Work Text:
Mingi was pissed. It was heavily raining, he didn't have an umbrella nor a thicker jacket than his leather one, he was late for work, and he didn't get to have his morning coffee because he had woken up after his alarm. He was walking fast, avoiding the many people around who were walking as fast as him and bumping into him. Was he invisible or something?
He crossed the street without looking left and right, and with his luck, a car crashed into him.
He fainted from the pain, and when he came up, there were several people around him. He tried to turn his head, and he found out that he could, so he was somehow lucky in his misfortune. But his arm was bended in a weird position, and the pain was unbearable. He probably had a broken bone.
His leg was also hurting, but when he sat down slowly, ignoring the people around him telling him not to move, he moved his thigh and saw that he had a large scratch on the side of his leg that was steadily bleeding. Amazing. In distant thoughts, he considered going to work anyway, but a man crouched down to be at the same eye level as him.
He was so pretty, but he was crying, his eyes welling up with tears, again and again. The rain was washing away his teary eyes, and it took a few seconds for Mingi to realize that the man was talking to him. Mingi shook his upper body, and he seemed to regain a semblance of his hearing.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I already called an ambulance, you're gonna be okay."
Why was he sorry? Then Mingi realized: this man had been the one crashing into him with his car. But he couldn't feel bitter about it, because he had an excuse to miss work and be coddled at the hospital.
He felt faint again, and before he fell into the fatigue settling in his bones and engulfing him, he found out a way to ask the stranger a question: "What's your name? You're so pretty."
In the distance, he heard the man answer: "I'm Yunho."
______
He woke up screaming in pain: someone was prodding his arm and it felt so horrible that he wanted to puke. Someone took a hold of his hand and whispered praise and reassuring words to him:
"It's okay, you're okay, you're doing so good, it's a broken bone but the breakage was clean so you'll heal in no time."
But Mingi only wanted to go back to sleep and forget about his misery. He screwed his eyes shut, and the voice kept on talking softly to him.
"You're gonna get a CT scan to see if there's an internal bleeding or a concussion, they're gonna put a splint on your arm right now."
Mingi thought that he recognized the voice, and he opened his teary eyes to put a face on its owner. He was surprised to see that Yunho had followed him to the hospital, but he was crying so much when Mingi fainted that he must have been deadly worried since then.
"Yunho, it hurts."
"I'm so, so sorry. They found a wallet on you, and I learned that your name is Mingi. I wish we'd met each other in other circumstances."
"I don't want to be alone, stay with me," Mingi whined.
"I'll stay as long as you want me to."
A nurse was already preparing her station to put Mingi's arm in a splint, and she gently took ahold of his arm. He was feeling a bit light-headed, and he wondered if he had been given a painkiller. He turned his head on the side to look at his arm and wasn't surprised to see an IV connected to the crook of his elbow.
"No painkiller yet?" he asked the nurse, who shook her head and mouthed later, working on preparing the splint.
Yunho was still holding his good hand, and he squeezed it when the nurse positioned his arm to put on the splint, but the whole ordeal went rather quickly. After waiting for the longest time, several nurses transferred him to a wheeling chair to get to the CT scan room, but Yunho wasn't allowed to come. Before they left the room, Mingi tried to reassure him:
"I'm not gonna press charges."
He waited another hour to get the results of the CT scan, but they only brought good news: his skull was intact, and he didn't have any internal bleeding. He would need to wait a day or two to be cleared from the hospital, to check if he had any symptoms of a concussion, but otherwise he was okay.
A nurse had taken care of his leg wound, and he had a bandage secured around the side of his thigh, but since it was situated above his knee, he had trouble to move his leg. They went back to the room, and Yunho looked so relieved that it brought a smile on Mingi's face.
"When you said you weren't going to press charges, are you sure about that?" Yunho asked, worrying his lip between his teeth.
"Yeah, I don't care otherwise. Happy to miss work for a few days."
"What do you do for work?"
"I work in a stupid insurance firm. What about you?" Mingi sighed just thinking about it.
"I work in a call center specialized in organizing funerals."
"Charming."
That made Yunho chuckle, and the way he laughed was so cute that Mingi wanted to hear more.
"Is your car totaled? I'm so strong, it could be," Mingi asked, and Yunho laughed again. Mingi couldn't help the slight pinch in his heart.
"There's only a bump, I'm sorry to bring you bad news."
They talked about their lives and got to know each other until visiting time was over. Yunho promised to come back tomorrow, and Mingi made sure to autorize visits from him. He asked for his phone, thinking he should probably warn his boss and his friends of what had happened. He was talking to Seonghwa and Hongjoong everyday, and they would probably be worried about him if they didn't hear anything from him.
His boss called him right away, and, instead of giving words of reassurance, he was fulminating.
"What were you thinking? It was probably your fault. Now we're down one person and the renewal of the yearly insurances is coming up. It couldn't come at a worst time."
"Thank you for being so nice, boss. I'll let you know when I'll be coming back."
Since it was on his way to work, his firm would be the one to pay up the hospital bill, and Mingi was even happier about that. He became disillusioned when he got the evening dinner, because the mashed potato had a weird neon green color, and the egg was so overly cooked that even the white was hard to cut with the plastic cutlery he was given.
Nurses came and went in his room, and he was at least glad that he was alone, but there was another bed waiting to be occupied. And what he feared became true: a new hospitalized person came in the room. The man looked like he had taken a serious beating, and Mingi looked so weirded out that the stranger smiled at him and explained: "It comes from a boxing session, and I got knocked out pretty badly."
"What's your name?"
"Yeosang. And you?"
"My name is Mingi. Nice to meet you."
Yeosang was also waiting for a CT scan, and even at this late hour, the machines were still operating; there was no rest in urgent care. He went there and he didn't have a broken skull, as was Mingi's, and they bonded over their luck. A nurse came in the room to dab at his multiple face injuries, and she closed the door quietly behind her. Mingi and Yeosang stopped talking after a while, no doubt exhausted by each of their day.
______
"Yeosang? What are you doing here?"
Yunho looked stunned, and Mingi stifled a laugh at Yeosang's innocent-looking face. "I fought against San during our nightly training. Don't worry, though."
"Of course I worry! You look so…"
"Ugly?" Yeosanh supplied.
"No, it just looks painful."
Mingi just had to ask. "How do you two know each other?". Yunho turned toward him, and, with a sheepish smile, answered: "We are roommates."
"And who's San?" Mingi was probably nosy, but he was so entertained by the conversation that he didn't really care.
"One of our best friends. Yeosang and him usually train together. How is he? I don't think that you'd let him hit you without responding the same way."
"Oh, he's in another room. I broke his nose."
"Oh my god."
Yunho pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. Yeosang smiled at Mingi, obviously proud of himself, and Mingi cackled loudly. Yunho looked at him, dumbfounded.
"Are you the only one of your friends' group who's not at the hospital?" Mingi said between bursts of laughing.
"I guess so… I'm… I know that hospital food is the worst, so I brought you some chocolate chip muffins."
"What about me?" Yeosang piped up.
"I can share with Yeosang, I don't mind." Mingi didn't want to be a bother.
"What about San?" Yeosang asked.
"I'll get him something from the vending machine and I'll bring some more tomorrow." Yunho smiled, and divided the muffins on each of their hospital trays.
Mingi wondered why Yunho was at the hospital so early, didn't he have a job? So he asked him, and Yunho answered that he had taken his afternoon off to put his car to the garage for repairs. Yeosang was eating the muffins quietly, his cheeks full of food, and he looked like a cute puppy. But Yunho looked even more like a puppy, with his sad and worried eyes.
Mingi wanted to reassure him, that he was on strong painkillers so he couldn't really feel the pain anymore, and also his arm was secured in the splint, but Yunho seemed so dejected that Mingi didn't know what to say to make him feel better. After a few hours of talking and laughing, Yunho left, and Yeosang gave a pointed look to Mingi.
"The way you look at him... You fancy him," he sang like a child bully.
"What? No! I mean, I find him pretty, but his car crashed into me, isn't that a weird way to meet someone?"
"Fate doesn't wait," Yeosang answered with a nod, his face serious and wise.
Mingi had to laugh again, partly because Yeosang was funny, and another part because he was embarrassed. He felt awkward, because he already liked Yunho a lot, and his care and worry for him were so lovely that Mingi's heart was melting.
"I can teach you the way to his heart," Yeosang added with a mischevous look.
"I'm sat."
_______
Seonghwa and Hongjoong came to see him the next day, and Seonghwa kept on holding his hand and fluffing Mingi's pillow in turn, while Hongjoong was seating beside him quietly.
"Are you okay? Do you want water? A juice, maybe? What can I do for you, Min?"
"I want you to stop fretting over me, I'm really okay."
"But I got so worried! And Hongjoong too."
"I bet your boss was really happy about you missing work," Hongjoong said after a beat.
"Don't talk to me about this asshole."
Hongjoong cackled, and even Seonghwa had the hint of a smile on his face. They also talked with Yeosang, and they seemed like worried parents taking care of their sick children. It was cute and endearing, so much that Yeosang, seemingly not used to Seonghwa's endless love and beauty, was slightly flushed.
"I'm so glad you made friends, it's easier to go through pain with someone else."
"Yeosang is really nice, aren't you, Sangie?"
"That I am."
When Yunho entered the room, Seonghwa's expression turned cold and hard. He took a few strides in Yunho's direction, and jabbed his chest with an accusatory finger.
"You are the one responsible for my baby's hurting."
"Seonghwa, for the last time, I am not your baby."
"Yes, you are. And you, you're gonna pay."
Yunho looked scared of Seonghwa, but the problem was that Seonghwa could be terrifying, and Hongjoong was the same, silent but throwing daggers at Yunho with his eyes.
"I don't resent Yunho, it's really okay."
"But Min, he hurt you," Seonghwa answered, looking dejected, deflating a bit.
"And my boss was right, I did this to myself. I crossed the street when the traffic light was red, so it's my fault, really. Please don't be mad at Yunho."
"Alright, if you say so…"
Seonghwa stopped stabbing Yunho's chest, and he went back to sit on Mingi's bed. Hongjoong had also mellowed out, and Yunho sighed from relief. He sat down next to Yeosang, who had been pretty quiet during the ordeal, looking like he had enjoyed the show. Yunho took his leave after an hour, saying that he wanted to visit San.
Someone else entered the room, and Yeosang let out a little gasp that went unnoticed by everyone but Mingi. The newcomer seemed to be a nurse and he was fairly young. He was wheeling a cart inside the room, and smiled at Yeosang who was furiously blushing.
"Hi, mister Kang, I'm here to clean up your injuries."
Yeosang's words were unintelligible, coming out garbled from his mouth.
"You look really red, do you have a fever?"
"No, I'm. Just. Yeah. What's your name?"
"I'm Jongho," the nurse smiled, and got gauze and a bottle of disinfectant out of his cart.
He bended and started to dab at his wounds, all the while Yeosang looked like he was going to explode. Mingi understood why, Jongho was really cute. Looking at Yeosang's reaction, it looked like Jongho was an angel descending upon earth. He wondered what were the odds of being in the same room as another queer person.
When Jongho left, Yeosang seemed to regain his composure, but the redness going from his forehead to his neck took its sweet time to finally subside.
"Was it love at first sight?" Mingi asked Yeosang, a wide smile on his face.
"Listen."
"I am listening."
"It's not worse than your crush on Yunho!"
"What do you mean, 'crush on Yunho'? Oh Min, don't tell me…" Seonghwa sighed, while Hongjoong was shaking his head.
"You're incorrigible," Hongjoong added.
Seonghwa and Hongjoong had dinner at Hongjoong's in laws, so they left soon after. It was the weekend, and he felt grateful that they took time from their busy lives to come and visit him.
What seemed like a loud tornado entered the room, crashing into Yeosang at the speed of light. The newcomer kissed Yeosang's face all over, while the other man was yelling for help.
"Youngie, you're hurting me! Can't you see my beautiful face all beat up?"
"If I can't kiss you, I'll perish."
"Anyway. Mingi, let me introduce you to Wooyoung, my best friend."
"Nice to meet you!" Mingi and Wooyoung said at the same time, before both of them exchanged a bright grin.
"You really did a number on San, he's crying every time a nurse cleans his face."
"An eye for an eye," Yeosang simply answered.
When he said that, a new person entered the room. This one had a plaster on his nose and two black eyes. Mingi guessed that it was the infamous San. San had his lower lip wobbling, and he ran to Yeosang's bed, reaching for him with grabby hands.
"I'm so sorry, Sangie! I didn't mean to knock you out!"
"I didn't mean to break your nose either, I apologize, my Sannie."
Wooyoung was looking at them in turn, and he was smiling. He turned his head to glance at Mingi, who answered with a thumb up. Wooyoung crossed the room to sit down next to Mingi's bed, and he told them about their friendship lore, not forgetting to include details about Yunho that Mingi was obviously interested in. Yeosang had probably told him everything about his crush on Yunho by text, because Wooyoung gushed about his friend like he was the best person in the world.
Jongho came to tell them that visits were over, and even San went back to his room for dinner. Yeosang and Mingi shared a pitiful look when they saw their food tray: the chicken had a weird color, and the vegetables had a foul smell. They forced themselves to eat, Mingi because he needed to get some calories in him, and Yeosang because he didn't want to disappoint Jongho. The nurse complimented them both for their empty trays, and Yeosang blushed a deep red every time the semblance of flattery was coming from Jongho, but he managed to carry a conversation and snatch his number.
After dinner, they put on the TV in their room to watch a crime show, and they fell asleep soon after.
The next day, all of them were discharged from the hospital. Mingi took care of looking left and right before crossing the street to Hongjoong's car, and the three injured people made sure to exchange their numbers. They waved at each other and all of them went on their way.
______
Mingi couldn't stop thinking about Yunho. His beautiful eyes, his cute face, his body that was two thirds leg. When someone knocked on his door, Mingi was midly annoyed to stop his daily daydreaming about Yunho. But when he opened it, his eyes got wide.
Yunho was standing in the hallway, looking embarrassed and awkward.
"What are you doing here?" Mingi asked.
"I just… I thought that it was going to be difficult to cook with your arm in a cast. So I came to help you." Yunho was wringing his hands, flushed, talking so fast that Mingi had trouble understanding him. But when he did it, his whole face lit up.
"That's so nice of you! I've been feeding myself on deliveries for the past few days!"
Mingi was so happy that he was grinning from ear to ear, and told Yunho to make himself at home. Yunho gingerly sat down on the couch, but soon he stood up to follow Mingi in the kitchen, as the injured man had trouble making coffee with only one arm. It became a two-man job, but they were laughing by the end of it.
Mingi sipped on his coffee and let out a noise of contentment: good coffee made all the difference. He didn't even want to think that the next day he would have to go back to work, as his leg wound wasn't painful anymore, and that he had no trouble walking.
Yunho prepared a really delicious dinner, simple but made with care. After dinner, Yunho packed Mingi a lunch for the next day. They sat on the couch, awkwardly stealing glances at each other.
"What you said before you fainted… Is that true?" Yunho asked, his eyes looking down at his feet.
"When I said you're… Pretty, you mean?"
"Yes. It must have been just the spur of the moment, right?"
"It wasn't. I find you really pretty, Yunho."
Yunho blushed a deep red, his hands tense on his knees. Mingi didn't really know what to do, beside taking one of his hands in his, and squeezing it.
"I really like you."
"But I crashed into you, and we barely know each other…"
"Do you like me too?"
"I… I think so."
"Then it's settled. Be my boyfriend, Yunho."
Yunho looked at him with wide puppy eyes, cheeks beetroot red. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but, seemingly not able to say anything, he nodded, and a smile appeared on his adorable face.
Mingi got closer to him and took his face between his hands, and waited until Yunho told him it was okay before he kissed him. It was a simple press of their lips, but it felt so intimate that they both gasped, before snickering behind their hands like they were teenagers discovering love all over again.
______
"Wake up, sleepyhead!"
"Nn, five more minutes…"
Mingi turned in bed, and groaned at the sunlight invading the room. Yunho had opened the curtains and was making happy noises. Mingi sat up and rubbed his eyes, whining at how early it was. Yunho sat down next to him, and gently stroked his back.
"We have to be early, brunch is in one hour!"
But Mingi took hold of Yunho's arm, and forced him to lay down back in bed with him. Yunho tried to sit up again, but Mingi was stronger than him. Mingi nuzzled his neck, and was leaving a trail of kisses on his throat, and he was not letting go. Yunho laughed and he chased Mingi's lips, kissing him deeply, almost too sensually for the early morning.
"Come on, love."
Mingi smiled at him, a wide smile that showed all of his teeth and his gums.
"Call me love again. Better, tell me that you love me or I'll go back to sleep."
"You know I love you, sleepyhead."