rock my head ✧ meanie

Seven

After school clubs were a mystery to Wonwoo, and it was even more of a mystery why the fuck his parents had signed him up for the poetry club which meant having to stay another hour after school and yet another addition to Wonwoo's emoness.

The club consisted of some students from other classes, the only ones who frequently turned up to the club being Choi Minho, who was a year older than Wonwoo and who's only poetic contribution (if you could even call it poetic) was a strange sort of rap revolving around his own name, and Kim Taehyung, who was in Minho's class, and enjoyed writing strange poems on the most random of subjects and even wrote background music to compliment them.

Wonwoo was on his way home from the club, ears still ringing from the eleventh performance of Minho's 'My Name is Minho' composition, and was heading past the park when he heard crying. He stopped walking and stood for a while, trying to determine where the sad noises were coming from like some sort of human echolocation, when he spotted a figure on one of the swings, head resting on their knees as their chest rose and fell from sobs.

Wonwoo didn't need to see the person's face to know instantly that Kim Mingyu was sitting and crying on a swing in the park and Wonwoo had never felt so conflicted before. If he went up to Mingyu, he would probably end up just seeming pushy, or like he had been stalking him, and Wonwoo just knew he would be awkward, but the noise of Mingyu crying made Wonwoo's stomach basically tie itself into knots with despair and he honestly felt like he'd cry himself if he didn't put a stop to it.

Wonwoo pushed on the park gate with slender fingers and inhaled deeply, before walking to the taller boy.

"Mingyu?" asked Wonwoo, cautiously stepping towards the crying Mingyu.

Mingyu looked up, blinking with wet brown eyes rimmed with red from tears, before a small, sad smile played across his lips.

"Hey," Mingyu sniffed, wiping his eyes and nose on the back of his blue hoodie.

Wonwoo took a seat next to Mingyu and the two sat quietly for a while, Mingyu retreating back to his sobs while Wonwoo produced a packet of crumpled Kleenex from the front pocket of his bag. Mingyu's sobs died down into faint sniffles and Wonwoo felt so insanely sorry for him and so bad that he had no idea why he was even crying.

"So," Wonwoo started, "what's wrong?"

Mingyu laughed a sort of tearful, hiccuping laugh and waved a hand dismissively. "It's nothing."

"You're crying, so it's something," said Wonwoo, passing Mingyu the Kleenex to spare his hoodie sleeve becoming even more sodden with tears and snot.

Mingyu took the Kleenex from Wonwoo, their fingers brushing together as he took the packet, pulling out a tissue and trying to hand it back to Wonwoo, who shook his head, letting Mingyu know he could keep the tissues.

"It doesn't matter," said Mingyu, "I'm overreacting."

"If you say so," Wonwoo replied, before smiling as reassuringly as he could without it looking like a pained grimace, "but I don't think that's what it is."

"It's stupid," Mingyu continued, leaning his head back and exposing his jaw to the air.

"If you're crying over it, it can't be that stupid really," Wonwoo encouraged.

They didn't say anything for a while, Mingyu sniffling a little as the two boys used their tiptoes to gently swing themselves.

"It's just me being tired," Mingyu excused, smiling slightly.

"You don't have to lie," Wonwoo responded, resisting the incredibly strong urge to wrap the younger boy up in his arms.

"Okay," Mingyu finally sighed, "it's my mum, I guess."

"What happened?"

"It's nothing, really. She's just never really at home. Neither is my stepdad," Mingyu admitted, gazing down at the tarmac beneath his feet. Being taller than Wonwoo, his feet fully touched the floor while Wonwoo's almost reached flat to the ground, enough to remind Wonwoo of the cute height difference Mingyu had over him.

"She's amazing, don't get me wrong, but she's never exactly around to be amazing," Mingyu continued, looking at Wonwoo and shrugging his shoulders, "and I hate my stepdad."

"That makes sense," said Wonwoo, "is she home tonight?"

Mingyu shook his head. "No. Nobody is. Apart from me."

Wonwoo balled his hands into tight fists and racked his brain. He knew the offer he wanted to make, it was just that fact that it was the singular most awkward thing Jeon Wonwoo would probably (definitely) ever ask.

A look at Mingyu's tear stained face helped him make up his mind.

"You, uh, you could come round mine tonight...um, only if you want," Wonwoo said, making cautious eye contact with the younger boy.

Mingyu's face lit up. "Really?" he asked, puppy-like eyes widening, "that would be awesome."

Wonwoo nodded, trying to hide his blushing face by looking down at his black converse. "I'll call my mum."

"Okay," Mingyu smiled, wiping his eyes on Wonwoo's Kleenex.

Wonwoo clicked on his mother's contact and brought the phone to his ear. She picked up after three rings.

"Wonwoo, are you okay?" His mother's voice could be heard over the phone speakers.

"Yeah, mum-"

"How was poetry club?" his mum continued talking.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes as Mingyu snickered and mouthed 'poetry club? Really?'

"It was fine, mum. Listen, is it okay if I bring a friend over?" Wonwoo asked.

"Friend?!" exclaimed Mrs. Jeon. Wonwoo winced as the shrill noise hit his eardrums. "You have a friend?"

"Yes, mum," Wonwoo said.

"It's not Seokmin, is it?" his mother asked suspiciously before a loud noise became clear in the background. "Never mind, sweetie, I can hear Seokmin singing."

"Is it okay?" Wonwoo asked, looking at the expectant Mingyu on the swing next to him out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, sure, sweetie," Wonwoo's mum approved and Wonwoo shot Mingyu a thumbs up, causing the taller to grin and fist pump the air which Wonwoo thought was the most dorky, adorable thing he could ever witness.

"We'll be there in five," Wonwoo ended, pulling the phone from his ear and hanging up.

"So I can come over?" Mingyu checked, to which Wonwoo nodded, earning a satisfied smile. "Thank you so much, I legit owe you my life right now," Mingyu gushed, standing up from the swing and sniffing with his now dry nose.

"It's fine," said Wonwoo, shrugging slightly and shifting his feet on the floor.

"I bet your bedroom's emo as fuck," Mingyu said, as Wonwoo stood up and the two made their way to Wonwoo's house, "like with posters and CDs."

He wasn't wrong there.

"But seriously," said Mingyu, looking at his toes then into Wonwoo's sharp eyes, "thank you so much. You're the first person I've told about my parents."

Wonwoo felt a happy warmth creeping through his veins. The fact that he had been the one Mingyu trusted the most with that information made him feel insanely honoured. Maybe his Lucky Charm title would renew itself.

"Let's go," said Wonwoo, looking down and leading the way to his house, Mingyu following by his side.

He could only hope his mum didn't embarrass him in front of his actual favourite human being.