mint box - wontaro

ch. 22 - i like you too

wonbin: i'm sorry sohee. i really am.
but this needs to stop.
you know i like shotaro, don't you?

sohee: Yeah ik. Sry.

wonbin: it's okay, but this weird wedding joke just needs to stop. alr?

sohee: Yeah okay
Sorry again

wonbin: no you didn't do much wrong, i just don't want taro to feel sad

—

shotaro creaked open the park family door with a cautious pout. he stared up their tall staircase. "h-hey, wonbin?" he called out.

"come up!" the boy responded, his voice echoing downstairs. shotaro slowly made his way up to the top floor.

wonbin leaned out of his door. "i'm here." shotaro's mouth gaped open at the sight of the younger boy's room.

"woah." he marveled at the boy's various drawings and plushies all scattered around his large room. there was a bunk bed placed at the left corner. oh, the brothers must share this room. he turned back to wonbin. "bin, can i hug you?"

the said boy nodded, smiling. shotaro threw himself onto the boy, tightening his grip around him. "this month has been...really hard." he blinked his tears away. "but everything's fine as long as you're here."

wonbin frowned. "taro." he let go to gaze into his eyes. "can you tell me what's been happening? starting with your mom."

shotaro's breath hitched. wonbin's ice cold stare that could freeze anyone, had shotaro in its grasp. he was at a loss for words, images of the night of the fnaf movie and her burning glare on him coming to mind. "i...what?"

"you said your mom didn't have the best reaction to your coming out thing." wonbin elaborated. "was it because of me?"

"i never really came out to her." shotaro corrected. "she found out that i liked you and got mad."

"and by the way, at the fnaf movie, you guys held hands a lot, but i can tell wonbin wasn't the one holding your hand back, so i think he was uncomfortable."

shotaro shuddered at the remembrance of his mother's words. wonbin held him steady. "you mean...she just didn't like me?"

"she thought you were uncomfortable with me holding your hand." the older boy complained. "her reasoning was that you weren't holding my hand back."

wonbin let out an exhale of realization. "ohh. well, to be honest, it was hard to hold your hand back when you were literally holding onto mine for dear life." he laughed. "it also just felt nice to be held by you in general. i feel like i didn't totally need to hold your hand back to be content."

shotaro's smile widened into a toothy grin. "wonbin, can i kiss your forehead?" the said boy nodded happily, and the blonde boy peppered wonbin's forehead face with small pecks. they giggled.

"i like you, bin."

wonbin furrowed his eyebrows jokingly. shotaro playfully hit his shoulder. they laughed. "i'm just kidding!"

"i like you too, taro."