Unexpected Outcomes
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true
Writer's note: This is for renichifreak, for Christmas (yes, it's late. The rest are even later. So embarrassing).
DongWoo stood in front of the door to the Infinite dorm, trying to get up the energy and courage to go in. He really didn't want to; no one expected him back yet. He didn't expect him back yet. And if things had worked out differently, if he'd stayed blissfully ignorant, he wouldn't be.
But no. A series of (un)fortunate events had let him in on his girlfriend's secret: she was only with him because of Infinite, because of their win, because they were... because he was known. And because of what being Jang DongWoo's girlfriend could and would get her.
Well, it wouldn't get her anything now, and it wouldn't get him anything either because he stood outside the door to the dorm and wondered how he was going to keep them all from knowing she'd completely taken him in and then broken his heart.
It was almost enough to make him want to swear off any and all relationships until this ride was over.
He slapped his hand to his forehead. Not a good time to quote her. Really.
But he couldn't stay out here all night, no matter how much he wanted to. And he didn't want to all that much, in fact, because he really wanted to go crawl in bed and sleep. For at least a day.
DongWoo eased the door open and closed it gently behind him, then took his shoes off and set them away. All of it was just a way of avoiding going in to see who might catch him. If he could get to his room without questions, L and SungYeol would be easy. L because he didn't care, and SungYeol....
He blew his hair out of his eyes and walked quickly through the front room, ducking into his own room before SungJong could manage to squeak out a surprised "hyung?" He shut the door and leaned against it, sliding down to sit on the floor, resting his head on it.
Safe.
"Hyung?"
Not so safe.
DongWoo opened his eyes to look at SungYeol, and sighed. "I just want to go to bed, Yeollie."
SungYeol stopped with his mouth open - not the most attractive sight - then shut it and nodded. "I'll go so you can turn the light off." He got to his feet.
Such thoughtfulness, in the wake of what he'd been through already, nearly brought him to tears. Instead, DongWoo stood up and stepped aside. "Thank you," he murmured. As soon as the door closed behind SungYeol, he stripped, got his pajamas on, and turned the light out before crawling into bed. It was nice, actually, to fall right to sleep and not worry about appearances. Give him a good night sleep and he could pretend tomorrow that everything was all right.
To DongWoo's surprise, no one seemed to notice anything off. Almost no one. But then, SungYeol had known something was wrong from last night. And to DongWoo's relief, he didn't say anything.
Not to the others, anyway. He didn't actually say anything to DongWoo, either, but he seemed to tone things down. And he watched. Not obviously, or so it seemed, but DongWoo caught him a couple of times. No one else noticed it, or if they did, they said nothing to DongWoo.
This went on for a while. The only question about his girlfriend came up two weeks later when Hoya looked up at dinner. "You haven't been on a date in a while," he said, and it caught everyone else's attention, too. They all looked at him.
DongWoo was used to being under scrutiny by large crowds of people, but this caught him off guard and made him nervous. "We broke up," he said diplomatically, exactly as he'd rehearsed it, casual and unconcerned.
"I'm sorry," WooHyun said. "Is there anything we can do?"
"No," DongWoo managed, nearly disarmed again by the kindness. "But thank you."
Hoya looked like something made sense, now. SungGyu patted his shoulder consolingly when he walked by later. He got the same from the rest, consolation and support, and had to retreat to his room before they reduced him to tears.
"Hyung?"
Buried in a book, DongWoo hadn't even heard SungYeol come in. DongWoo closed the book and looked up at him. "Hey, Yeollie. What's up?"
SungYeol sat down and looked at him. "Are you really okay?" he asked.
DongWoo sighed. "I'm better," he said.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
This side of SungYeol was foreign to him, but then, this side of himself was just as foreign. DongWoo had managed to make it look like nothing had changed in front of the camera, but there wasn't one here. He shrugged. "Not much to tell," he said slowly. "I just happened in on her at the wrong time, and overheard something she didn't want me to know."
"Like?"
DongWoo sighed again, pulling his knees to his chest. "Like she didn't even really like me, she liked what my name could get her."
"She didn't like you?" SungYeol repeated, incredulous. "What's not to like?"
DongWoo wondered if his smile looked as sick as it felt. "I didn't ask. I didn't stay around so she could tell me. I just told her we were over and left."
"Has she tried to contact you?"
"Once or twice." A whole morning, in fact, she'd called and texted and nearly driven him nuts. He'd finally answered at lunch and told her to stop. He'd hung up and immediately blocked her number. Peace at last.
SungYeol shifted over until he sat by DongWoo, and gingerly put an arm around his shoulders. "I'm sorry, hyung. She's an idiot."
"Her, or me? Because I fell for it."
"Her," SungYeol said firmly. "Definitely. You're so open you don't expect deception."
"See? Idiot."
"Hardly," SungYeol said. "It's one of my favorite things about you."
DongWoo leaned against him, tucking his head in the crook of SungYeol's neck, not so afraid to let him see his tears. "Thanks, Yeollie."
"Any time, hyung."
They sat that way for a very long time, and DongWoo relaxed so completely he felt like he might actually be okay. By the time they had to move - when MyungSu came in to go to bed, eyes gentle for once - DongWoo had decided that next time, he'd date someone more open.
Someone like SungYeol.
Writer's note: This is for renichifreak, for Christmas (yes, it's late. The rest are even later. So embarrassing).
DongWoo stood in front of the door to the Infinite dorm, trying to get up the energy and courage to go in. He really didn't want to; no one expected him back yet. He didn't expect him back yet. And if things had worked out differently, if he'd stayed blissfully ignorant, he wouldn't be.
But no. A series of (un)fortunate events had let him in on his girlfriend's secret: she was only with him because of Infinite, because of their win, because they were... because he was known. And because of what being Jang DongWoo's girlfriend could and would get her.
Well, it wouldn't get her anything now, and it wouldn't get him anything either because he stood outside the door to the dorm and wondered how he was going to keep them all from knowing she'd completely taken him in and then broken his heart.
It was almost enough to make him want to swear off any and all relationships until this ride was over.
He slapped his hand to his forehead. Not a good time to quote her. Really.
But he couldn't stay out here all night, no matter how much he wanted to. And he didn't want to all that much, in fact, because he really wanted to go crawl in bed and sleep. For at least a day.
DongWoo eased the door open and closed it gently behind him, then took his shoes off and set them away. All of it was just a way of avoiding going in to see who might catch him. If he could get to his room without questions, L and SungYeol would be easy. L because he didn't care, and SungYeol....
He blew his hair out of his eyes and walked quickly through the front room, ducking into his own room before SungJong could manage to squeak out a surprised "hyung?" He shut the door and leaned against it, sliding down to sit on the floor, resting his head on it.
Safe.
"Hyung?"
Not so safe.
DongWoo opened his eyes to look at SungYeol, and sighed. "I just want to go to bed, Yeollie."
SungYeol stopped with his mouth open - not the most attractive sight - then shut it and nodded. "I'll go so you can turn the light off." He got to his feet.
Such thoughtfulness, in the wake of what he'd been through already, nearly brought him to tears. Instead, DongWoo stood up and stepped aside. "Thank you," he murmured. As soon as the door closed behind SungYeol, he stripped, got his pajamas on, and turned the light out before crawling into bed. It was nice, actually, to fall right to sleep and not worry about appearances. Give him a good night sleep and he could pretend tomorrow that everything was all right.
To DongWoo's surprise, no one seemed to notice anything off. Almost no one. But then, SungYeol had known something was wrong from last night. And to DongWoo's relief, he didn't say anything.
Not to the others, anyway. He didn't actually say anything to DongWoo, either, but he seemed to tone things down. And he watched. Not obviously, or so it seemed, but DongWoo caught him a couple of times. No one else noticed it, or if they did, they said nothing to DongWoo.
This went on for a while. The only question about his girlfriend came up two weeks later when Hoya looked up at dinner. "You haven't been on a date in a while," he said, and it caught everyone else's attention, too. They all looked at him.
DongWoo was used to being under scrutiny by large crowds of people, but this caught him off guard and made him nervous. "We broke up," he said diplomatically, exactly as he'd rehearsed it, casual and unconcerned.
"I'm sorry," WooHyun said. "Is there anything we can do?"
"No," DongWoo managed, nearly disarmed again by the kindness. "But thank you."
Hoya looked like something made sense, now. SungGyu patted his shoulder consolingly when he walked by later. He got the same from the rest, consolation and support, and had to retreat to his room before they reduced him to tears.
"Hyung?"
Buried in a book, DongWoo hadn't even heard SungYeol come in. DongWoo closed the book and looked up at him. "Hey, Yeollie. What's up?"
SungYeol sat down and looked at him. "Are you really okay?" he asked.
DongWoo sighed. "I'm better," he said.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
This side of SungYeol was foreign to him, but then, this side of himself was just as foreign. DongWoo had managed to make it look like nothing had changed in front of the camera, but there wasn't one here. He shrugged. "Not much to tell," he said slowly. "I just happened in on her at the wrong time, and overheard something she didn't want me to know."
"Like?"
DongWoo sighed again, pulling his knees to his chest. "Like she didn't even really like me, she liked what my name could get her."
"She didn't like you?" SungYeol repeated, incredulous. "What's not to like?"
DongWoo wondered if his smile looked as sick as it felt. "I didn't ask. I didn't stay around so she could tell me. I just told her we were over and left."
"Has she tried to contact you?"
"Once or twice." A whole morning, in fact, she'd called and texted and nearly driven him nuts. He'd finally answered at lunch and told her to stop. He'd hung up and immediately blocked her number. Peace at last.
SungYeol shifted over until he sat by DongWoo, and gingerly put an arm around his shoulders. "I'm sorry, hyung. She's an idiot."
"Her, or me? Because I fell for it."
"Her," SungYeol said firmly. "Definitely. You're so open you don't expect deception."
"See? Idiot."
"Hardly," SungYeol said. "It's one of my favorite things about you."
DongWoo leaned against him, tucking his head in the crook of SungYeol's neck, not so afraid to let him see his tears. "Thanks, Yeollie."
"Any time, hyung."
They sat that way for a very long time, and DongWoo relaxed so completely he felt like he might actually be okay. By the time they had to move - when MyungSu came in to go to bed, eyes gentle for once - DongWoo had decided that next time, he'd date someone more open.
Someone like SungYeol.