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EYES MEETING BUT HEARTS APART
WHEN MINGYU LAID eyes on May the next morning, he could tell she wanted to go to Hell already.
Walking on the sidewalks of the quad with the grey clouds in the sky on his way to his first class, Mingyu noticed a girl who walked slower than those passing her, her steps unstructured as if she were dragging her feet. From the way she ran a hand through her hair in fatigue, her mouth widening into an obnoxious yawn, he quickly recognized her to be May, very obviously hungover and uncomfortable.
He practically skipped to her as the space between the two got closer on the sidewalk, his backpack bouncing on his back until he made a full stop in front of her. He watched as she flinched, stumbling on her feet as she pressed her palm against her temple.
"Hey, sleepyhead," he chirped, his enthusiasm flying over May's head as she grumbled.
"Don't walk toward me that fast, I'll get whiplash," she whined, fixing her backpack that was hanging loosely on her shoulder.
"Hungover?" His question was replied to with a sluggish nod. "Did you take the aspirin I left on the counter this morning?"
"That was you?" she furrowed her eyebrows before she sighed. "I thought a leprechaun broke into my house and left me that as a consolation gift for embarrassing myself yesterday in front of everyone at that stupid party."
"You know leprechauns don't—"
"Given my state this morning, I believed it," she interrupted him and rolled her head back. "How did I get home yesterday?"
"Wonwoo and I took you home."
Mingyu naturally purposely failed to mention the part of the night before in which Wonwoo tucked her into bed, where something must have happened, something he wasn't entirely sure of but was nonetheless on the border of what regular best friends do not do. The reminder sent a sudden tug on his heartstrings, but he mentally waved the thought away when May nodded in front of him.
"Hey, are you busy later?" Mingyu asked, though spoke up again before she could even respond. "Want to meet up? I have an idea for my film project."
May blinked and looked away in thought for a second before promptly nodding. "Okay. Just give me some time to actually put some makeup on later. I don't want to film looking like this."
"Like what? You look superstar ready."
Mingyu giggled and flinched as May hit her palm against his shoulder as a scold, though nonetheless embarked on their journey toward their first class together on the cloudy morning.
-
may 🌹 gyu!! i don't think i can make it later im feeling a little under the weather today can we resched? Delivered 2:23 pm
mingyu 🌚 yeah that's okay how bad is it? is it the hangover? do you need anything? Delivered 3:03 pm
may 🌹 its just a small fever! nothing to worry about see you tmr Delivered 3:06 pm
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Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows slightly as he pushed his phone into his back pocket, a frown automatically appearing on his lips. He had been lodged at a desk of a library in his free hour before class, a notebook open, though it was promptly forgotten due to the newfound knowledge that May had a fever.
Mingyu could remember the last time May had a fever. It was a humid Thursday in June and she was reserved to her bed for days, living off of pretzels and tea and just about everything that made Mingyu vomit in his mouth when he visited her once with Wonwoo, and then ended up getting her cold together. He remembered that it was worth it, because their small visit had made her entire week of bedridden sickness bearable, with the food they brought for her and the polar bear towel wrapped over ice that Mingyu kept on her forehead for an hour. He imagined her like that now, the mental picture of her bedridden with the red tip of her nose, a mountain of tissues on her bedside table, lying without an ice pack to her forehead. He couldn't live with it.
He decided to bring her a few things after class.
Electrolyte-filled drinks, a tupperware of boiled vegetables he prepared, and a different towel—unfortunately, the polar bear towel was nowhere to be found—that he planned to wrap ice in and apply to her forehead to decrease her body temperature. Sure, he couldn't advance on his film project, but taking care of May meant more than that—more than anything.
Mingyu closed the door to the staircase—the elevator was too slow, and he was quite impatient—before making his way in the apartment hallways toward May's door, peeking in his small remedy bag, making sure he had brought everything he needed to help his best friend through her fever.
Stepping into his peripheral vision in front of him was a pair of feet, a pair of loafers that looked a bit familiar—he swore those were the same ones he had bought Wonwoo for his birthday—Wonwoo?
In front of Mingyu was his other best friend, staring at him just as confused as he must have reciprocated, both of their eyes simultaneously darting to the bags they each held, both most likely filled with things for May—whose door they were now standing in front of, silently.
Something had shifted in the air. It was an odd sensation that crept from the back of Mingyu's neck, traveling through his temples down his reddening face, all the way to his churning stomach, which immediately dropped in realization. It seemed to have occurred in Wonwoo as well, as his frozen stare deepened, his mouth twitching.
Visiting May unannounced when she was sick at the same time with remedying items; Wonwoo keeping his hand lingering on hers for a beat longer on more than one occasion; Mingyu once drawing out an endearing glance at her underneath the night sky; every single indelible instance that had mindlessly plastered into each of their heads had begun to mesh together, scrambling and falling into place until the answer, the staggering picture, was suddenly as clear as water.
They were both in love with the same girl.
The door suddenly opened, whisking Wonwoo and Mingyu away from each other as their wide eyes landed on a surprised May, carrying a full garbage bag in her hand. The two stood there, as deer caught in the headlights of May's open front door, their hearts heavy with a new profound realization that they had to bury for the reason that May was now stood in front of them.
"Wonwoo? Mingyu?" she blinked at them, her voice a bit different than usual, a result of the fever and her plugged, red-tipped nose. "What are you doing here?"
Wonwoo and Mingyu exchanged a glance, but it was nothing familiar—it was almost as though they were sudden strangers, yet could read the other's mind as if it were their own. They were waiting, anticipating to see what the other would say to May, if their words could be better than their own, and it was right then and there that erupted the unspoken challenge that began to test their friendship.
