Everything You Do Is Magic | seventeen au

Chapter 15: Nights Like This (Pt. 2)

It wasn't that uncommon for Wonwoo to run into someone hanging out in the kitchen past midnight. Editing manuscripts during late hours have become part of his routine. Usually, he'd bump into Jihoon or Jun; the former refused to abide by a healthy sleeping schedule, and the latter whenever he had shifts at Chilli night club.

Tonight was the only time Wonwoo had walked in on Mingyu still awake.

"Is that... a Sherlock Holmes novel?" Wonwoo blinked behind his glasses to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

The half-demon's eyes snapped upwards from the page, his hands making the book seem smaller than it actually was. He's leaning against the kitchen counter with a mug of steaming tea next to him. "Hyung." Mingyu blinked as well, clearly surprised, then suddenly he's trying to hide the book behind him.

Except Mingyu miscalculated the distance from the counter and the length of his arm. The book made contact with the mug and sent it flying across the counter. It bounced several times and made a shrill cracking sound that had both of them wincing, the tea bag flying out of the (now broken) mug along with the drink itself.

"Um..." Mingyu blushed from his neck to the tips of his ears, alternating his gaze from Wonwoo to the the spilt tea and broken shards on the previously spotless kitchen counter. "Oops?"

Wonwoo only sighed. This, at least, was familiar. "Well. We should clean that up and any other fragile objects before you wake up the whole house." He gave Mingyu a smile to soften the words.

Mingyu didn't need to be told twice, eager to fix the mess before anyone could see. Wonwoo found a tiny box that could fit the broken mug pieces. He sealed it off before chucking the box into their garbage can, meanwhile Mingyu cleaned the mess with a disinfectant.

All the while they didn't talk, and it was more than alright with Wonwoo. He didn't need to fill in silences such as this one.

For Mingyu, it's the opposite. "Ah, hyung. I didn't expect you to still be awake... but, I probably should've, since it's rare for you to sleep so early." The half-demon had just finished washing his hands and was now hovering a few feet away from Wonwoo, like he wasn't sure what to do with himself.

Wonwoo guessed that it has something to do with the book he'd caught Mingyu reading. He turned around to grab said book, holding it up for Mingyu to see. "I was just telling you the other day about how much I loved this series." Mingyu's copy looked brand new; store-bought then, not borrowed from a library. Thankfully it didn't have any tea stains on it.

It wasn't hard to form a hunch. Mingyu confirmed as much when he started to find the floor much more interesting, his fingers scratching sheepishly at the back of his neck. "I... uh, yeah. I wanted to read it 'cause you said so many good things about the stories and I wanted to have um... more things in common with you?"

Everyone living in Jeonghan's house was naturally thoughtful of others. It's the inevitable effect of spending so much time together—they've developed empathy and trust. That's how they've all gotten to be so close, and it's how they all functioned.

And yet Wonwoo was holding evidence of how Mingyu went even further than what's expected of a thoughtful housemate, and it's all for Wonwoo.

All because he liked Wonwoo.

"My ex never read books. Whenever he'd catch me reading, he told me it was a waste of time." The memory arose, not in a terrible way (though it was horrendous having gone through that). In fact, Wonwoo was sure he was smiling.