stay » hyunghyuk

six

❀

it's almost two weeks until hyungwon finally has the time to make a visit. the night before he does, he sends a text to give minhyuk a quick heads-up, only recieving a short "okay" in response.

when hyungwon pulls into the driveway and exits the car, the house he and minhyuk once shared seems to loom over him, as if wordlessly judging him for his actions. even though he still has the keys, he still knocks on the door out of politeness.

the door slowly opens, and hyungwon sees minhyuk, a bit thinner and seemingly smaller in frame than before, yet with the same smile as radiant as ever (maybe it's just hyungwon, but it doesn't really reach up to his eyes). minhyuk reaches out, and before hyungwon can react, the former's already in his arms.

"hello, wonnie."

"...hey."

minhyuk makes sure to pull away before too long. hyungwon is scared to ask him if he's okay, since he thinks that he very well knows the answer. obviously not.

"you've... lost weight." hyungwon says, after some time. he might as well have said that the sky was blue with how he had just stated the obvious.

"and you haven't." despite the heavy atmosphere, minhyuk still seizes the chance to poke fun at hyungwon's words. he opens the door wider and steps aside. "don't just stand there, come in."

the air inside the house is significantly colder than usual, with a gray-colored feeling to it. hyungwon hadn't really thought so when he was standing outside, but from the interior, he observes that the house is much too big for one person alone. even with all of the furniture, it's still depressingly empty.

"you can go ahead and pack up your things. i didn't touch anything of yours ever since-" minhyuk walks up behind hyungwon, and he stops to cough several times. when he speaks again, his voice is strained. "ever since after you left."

hyungwon simply nods, going upstairs to the shared bedroom to take whatever is left of his belongings (he doesn't expect there to be much, since he had taken away most of his clothes and necessary supplies when he first went to seoul).

the bed meant for two people is nice and tidy, the blankets neatly folded. next to it is a bedside desk, and seeing what's placed on it makes hyungwon's heart sting a little.

a self-taken photo of him and minhyuk, standing together and smiling happily in their graduation uniforms without a care in the world. it was taken a lifetime ago, and it seemed like minhyuk still wasn't ready to put it away.

he puts it back in its rightful place, turning away to check the other side of the room (with eyes that undeniably feel more watery than before).

ten to twenty minutes later, hyungwon's bag is more packed than it was when he arrived, and he heads back down to see minhyuk sitting on the couch-the gentle smile he has on his lips is still able to make hyungwon's heart skip a few beats.

"done already?"

"yeah. there wasn't much left to find." hyungwon is unable to hold minhyuk's gaze.

"ah." minhyuk nods, standing up. "then... are you leaving?"

"i guess i should. it wouldn't do either of us any good if i'm here any longer." hyungwon chuckles dryly. he thinks he hears minhyuk muttering something, but he can't hear it clearly enough.

walking towards the door, the hem of hyungwon's shirt is suddenly grabbed between minhyuk's fingers. he stops in his tracks, his eyes remaining fixed to the floor in front of him.

"wonnie- no. hyungwon. can't you stay by my side for five more days?" minhyuk's voice is barely above a whisper.

"minhyuk, you know i can't." hyungwon turns around, and minhyuk lets go, his hand falling back to his side. "the agency, they wouldn't let me. hoseok wouldn't let me."

"please, hyungwon," minhyuk begs with a shaking voice. "five days. that's all i ask of you."

"even if i did, it wouldn't change anything." hyungwon still isn't able to properly look at minhyuk.

"it doesn't have to change." minhyuk lifts hyungwon's chin up, and he looks into his eyes, smiling weakly. "if you want, then you can act like you still love me. aren't you a professional? so show me just how good you are at acting. put your skills to the test."

hyungwon hesitantly studies minhyuk's pleading expression. sighing, he gives in to his former lover's plea.

"i'll... i'll talk to them about it."

minhyuk's smile widens ever so slightly.

"thank you."

❀

after agreeing to minhyuk's request, hyungwon had made a phone call to his manager, asking for five days off due to an 'emergency' (to which he agreed, if not a bit unwillingly), then sent a brief text to hoseok, telling him the situation at hand-he didn't bother to read the complaints and protests from him.

hyungwon lies down and stares up at the ceiling from the bed of the spare bedroom.

he and minhyuk never used it before; they had slept in the same bed starting from the day they first moved in. but now that their relationship wasn't the same anymore, minhyuk had offered to let him sleep here and lend him his spare clothes (hyungwon didn't bring any from seoul, having not at all expected to stay overnight).

minhyuk walks into the room with a small pile of his clothes, and hyungwon quickly sits upright as the former places it on the bed.

"sorry to interrupt." minhyuk's smile is still present, but he seems to be fatigued.

"it's fine." hyungwon shakes his head lightly. "you should get some rest. you look tired."

"the flower shop's been busy lately, that's all."

"speaking of the flower shop, will you be going for the next few days?"

"no, i've already spoken to hyunwoo about it."

another fit of coughs.

"your cold still hasn't gone away?"

"nope..."

"haven't you went to the doctor yet?"

"i have," minhyuk says in a quiet voice. "they said it was... a particularly strong cold. i just have to take medicine sometimes."

"mm." hyungwon kills off the conversation, and they spend a moment in awkward silence before minhyuk walks out, pausing in the doorway to face him again.

"i guess you should sleep now. do you need me to close the lights?"

"sure." hyungwon reaches for the lamp on the table next to his bed.

"sweet dreams, hyungwon."

"you too."

minhyuk gives him one last lingering glance before turning and walking away, closing the door behind him. hyungwon doesn't lie back down-instead, he takes out his earphones and listens to music, leaning against a pillow that's propped up against the headboard.

right now, the last thing he can do is sleep.