Chapter Text
Unbeknownst to Mingyu, it all started with a blue and brown checkered cardigan.
He knew he owned one; he swore he had even worn it only a week ago. He could still feel the way the sleeves had hugged his arms in a warm embrace and kept him cosy in the coolness of his own home. It wasn’t made out of a scratchy material, and he remembered that in particular because it was kind to his scars, and his skin didn’t itch after he had taken it off. It was eye-catching in colour, and stood out against Mingyu’s deep skin tone, and he happened to always catch himself admiring the cardigan in the hallway mirror in his entryway every time he left the house in it. He’s worn it several times before. Mingyu didn’t think that he was going crazy. But now that he really needed this cardigan to keep him safe from the strong breeze that was rattling against his front door, he couldn’t find it.
It wasn’t in his dresser, and it wasn’t hung up near his jackets on the coat racks either. He couldn’t find it anywhere, and he’s been looking for a solid fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes might not seem like a long time, but Mingyu certainly believed it was sufficient enough to find a cardigan.
A great cardigan. The best cardigan. And he couldn’t wear it.
Mingyu didn’t necessarily enjoy being dramatic, but he couldn’t control the pout that had fought to take over his lips, nor could he control how sullen his expression looked when he addressed himself in his entryway mirror. His hair at least was still short and well-maintained, and his eyes looked bright and hopeful despite the fact that he couldn’t wear the one item of clothing he had been looking forward to putting on since he woke up that morning. Still, he appreciated the sight of himself like this. For a long time Mingyu was used to attributing great discontent to the way he looked, but nowadays he had taken much better care of himself. His sleep had become far less disturbed now that his nightmares plagued him with much less frequency, and his Full Moons had become so much more manageable that the cracks around his eyes faded so much quicker than they ever did before. His eyes were a deep brown today, but that was because he was freshly into a new cycle. The New Moon. The time of the moon cycle when the Moon and the Sun were almost on equal footing and affected Mingyu together as one. The sun and moon, united to allow Mingyu’s body a reset, but also to give peace.
Mingyu was at his calmest during the New Moon. He didn’t feel unsettled, or thriving with energy.
And yet. He didn’t have his cardigan. The thought made his fingers twitch. He still felt like a toddler, ready to throw out all his perfectly fine jackets and hoodies that he had stored in his bedroom because they just weren’t good enough.
It was supposed to be a good day. The weather might be windy and colder now that the year was crawling into winter, but the sun still kept the air rather mild, and Mingyu had plans.
He was going on a date with Wonwoo and all he wanted was to wear that cardigan.
Still, his options were to stand here and sulk like a child, or to trudge back upstairs and find something that would make him feel a little better. Or at least an item of clothing that would keep him warm. He had a grey hoodie that he loved to wear when he just wanted to laze around at home and pull out his sketching pads, but he wanted to look a bit more put together than that. Wonwoo might have already seen him at his literal worst, but Mingyu still liked to try for his boyfriend. Eventually, Mingyu settled on a black and white striped jumper that he found folded up in the bottom of his dresser. It wasn’t like the cardigan he had in his head at all, but it felt similar enough in aesthetic that Mingyu’s brain chemistry was pleased with the choice. It didn’t feel exactly right, but Mingyu didn’t feel completely dejected to wear it. He still felt put together, especially when he paired it with black jeans and a jacket. The layers were weather appropriate, and he felt good enough to pocket his phone and slip his wallet into his jacket pocket. A part of him wanted to clean up and fold all the clothes that he had pulled out of his dresser on his search before Wonwoo was due to arrive, but another part of him wanted to wait. His whole room could do with a change. Despite the fact that he had already changed out his Aunt’s bed and added in a desk with a computer, he had kept the rest of her bedroom looking relatively the same. Same dresser, same mirror, same wall décor. Mingyu had come a long way of discovering that he could move on and make room for his own things, but he never went out of his way to scrub his Aunt’s presence clean either. He wanted to keep her around, even if the room just didn’t feel right anymore.
Mingyu couldn’t be sure if that was how Mingyu genuinely felt, or if it was what the moon wanted him to think. She was always toying with his emotions, and Mingyu always had an itch in his fingers to rearrange when the New Moon was present. Somehow, through sheer willpower alone, he had always resisted. His Aunt’s room had stayed the same for months now. But something about the old dresser and the faded wallpaper made Mingyu finally want to call Soonyoung so they could do something about it. Mingyu wasn’t quite sure what was wrong with him, because he had visions of changing the room entirely. Instead of old country-style floral patterns, he pictured shades of deep green covering the walls, with rustic wooden shelving to hold up pots of plants. Instead of worn carpet, he imagined planks of sanded down wood with two or three rugs layered on top of each other, creating unique shapes with contrasting textures. Instead of the double bed being wide open to the rest of the room, he could see a canopy with curtains, shielding the pillows and duvet from the harsh rays of light coming from the windows.
His thoughts didn’t end there. Hanging plants in all four corners, a fireplace on the only bare wall of the room, a basket for blankets and more covers, a cat bed at the end of the double bed, maybe even a scratching pole by the door.
Mingyu blinked away all the images, and when he was faced with the reality of the room, he had the audacity to feel disappointed.
Clearly, a bigger part of him was still reluctant to let how the space used to be – and how the space currently was – go. He didn’t like the idea of taking on such a big project just to stop the urge he had to do over the whole house. It was just the moon making herself known. She wanted him to acknowledge her, to acknowledge that she was changing just as he was changing.
It was nothing but a fad, and he would wake up from it soon.
With a sigh, Mingyu decided he would fold the clothes and put them away for now, so the thought wasn’t sitting at the back of his mind whilst he was busy with Wonwoo. Mingyu wanted to take Wonwoo for a walk and then stop by the café for some food that they would then take to the park to have a little afternoon picnic. It was Sunday, and Wonwoo hadn’t accompanied the rest of them yesterday at Minghao and Jun’s café because he was busy preparing his wares for Monday’s night market, so that meant Mingyu had Wonwoo all to himself tonight, and he didn’t want to waste it.
Now that he had put everything back where it all belonged, Mingyu skipped his way down the stairs and fired off a text to Wonwoo to suggest that he was ready. It wasn’t quite time for their date yet, but Mingyu was sure that Wonwoo would come by early just to see him. Mingyu had learned a long time ago that if he wanted something, all he had to do was ask. As long as it was reasonable, Wonwoo was more than happy to spend his time with Mingyu. It was part of how they worked so well. No one was surprised that their relationship had lasted long-term, despite how quickly they had fallen for each other. It had almost been six months. Mingyu still believed it to be fate.
Fate didn’t mean that they didn’t work hard for their relationship. Mingyu knew he was unbelievably lucky, and he made sure Wonwoo knew it too. All day, every day. The way it should be.
Within half an hour, Mingyu heard scratching at his front door, and he could faintly hear a deep chuckle before he even managed to pry it open.
There Wonwoo was, eyes and mouth scrunched up in an expression of exasperated fondness, and Mingyu didn’t waste a second to scoop him up into his arms. He had to step over Tabby who was valiantly trying to paw her way through Mingyu’s legs, but it was worth it. Wonwoo’s chuckle was muffled against Mingyu’s chest, and it only made him tighten his arms even more. Wonwoo always managed to feel warm and stable when he was pressed against him like this, especially when he was wrapped up in a puffy jacket that made Mingyu need to hold in a snort. If Mingyu was prepared for the weather, then Wonwoo was overprepared. Mingyu loved him so much. He almost lifted him up off of the ground with all the love that was trapped inside of him.
“I missed you,” Mingyu murmured into Wonwoo’s hair.
The faint smell of rain was ever-present, hovering around Wonwoo like its own aura, and Mingyu took in a lungful just because he could. The subtle scent always managed to calm his nerves.
Wonwoo’s chuckle turned into a soft huff, and then Wonwoo was pulling back to look at him properly. “I missed you too, Min.”
Mingyu’s breath stuttered. Wonwoo had gotten much better at that. Whilst Wonwoo called him jagiya very early on, he had always playfully bantered around with simply admitting he missed Mingyu. Mingyu would declare it, and Wonwoo would joke about them only seeing each other recently, too recently to miss each other. And Mingyu would have to work to pull a reciprocation out of him. Now, Wonwoo would just say it. Sometimes he would even say it first. It never failed to make Mingyu melt uselessly into a puddle.
Before Mingyu could pull Wonwoo into a kiss right on his front porch, he saw a flash of colour peeking through the collar of Wonwoo’s jacket. A flash of two colours, actually. Immediately, Mingyu reached forward to grab a hold of Wonwoo’s zip without a care of how it looked to any neighbours at all.
“Whoa,” Wonwoo tried to stop him, his hand reaching out for Mingyu’s wrist, but Mingyu was quicker.
Mingyu managed to yank the zip down, and the front of Wonwoo’s jacket fell apart. Mingyu froze.
“Min-ah, what are you doing?” Wonwoo hissed, his arms coming around to hug his stomach, “It’s cold, and we’re in public.”
“You’re a thief.”
“What?”
Mingyu huffed and reached out to grab a hold of the garment that was under Wonwoo’s jacket – his damned cardigan. “You’re a thief!”
Now that Wonwoo was all caught up, Mingyu expected a blush. An apology. Something to appease getting caught in such a heinous act. Instead, Wonwoo had the gall to blink at him like Mingyu was the odd one.
“Why?” Wonwoo’s nose twitched, and Mingyu would have thought it was cute if this wasn’t such a serious crime.
“That’s my cardigan,” Mingyu frowned, slowly letting go of him.
Wonwoo adjusted his clothes in a manner that expressed great displeasure, “Actually, it’s my cardigan.”
Mingyu narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
“You’re calling me a liar?”
“Well, you’re known for your tricks, so you tell me.”
Mingyu certainly sounded like a petulant child right now, but he didn’t care. That was his cardigan.
Wonwoo, because he was the most incredible witch Mingyu has ever known, didn’t begin to yell at him for his brazen accusation. Instead, Wonwoo laughed again, and reached out to gently press his thumb against Mingyu’s pout. He gently caressed his thumb back and forth until Mingyu’s mouth was forced to relax. It felt a bit like Wonwoo was wiping away all of Mingyu’s faux hurt. It made Mingyu’s heart flutter, and he almost pulled Wonwoo’s thumb into his mouth. He would have done it too, but Wonwoo was scandalised that Mingyu had unzipped his jacket outside in public, so he doubted Wonwoo would appreciate PDA like that. Even though Wonwoo never had any qualms when he frequently pulled Mingyu on top of him so they could make out against any wall Wonwoo deemed fit.
Wonwoo’s rules, and all that, as unpredictable as they were.
Mingyu softened to the touch, and he went back to wrapping his arms loosely around his favourite waist in the world. But that was still his cardigan. He remembered it had fit so well, no tightness anywhere. Wonwoo may only be a little smaller than him, but their bodies didn’t match up that well in general. The cardigan should have been too tight for Mingyu if it was truly Wonwoo’s. But, with Wonwoo wrapped neatly in the cardigan right in front of him, it didn’t look overly baggy or oversized on him either.
“You’re staring,” Wonwoo said blankly, “At the cardigan.”
“My cardigan,” Mingyu said back on impulse.
Wonwoo rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched like he was fighting a smile, “You’re impossible. You stole it from my bedroom, remember? You felt irritated because your scars were bothering you and you needed something soft for your arms, so I generously gave you my best cardigan.”
Vaguely, Mingyu did remember. Well, he remembered complaining that his arms were itchy, and he needed to scratch his scars off again. Before he could do any damage though, Wonwoo had thrusted something into his lap and instructed him to put it on whilst he went to make more ointment for Mingyu’s scars.
Huh. It must have been the cardigan.
“I don’t remember giving it back,” Mingyu thought out loud.
Wonwoo laughed again, and then pinched Mingyu’s cheek, as if Mingyu was the adorable one and Wonwoo had to keep touching him to make sure he was real. Mingyu knew how that felt. He felt it every day.
“Yeah, well, the weather was cold, and I saw it on your dresser when I stayed over last week. I simply took it back.”
Mingyu remembered Wonwoo staying over, no matter how often that happened now, because each time it occurred was like a blissful dream. He did not remember Wonwoo swiping his cardigan back, though.
“If anyone’s the thief, it’s you,” Wonwoo goaded, his smile far cheekier than before.
The sight nearly brought Mingyu to his knees. Still, two could play a game like this, and Mingyu loved to win. Instead of arguing further, Mingyu growled playfully and lifted Wonwoo up until Wonwoo’s toes barely touched the ground. With one quick lunge, Mingyu managed to turn them both, so they were back inside Mingyu’s entryway.
“Yah,” Wonwoo clutched onto him in a panic, as if Mingyu would let him fall, “Get off me, you oaf! I thought we were going on a picnic?”
“Change of plans,” Mingyu said, closing his front door with his foot. “I’ll cook ramen for us later.”
He could see a tail disappearing inside his living room, but he paid it no mind. The doors to his living room and kitchen were both open, and Mingyu remembered leaving some cat food out in a bowl in his kitchen yesterday. Tabby would be just fine for an hour or two.
“Put me down, Kim Mingyu.”
It felt like it should have been a threat, but Mingyu simply smirked. “Nope. You gave me that cardigan, you said so yourself. Then you stole it from me. I’d quite like to see it on my dresser again, thank you.”
Wonwoo certainly had words to say, but Mingyu could barely hear them as he practically manhandled Wonwoo all the way up his stairs. Eventually, Wonwoo’s curses fell into quiet muffled mumbles against Mingyu’s determined mouth, and then the complaints stopped completely.
In the morning, Mingyu made sure the cardigan made its way back to its rightful home. Inside his dresser.