Work Text:
Seungmin blinks hard as he steps out of his lecture, rubbing his face in hopes it'll wake him up somehow. He jumps as he feels a touch to his shoulder but turns to see his friend walking beside him.
"Hey, you alright?" Jisung frowns.
"Yeah..I just didn't sleep well. Minho had a rough night so I stayed up to make sure he was okay." Seungmin yawns, digging his car keys from his pocket.
"I swear you like him more than us."
"Yah…come on. That's not fair. He's been my friend since forever."
Jisung nudges him but jumps forward as Seungmin stumbles. "Oh shit. Dude, you should get to sleep.."
"Planning on it after Minho helps me with my project."
"This guy is starting to make me jealous.."
Seungmin scoffs and rolls his eyes. There's nothing to be jealous about. Minho is Seungmin’s best friend. They've known each other since they were children. Jisung and the others are only friends Seungmin made in college.
"If we don't meet him soon, I'm gonna assume he's fake." Jisung pouts.
"He's very much real, just doesn't like to socialize much. Maybe for my birthday."
"I'll hold you to that."
Jisung gives a loving slap to his arm before sprinting off to catch his next class. Seungmin sighs as he makes his way to the parking garage.
He's so tired. But he doesn't regret staying up with Minho. The boy often has nightmares and panic attacks, trying to hide them from Seungmin as much as possible. But Seungmin refuses to let him suffer alone.
The two have been friends since elementary school and believe they are friend soulmates. Minho deals with a lot mentally after nearly dying in a severe car accident when he was 16.
It's another big reason he doesn't like going out. There's almost no possible way of avoiding cars. They don't live close enough to walk anywhere other than a small convenience store. And even then, Minho never walks there because he'd have to cross traffic.
But that's fine because Seungmin has no problem going anywhere for Minho. Actually, he enjoys running errands for him. Makes him feel wanted.
---
"God fucking finally.." Seungmin slumps against the arm of the couch, static filled eyes glaring at the finished project on the coffee table. "You're the best."
Minho smiles and nods. "Of course."
"Want pizza?"
"Hm, I'm not that hungry. But get something if you are."
Seungmin mirrors Minho’s smile, leaning back. "I swear you must have a crush on me with how much you care."
Minho perks his head up and blinks. "Oh? And so what if I did?"
"I–um..oh. I don't know.."
"Yaah, come on. Why would I have a crush on you?"
Seungmin shrugs. "I'm cute."
"You sure are." Minho smacks his leg before standing. "I'm gonna head to bed. You should go too. You look like death."
Seungmin agrees and doesn't hesitate to drag his feet down the hall, leaving his project scattered on the table. That's for Monday Seungmin to deal with.
He pushes into his room, noticing how sexy his bed looks. After this week, Seungmin is absolutely ready to sleep the weekend away.
It doesn't take long for the lights to be off and his face to be buried in his pillow. But seconds before he's able to slip into blissful dreamland, there's a soft click of the doorknob.
He doesn't need to look or even ask to know what comes next. He shimmies to the wall and waits for the inevitable dip in the mattress. The body laying down beside him and his arm draping across his roommate's waist.
"You're so cold.." Seungmin mumbles before tossing the blanket over Minho’s body.
"The heat is off in my room.." Minho whispers, his voice cracking. "You're warm..."
"I'm here. There's nothing that can hurt you."
"Thanks.."
"Mhm."
His chest presses against Minho's back, feeling the harsh breaths from the boy slowly begin to shallow. Seungmin wishes he could stay awake to comfort Minho more but he's asleep in an instant.
---
Seungmin’s head slams into the table below him, letting a loud thud echo across the dining hall. He quickly sits up and makes eye contact with all of his concerned friends.
Chan leans forward to rub his forehead. "Are you..okay?"
"Yeah. Just didn't get as much sleep as I wanted last night." Seungmin whines at the forming headache. "But Minho was nice enough to stay up with me."
"That's..good..I guess."
"Seriously, dude..are you sure you're okay? You haven't been sleeping much lately." Jisung crosses his arms.
"He's probably sucking Minho’s dick all night." Hyunjin rolls his eyes, receiving a smack to his arm from Felix.
"Shut up. He's just a friend." Seungmin snaps slightly. He's so tired of Hyunjin always insinuating he and Minho are sexual. "And I'm fine. Just school stress."
"Do you wanna hang out at my place tonight? Jeongin’s ordering pizza." Changbin offers but Seungmin simply shakes his head.
"I promised Minho we'd watch a movie." Seungmin checks his phone before standing. "Chaaaaan…walk with me to class."
Chan sighs, pushing away from the table and slinging his bag over his shoulder. The others wave goodbye to them and they make their way out of the building.
Seungmin’s steps are slow and he's certain Chan is noticing his lethargy. How could he not when he's pretty sure his forehead is bruising?
He huffs at himself and stops walking. Chan slams into his back causing Seungmin to fall and crash into the sidewalk.
"Fucking shit!" Seungmin growls, wiping his scraped palms onto his pants.
"Alright. We can skip one class." Chan plucks him up and practically drags him towards the nearest bench. "Let's talk."
"About what.."
"What's really going on?"
Seungmin lowers his head and folds his arms around his waist. "It's..hard to talk about.." His knee bounces, tears already forming in his eyes as he desperately tries not to fully cry. "Yesterday was..the anniversary of my friend's death.."
"Oh..I'm so sorry.."
He feels Chan rest his hand on his back and the tears flood down his cheeks. "He had the same name as my best friend and every year around this time it gets so hard to be around him because he…reminds me of that Minho and–I feel so guilty.."
"That's not your fault, Seungmin..I can't imagine how hard that must be.." Chan pulls him close. "You know I'm always here for you, yeah? If you need to get away for a bit, Sung and I wouldn't hesitate to let you stay."
"Thanks..but I don't want to be away from Minho for too long. He and I were in a car accident when we were teens uh…actually the same night so it's hard for him too.."
"I understand…I'm so sorry.."
Seungmin sniffles and shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. Fuck wet roads. Cause too many accidents.."
---
"Seungmin! What the hell happened?" Minho grabs Seungmin’s wrists and faces his battered palms up.
"I tripped.." Seungmin blinks. "It's okay."
"Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
Minho drags Seungmin to the bathroom, turning the sink on and holding Seungmin’s hands under the water. Seungmin twitches a smile as Minho digs for ointment and band-aids.
He winces once his hands are taken away from the water and patted dry. His cheeks warm as Minho carefully applies the cream and band-aids to his palms. He smiles wide, Minho glancing up and chuckling.
"What are you smiling about?" Minho asks.
"Thank you for being here.."
Minho places the last bandage and stands up straight. "You need to vent, yes?"
"I swear you're a mind reader."
He follows Minho out to the living room, not hesitating to flop on the couch and hold a throw pillow to his chest. Minho takes his seat beside him.
"What's up?" Minho places his hand on Seungmin’s thigh, sending a warm spark through him.
"Hyunjin made another joke about us.." Seungmin stares at the floor, occasionally glancing at Minho’s hand. "I wonder when I'll snap and tell everyone I'm gay."
"You know it isn't a bad thing to love who you love. But I know something else is bothering you."
Seungmin shakily moves his hand on top of Minho's, slowly lacing their fingers together. He swallows hard and turns to finally meet Minho’s gaze.
His heart pounds hard against his chest as the corner of Minho's lip twitches up in a soft smile. He squeezes his grip, wincing from his wounds and Minho laughs.
"You're so mean.." Seungmin pouts.
Minho leans forward and places his free hand over Seungmin’s cheek. He tilts his head, lips hovering just about Seungmin’s. "If I'm mean then you won't get a kiss."
Seungmin flickers his eyes closed and his body naturally leans him forward. The touch is light but enough to send shocks all through him. Minho’s lips are so soft. He doesn't want to pull away but thankfully Minho understands his body language, pressing deeper against his lips.
They shuffle closer, Seungmin wrapping his arm around Minho’s shoulders. His body trembles and he holds himself back from clawing at Minho. He pulls Minho forward, falling back into the couch. But Minho pushes himself up and stares down at him.
“What?” Seungmin whispers.
“Is this what you want?” Minho asks, brushing the hair from Seungmin’s face. “Or are you just hurting and looking for comfort?”
“Both..” He steals another kiss. "Stop calling me out."
---
Seungmin sits in the library, trying his best to finish his assignment before class. Jisung and Felix lazily typing their own essays across from him.
"Oh my god, this is impossible." Seungmin growls. "I'd ask you guys for help but I think you'd cry from looking at this."
"First off, rude." Jisung points. "And B, Felix took Stats."
“First off, I’m right and B, Felix failed stats.”
“I’m..here, you know?” Felix stares at them.
Jisung nods and pats his head. “You sure are and he’s not lying.”
Felix pouts but grabs Seungmin’s worksheet. “I only failed because I missed the final and my professor was a dick.”
Seungmin takes the paper back and shoves it in his backpack. “I’m just gonna have Minho help me and turn it in late. I’m tired.”
“Oh..W-we’re still coming over for your birthday, right?” Jisung juts his bottom lip out.
“Of course. I’ll text when I wake up.”
He doesn’t allow them to stop him before rushing out of the library. His thoughts are racing. Ever since Minho kissed him, he hasn’t been able to focus on anything else. Which he guesses is nice. It gets his mind off everything else. But he isn’t sure if he’s allowed to ask for more from Minho.
---
“Yah! Minho!” Seungmin steps into the apartment, tossing his bag across the room.
Minho walks from down the hall, yelling at Seungmin for yelling. “What!?”
“Wanna meet my friends tomorrow?”
“I’d love to.” Minho smiles but Seungmin can tell it’s strained. “For your birthday?”
“Yeah. We’re hanging out here so don’t worry.”
Minho nods and gestures for Seungmin to sit on the couch. He does, Minho sitting beside him and instantly curling into his side. Seungmin holds his breath as Minho rests his head on his shoulder.
He twitches but smiles, Minho looking up at him. Minho takes the opportunity to lace their fingers together. Does this mean Minho wants to be more than friends? Can Seungmin ask for another kiss, then?
“Minho..?” He releases his breath. “Are we allowed to keep doing this?”
“Only if you’re comfortable. Personally, I think your crush saying yes to you is the best birthday present."
Seungmin snorts. "Yeah..that's gonna be hard to beat–wait what?"
Minho sits up and tilts his head like a confused kitten. "I'm your crush, right? It's been obvious for a while, Minnie."
"I said stop calling me out!"
He groans as Minho collides back into his body, arms wrapping tightly around his waist. His heart flutters at the warmth.
Maybe..this is what they needed..Maybe this is what helps them heal from all their past wounds.
"Can I sleep in your room again tonight?" Minho quietly asks, face half buried in Seungmin’s shirt.
"Only if I get to kiss you again.." He really wants that.
"Deal."
---
[Minnie - 2:04pm]: im finally awake
[Chan hyung - 2:06pm]: good god??
[~Hyunjin~ - 2:10pm]: from your coma or what??
[Sungie - 2:10pm]: YAY!!! BIRTHDAY BOY IS ALIVE!!
[Felix - 2:13pm]: omg stop shouting
[Changbin - 2:13pm]: maybe this mean jeongin will wake up soon
[Innie - 2:15pm]: Doubtful
---
Seungmin stands to answer the knock on the door, stretching as he walks. His friends crowd around in the hall. Felix and Hyunjin toss confetti at him before they all force their way inside.
"I'm not cleaning that up.." Seungmin grumbles.
"So. Where is this amazing Minho guy?" Jisung asks, staring around the apartment.
Seungmin furrows his brows and points over at the couch. "He's..literally right here."
The group all look to the spot, then to each other. Jisung and Hyunjin let out uncomfortable hums. Seungmin questions the way they're acting.
"Seungmin..are you okay?" Jeongin asks, stepping back a little. "There's no one there."
"Haha funny joke." He turns to Minho who is frowning at the group. "I'm sorry..they aren't usually assholes to strangers."
"Uh..Minnie..we're serious. No one's sitting there." Jisung glances.
"Dude, stop. For real."
"I knew he wasn't real.." Hyunjin scoffs before crossing his arms. "You made him sound so perfect. You could have just said you didn't want to hang out anymore instead of creating a fake friend."
Minho grimaces at his words before slowly pushing to his feet and storming down the hallway.
"Are you fucking serious?" Seungmin yells. "He already has issues socializing and your stupid joke ran him off. Are you fucking happy?"
"Seungmin. We're not lying! Have you lost your mind?" Hyunjin snaps back.
"Get the fuck out. If this is how you're going to treat Minho for no goddamn reason other than petty jealousy, then I don't want to be anywhere near you."
"But–" Felix pouts.
"Go! You don't fucking care what he and I have been through and you know I already hate stupid jokes like that. It's pathetic."
He begins to shove them out the door but Chan refuses to move from his spot. Seungmin screams at him. But again, he doesn't budge.
Through his anger, he slams the door and storms over to Chan–ready to force him. But Chan grabs him, wrapping his arms around him to pin him in place.
"There's only one Minho..isn't there?" Chan whispers, Seungmin hearing the pain in his voice.
"Don't–" Seungmin buries into Chan's shoulder, tears instantly staining his shirt. "He's real."
"Seungmin..please, you're worrying me."
"Seungmin!"
Chan freezes at the voice calling from down the hall. He doesn't recognize it as any of his friends.
"Hold on!" Seungmin shouts back before pushing away from Chan. "Fuck you.."
"Seung, wait." Chan grabs his wrist before he can slip away. "W-who was that?"
"Are you serious? It's Minho. The person who you think I'm fucking hallucinating." He pauses before slowly looking up at Chan–whose face has paled. "He's..real.."
"Bring him back out here…please.."
Seungmin rips his wrist free and rushes to a room down the hall. He opens the door to see Minho sitting on the bed, cheeks damp from recent tears.
"I'm sorry.." Seungmin rushes over and pulls him into a hug. "I don't know what that was about. They've never done that before."
"It's okay..I just..are they still here?" Minho sniffles.
"Just one of them. Chan…He wants to properly meet you..and he's probably the second sweetest person I know."
"If I'm not number one, I'm punching you."
Seungmin smiles which cracks one from Minho as well. Minho hesitantly agrees to properly meet Chan, allowing Seungmin to hold his hand on the way to the living room.
-
Chan stands, waiting patiently for Seungmin to return. He feels guilty that he half expects his friend to come back alone. But there's no way he can explain the voice he heard.
Unless it was in his head. Which..he wouldn't be too shocked about. He's been dealing with voices and shadows torturing him for years. And he needs to see this Minho person to confirm if Seungmin is possibly dealing with the same thing as him.
He hears the distant sound of a door opening and holds his breath. There are footsteps filling the hall, confirming movement. He prepares himself to break Seungmin’s false reality.
But his cheeks numb at the two figures emerging from around the corner. He stares, heart pounding.
Seungmin carefully introduces them. "Minho, this is Chan..Chan, this is Minho."
"You look familiar." Chan mumbles.
Minho snarls slightly, stepping forward. "I'd sure hope so." He takes another step but Chan stumbles back. "We've only met once before but your face is sure burned into my memory."
"I-I'm sorry. It wasn't my–"
"You should really pay more attention to the road when it's raining. You could easily kill someone."