The Boy in the Library - Meanie

009

Wonwoo was playing a game on his phone when he heard the front door open and slam shut.

"Gyu?" he called, sensing the younger's bad mood.

Mingyu stormed into the living room. "I'm a fucking mess."

"Woah, calm down." said Wonwoo, setting down his phone. "What happened?"

"I was sick of seeing Minghao and Dokyeom whispering to each other every time I walk past." said Mingyu bitterly. "So I rammed into them on purpose."

"Gyu..." sighed Wonwoo. He didn't sound mad or disappointed, he just sounded... sad.

"And I feel like such a jerk." continued Mingyu. "But I can't find it in myself to be friends with them again, when they're unaware of the thing I love most in my life."

"Mingyu, listen to me-"

"No, you listen to me!" yelled Mingyu. "This is my issue, not yours! Who are you to tell me what I should do?"

"This is because of your withdrawal." said Wonwoo patiently, unfazed by Mingyu's anger. "This isn't you, Mingyu. Come here."

Mingyu reluctantly walked over to the couch and sat beside Wonwoo, who wrapped his arms around him. Instantly, Mingyu's anger was covered with surprise.

"Wha... who are you and what have you done with Jeon Wonwoo?"

Wonwoo chuckled. "I know this'll calm you down, you seem so calm at night in my arms. Just stay here."

Mingyu sunk into Wonwoo's embrace, instantly calming down, just as Wonwoo had predicted. Something about the elder had a tendency to make him feel better, no matter how bad he felt. Especially now, with his mood swings due to his withdrawal, he needed Wonwoo more than ever.

"How was school?" asked Wonwoo eventually.

Mingyu shrugged. "Boring as always. Lonely."

Wonwoo nodded in understanding. "I'm not forcing you to make a decision, Gyu." he said gently. "But I'm sure your friends are missing you as much as you miss them."

"I doubt it." chuckled Mingyu bitterly. "The way they keep staring at me and whispering whenever I'm around..."

"I know it might seem that way." said Wonwoo quietly. "Like I said, I won't force you to rekindle your friendship. But I feel like you'd be much happier if you did."

"I'll never be happy." mumbled Mingyu, snuggling his head against Wonwoo's chest. "I'll always be like this."

Wonwoo smiled sadly. "Life will surprise you sometimes, Gyu... you'll feel better soon, I promise."

***

Seventeen missed calls and thirteen text undelivered messages later, Minghao sighed and threw his phone down on his bed. "This is hopeless."

Dokyeom, who was sitting right beside him, patted him on the back. "Hey, he'll come to his senses."

"I can't help but feel... Seokmin, this is all our fault." said Minghao in an unusually broken voice, using Dokyeom's real name to fit in with the seriousness of their situation.

"Are you saying we should believe him?" asked Dokyeom.

"Not at all. I still don't believe him." said Minghao quickly. "But maybe we shouldn't have been so harsh- especially me. I was so hard on him... I should've just let it go."

"You were worried about your friend's sanity. There's nothing wrong with that." said Dokyeom. "Are you... crying?"

Minghao sniffled in response. He rarely cried or got emotional, but now that he was losing his best friend...

"It hurts." he choked out finally. "We had potential, the three of us. And I ruined it."

"Don't give all the blame to yourself. I was part of this too." said Dokyeom, tears coming to his eyes as he watched his best friend fully break down for the first time.

To an outsider, it might have seemed like the two friends were overreacting. But the boys had known each other for half their lives. The platonic love they shared seemed everlasting, and to see everything fall apart so suddenly, over such a small thing...

"I wish life was easy."

***

The rest of the week was roughly the same - Mingyu coming home in a bad mood and Wonwoo comforting him. Mingyu hadn't had a cigarette for a full week, and it was showing in his mood, more and more aggressively every time.

But Wonwoo wasn't fazed. He knew this was part of the recovery process. He knew that giving in or getting angry would only make things worse. He had to be there for Mingyu, although that wasn't hard. He wanted to spend every waking moment with Mingyu.

He knew, deep down, why he felt so strongly about the younger, but he struggled to believe it. There was a person out there who noticed him, and it happened to be the most beautiful, kind, and loving person in all of Seoul, in Wonwoo's opinion.

Others might not have seen Mingyu in that way. People probably saw him and got frightened, because Mingyu was tall, muscular, and... cold, in a way. But he supposed Mingyu couldn't be blamed for that - the younger had been through so much, and he didn't even know it himself.

But Wonwoo saw right through his outward attitude. He saw both external and internal beauty in Mingyu. It was a shame that someone so perfect should have to suffer in so many ways.

Wonwoo wished he could tell Mingyu about his burden, but he knew neither of them were quite ready. Although Mingyu was clearly curious, he wasn't really ready. Telling Mingyu everything would take time, and Wonwoo was okay with accepting that. He wasn't ready either, no matter how much he wanted to let Mingyu in - something he'd never wanted to do for anyone else.

As for Mingyu... Mingyu was endlessly grateful to Wonwoo for everything. Maybe he was mysterious and enigmatic, but he truly cared unlike anyone else. Whenever Mingyu was getting aggressive, he knew he could simply look at Wonwoo and calm down instantly. And of course, his hugs were so warm and comfortable, nothing like the rare hugs and cuddles from his mother.

Something about Wonwoo made Mingyu feel safe, protected, and most importantly, loved. He'd never truly loved anyone, including himself. But when Wonwoo was around, Mingyu felt like there was one true person in the world who cared. In fact, as long as Wonwoo was around, Mingyu felt like loving himself for the first time.

Neither of them noticed the warmth in each other's eyes when they looked at each other, or the smile on each other's faces when they hugged. Neither of them knew just how badly they needed each other.

And it hurt.