' symbol with his hand.

Hoseok ended up preparing lunch for the children while Hyungwon sat at one of those tiny tables with the girl sitting on his thigh. Hoseok made sure to take lots of photos of Hyungwon looking very unsatisfied with the height of the chair he was sitting on and table he was sitting at.

"Do you two love each other?" The girl asked, looking between Hyungwon and Hoseok as the two shared an awkward glance.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Hoseok answered hesitantly, picking his words very carefully, Hyungwon's eyes on him the entire time.

"So then who's the mummy and who's the daddy?" The girl inquired, looking just as confused as Hoseok felt.

Hyungwon smirked. "Oh, I'm definitely the daddy."

Hoseok tutted and turned his back to Hyungwon, actually getting on with the work the two were supposed to be doing.

"Are you two happy together?" The girl's questions kept coming and Hyungwon and Hoseok loved answering them.

"We're not together, honey," Hoseok answered from the sink where he had just finished up and was now washing his hands.

"Then how can he be the daddy and you be the mummy if you're not together?" The girl asked, looking royally confused.

"We're working on that, petal," Hyungwon answered with a sweet smile as Hoseok knelt down to join them.

"Nayeon!" One of the teachers called and the girl stood up from Hyungwon's lap, bowing to them.

"I hope you two become happy together!" She exclaimed before skipping off outside and leaving Hoseok and Hyungwon to look at the open door in shock.

"Yah!" Hoseok breathed, sitting back on his hands. "Why are kids so curious?"

"Beats me," Hyungwon answered with a sigh, running a hand through his pink hair. Hoseok watched as the locks flopped back into place. "But you handle them well."

"So do you," Hoseok replied, raising an eyebrow at Hyungwon playfully. "Are you sure you've never worked with kids before?"

"I mean, I have a cousin that I actually used to spend a lot of time with before I moved away," Hyungwon answered matter-of-factly. "You should know that of all people."

Hoseok rolled his eyes and stood up, holding his hand out for Hyungwon to take.

"What do I do about Minhyuk?" Hoseok asked, suddenly changing the subject and Hyungwon inhaled sharply.

"Wait for him to come to you," Hyungwon answered truthfully. "If you don't know what you've done wrong and you've asked him, then it's down to him to tell you himself."

And that was strange, because Hoseok remembers receiving the same advice from someone else about the man standing before him.

~*~

this story has deeper filler arcs than naruto