Status: Closed
This round has closed. It remains open for fills, comments and remixes, but prompts are no longer accepted.
About
"Someone will remember us, I say, even in another time."
"How inconvenient to be made of desire."
"It's me, hi, I'm the problem its me."
Calling all readers, lovers of poetry and music, screen and stage. Quote collecters and lyric hoarders, unleash your archive. For this round, every prompt must contain a quote - you can combine them, add commentary, link to articles, do whatever. Steal from a literary classic, or copy WeVerse drama.
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[FILL] not friends
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: High school AU, Sports AU (volleyball), childhood friends to lovers, pining, A LOT of yearning, first kiss, i have to split this into 2 comments
Permission to remix: Please ask
***
The sound of a bunch of sneakers skating through the linoleum fills Mingyuâs ears while he prepares to jump. He doesnât really see the ball when it flies through him and goes straight to Jihoon, but the flush of movement around him is familiar enough to tell him to get ready.
When Mingyu finally sees the ball, itâs already hitting the other side of the court, barely registering the impact on his hand after he spikes.
He canât help the grin that tugs at the corners of his lips when he hears clapping coming from just the side of the court. Mingyu doesnât need to look to know the coachâs assistant is there, watching their training intently and taking notes to hand over to Wonwoo, later. He doesnât need to look to know Minghao is clapping just for him.
Thereâs no time to dwell on it or steal glances at him, though. The match resumes not even a second later, the ball hitting his arms when he jumps again but, this time, to block.
âYou have no business being this tall, for fuckâs sake!â Seungkwan groans from the other side of the net. This makes Mingyu laugh for real, but he controls the urge to tease Seungkwan: heâs not supposed to show his foul, petty side to Minghao, or he will never like him back.
âJump higher,â he shrugs, stepping back. Mingyu uses the hem of his varsity vest to dry the sweat drenching his forehead, almost misses the ball when Wonwoo sets it for him again.
He almost starts complaining, but Wonwoo isnât even looking at him as he positions himself in the serve zone.
It would be nice if Mingyu could say heâs paying attention at the match and learning new things. It would be nice if he could say heâs the best vice captain ever, but the truth is that his head is still stuck at the side of the court, right where the coachâs assistant is still taking notes.
If Mingyu wasnât so obsessed with him, maybe he could be the great player he knows he can be, if he wants to.
The training passes fleetingly through him, every bounce of the ball against the floor echoing like a single word in his mind: Minghao, Minghao, Minghao.
When Minghao actually speaks, astonishment fills his head with cotton.
âItâs enough for today,â Minghao is saying, âgood job everyone!â
Before he can move, can even think of moving, Wonwoo is already crossing the court in long strides to talk to Minghao.
Fine.
Mingyu knows this is his job, and that Wonwoo simply isnât the type of gush over teammates, but still. He watches them two as they speak for a couple of minutes until realizing itâs not ending so soon, then decides to stop making a fool of himself for no reason at all and heads straight to the locker room.
Heaven knows how much he needs a shower, and itâll actually be better if heâs clean when he gets to talk to Minghao.
To be honest, Mingyu isnât sure when this⌠thing started, but maybe itâs always been there. Minghao has been his favorite person in the world since they first met, eleven years ago, but itâs hard to pinpoint the exact moment when it stopped being wow heâs so cool and started being wow heâs so pretty. Not that Minghao isnât cool anymore, itâs just⌠Mingyuâs brain focus on what it wants to and, lately, itâs been how soft Minghaoâs lips look.
He canât help but agree heâs pathetic.
Even Soonyoung says so whenever they hang out together, and itâs so fucking humiliating to be called out like this by someone who spends all of his waking moments fawning over Jeon Wonwoo, of all people.
Mingyu is so pathetic it deserves its own category, completely detached from what everyone else understands as its meaning.
He lets the tepid water wash the sweat and his dignity down the drain, rubbing one hand firmly against his face as he tries to come up with an excuse decent enough to convince Minghao to spend time with him.
It used to be easier when they were younger, when they were a lot less busy and their bodies were smaller, easier to fit against each other without making everything weird.
Unfortunately, Mingyu is still thinking too hard when he cuts the water off and rubs his face on his towel. He changes to his normal clothes on automatic mode, all giddy before even stepping into the same space as Minghao.
God, heâs pathetic.
When he comes back, Wonwoo is already long gone. Minghao sits alone on the benches, going through his knapsack in search of something.
âOh, Mingyu-yah.â
There is this thing about Minghaoâs smile. It spreads slowly through his face, like the sun rising on the horizon and lighting up his eyes as his whole face warms up. It does dangerous things to Mingyuâs heart.
âI was waiting for you, letâs go. Mom said she would make sweet and sour pork for you.â
âSheâs so much nicer than you,â Mingyu playfully bumps his shoulder against Minghaoâs, just a silly pretext to touch him.
âKeep talking and I wonât invite you over ever again,â Minghao huffs.
âYou hate me,â Mingyu grumbles, watching as Minghao gets up. He doesnât know exactly when it happened, but it still hit him right in the face whenever he looks at Minghao.
He isnât sure when Minghao lost almost all of his baby fat and became so sharp, but Mingyu canât help but feel diseased just by looking at his jaw. Mingyu wonders if heâs changed, too, or if his already too-long limbs just became all the lankier.
There was a time when they were the same height, too, but now Mingyu towers a whole head above Minghao. He doesnât like it.
âAre you coming or not?â Minghaoâs voice snaps him out of his thoughts. Mingyu nods and trails behind him like a puppy, wondering when will Minghao realize.
âDo you think my spikes improved?â Mingyu prompts, raising his head from the Math homework Minghao is forcing him to do.
âWeâre on study time,â Minghao deadpans, not even raising his eyes from his own notebook. âWhen weâre on volleyball time, we can talk about that.â
âMyunghooooo,â he whines, âyou know I wonât concentrate if it stays on my head.â
âAh, nah nah. Donât come with this âMyunghoâ bullshit to me. Weâre studying.â
Truth be told, Mingyu wasnât able to focus on a single calculation since they sat down to study. He tried, but his traitor eyes kept straying to steal glances at Minghao, his brows furrowed and covered by the glasses he definitely doesnât need to use, but claims they help him to concentrate.
Itâs not his fault if Minghao is so damn cute, but heâs not that sure if the teachers would accept this as a reason not to flunk him in all subjects. He thought about starting to study alone, or at least with someone else, but the mental image of the hurt on Minghaoâs face if he ditched him stopped him in his tracks.
And heâs going to flunk whether he likes it or not.
âSo tell me,â he pouts.
âYouâre doing good,â Minghao sighs and looks at him. âYouâve got a lot stronger lately.â
âYeah?â A tentative smile pulls the corner of his lips upwards.
âYeah, now focus,â Minghao hits his forehead with an eraser.
âYouâre so mean to me,â Mingyu scowls, but does his best to comply.
His focus lasts for about eight minutes until his mind strays again. Minghao has no business being this pretty.
Mingyu tries to suppress a groan and fix his eyes on the notebook. Fantasizing about getting closer to Minghao wonât take him or his grades anywhere.
It doesnât matter that much if heâs staring or not, as his mind has already a giant repertoire of Minghaoâs facial expressions, textures, and scent. Even the softness of his lips isnât foreign to him, as heâs been kissed on the forehead and on the cheeks plenty.
Itâll drive him crazy.
Mingyuâs brain only enjoys working on bad things at the most inconvenient times, it seems. He can fantasize about their first kiss â his first kiss altogether â when heâs alone, tucked on his bed, but the worms he has for brain cells find it funnier when Minghao is sitting right by him.
He knows Minghao already kissed before, some senior when they were still freshmen, and it hurt. Maybe it was around that time Mingyu realized he didnât like Minghao the same way he likes any other of his friends. It was around that time he noticed how handsome Minghao was, even with those yaoi hands and fucked up haircut.
He tried to convince himself he was just overthinking, was just jealous because Minghao could pull someone and he couldnât but, deep down, he always knew it was a lie.
âAh, Iâm done for today,â Minghao yawns, stretching his thin arms above his head. âHave you finished yet?â
âNo,â thereâs no point in lying to him. âCanât focus.â
âTake a pause to rest, then,â Minghao says, but heâs already taking over Mingyuâs bed. He tries not to stare that much when his shirt rolls up and reveals his soft belly.
Mingyu follows him, folding his body around Minghaoâs and just praying he wonât be able to feel his heartbeat.
This is normal for them, though, Minghao doesnât bat an eye before going through his phone to find some music video heâs been meaning to show Mingyu for a while but always ended up forgetting.
âWe can talk about volleyball now, if you want,â Minghao offers, one arm coming around Mingyuâs shoulders and pulling him close.
âOh, okay. Tell me what you keep writing so much.â
âJust some ideas to improve the newbiesâ game. You got a lot better since last year, I donât have anything to complain about.â
âHmmm, but it must have something I can improve,â Mingyu squeezes more against him, taking so much comfort in the closeness he doesnât even know why he was freaking out about it just now.
âThereâs always space to evolution,â Minghao shrugs, âbut you can always find your way to it without stressing too much.â
âYou know I get antsy when the tournaments are around,â Mingyu says sheepishly.
âSorry.â
âItâs fine, donât worry,â Minghao presses a kiss against his hair. Mingyu is sure he can see electrical sparks flying off his head. âBut, thinking of it now, I guess you could put a bit more force on your serves.â
He needs a moment to process what heâs just heard, stupid brain focused on the pressure thatâs already gone.
âOkay, Iâll try it tomorrow. Then you tell me how it goes.â
Minghao hums in lieu of a response, carding his fingers through Mingyuâs hair.
âWe should go to the movies, tomorrow. Just us.â
âOh,â Mingyu grins, âof course. We can have a sleepover if you want to.â
âI do, but gotta ask mom. Iâll tell you later, okay?â
âYeah,â Mingyu smiles, such a dumb little thing all over the moon for the prospect of spending alone time with Minghao, as if they werenât best friends and did this all the time.
âBut hyung, I just like him so much,â Mingyu cries out, face smashed against the dinerâs table. The milkshake cup presses cold against his face, a relief after the intense training.
The first matches of the tournament passed without a single flinch, but the team is very much aware that the level of their competitors will only increase as they advance. Having additional training on the weekends wasnât that much of a hassle, also. If much, they were just an excuse to spend even more time around Minghao.
âYeah, we know,â Soonyoung rolls his eyes but pats Mingyuâs head nonetheless. âYou should just tell him.â
âAnd ruin everything?â Mingyu raises his head just to scoff at Soonyoung. He can be pretty dumb at times. âWhy donât you tell things to Wonwoo hyung, then?â
âItâs different,â Soonyoung deadpans. âIâm not crying and begging for help, am I?â
âYouâre so mean,â Mingyu sniffs. âSeungkwan-ah agrees with me.â
âI havenât said shit,â Seungkwan interjects. âMinghao-hyung must know about your feelings already, youâre so obvious. Spend the whole time giving him the bedroom eyes and shit.â
âI donât do that! My feelings and intentions are only pure!â
âStop shouting,â Jihoon interjects. âBoth of them are right, though, Minghaoâs dense as a brick.â
It only makes him feel even more miserable.
âItâs not like that,â he mutters, âI like him since always and we grew up together, he probably thinks this is my personality.â
âThen talk to him, we canât stand you anymore,â Seungkwan says.
âBut what if I ruin our friendship? You know I canât function without him,â Mingyu stuffs the paper straw back into his mouth, slurping his milkshake at a speed that would make Minghao slap him.
âYou donât want to be friends with him anyway, I donât see whatâs the big deal,â Soonyoung shrugs. âStop looking at me like that, youâre currently whining about how much you want to date him. This isnât buddies activity, as far as I know.â
âWe can tell him on your behalf, if it helps,â Seungkwan offers.
âThen heâll think Iâm a coward.â
âWell, you are.â Jihoon points out. âJust ask him out.â
âBut then heâll think itâs just like the normal dates we have all the time.â
âYou two go on dates all the time and youâre convinced you two arenât dating, already?â
âI go on dates with you all the time and we arenât together, either!â Mingyu interjects.
âThis isnât a date, weâre hanging out,â Soonyoung says. âI would never go on a date with you.â
âIâll tell Wonwoo-hyung youâre disgusting and that you stink.â
âStop sabotaging me just because your love life sucks,â Soonyoung huffs, âand also. If you two are best friends, you should be able to talk about everything, no?â
âYouâre so stupid,â Mingyu declares. âIâm not taking advice from you. Never.â
âGood, âcause I canât stand your whining any longer.â
âAre you done?â Jihoon looks between them. âWe canât force you to take an attitude, Gyu-yah, but as we can see, Minghao is just as dumb as you. If you decide to keep it a secret forever, you canât be mad at him if he starts seeing someone else.â
Ouch.
Re: [FILL] not friends
âIâll talk to him,â he mumbles. âAfter weâre done with the tournament. If he turns me down, Iâll play like shit.â
âWeâre your friends, too,â Jihoon squeezes his hand. âYou can always come to us, no matter what Soonyoung says.â
âHey!â Soonyoung interjects. âYou make it sound like I hate him.â
âWell, you do,â Mingyu rolls his eyes, but he doesnât have the energy to start another bantering session.
Quietly, he finishes his milkshake, Jihoonâs words still reverberating through him.
Jihoon is right. Mingyu needs to figure out a way of letting Minghao know, even if itâs just to be rejected.
Maybe like this, he can finally move on with his life.
A thick layer of sweat tickles Mingyuâs brows, but he doesnât dare lift his arm to dry it and take the risk of losing the ball. The other teamâs server is known for his quickie hands and fucked up serves that always land where he wants them to.
The match dragged on for far too long until the fifth set, and the opposite team is just one point away from the match point. Mingyu canât help but feel uneasy knowing that a single mistake will throw them out of the tournament when his hyungs deserve so badly to win.
He barely sees it when the ball passes through him, but Jihoon manages to catch it last second and put it back into the game. Mingyu prepares when Wonwoo touches the ball, jumps exactly where he needs to be and spikes so hard his whole hand hurts.
This is a perfect move, exactly like they rehearsed during the trainings but, somehow, the ball is coming back to their side of the court after barely crossing the net, too fast for any of them to move accordingly and block it.
It echoes terribly in Mingyuâs ears when it hits the floor.
The silence doesnât last more than a split of a second, the opposing crowd erupting into cheers and screams of pure joy.
The match is over.
They lost.
Mingyu canât even bare to raise his head and look Jihoon, Wonwoo, and Soonyoung in the eye. Heâd promised them they would win their last high school tournament before inevitably moving forward to college, but still.
He knows he should say something, given he soon will be the official teamâs captain, but Mingyu just canât. He barely registers when Wonwoo, then Minghao, then the coach talks to them, the words nothing but a buzz in his head.
His feet carry him away from the court and donât really stop until heâs facing a cramped room full of volleyball gear.
Without a second thought, Mingyu sits down between some damaged nets and rests his forehead on his knees. Heâs never felt so fucking awful.
When Mingyu woke up this morning, he had a three-step plan: first, heâd win them the championship. Second, heâd find a way of being alone with Minghao while everyone else was busy celebrating their victory. Third, he would confess. But everything went to hell still on the first step, and Mingyu canât force himself to just skip straight to the last part when heâs feeling even more pathetic than normal.
Heâs not sure of how much time he spends sitting there, basking in self-pity and sadness until he hears someone calling for his name.
Not someone. Minghao.
Mingyu raises his head, even if he doesnât have any intention of moving from that spot, and stares at the door he left ajar.
âOh, there you are,â relief tints Minghaoâs voice as soon as he sees him. âArenât you coming with us?â
âComing to where?â
Minghao enters the room as he explains, jumping above the mess to get closer to Mingyu.
âWonwoo-hyung is taking us to barbecue, I guess, and after they want to go to a noraebang. Are you crying?â
âNo.â
âI know you are,â Minghao snaps his tongue. âYou were awesome today, stop beating yourself up.â
âWell, we lost.â
âYeah, but it doesnât matter that much. You all still played beautifully, Iâm sure weâre gonna win the next one,â Minghao sits across him, hugging his knees against his chest. âEveryone is impressed with your game, also.â
âStop babying me,â Mingyu mutters, harsher than intended.
âIâm not,â Minghao rolls his eyes. âStop being a sore loser, no one is mad at you. Not our fault if they just were too good, okay?â
âI want to be alone.â
âYouâll have to be alone somewhere else, then, theyâre gonna close the gym in twenty minutes. Thatâs why I was trying to find you.â
âFine,â Mingyu gets up, legs sore both from the game and from the weird position he was in.
Minghao rolls his eyes again and gets up too but, instead of going to the door, he steps closer and involves Mingyu in his arms. âYouâre so annoying.â
âIâm already feeling bad enough, no need to make it worse.â
âYeah, I know. Look at me.â
Mingyu complies because he canât say no to Minghao, anyway. Heâs not sure of what he expected to find on Minghaoâs face, but it certainly isnât something so⌠earnest.
âI wish I could do this at a better moment, but Iâm kinda tired of waiting for you to do something and maybe this can cheer you up,â Minghao tells him, much to his utter confusion.
âWhat are you talking about?â
âYouâre so fucking dense,â Minghao sighs, taking hold of Mingyuâs face with both hands. âYou like me, donât you?â
Panic churns in his guts as soon as his brain is capable of processing what heâs just heard.
âWho told you this?â He croaks weakly. Mingyu wants to slap himself, but heâs completely unable to take this situation and turn it into what it was supposed to be, anyway, unable to even pretend Minghao is wrong.
âYour eyes,â Minghaoâs smile falters slightly. âUnless I understood it all wrong. If so, please pretend I never said anything.â
This is his chance.
âYou didnât,â Mingyu says in one go, preparing for the impact. âI⌠Iâve been wanting to tell you. Iâm so in love with you, Hao-yah.â
And, God, the way that smile spreads on Minghaoâs face might actually be the death of him.
âGood,â he says quietly, a thumb brushing over Mingyuâs lower lip.
Mingyu needs all of his willpower to stay still, to not run away and hide from him. He guesses now he understands what Seungkwan meant by âbedroom eyesâ, and he wants to kiss Minghao so badly, but heâs not sure he can do it, now that itâs actually possible to happen.
âWait,â he says, âthis is all you have to say?â
âI think so,â Minghaoâs smile grows bigger as he chuckles a little. âI wouldnât have brought up the subject if I didnât feel the same way, stupid.â
âLife would be so nicer if you stopped mistreating me,â Mingyu mutters. He doesnât need to look to know heâs totally shaking.
Minghao lets out a full laughter, this time, eyes still locked with Mingyuâs, and warm hands still on his face. âWell. Can I?â
Mingyu nods without even realizing it.
Minghaoâs hand slides behind his neck and pulls him down, finishing the distance between them. As expected, his lips are soft and warm, nothing like Mingyuâs chapped ones, and, oh god, Minghao wonât like him anymore if the kiss feels terrible to him.
Regardless, Mingyu finds out quickly that itâs very hard to concentrate on his thoughts and be kissed by Minghao at the same time. His lips are insistent against Mingyuâs, and heâs so sure heâs having an extracorporeal experience when Minghao licks into his mouth that he doesnât even try to think about whatâs happening right now.
He forgets about the match, about where they are, and, hell, he even forgets what was making him so scared of confessing, in the first place.
Mingyu might not know that much about kissing, but he sure as hell knows it feels good, and like Minghao was being serious about being in love with him, too. He might just start crying again.
He follows Minghaoâs lead, struggling to breathe and kiss at the same time, but heâd choose the kiss over oxygen if he needed to make a choice. Minghao doesnât seem to care about how he clearly doesnât know what heâs doing, or how hard he clings onto his shoulders. In fact, if Mingyu tries to pay attention, he can feel the phantom of a smile against his own lips.
âYouâre cute,â Minghao says after breaking the kiss with a peck, âbut we need to get out of here or weâll be locked in here.â
He laughs when Mingyu says nothing in response, just keeps staring at him, wide-eyed and starstruck at the sight of him.
It takes him a couple more chaste kisses to get Mingyu moving but when he notices their hands are still clasped together as Minghao pulls him to the exit, he goes all wobbly again.
It is with terror Mingyu realizes heâs still dirt, and that he didnât even gather his things before leaving, but he relaxes with relief when he sees his knapsack hanging off Soonyoungâs shoulders. At least one thing.
âCan we go now or do you need to star another romance movie before allowing us to eat?â Seungkwan yawns.
Mingyu kicks his shin, face growing tomato red as Minghao just giggles as he always does.
Minghao holds his hand tighter and kisses his knuckles briefly before turning to their hyungs to figure out where theyâre going to eat.
Truth be told, Mingyu doesnât want to eat or hang out with anyone else but Minghao. He wants to kiss him again, hold him close and ask what they are. He wants to do all the things he missed out on in the past years, but in the end, Soonyoung was right.
He doesnât want to be friends with Minghao, and he hopes so bad he doesnât want to be friends, too.