it was a late summer afternoon when mingyu stood on wonwoo's doorstep again, with an identical bouquet of roses he'd brought with him the day before. without much hesitation he pressed the doorbell, nervously staring down at his pair of black shorts making him uncertain if it were the right choice of clothing to impress wonwoo with.
soft mumbling was heard from inside, making mingyu's level of anxiety rise up even more since he had no idea who he'd meet in the door opening. his heart rate went higher up as he clenched both his hands around the flowers, attempting to calm himself down.
the warm orange sun started burning against mingyu's exposed skin, managing to distract him from his feelings for a mere second. until he heard wood creaking and a presence showed up in the doorstep.
mingyu took a deep breath and looked up, surprised to see the one he least expected. wonwoo. his curls weren't as lively like how they once used to be, rather wavy and nearly straight on top of his head. yet the jet-black color had stayed the exact same, just like the rest of him.
"hey, mingyu right?" wonwoo asked for confirmation, disappointing mingyu slightly that he still didn't remember him in any way.
"hey wonwoo, yeah it's me. i kind of really wanted to see you after what happened yesterday.." mingyu spoke, fearing the worst already. after the little conflict at wonwoo's place the day before, mingyu was scared the chances would be slim the boy wanted to see him again.
he was surprised however, once wonwoo stepped aside with small traces of a shy smile, his usual plain cheeks painted with a shade of pink. "come in, how about we talk upstairs for a bit? they're still here.." wonwoo scratched his nape as he allowed mingyu inside.
once he closed the door and turned around he noticed how close the fairly familiar stranger and he were, rising wonwoo's level of embarrassment as he could do nothing but to return the eye-contact they momentarily shared.
until their magical little moment of sparks got rudely interrupted by jeonghan barging inside his hallway. "this is not fucking happening!" he tried to get in between them, yet was harshly pulled back by junhui who refused to let go of him.
"jeonghan please. this is my house, let me make my own decisions for once." wonwoo sighed, ignoring jeonghan's protests and continuing his walk up the stairway.
"just let them be for a minute, i don't think mingyu has any bad intentions. not when it comes to wonwoo, at least." junhui gave both wonwoo and mingyu a wink, leaving mingyu even more speechless as to why he wasn't acting like the way hansol had done to him in the past days. the least thing he expected was a warm welcome, especially not after what he got himself into.
but before jeonghan could release himself from junhui's grip, mingyu hurried up the stairs when wonwoo called out his name. he remembered the way to wonwoo's room and didn't ask for further instruction as he casually walked inside, finding wonwoo already sitting on his bed.
"just, please lock the door. i don't want them interrupting us again." wonwoo sighed as mingyu gladly followed his request. the only thing he wished for right now was a calm conversation, hoping to finally freshen up some of wonwoo's lost memories.
"i.. eh.. i brought these for you.. again." mingyu offered wonwoo the bouquet of roses. while the tall boy was usually so confident in using his words, wonwoo tend to be the only person who managed to make him feel like one flustered mess.
which wonwoo didn't seem to mind at all, as he had his own hardships with verbal conversations to think of. "i kept the ones you brought yesterday." wonwoo admitted, walking over to his desk where a vase stood that contained about five roses. he placed the new ones together with the others before he carefully took a seat on the bed next to mingyu, keeping enough space in-between them to not make things awkward.
"you're here because they told you, aren't you..?" wonwoo silently asked without looking up from the floor. somehow, he didn't believe a flawless boy like mingyu would come to see him on his own intention. that just seemed too surreal.
"they actually didn't even wanted me to come here in the first place." mingyu admitted, ready to reach for his phone to show the messages with proof to wonwoo anytime. "i just really needed to see you wonwoo."
"why?" wonwoo now looked up, meeting eyes with the boy beside him. his golden strands of hair and hazel eyes gave him some sense of familiarity which he just couldn't put a finger on. it was really as if they had met before, but wonwoo still couldn't remember the time nor place. a dream perhaps, like how sleeping beauty and prince charming had met.
"because i miss you." mingyu tried to smile through the tears brimming in the corners of his eyes and the rising lump of his throat, which failed when he felt a warm substance running down his cheeks. "ah fuck.. sorry i really didn't want you to see me like this."
"are you crying?" a sudden memory stroke wonwoo's brain, who was willing to say it out loud to this weirdly pleasing stranger. "someone has taught me that hugs work pretty well as a cure."
more tears filled mingyu's eyes and heartbreaking sobs left his throat. he remembered. "i taught you that.. that was me! you remember!" the feeling of triumph was so big, mingyu couldn't possibly hold himself back anymore. and so, without hesitation, he threw his body onto wonwoo, finally being able to embrace the boy in his arms again as they both fell back on the bed.
and wonwoo, who landed on his back, felt sparks shooting through his entire body the moment mingyu's fingertips touched his exposed skin. as if he finally felt something..
it was miraculous yet scary at the same time how he suddenly remembered everything his friends had been talking about. the feeling was overwhelming and wonwoo had to press his eyes closed tightly and keep his eyebrows knitted to not suffer from a sudden headache. pictures of the beach, mingyu, seokmin, the three boys who now sat downstairs and even the night's they spent together flashed in front of his eyes.
although it also had its dark side.. the night on the balcony was also printed clearly inside his brain. it was as if the overwhelming happiness mixed in with the former grieve he felt.
and mingyu, who feared the worst when wonwoo remained silent, felt relieve rushing through him the moment wonwoo pulled him tighter than he'd ever done before, his fingers almost clawing in the t-shirt's fabric on his back. and with the words that followed next, mingyu realized that perhaps they would have another chance..
"i thought you said that it was our last hug.."
