Chapter Text
Wooyoung's never been the best at keeping up with what he tells people. He loves to talk and he loves the attention, so he ends up saying stuff and not realizing what he's said until it comes to bite him in the ass. Like right now, for example.
About a month ago, he'd broken up with his somewhat serious ex boyfriend on good terms but also I’m-never-going-to-talk-to-you-again terms. His boyfriend was moving, and Wooyoung loves physical affection. Long distance was just not an option. It's not a problem, really. He's not hung up on the fact they fell out, even though they'd been dating for nearly five months, and his friends had been incredibly supportive anyways. He must have mentioned something offhandedly to someone in his huge ass family during those five months, because otherwise there's no way he would've ended up in this situation.
“You've got mail,” his roommate, Mingi, calls when he enters their dorm because he's the only one who regularly checks their inbox. Their two other dormmates, San and Seonghwa, are out for the winter holidays, so it's not like they could check the mail, either.
“Coming!” He yells from his room, which isn't necessary because their dorm is just a countertop for their microwave, a fridge, two sinks, a toilet hidden by a curtain, and then their four rooms in the shape of an ‘L’. It's really fucking small. Mingi's there, bent down nearly ninety degrees to search their fridge because it's not made for one hundred eighty three centimeter tall freaks when he sees the letter Mingi left him on top of the microwave. It's not a package like he'd been hoping for– not that he's expecting anything to come, but it's always a pleasant surprise when something does show up at his university dorm doorstop, but alas. It's from his mother, which is never a good thing. He hopes it isn't a funeral invite.
Wooyoung tears into the letter, and he swears to God, his heart stopped. This is worse than a funeral invite.
My Wooyoungie,
Your dearest older brother is getting married at the end of December. We would like you home for the break, so you can help us set up the perfect wedding for him. It should only happen once a lifetime! And bring that boyfriend of yours, he'll be your plus one. We already started planning for the amount of people we will need, so no chickening out! Dongyoung wants to see who is keeping his little brother safe at college. Of course, we have fixed up your room for the two of you. Please come as soon as possible!
The only good thing about his mother's letter is that she attached money for the train tickets back home. Fuck. It's the second of December right now; he'd be gone for the entire month with his supposed boyfriend in order to help prepare for his brother's wedding. Damnit, Dongyoung, couldn't he have waited until semester was in? Wooyoung's definitely not contacting his ex to ask him to spend a month together at his family's house setting up for his brother's wedding, but if they already had the seating prepared, then he has to bring someone. Otherwise, they wasted money. Fuck. “I'm so fucked.”
“What, did they mail you your transcript? You know you could've checked it online, like, a couple days ago,” Mingi tells him, slamming the door to the fridge shut with more force than necessary. Before Wooyoung gets a chance to get offended because why is Mingi insinuating his transcript would fuck him over, Mingi's standing right behind him, chest to his back, reaching up over his head to the overhead cabinets above the microwave and pulling out one of their four drink glasses.
Mingi's clear lack of respect for Wooyoung's personal space has the gears in his head spinning with a new bad idea. He could get Mingi to stand in as his boyfriend since Mingi doesn't ever go home for the breaks. Yes, it'll work out perfectly. Mingi's an okay enough guy for Wooyoung to bring back home with him, although probably not his first choice– Yunho is literally every mother’s dream– but Mingi could definitely act the part. Especially with how he is now, all close to Wooyoung without getting the slightest bit hesitant. The only problem is convincing Mingi. “Mingi, what's something that you've always wanted?”
He makes a weird, confused noise in the back of his throat as he steps away from Wooyoung. Wooyoung turns to look at him, resting an elbow on top of the microwave to watch Mingi pour himself a glass from the Kool-Aid pitcher he had rummaged around in the fridge for. “I feel like I'm not really following this conversation, but I really want an actual door for the bathroom.”
Okay, Wooyoung can't do that. They're not allowed to physically modify the dorm since it's school property, aside from posters and the like. The toilet curtain will have to stay. “Something feasible .”
“A door to the bathroom should be feasible!” Mingi complains, but otherwise goes silent in his contemplation of Wooyoung's question. “I don't know. I'll have to get back to you on that one.”
Well, there goes that offer. Wooyoung was going to get Mingi something he wanted in return, but now, he'll just have to rely on his roommate’s goodwill. “Can you help me with something, then?”
“Sure,” Mingi says easily, and Wooyoung celebrates internally even though Mingi has not yet agreed to leave for a month to Wooyoung's childhood home and help setup for a wedding. While pretending to be Wooyoung's boyfriend.
“This is gonna sound crazy, but–”
Mingi cuts him off. “Sure, whatever it is, sure.”
“Be my boyfriend, then,” Wooyoung blurts out because he's just a bit frustrated by Mingi's nonchalance about the whole thing.
It takes Mingi a moment to react, like he actually had to do a system reboot on himself, but he's grinning a bit and saying, “Sure.”
“Wha– No, I mean– I don't get it. Okay, hold on, let me explain,” Wooyoung stutters, because he definitely wasn't expecting Mingi to say that. Though, Mingi definitely could have just been messing with him. “You remember my ex?”
“I never liked that guy,” Mingi shrugs.
“Wh– That's not what I meant? I never told my parents we broke up, and now they want me to bring him home because it's my brother's wedding. Will you please stand-in as him for me?” Wooyoung finally explains, because he can't just leave it at ‘be my boyfriend’. No matter if Mingi is apparently okay with it; Mingi's weird like that and Wooyoung doesn't fully understand him. It comes with being best friends with Jongho, apparently. The subtle weirdness rubs off on one another.
Yet, Mingi looks sufficiently disappointed at Wooyoung's words. Fuck, he better not say no. Mingi could agree to being his boyfriend but not this? “Like a fake boyfriend?”
“Yes, exactly! And it's just for the month. Please, Mingi, please? I won't ask you anything ever again. I mean it! You can record my testimony and play it back, this is the last thing I'll ever ask of you!” Wooyoung does not hold any shame in his begging. He'll do what he has to do. It's his brother's wedding. He's not going to ruin it so easily like that!
Mingi takes a long, slow slurp of his Kool-Aid before answering. “Yeah, whatever, why not? I’ve got nothing better to do.” Mingi sounds just the slightest bit disappointed, but Wooyoung can't be bothered to care about that right now because:
“Hurry up and get packed, we leave in the morning! Hurry, hurry!” Wooyoung pushes Mingi towards his room, uncaring that his Kool-Aid sloshes over the cup. Not his problem.
It's only when Wooyoung's in his room packing his own suitcase that the reality of the situation hits. A month as Mingi's boyfriend. Maybe Mingi could pull it off, but can he? His family knows him too well; would they be able to tell he's not actually dating Mingi? He'll just have to sell it really hard. He can do that.
+
They have to take the bus to get to the train station, since neither of them have cars to take, but the bus is late which means they're late for their train, which means they're stuck outside at the train station for the next half an hour waiting for the next one. Just his luck.
“It's so fucking cold,” Wooyoung complains, tugging his puffer jacket tighter around his body as if that'll do anything. Whoever made the train station open air should suffer, he thinks, because it's lightly snowing and it's getting in his hair and melting and making him wet and getting him cold. Fucking hell. When he turns to his side for some aid in his complaining because misery loves company, Mingi's not even there. “Jesus, you try to get a fake boyfriend and he ditches before you even get on the train–”
Suddenly, there's a hot cup pressed to the back of his neck followed by a low laugh. “I didn't ditch you. I was getting us hot chocolate, there was a vendor just down the street we passed when we got here,” Mingi hands him the cup he'd pressed to his neck, and Wooyoung can finally actually feel his hands now that they're getting warmed up by the hot cocoa.
“Oh. Thanks,” he mutters, looking down at his messed up reflection on the surface of the hot chocolate. There's little marshmallows in there, but they're melting from the heat.
“So, how do you want to do this whole boyfriend thing?” Mingi asks over his hot chocolate, kneeling down until he's sitting on the train station floor. Wooyoung takes one look at the cement and decides that Mingi can sit down alone. He'll stand.
“I have no clue. What the hell do you do when you have to fake date someone? Not like there's a guide to this.” Seriously, does Mingi expect any of Wooyoung's plans to be thoroughly thought out? He always leaves that part to the more rational people, like Seonghwa.
There's a moment where Mingi's quiet, contemplating what Wooyoung said. Mingi always wears his emotions on his face, and it's kind of cute to see him almost literally put on his thinking cap. “How long is the train ride?”
“Two and a half hours, I guess. It's pretty far, plus all the stops.”
“Then let's watch a movie where the two characters fake date, and then we'll just copy what they do!” Mingi grins up at him like it's the best idea he's ever had. It's the only idea they even have, so it's what they will have to do.
+
Mingi finds a movie online, the first one that pops up when you Google ‘fake-dating movies’. It's called To All The Boys , and Mingi had gotten excited because he thought the guy who plays the male lead was pretty hot, and then tried to cover it up by saying “It'll be perfect research!”
Mingi had pulled it up on his phone, offering an airpod to Wooyoung and then holding the screen in between them to watch together.
Wooyoung's only getting into the movie because of how stupid the main characters are, okay? Like, they seem to make the worst decisions ever, hope things will work out, and then when things fall to shit, they act surprised? “That was the dumbest thing I've ever watched,” Wooyoung says when the movie is over.
“I liked it,” Mingi defends, clicking his phone off and shaking out his arm after having held it in the same position for an hour and a half. “It gives us a good idea on where to start, doesn't it?”
“Should we really be taking advice from this movie? All the decisions they make are bad decisions,” Wooyoung complains, leaning back in his seat. They've still got about a half hour on their train ride, and he's exhausted.
“Well, setting up a backstory could be helpful. In case they ask us something and we respond differently. And some rules, so we don't make each other uncomfortable.”
“Just tell them whatever comes to your head, it'll be fine. I need a fucking nap,” Wooyoung rolls his neck and then lets his head fall until it hits the window. “They shouldn't be too nosey,” he says, even though he knows it's a lie. They're related to him, the king of nosiness. They're going to want to know everything, but the idea of coming up with a romantic story on how he fell in love with Song Mingi– someone he's definitely not in love with and wasn't anything more than dormmates with until now– makes him want to sleep forever. He'll settle with a thirty minute nap.
He's barely lucid when he feels Mingi's hand come to rest around his neck, gently tilting his head until it's resting on Mingi's shoulder instead of the window.
+
“We're here,” Mingi shakes him awake, already handling both their suitcases. Wooyoung doesn't feel particularly energized after his nap, in fact, he feels more lethargic. A spare glance out of the window to check and make sure they're at the right stop has him shooting up into a standing position. “What? What's wrong?”
“Fucking hell, they're waiting for us at the station. My mom and my brothers. Dear God.” Wooyoung points out the window where the three of them stand, Kyungmin sitting atop Dongyoung’s shoulders and his mom holding two pieces of paper taped together that say ‘Welcome Home Wooyoung!’
“That's so cute, oh my gosh,” Mingi gasps watching the three of them shuffle all antsy outside the window, probably wondering when he'll get off, if it's even this train he's on. Wooyoung wonders how long they've been standing there, because he definitely hadn't texted them to say which train he was taking. “Hurry, it's even colder out here. Shouldn't keep them waiting,” Mingi says as he moves both the handles of the suitcases to one hand and reaches back to grab Wooyoung's with the other.
For a moment, he nearly smacks Mingi's hand away until he remembers this is their first appearance as boyfriends. Him and Mingi. Who would've thought it? At least Mingi's hand is warm and big enough that it practically covers Wooyoung's like a glove.
“Wooyoungie!” Kyungmin shrieks right into Dongyoung's ear, waving like a maniac from his shoulders. Any stress about the ploy he's going to have to hold up with Mingi for almost a month fades immediately upon seeing his younger brother so excited to see him.
“Kyungminie!” Wooyoung screeches just as loud as Kyungmin– the whole Jung family is known for their vocal chords. Dongyoung puts him down gently as Wooyoung runs up to the three of them to wrap them all in a big group hug.
Sure, they're making a scene, but Wooyoung loves his family. He's a momma’s boy through and through. Wooyoung doesn't even know how long they stay in the embrace, definitely not long enough to make up for all of Wooyoung's missed time with them while at college, but when they do, his mom has her hands on her hips, looking ready to give him a scolding.
“Now, Wooyoung, you never stay away for that long again, you hear? Have you even met Dongyoungie’s fiancé? Not to mention we haven't even met your boyfriend!” His mom hisses at him, lifting one hand from her hip to tug harshly at Wooyoung's ear.
“Ow, mom, why?! I was out getting an education!” Wooyoung whines, trying to tug her hand away but his mother has a grip force that rivals Jongho's.
“You haven't even answered my question! You go away to a university for most of the year and you come back with all this disrespect!” It's clear his mom is joking with him because he can tell from her eyes, since the Jungs are also known for wearing their emotions on their sleeves. The Jungs are known for a lot of things. “Look at your boyfriend, he's just standing there! Be a good host!”
“I can't be a good host when you're pulling at my ear, geez!” Wooyoung huffs when she finally releases him, about to go rub at the sore spot when Mingi is there, hand warm despite the freezing cold and running the lobe of his ear through his fingers to soothe it.
“Hello, I'm Mingi. Thank you for having me and letting me be with your son,” he says, far more politely than Wooyoung's ever heard Mingi speak, letting go of his ear to bow to his mom.
“Oh, you're so tall!” She gasps when he returns to full height, eyes moving between Wooyoung and Mingi.
“I didn't know you were dating one of your dormmates,” Dongyoung says while Kyungmin starts inspecting Mingi, looking him up and down like he's trying to see if he's suitable for Wooyoung, and oh shit. Wooyoung didn't even realize they remembered Mingi as his roommate from when he had them over during his move-in day. Curse Wooyoung and his tragically bad memory because he can't tell if Mingi being his dormmate conflicts with what little information he had told them about his ex.
Before he can get to say anything, Mingi's kneeling down to the ground to be on Kyungmin’s level, reaching up and ruffling his hair with his hand and shaking the snow out of it. “You must be Kyungmin. I'm Mingi,” he reintroduces himself, and it's not much but it has Wooyoung realizing he didn't know how Mingi would react to meeting his younger brother. He didn't expect him to be an asshole, of course, but Mingi kneeling down and making sure to acknowledge Kyungmin instead of looking over him has Wooyoung warming up.
“Oh, we have time for introductions at home. Proper introductions,” his mom glares at Wooyoung, “Come, come, hurry. Before we all freeze.”
+
When they're all inside Wooyoung's house and sufficiently dripping melted snow all over his mother’s clean floors, he and Mingi get ten minutes to unpack before they practically get interrogated in the living room.
“Wow, your room is– very you,” is the first thing Mingi says when he enters, dropping their luggage onto the floor. He's got his walls painted a shade of dark red and a wall-length mirror along one side where he used to practice choreography when he was younger and wanted to dance. Other than that, there's trinkets on the shelves and photo frames of him and Dongyoung, him and Kyungmin, and a four-photo strip from secondary school of him and Yeosang, his childhood friend he hasn't seen in years.
Wooyoung's bed is a twin with a black and white plaid duvet, much too small for him and Mingi to get into. “Uh,” he starts, but Mingi's already dropping himself onto Wooyoung's bed.
“We can both fit, don't worry. We have before,” Mingi assures him, but Wooyoung's not too sure, and he definitely doesn't remember ever sharing a bed with Mingi. It's not like sharing a bed is a big deal, they're both grown men and have shared beds with other grown men. And they live together in a cramped dorm room that fits four people, so they're already pretty used to small spaces. “Since you're awake and we have time, want to start making that fake dating contract?”
Of course, Mingi's still thinking about the movie they watched. For fuck’s sake. “Anything goes with me, I don't care. Just make it believable. If my family finds out I've been lying about having a boyfriend–”
“Can I call you baby?”
“ What?” Wooyoung asks incredulously because of the words that just came out of Mingi's mouth. Baby? Is that the best he could come up with? Yet, somehow, it makes a blush come up on Wooyoung's face, like he's a teenager with his first boyfriend. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you want, Mangi.”
Wooyoung had come up with the nickname on the fly, just wanting to get something that would fluster Mingi similarly, but instead Mingi smiles at him, crooked front teeth on display. He doesn't look flustered, just happy. Mingi really doesn't make any sense to him. “Alright then, let's go back downstairs. We shouldn't leave them waiting.”
So, they go back downstairs to face their impending doom. It's a mess down there, anyways: boxes of Christmas decorations everywhere because they always put off the decorating until the last minute. It looks like him and Mingi will have to help set everything up. “Mom, we're back!” he yells out through the house. There's a patter of footsteps, and then his mom is hurrying into the foyer where they're standing.
“Great, just in time! We'll be having guests over for dinner, so you can introduce yourselves then. Wooyoung, you'll help me cook. Mingi, dear, just make yourself comfortable,” His mom smiles, reaching up and cupping Mingi's cheeks in her hands, who has to bend down a little so she doesn't stretch her arms too much.
“I just got back and you're already showing favoritism,” he complains but he wouldn't turn down a chance to cook back in his family home kitchen.
“Miss Jung, if you would like, Wooyoung and I can cook for you and you can rest a little. My parents worked in a restaurant, so I was always helping them out.” It's the first Wooyoung's ever heard about Mingi's parents, or even about what Mingi was up to before he got into college and became his dormmate. Wooyoung was never interested; why should he, when they were just roommates? It's dawning on him that he doesn't know anything about Mingi. He feels a bit guilty, honestly, because they've been roommates for over a year and he's never bothered in the past.
Wooyoung's mother coos at him, and Wooyoung knows he's fucked. If his mom gets too attached to Mingi, how will he pull off their eventual and inevitable breakup? “Mingi, you're so sweet. My boy lucked out, didn't he? You better be as polite as you are to me as you are to him. Don't worry, you just set the table. There's supposed to be seven of us,” She vaguely threatens, already taking up the persona of an overprotective mom.
There's thundering down the stairs, and then Kyungmin’s yelling, “Mom! I’m going outside, I'll be back for dinner!” He's coming down the stairs in full snow gear and a ball in his hand that Wooyoung knows he's going to try and shoot into the hoop attached to the garage door.
“Kyungmin, you will not go outside without someone there with you!” His mom yells back, Mingi and Wooyoung forgotten as she chases after Kyungmin to keep him inside.
“I can watch him,” Mingi offers quickly, relieving his mom of catching-Kyungmin duties.
His mom turns quickly, already heading back to the kitchen without much fuss. “Then you better get changed into something warm! Kyungmin, wait until Mingi gets ready, and he'll watch you.”
“Mom, I'm eleven, I don't need supervision!” Kyungmin whines, but nevertheless waits by the door. Wooyoung feels endlessly endeared at his brother's own antics. He's too busy watching Kyungmin bounce around while he waits to notice how close Mingi's gotten until there's a hand on his cheek, turning his face towards Mingi, and a kiss pressed just below his eye.
“I'll see you later tonight,” he whispers but it seems so loud. Wooyoung's whole face is flushed, he's sure. Him and Mingi were supposed to be dating for a while; he must look so incriminating, blushing like a fool from one little shared kiss. It wasn't even like it was on the lips, and Wooyoung's not a prude, either! He's gone much farther than a little cheek kiss. Goddamn it, Mingi. Why is he doing this to him?
“Eww!” Kyungmin fake gags, holding his hand in front of his mouth while he continues to make retching noises.
“Show a little respect to your brother!” Wooyoung scolds him as Mingi cackles all the way up the stairs, but his heart’s not in it. He's too flustered.
“You're so cute, you get all embarrassed like it's your first time,” his mom squeals, pinching the cheek that Mingi had kissed. If only she knew.
+
The kitchen has a window right above the counter that looks into the driveway where Mingi and Kyungmin are playing. They can't really dribble the ball for basketball, but the two seem to be having fun anyways. Kyungmin's playing keep away, holding the ball above his head and jumping high, and Mingi, the fool, on his knees in the snow acting like he's too short to reach up and grab it. Kyungmin fakes out Mingi, makes the basket, and has Mingi retrieve the ball for him.
“Wooyoung, please focus! You're about to boil over!” His mom scolds him for nearly the twentieth time that day. It drags his attention back to the food they're cooking, turning the stove down as his mother asked and stirring the soup. His eyes keep jumping back to the window, though. Kyungmin and Mingi continue playing ball, though after Mingi makes a shot, he lets Kyungmin barrel him into the snow despite being half his weight and a third of his height. Mingi's laugh is so loud he can hear it through the window, much higher pitched than his actual voice.
It's so sweet how well the two of them are getting along, and just like before, Wooyoung feels the inklings of guilt settling in his chest. It's only the first goddamn day and he's already having second thoughts because of just how well Mingi is doing at getting along with his family. He didn't even predict it to be a problem he could have. His family are a bit judgemental, he'll acknowledge it, but they all seem to like Mingi.
“Jung Wooyoung, please!” His mother draws the curtain shut and stirs the soup for him. “I will not have you burn this dinner because you are too busy watching those two! If you can't focus, you can go ahead and shovel the snow in the driveway for them.”
“Sorry, mom,” he grumbles, moving away from his station at the window to get the thawed meat from the warm water it's been sitting in.
“It's good that your boy gets along well with Kyungmin,” his mom comments.
“My boy– Mom, don't call him that.” Wooyoung feels all too embarrassed at his mom's words, implying as if Wooyoung has a claim on Mingi. For all he knows, Mingi could already have given his heart away to someone else and is only pulling this charade out of boredom or pity. It's not like he wants anything out of their arrangement other than a fake boyfriend to show up to his brother's wedding with. He can't help but think about whether his actual ex would be nearly as good with Kyungmin as Mingi is right now. His ex wasn't one for PDA, either, and Wooyoung loves his physical affection. It seems he'll have no problem with Mingi on that front.
“Are you even listening to me? I swear, you better not be in your head like this during dinner.”
+
Dinnertime gets a bit crazy in the Jung household. They cook possibly too many dishes, the dining table they have not enough to hold them all, so they haul over a foldable table and raise the height until it's in line with theirs and set more plates atop it.
His mom is freaking out because there's a mess of dishes in the kitchen, the aftermath of cooking for seven people, and because the floor by the entrance is wet from when Mingi and Kyungmin had re-entered the house from outside looking like sopping wet dogs from how they were roughhousing in the snow. There's not enough time to clean it all because there's a knock at the door.
“I'll get it!” Wooyoung screeches over the din of his mother trying to wash the dishes last-minute and cussing too loudly when soapy water splashes onto her and the floors. He doesn't even know where Mingi is, probably still cleaning up after spending so much time outside, but as long as he gets back down here before dinner truly starts.
“Hello– oh my god, Yeosang!” Wooyoung practically tosses himself into Yeosang's arms after seeing him at the door. When Wooyoung had decided against following Yeosang to their local college because he wanted to live a little, he hadn't expected to be able to have a reunion until after they were both graduated. He should've known his brother's wedding would have drawn Yeosang back.
“Ack–! Hello to you too, Wooyoung,” Yeosang wheezes through the death grip hug Wooyoung has him in, hitting his hand against Wooyoung's back until he lets him go. He pushes past Wooyoung into the house, toeing off his shoes and then dropping the duffel bag Wooyoung hadn't even noticed he was wearing onto the floor. “Your mom invited me for dinner, and she wants me to help set up the decorations tomorrow.”
“Wait, are you staying the night? There's not enough room for you,” Wooyoung asks a bit nervously. When he was younger, he and Yeosang used to be able to share his twin bed together, but now he'll be sharing it with Mingi.
“I'm staying in your room, aren't I?” Yeosang says it like it's obvious, clearly not understanding the weight of the situation.
“Wooyoung’s sleeping with his boyfriend!” Dongyoung, the little snitch, yells from the living room. Wooyoung thought he'd texted Yeosang about his ex all those months ago when they were first getting together, but apparently not.
“What? I thought you broke up with him?” Okay, apparently he did tell Yeosang about his ex, and he did tell him about the breakup. This is not good.
“No? No! I didn't break up, what are you talking about?” Wooyoung hopes his voice isn't betraying how nervous he is. “Come on, you can meet him and stuff! No, yeah, we definitely didn't break up.” He's not sure he's doing a good job of convincing Yeosang.
“I swear you texted me about it.” Yeosang's pulling out his phone from his pocket, already opening up the messages app. Shit, if Yeosang actually sees, he'll have to explain it all to him. Explain that he's fake-dating his roommate. Wooyoung would like to at least keep some of his shame intact, so he snatches Yeosang's phone out of his grip and shoves it in his own pocket.
“I didn't text you anything! Just sit at the table, we're still expecting someone. Yeah, me and my boyfriend, it's been, like, five months. Never broke up, nope,” Wooyoung laughs nervously, watching the door for when their seventh guest would come.
+
Their seventh guest turns out to be Dongyoung’s fiancé, a girl named Seyoung. She seems nice enough, which is good since she's marrying his brother. Mingi still hasn't come down from upstairs, which, seriously, how long does it take to get ready? Yeosang's looking at him like he's just caught him in his lie and that there really isn't a boyfriend up there waiting for him. Wooyoung seriously hates his past self for his inability to keep secrets from Yeosang and his need to spill every little thought that comes across his head to him.
“Song Mingi, hurry it the fu– heck up!” Wooyoung yells up the banister, mindful of his language because Kyungmin is nearby. Although, he's pretty sure his mother has cussed around Kyungmin enough already. It's where Wooyoung got his sailor’s mouth from, anyway.
“Wait, I thought your boyfriend's name was Hyun–”
“Hurry up!” Wooyoung yells again to cut off Yeosang. Please, can't he take the hint?
“I'm coming, oh my God!” Mingi’s voice is followed by the slamming of a door, presumably his bedroom’s, as it opens. “Jesus, baby, you could be a bit more patient,” he huffs in annoyance, but there's an endeared grin on his face when he sees Wooyoung waiting at the base of the banister. It looks so natural that Wooyoung has to wonder if Mingi was one of those nerds in secondary school who did theatre.
“Great, everyone's here, now dinner can start! Everyone sit, sit. Don't let the food get cold, we have a lot to catch up on!” His mom ushers them to their seats, Wooyoung sandwiched between Yeosang and Mingi, the latter of which grabs Wooyoung's napkin and lays it out on his lap for him.
“Congratulations on your marriage,” Mingi says first after they all get settled.
Seyoung glows under Mingi's words, leaning into Dongyoung's side and holding her hand to show off their engagement ring to him. “Isn't it beautiful?”
Mingi gasps looking at the ring, and Wooyoung would think he's playing it up to get on everyone's good side, but it looks like he's genuinely excited to see it. “Wow, it must have been so expensive… And a Christmas wedding too, that's so romantic!”
And Wooyoung never really pegged Mingi to be a romantic, but he had made them watch a romcom as research, so he supposed it's not too far fetched. “The stakes are high, Wooyoung,” his mom tells him with a raise of her eyebrows towards him and Mingi.
Jesus, his mom needs to warn a guy or something! Proposing marriage to him and Mingi who barely even talked before this whole thing went down? “Mom, please! We're not– I'm not even out of college, yet!” He turns to look at Mingi for support, but he looks much too embarrassed to be of any help.
“I think we're still overdue for a proper introduction about Mingi,” Dongyoung cuts in before him and his mom can get into an argument about marrying early.
“Well, what do you want to know? His name is Mingi, he's double majoring in math and engineering, he's my age, and he's over 180 centimeters.” It's all he knows about Mingi. There's a scoff that comes from Yeosang sitting next to him, and so Wooyoung fakes a loud cough over top of it, grabs Yeosang's arm, and pulls both of them up into a standing position. “Sorry, I think I have something in my throat,” he fakes a cough again, “Gonna head to the bathroom, and Yeosang will make sure I don't die. Be right back!” He coughs once more, and then he's dragging his best friend into the hallway away from where everyone's having dinner.
“What?” Yeosang asks him, like he's completely oblivious to the fact he's about to ruin Wooyoung's brother’s wedding by exposing Wooyoung on his lie.
“Yeosang, I know we haven't seen each other in a while, but I need you to work with me here, not against me,” Wooyoung pleads, because contrary to popular belief, Wooyoung is not above begging to get what he wants. Especially when it's his brother's wedding on the line.
It takes a moment, but realization clicks in Yeosang's head. “I knew your boyfriend's name wasn't Mingi! He's your roommate! And you said you met your ex at a gay bar,” Yeosang huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “I pay attention when you talk, believe it or not.”
“Just this once, I wish you hadn't,” Wooyoung sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, and then placing his hands on Yeosang's shoulders. “Look, I just need you to play along, okay? Pretend Mingi is my boyfriend and that I've been dating him for as long as I was dating my ex.”
“I don't even know what's going on!” Yeosang hisses, whispering so the people at the dinner table don't hear them. “Why is Mingi here? Why is he your boyfriend? Why– just why?!”
Wooyoung really doesn't want to explain his misfortunes to Yeosang. He'll never live it down, but– “I forgot to tell them I broke up with my ex, and they asked me to bring him to the wedding! And that they already planned the seating chart, so he has to come! I panicked, and Mingi was right there, so– so, I asked him to be my fake-boyfriend.”
The silence that settles in after what Wooyoung says is shockingly loud. Yeosang's just staring at him. He's getting a bit uncomfortable, honestly. Yeosang's stare has weight to it, like he's at the gates of heaven and his soul is being judged on whether he's been good enough to pass through or has to go to hell. “You've really done it this time, Woo. You're lucky we've been friends for so long.”
It looks like his soul just barely made it into heaven with only minor glaring side eyes. Thank God! Wooyoung was about ready to grovel at Yeosang's feet. “Thank you, oh, thank you! Seriously. My whole brother's wedding is riding on this! I will not be the asshole to mess it up,” Wooyoung swears, and then uses his grip on Yeosang's shoulders to pull him in for a hug. It's quickly reciprocated; they have years to make up for, after all.
“What are best friends for, if not covering for your ass when you have to lie about dating your roommate?”
+
Getting back to the dinner table is an interesting affair. They couldn't have been gone too long, but every single person at the table is enraptured by some story Mingi is weaving. He's set his chopsticks down to use his hands to gesture, voice getting louder as his sentence goes on. It's sweet how much his family is interested in Mingi, and how much Mingi's trying to keep their interest. He hasn't even noticed Wooyoung and Yeosang returning, so he takes the opportunity as he sees it to get revenge on Mingi for earlier. He slides a hand around the side of Mingi's neck, using his thumb and index fingers to tilt his face up towards him and press a kiss on his cheek. Mingi's words die in his throat as Wooyoung pulls away and slides into his seat.
“At the dinner table? Really?” Kyungmin shrivels his nose up and makes fake gagging noises.
“Yes, there are kids at the table,” his mom shakes her head, siding with Kyungmin in a treacherous act of betrayal. “Have some shame, Wooyoung. You even interrupted Mingi's story.”
“He was telling us about a party you and him went to together, and how much of an idiot you were,” Dongyoung helpfully supplies, and Wooyoung's sure he's never been to a party with Mingi because they barely even talked before this fake-dating ruckus. If Mingi truly is making up embarrassing stories about him to regale his family, well, they can hash it out when they're alone. Argument-style. Like a true couple.
“You remember the one, right Woo? You were wearing that Sum 41 shirt that you stole from my laundry and cut up the back of, and you had that drinking competition with Sannie, and you both got too drunk that you were–”
“I remember!” He shouts, much too loud for the dinner table, in order to cut Mingi off. Oh, Wooyoung definitely remembers that night. He hadn't remembered Mingi being there, or that the shirt he was wearing had been Mingi's. They all do their laundry at the same time, and he'd seen a cool shirt in the laundry bin and had thought none of the nerds in his dorm would wear something like that, so it must've been something he'd tucked into his closet and forgotten about. “Where were we before I left?”
“Introductions,” Seyoung says, and she's wearing a grin that's much too similar to the Cheshire grin that the Jungs have when they're up to no good. “We need to know everything, of course.”
Shit. Maybe he should have just let Mingi go on with his story. What the hell is he going to say? Wooyoung shoves a mouthful of food into his mouth, so he doesn't have to speak. He ignores Mingi's eyes staring holes into him from his side, looking for help. He also ignores Yeosang's eyes staring holes into him, waiting for him to spin his lies.
“Well,” Mingi clears his throat, setting his chopsticks down again after having just picked them back up. “We met when we became roommates a year ago. For me, I liked him when I first saw him, but I didn't know how to show it. I was really awkward, so we didn't get along well, and Wooyoung just thought I was rude. But, one night, I was super stressed from all the work I had, since I also tutor on top of my double major, and some… stuff was going down, I guess. Even though Wooyoung and I weren't close, he comforted me that night because we were the only two in the dorm.” Mingi doesn't look up from his food while he speaks, and it shocks Wooyoung to find that Mingi's not lying. He barely remembers that night, mind refreshed now that it's been brought up again, but he'd never thought about it after it happened. He doesn't really get why Mingi's telling the truth for most of their stories, only sprinkling in the lies of their budding romance. Maybe lies are better told hidden in truths, but he sells the ‘falling in love' part of it well. Mingi can't meet anyone's eyes, and his ears are starting to go red, looking askance the way people usually do when they're baring their hearts to you but they're scared of your reaction.
+
It was nearing the end of their first semester of college, closing in on finals. Seonghwa and San were out of the dorm more often than they were in, and Mingi was almost always in a rush every time he saw him. Which was totally fine by him! Wooyoung loved having the dorm to himself. Mingi was always short with him and perpetually had his earbuds stuck in his ears, singing along to his music so loudly that Wooyoung would have to tell him to be quiet time after time. Seonghwa was fine, usually, except whenever it's Wooyoung's turn for the laundry, since he insists Wooyoung's folded all his clothes wrong. And San– well, he really has no gripe with San.
But it was nearing midnight, and Wooyoung needed just one good night of sleep. Just one! He'd even finished all his homework early so he could sleep, something that he had literally never done before, but as soon as he gets into his bed, there's the sound of a door slamming and then the hurried shuffling that denotes Mingi's arrival. He tries to tune it out, which is easy at first, until Mingi actually gets into his room– the one right beside Wooyoung's– and that's when it all really starts. A couple minutes later, and he hears the first shaking sob. It's just one, so he doesn't think much of it, but then Mingi must be full-on wailing, because Wooyoung can hear him pretty clearly through the walls.
It's awkward. Wooyoung never thought he'd be in the situation where he's listening to the roommate he doesn't really like bawl his eyes out in the room next door. He feels bad listening, and he feels worse that he's not doing anything, even if he just wants to sleep. A brief fight with his moral conscience later, and he's pulling himself out of bed and knocking on Mingi's door. “Mingi?”
The crying stops suddenly, and the dorm is blissfully silent until the door creaks open just slightly. He can't see Mingi through the crack, but it's fine. “Sorry, I didn't notice you were home. Am I too loud?” Mingi asks carefully, and Wooyoung can tell he's trying hard to keep his voice level because he's been in this same situation back at home. Honestly, he feels horrible that Mingi's asking if his crying is too loud. It is, but sometimes people need a good cry.
“No, no, you're fine,” Wooyoung says, and then scuffs his feet against the floor while trying to think of something else to say. Are you okay? Clearly not. Do you want to talk? Wooyoung never does when it's him in Mingi's shoes. “Do you want me to come in so– so you're not alone?”
The silence edges on for too long, only punctuated by stuttering inhales and sniffles, and then the door is pulled open. Mingi's usually hulking frame is hunched over as he slinks back to his bed. It's nearly pitch black in his room, except for the blue light of his laptop screen that's pulled up onto the empty dropout form. He's never actually been inside Mingi's room before. “You can cry, if you want. That's why I'm here,” Wooyoung assures him, patting his way around the dark room until he finds the edge of Mingi's twin bed and sitting at the foot of it.
Mingi doesn't seem to take him up on his offer, but he does whisper to him, in a voice so incredibly vulnerable that Wooyoung feels weird all over for being the one to witness Mingi like this, “Can you come up here and lie with me? My friends do–”
“Sure,” he finds himself agreeing easily, even though this is probably one of the longest conversations they've sustained. Wooyoung crawls up the bed and underneath the covers Mingi is holding up for him. As soon as he nestles himself in on his back, with one hand curled around Mingi's nape to mess with the hair there and the other tucked behind his own head, it's visible how Mingi starts to calm down. He's still crying, Wooyoung's sure, because he can feel the shift of Mingi's arms every time he raises them to wipe his tears away, just not bawling like he was earlier.
They just lay there, in shared silence, the whir of Mingi's fan, the only white noise. Wooyoung has almost drifted off to sleep right here, squished next to Mingi in his twin bed, when the silence breaks. “‘M sorry. It's just– it's just been a lot, recently. Don't usually break down like that, so I'm sorry you had to hear it.”
Wooyoung turns on his side to face Mingi, head resting near his chest and tilted up. Mingi's not looking at him, instead looking and talking to the ceiling. Wooyoung gets it. Eye contact is scary. “I’m not sorry for hearing,” He whispers back, watching Mingi's hands come up and wipe at his cheeks again. “It's a good thing I heard, so I can be here.” And he doesn't want to pry, but– “Are you dropping out?”
Mingi's breath hiccups and stutters in his chest; Wooyoung can feel the uneven way it rises. “No. No, I can't,” he says hoarsely, choking through his words. “Just makes me feel better to look at it and pretend. Window-shopping to see which failure looks the best,” Mingi laughs sadly, and the joke can't even land with Wooyoung because he knows .
He just doesn't know what to say to that. Wooyoung lets the silence trickle back in, like a slow dripping faucet. Mingi doesn't break it. Wooyoung doesn't get his one good night of rest, eyes open staring at Mingi's chin who's staring at the ceiling all night.
+
Mingi's a hit with his family. The story has them all cooing over Mingi and then cooing over Wooyoung for how nice he was. It's sweet. After dinner, even Seyoung is entranced with him and offers to clean the dishes with him for some daughter-in-law and ‘soon-to-be son-in-law’ bonding, as she put it. Wooyoung takes the reprieve to spend some time alone in his room before Mingi inevitably invades. Except, he's not really alone, because Yeosang's there, perched at his desk like an evil, all-knowing owl. Or a shit-eating cat.
“I think you've gotta tell your family you're not dating Mingi,” Yeosang hums, picking at his nails to feign disinterest.
Wooyoung's starfished out on his bed, enjoying the freedom while it lasts, and scoffing at Yeosang's suggestion. “Obviously not. We're too deep in it, now.”
“Well, yeah, but what are you going to do after? The family's getting too attached already. I know how you guys get,” Yeosang says, and he's truly got the executive opinion on the matter. When Wooyoung had met him, he'd latched on within the day and switched schools to be with him. It's a shame that the university Yeosang goes to doesn't offer the degree Wooyoung wanted, or he would've followed him there, too.
Wooyoung hadn't even thought of it that way, though. His mom and his brother, they'll get over it. He doesn't know Seyoung well, but she would too. They'd be upset, ask him how he fumbled such a great boy after he tells them he ‘broke up’ with Mingi. But Kyungmin? He couldn't introduce a guy into Kyungmin's life and then take him right back out! “That's the worst case scenario. It hasn't even been a day! You worry too much, Sangie.”
“I just feel like it's a bad idea. I have a hunch, you know?”
“Well, do you want me to crack your back, then? I'm telling you, it'll be fine. They'll only obsess over him for the first couple of days, and then he's old news, and then the wedding will come, and it'll be over!” Wooyoung pushes himself to a sitting position so he can look at Yeosang for emphasis.
“I'm not going to say ‘I told you so’ when shit gets bad, but–”
The door to Wooyoung's room slams open, and Mingi comes in looking absolutely exhausted. “Wooyoung, why did you leave me out there like that?” He whines petulantly, pushing Wooyoung over slightly so he can sit on the bed next to him. “Oh, Yeosang. Hey,” Mingi says, and then drops his head onto Wooyoung's shoulder. It's a bit of an awkward fit because Mingi's much taller than Wooyoung is, but Mingi doesn't seem to mind. It's probably because Mingi doesn't realise that Yeosang knows they're fake, and Wooyoung really should tell him that there's no reason to act, but he's a naturally affectionate person and having Mingi all over him feels nice.
“Hi, Mingi. Wooyoung told me the truth about you two,” Yeosang greets him, and it has Mingi shooting up from Wooyoung's shoulder in record speed. Mingi looks carefully over to him like he's trying to figure out if Yeosang means some small little truth or The Truth™.
“I told him about breaking up with my ex, so he was skeptical when I introduced you. Decided to just come clean instead of trying to convince him,” Wooyoung apologises, deciding not to return Mingi's look and instead staring at the popcorn wall like it's the most interesting thing ever.
It's silent for a moment while Mingi processes the fact that Wooyoung spilled their secret in less than a day, and then: “Does this mean I get one confidant, too? Can I tell Jongho about this?”
“Do whatever you want, just don't tell my family,” Wooyoung shrugs, lying down on the bed and kicking at Mingi with his feet so he'll move and he can stretch all the way out, who– surprisingly– moves easily when goaded to. Except, he doesn't just move off the bed, he shimmies up to Wooyoung's side and lies down on top of the covers, propping himself up with an elbow and resting his temple on his hand so he can still look at Yeosang across the room.
“You guys are going to sleep in the same bed?” Yeosang questions, clearly having expected them to fight over who gets the bed and who gets the floor, especially since Wooyoung's bed is only a twin, and even when they're both on their sides, they're plastered together just to fit.
“We've done it before, it's not that bad,” Mingi explains simply, letting his arm flop out from where it's supporting him, so he comes crashing onto the mattress with an exaggerated sigh and nearly whacking Wooyoung with one of his huge hands.
“Watch it, you giant,” Wooyoung hisses, but there's no real weight to it. Him and Mingi have been awake since early in the morning since they had two and a half hours of travel ahead of them and a lie that keeping up is comparable to Atlas holding up the weight of the Earth. He's tired, and when he gets tired, he can't be bothered to quip and argue like he usually does.
Yeosang, however, makes a bewildered noise in the back of his throat. “You’ve slept together before?”
“Sorry, Wooyo,” Mingi apologises in a whisper that Wooyoung barely registers. His childhood bed is so comfortable, he's already slipping off to sleep after lying down for only a couple of moments. “It was just once, and the way you say it makes it sound like it was sex. We were just sharing a bed.”
Yeosang hums like he's not so sure Mingi's telling the truth, but Wooyoung doesn't catch the rest of their conversation– if there is any– because he's letting sleep wrap around him and the worries of lying to his family about Mingi disappear for the couple hours he won't be awake for.