_

a week passed by and mingi started to forget about youngjo. he had almost convinced himself he had been mistaken.

and then before he knew it, another week had passed and he had barely thought about it all. he was beginning to really fit in with yunho's life and felt like he was starting to become a permanent fixture in it, and this made him very happy.

he was starting to feel more at home in yunho's house and had begun to sleep through the entire night for the first time in so long. the other night when mingi had been tossing and turning for some reason, yunho had even reached out and wrapped his arm round the younger boy as they slept.

mingi felt happy, for the first time in so long. there was just one problem: the more he got to know yunho, the more yunho cared and looked out for him, the more he completely fell for him.

what had started out as simply thinking he was a (very) attractive guy, turned more and more into an actual crush.

no. it was more than that. mingi liked everything about the older boy. he liked it all a lot. and as another week passed by, and then another, he felt like he wanted more than just an arm around him in bed. he wanted to be more than friends.

but yunho was straight, or as far as he knew. sometimes, there were little glimmers of hope in the way he held him at night or the way he smiled at him. but in reality, mingi had no idea if the other boy felt anything close to the same.

"mingi, I need you to do me a favour" yunho said as he forced his phone into mingi's hands.

it was a beautiful summer day and the shop had been pretty quiet all afternoon, so yunho decided it would be a perfect opportunity to get a picture for eden's instagram page.

"I need you to get a really nice, kinda natural photo of me. like, you know, not too try hard"

"okay, I'll try, but I'm really not a good photographer" mingi laughed shyly in reply.

"try and get some of the bouquets in, okay?" yunho requested as he awkwardly tried to get in a good position.

"okay, are you ready?" mingi asked.

"wait, hang on" came the reply as yunho continued to bob around trying to find the perfect pose. "argh, I'm so awkward in photos" he finally complained.

"you look great, hyung. honestly"

"okay maybe you should just take it when I least expect it, what do you think?"

but mingi didn't even reply, instead pressing the button down on the screen and getting the shot.

"omg, let me see!"

mingi stared at the photo for a couple of seconds before handing the phone back to the elder. and his mind said one thing: yunho is perfect in every way.

"I look bad" yunho stated flatly.

how can you even say that? you're breathtaking.

"it doesn't even look like you weren't expecting it. it's a really cute shot, hyung"

"are you sure? I'm kinda embarrassed"

and then without thinking, mingi said what he truly felt; "I'm sure, you're beautiful"

"what?" yunho questioned quizzically.

"I mean, you're really attractive, yunho. you have the best smile and that shirt you're wearing looks so good on you and-"

"stop!" yunho begged, "I can't take compliments" he explained as a little colour began to rise in his face.

"let me have another look?" mingi asked as he made his way over to yunho's side. he craned his head over the other boy to take in the cute photo in all its beauty.

"yep, it's perfect" he chimed. but as he finished speaking and looked up for yunho's reaction, he realised their faces were but inches apart.

it happened so quickly - neither male had any time to think better of their actions. seconds after they made eye contact, the two boys pressed their lips together for a short moment, but to them it seemed to last forever.

to his surprise, mingi pulled away first, too nervous to see how yunho would react to continue any longer.

"that was weird" the older boy stated.

"yeah... it was" mingi agreed unsurely.

"I don't know how that happened", yunho spoke with the look of a boy who was questioning all of his life choices.

"it was a mistake" mingi quickly tried to explain it away, feeling embarrassed and like he probably just ruined his whole friendship with yunho. this boy he cared so much about.

"...was it?" yunho asked surprised.

"wasn't it?!" mingi replied, even more surprised.

he watched as the elder pondered everything silently for a few seconds. it seemed like the longest few seconds of his life so far.

"I don't think so" yunho finally said.

"well... we can try it again if you want to make sure" mingi offered. yunho looked unsure at first but finally nodded in agreement.

and so mingi neared the other until his soft lips brushed his own again, and engaged in another slow and longing kiss.

yunho was the one to pull away this time and, to mingi's relief, when he did, a shy smile replaced mingi's lips on his mouth.

"I've never kissed a guy while sober before" yunho mused.

"it must be strange for you"

"it was" he agreed. "but good strange"

mingi let a huge beam take over his features as he confirmed; "so, not a mistake?"

"not a mistake" yunho smiled.

_

mingi watched yunho walking away trying to subdue the smile on his face. but the truth was, it couldn't have been a happier moment for either boy.

mingi made yunho happy. he didn't even care that he hadn't been with a guy before anymore. mingi was worth a hundred of every girl he had ever dated. they always used him for something - took his kindness for granted. but mingi never did; mingi appreciated him and cared for him and he wanted to kiss him more and more.

but he needed to contain himself, so he went to make a coffee.

"ah shit, we're out of milk" he yelled out to where mingi went back to displaying a new bouquet.

"do you want me to to get some?" mingi called back. fuck, he'd basically do anything for yunho right now.

"no, no. don't worry, I'll go. you'll be okay watching the shop right?"

"yeah, of course" mingi replied with a feigned smile. it wasn't the shop he was worried about, he just about knew how to do everything now. but this would be the first time he would be alone, without yunho. it was only going to be a couple of minutes - 10 tops - but the thought for some reason filled the red-headed boy with dread.

"okay, I won't be long!" yunho smiled as he picked up his wallet and exited the shop.

mingi watched him leave, a smile still tugging at his own lips as he replayed the kiss over and over again in his head.

he thought about all the things this could mean. he couldn't deny that he felt something very strong for yunho; the old him would have already tried to claim him as his own. he was totally whipped. he hoped yunho felt the same way but he was prepared to approach the situation cautiously - the last thing he wanted to do was to lose the friendship he had with his hyung.

he finished arranging the display, taking a step back and admiring his work at the end. the shop meant an awful lot to yunho and so he wanted to do the best job possible in every aspect. if it meant a lot to yunho, it meant a lot to him.

content with his work and feeling excited to show yunho when he returned, mingi went to stand behind the counter to wait for him.

he was checking out orders on the computer when he heard the door bell chime signalling that someone had pushed open the door. but when he looked up, it wasn't the welcoming face he expected.

"hello, mingi. what the hell are you doing sucking someone's face in here? shouldn't you go back to your spot on the sidewalk?" the male taunted.

how?

how could he possibly have found him?

maybe he was dreaming.

but surely this was a nightmare.

youngjo.

_