Wooseok is woken up by his phone ringing, so loud he thinks for a moment that its right next to his ear and reaches for it only to find it's not there. Groaning he pats around him on the bed and then his jeans where he finally feels it vibrate inside his pocket.
Without opening his eyes he picks up the call. "Hello?" Wooseok rasps out, his throat so dry it hurts.
"Wooseok~ Hey! There's this new chicken place that opened up in Busan and I think you'll love it! Do you want to go?" Jungmoo's voice sounds louder than usual so Wooseok with a grimace moves his phone away from his ear, still being able to listen to him speak.
The simple idea of food makes his stomach lurch.
Wooseok moves his phone back closer to his ear so he doesn't have to speak louder than necessary to be heard. "Sorry Mogu, I had too much to drink last night I don't feel like going out." Especially not all the way to Busan.
Jungmoo hums on the other line and stays silent for a few seconds. "Ok, you're hungover I get it, there will be a next time!" Wooseok can't even make himself feel guilty for turning down his dear friend's invitation so he just bids him goodbye and hangs up.
Finally, he opens his eyes, his bedroom dimly lit with the light that is able to enter through his curtains. Seeing the usual messy state of his floor makes him feel even worse for some reason if he followed Jinhyuk's advice of cleaning his room more often he wouldn't feel this bad right?
Jinhyuk.
Wooseok sits up, quicker than he should have and his body instantly makes him regret it. Everything sways, his head was pounding in a way that made him believe his skull was going to crack open and his stomach once again lurches.
He stumbles his way off his bed, out his room, and into the bathroom dropping to his knees in front of the toilet. The nausea that had been crawling up his throat since he was woken up finally wins. His stomach contracts violently as bile and whatever he had left inside forces it way up and out his mouth into the toilet.
When he finally stops after what feels like hours, ending with a couple tears streaming down his cheeks, his throat and stomach hurting, sweat that feels too cold on his forehead, he reaches up for the handle to flush it all down the drain.
Wooseok struggles to stand up, his knees threatening to give out so he holds onto the sink to stay up. He slashes some cold water onto his face and uses some more to attempt to get rid of the taste left in his mouth knowing that if he tries to brush his teeth on his current state he'll end up puking again.
The apartment is silent.
He makes his way back into his bedroom after he fails to find a single pain killer on their medication drawer in the kitchen, trying to come to peace with the idea of willing the pain in his head away.
No matter how much he tries to not think about it, how much he wants to escape the memories that keep playing in front of his eyes, he can't do it. Wooseok pulls his blanket over him ignoring the summer heat, his wish to hide from everything way bigger.
He remembers Jinhyuk's beautiful white flowers on his right hip. He remembers crying at the bar with Seungyeon rubbing his back. He remembers holding onto his friend as if he could take the pain away. He remembers Seungyeon's pained questions, the way his feline eyes looked at him when Wooseok told him he didn't mean his words.
He remembers Seungyeon's lips against his. How desperately yet softly he kissed him as if Wooseok was the single most precious thing in the world and also what he needed the most. He remembers responding, his loneliness getting the best of him and accepting his best friend's touch.
Wooseok remembers the sound of a door opening, the sudden bright light. He remembers trying to see Jinhyuk's expression but he was covered in darkness so he couldn't catch a glimpse yet he reached out for him, not able to finish calling out his name before Jinhyuk cut him off, the only emotion on his voice being annoyance before stepping back into his room and closing the door.
He wishes he had not slapped Seungyeon's hand away, wishes he had not spat out what he said, wishes he had handled it better, he may be in pain but that doesn't excuse him taking it out on Seungyeon, his best friend who had always been there for him.
He fucked up really bad, right?
Suddenly he hears the front door being unlocked, his heartbeat rapidly increasing. Wooseok holds his breath, prays Jinhyuk will not check on him while another part of him hopes he does. He hears his doorknob being turned, he feels sick, he wants to run away he-
"Wooseok~ I brought haejangguk!"
Wooseok sits up, the blanket pooling around him as he stares at Jungmoo who stands by his door with a broad smile on his handsome face, holding up a pair of plastic bags. The younger is wearing a red and green striped polo shirt with a pair of dark blue jeans, his sunglasses hanging from the neckline of his shirt.
He swears he can see a halo shinning on Jungmoo's head.
The younger moves to sit down next to him, gently placing down the bigger bag down on the floor next to his feet before he rummages through the much smaller one taking out a water bottle and a sports drink -of course, Wooseok's favorite brand and flavor- placing them on the bed for Wooseok to pick and then takes out a box of painkillers.
"You're an angel Mogu." Wooseok whispers as his friend open the medicine and hand him the medication, smiling at him with his warm eyes. Wooseok takes the pill and drinks it down with the sports drink, the idea of drinking water not a nice one at the moment.
Jungmoo reaches to brush Wooseok's greasy hair back not showing any disgust at it. "If you don't feel better I can take you to the doctor, I drove here." That explains how quickly he arrived.
Wooseok shakes his head, slowly to not make himself any sicker, reassuring him the food and medicine will be enough. Jungmoo gives him an unsure look before nodding and reaching for the other plastic bag, taking out the container with the soup and a plastic spoon.
Jungmoo ignores Wooseok's words and feeds him the soup, taking the time to blow at each spoonful to cool it down enough to not burn Wooseok. The older barely holds back from crying at his friend being so caring when he's at his lowest he can remember.
When Jungmoo decides Wooseok has eaten enough -they shouldn't push Wooseok's upset stomach- he puts the lid back on and into the plastic bag. Without exchanging any words Wooseok makes room on the bed and Jungmoo crawls into it, wrapping his arms around his smaller frame and hugging him close, his fingers softly brushing through his hair as Wooseok rests his head on top of Jungmoo's chest, his own arms around the younger's waist.
Wooseok's broken heart is soothed if only slightly, Jungmoo's presence has always been a relaxing one in his life since he met the younger on his first year at university seeming lost looking for his building.
"I don't know what happened last night," Jungmoo's calming voice breaks the silence, speaking barely above a whisper, his voice resounding inside his chest under Wooseok's ear. "But you know I'm here for you, right? Be it to listen to whatever you need to say or to take you away from here."
The older smiles for the first time in what feels like ages. He nods against Jungmoo. "Thank you Mogu but just having you here is enough." Jungmoo hums, reminding Wooseok of a purring cat.
Wooseok's eyes become heavy, his breathing evening out and he doesn't fight the pull of sleep, he's too tired to fight it.
~🌸~
When he wakes up again, Jungmoo is still on the bed next to him, using his right hand to browse on his phone -the brightness of his screen lowered- and his left hand massaging Wooseok's scalp.
"What time is it?" He grogs out. Jungmoo places his phone on his chest and reaches for the water bottle on Wooseok's bedside table handing it to him.
Wooseok opens the bottle and drinks a couple big gulps that his body demands and he can't keep ignoring. Jungmoo grabs his phone again to check the time before replying. "4:17pm, how are you feeling?" The concern in his voice is crystal clear and Wooseok gives his friend the second smile in the almost past 24 hours.
"I feel much better, thank you Mogu." Jungmoo waves his thanks off saying it was not a problem. "I really need a shower though," Wooseok says as he crawls over Jungmoo to get off the bed, before he can finish doing so Jungmoo grabs him by the arms and smirks up at him, the glint in his eyes mischievous.
"I can help you with that~"
"Mogu no."
~🌸~
Wooseok walks back into his bedroom, freshly showered and wearing a clean change of clothes, to Jungmoo trying to clean his room, emphasis on trying as he's just kicking the clothes on the floor into piles.
"Jungmoo leave it alone, I'll clean later." Jungmoo gives him a disbelieving look and Wooseok knows he should feel offended but can't bring himself to it.
"Oh, before I forget it," Jungmoo exclaims, his lips forming a perfect circle. "Jinhyuk stopped by for some stuff and told me he'll be out late in case you wanted to know." And just like that, with such a simple sentence, Wooseok's heart breaks a little more if that was possible.
He must have done a terrible job of hiding it by the surprised and worried expression that Jungmoo makes "What's wrong? Did you two have a fight? Is that why you're so upset?" Wooseok shakes his head, ignoring the sting in his eyes and trying his best to fight the tears back, he doesn't want to breakdown in front of his friend.
But Jungmoo closes the distance between them, cupping his face so tenderly and his eyes are so warm and concerned that Wooseok loses the fight.
He's pushed into Jungmoo's chest and he cries, already feeling too tired when he has just started. He's tired of it all, of having his heart broken, of crying over Jinhyuk, of trying to pretend he's ok.
Jungmoo shushes him and rubs his back, trying his best to offer him any kind of comfort, even pressing chaste kisses to the top of his head. "Should I call Mini? I know you're more comfortable with him about some things." Wooseok can detect the tinge of bitterness in Jungmoo's voice no matter how much he knows the younger tried to hide it and that makes him feel worse.
He can trust Jungmoo with this, he deserves to know why Wooseok is so upset. So he tells him, he painfully relates last night not needing to say out loud why Jinhyuk walking into Seungyeon and him kissing had made Wooseok so upset, the dots easy to connect.
When Wooseok calms down Jungmoo pushes him away only enough so he can look down at his face, a gentle smile on his lips "Hey, hey, this is not over yet you know? You need to talk to Seungyeon and then to Jinhyuk, everything can be solved." Jungmoo sounds so sure of his words, his eyes shining with hope and positivity that lights a small flame inside of Wooseok's broken heart.
"What if it can't? What if Seungyeon hates me now? What if Jinhyuk turns me down? His flowers are most probably for Byungchan and-" Jungmoo moves one of his hands to place it over Wooseok's mouth, efficiently shutting him up.
"First off, Seungyeon won't hate you and you know it, he's hurting just like you," Wooseok looks away feeling the ugly guilty crawl over his heavy heart. He's not sure if he should feel better or worse that Seungyeon is indeed unable to hate him.
"And second, you're pretty darn adorable who says those camellias did not bloom for you?" Jungmoo sounds almost offended that Wooseok could suggest the opposite, he smiles behind Jungmoo's hand, the younger's eyes twinkling as he feels his smile against his palm.
Jungmoo moves his hand away and Wooseok opens his mouth about to say something, to thank him for his support, for giving him back a glimpse of hope he thought he had lost forever but he stays quiet as his stomach growls.
Both boys look down at Wooseok's stomach, the younger chuckling before taking Wooseok's hand in his and pulling him to follow him outside the bedroom "But before it all, let's go grab something to eat, you decide where! It's my treat~"
Wooseok and Jungmoo get inside the younger's car that was parked on the assigned spot for Wooseok's and Jinhyuk's apartment, neither ever using it since they don't have a car of their own.