#42 [Infinite, SHINee, Woohyun/Key]
Fandom: Infinite and SHINee
Title: I had a dream you died (and I just want to be with you tonight)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s)/Focus: Woohyun/Key
Length: 2,728 words
Summary: A little bit of texting goes a long way, says Woohyun's phone bill. Kibum agrees. They try to find a solution that doesn't involve a lot of texting, but confrontations aren't their thing.
Notes: This is sort of a sequel to penny_lane_42's fic. Pennylane, I hope I did your fic justice! WooKey is such an interesting pair and it was hard to resist the pull of the fic that you wrote. ;___; Also, thanks to E for holding my hand through this thing; I owe you a coffee session, maybe some booze. ♥
Remixee author: penny_lane_42
Title of work you remixed: nothing compares 2 u
Link to work you remixed: http://penny-lane-42.livejournal.com/341334.html
ppl r starting 2 think u actually like him
u jealous?
of frogface? r u serious?
Fifteen minutes 'til the plane landed and Woohyun was in the aircraft comfort room, fingers wrapped tight around his cock, pumping in a slow, steady motion. Idol life taught him to be more independent, and that entailed having to know how to satisfy himself in the fastest way possible. He'd been in much tighter situations before, and this wasn't exactly the first time he's doing it in the plane. He's experienced, in a sense - experienced in making the most out of boring flights, of pushing back the feeling of longing at the back of his mind when he turns off his phone before he boards for any flight.
When he got back to his seat, Sunggyu said, "You broke your previous record."
"You keep track?"
"When do I not?"
Woohyun rolled his eyeballs. "Creeper," he said, scoffing as he did so, and put his headphones back on. Two more hours until they arrived at their destination.
Two more hours without mobile access and new messages from Kibum flooding his inbox.
i. It started as something fairly innoccent and harmless. He met Kibum in one of those music shows they performed in. Kibum introduced himself to Woohyun, claiming that Woohyun looked interesting and seemed like the type who'd indulge him in his crazy ideas. Woohyun said, "Uh, thanks," and tried to weasel his way out of the conversation by signalling at Sunggyu to get him the fuck out of here, but Sunggyu had eyes the size of slits; it was a miracle he still saw anything with them.
Fifteen minutes into their conversation and five minutes before Infinite went up on stage, Woohyun decided that maybe Kibum wasn't too bad a conversationalist and that talking to him probably wasn't the worst idea he's had since joining Woolim.
Ocassional meet ups in between shows turned into weekend coffee dates turned into habitual ice cream getaways somewhere in Hongdae turned into daily texting until the whee hours of the morning. Their phone bills sky rocketed and Kibum got more shit than expected. Jonghyun was more than happy to take some blame because, "Jonghyun-hyung is clingy as hell, and he just loves texting me even if we're just one hotel room apart."
"Could be worse. He texts me when I take too long in the bathroom," Jinki replied. Woohyun knew because Kibum had him on loudspeaker when SHINee was having a roundtable discussion about the repercussions of having hyperactive texting buddies; Woohyun was SHINee's phantom sixth member.
"I've got mad creeper skills," Jonghyun admitted. "But Kibummie's catching up really quick. I don't know if I should be proud or freaked out."
"O-kay!" Kibum exclaimed, then put him back on the normal receiver mode. "I'll call you later, Woo. Or maybe we can just chat? iMessage or something? Yeah. Bye!"
They kept texting, anyway. Phone bills be damned.
Late night texts turned into late night video chats turned into Kibum sneaking into Infinite's dorm at ten in the evening. Loud conversations turned into hushed voices, choked screams of each other's names. Soon, Kibum was more than a fellow performer or artist, or a texting buddy, or a friend. Kibum was part of his everyday routine and Kibum was leaving Korea for an extended stay in Japan.
Kibum was pursuing his dreams while Woohyun was still working on his vocals back in Korea. He still had a long way to go.
("You never learn, do you?"
Kibum rolled on his stomach and looked up, meeting Jonghyun's eyes as he furrowed his eyebrows. "I think you know by now that my brain stops functioning at 12:00 and it's already 12:01?" he replied, a bit unsure, and Jonghyun just shook his head.
"How are you planning to bail out of the 'huge phone bill sermon' now?"
Kibum laughed gingerly. "I don't know. Minho could use a personality transplant. We can be much closer."
Jonghyun walked to where Kibum was and sat on the edge of his bed. They'd been in Japan for exactly a month already, and Kibum was still having a hard time getting used to the unfamiliar warmth and weight on his bed. "I'm just saying, you can't do this forever."
"We're just friends."
"Your phone bill has a cap. And because I'm a good hyung, I'll keep reminding you that."
Kibum exhaled loudly and pulled the pillows close, too close that he was already being engulfed by them. The warmth that they provided wasn't the same, though.
It will never be the same.)
Either his mobile connection was intermittent, or Kibum hadn't texted in the past ten minutes. They were talking about Kibum's rather erratic and jam-packed schedule a earlier and, somewhere between focusing on Infinite's team meeting-cum-bull session and Kibum balancing practice and texting, their conversation had been cut short. Kibum had a habit of disappearing sometimes, between shoots and van rides, and Woohyun had grown accustomed to receiving late replies from time to time, sometimes none at all.
"Staring at your phone won't make him reply to you faster."
Woohyun gave Myungsoo a stern look. "Being rude won't make you a better singer. Go away."
Myungsoo held his hands up in mock defense, then reached out to give Woohyun's arms a light squeeze. "I'm just concerned about the welfare of your phone bill, that's all."
"I'm not using you as a scapegoat, don't worry."
"Good to know."
Woohyun lay his phone face down on the couch and curled up, closing his eyes as he did so. Times like these, he wished the heating system in their dorm was functioning, and Kibum wasn't travelling for work and was snug fit beside him, instead.
Times like these, he wished he hadn't met Kibum.
No one outside of Infinite and SHINee knew the extent of the problem or just how close Kibum and Woohyun were to each other. The press release was that they're good friends, fashion buddies (even if Kibum had adamantly denied this; Woohyun's fashion was, to Kibum, passable at best); the truth was that they didn't know what exactly they were. So Eeteuk's question came as a surprise, especially with that big grin tugging at the corners of Eeteuk's lips.
"Is he your boyfriend?"
Woohyun choked up enough control to not let his features give him away. "We're just friends," he replied, and he belatedly realized that it was the worst answer he could possibly give. A little later, when Eeteuk still hadn't let the topic go, Woohyun said, "I mean, I still have a lot to learn about idol life. Kibum teaches me well."
u make me sound old nam :c Kibum said over text. It was the first Woohyun had gotten from Kibum since this morning, at around 8 a.m., and they had never gone this long without a fruitful conversation. Another beep signalled another message from Kibum, this time saying, how was ur day? c:
do u miss me? Woohyun replied. After answering Eeteuk's controversial question with a showbiz answer, what else could possibly go wrong?
f i told u that i do wud u believe me?
Woohyun's fingers hovered on the screen for a while. idk u tell me, he hastily typed, but quickly erased the entirety of the text for a more well thought of reply.
do u, rly?
Woohyun's phone was silent for the next few minutes. The screen had already dimmed, and the section where the battery was had already cooled down; still, no reply from Kibum. So he slipped his phone back in his pocket, ignored it for the rest of the show even if he heard three distinct beeps, each two seconds apart, even if Myungsoo kicked him from under the table as if saying, "Are you really doing this?"
He kicked Myungsoo right back. Yes, I am.
Kibum's reply was a curt and simple, yes.
The other two texts were from Woohyun's service provider, telling him to pay his phone bill a week from now. Woohyun was hoping for an explanation, but maybe he shouldn't be expecting such from Kibum. Kibum was a man of words, yes, but he had never been good at explaining himself, resorting to big gestures and flailing and unintelligible sounds when asked for a rebuttal.
Woohyun checked his phone one last time before turning it off. Infinite had a show in China, they were boarding in five minutes, and (500) Days of Summer had just started playing on his iPod Touch. There were better things to attend to.
("Whoa, we're drinking beer tonight? Kibummie, are you okay?"
"He's never okay," Jonghyun replied, a few feet behind Kibum. He had a huge bowl of assorted chips cradled in his arms and Kibum was just walking sluggishly beside him. "But I could use some help here, hyung."
Kibum snatched the bowl from Jonghyun. "You're pathetic," he said, a bit wheezy. He could feel his throat throbbing in pain - maybe doing an extra round of vocal practice with Jonghyun wasn't the best idea.
Jonghyun scoffed at him. "Yeah. Says the one who ordered a whole crate of beer."
The unspoken rule was to never discuss the depth of Woohyun and Kibum's relationship, except during special occasions - social gatherings where the big bosses try to weed out the truth from them, in radio or television shows that Eeteuk hosted, or days when Kibum brought home more than three bottles of beer for personal consumption. Kibum uncapped one bottle and took a sip - he'd never liked the taste of beer, but he wasn't in the mood for hard liquor, either.
"So, how did you screw up this time?"
Kibum laughed gingerly. "That's the thing - I didn't screw up."
Kibum stared at his SMS conversation with Woohyun. Woohyun hadn't texted since posing the question Kibum replied to, and Kibum didn't make an effort to follow up on Woohyun's reaction or at least try to explain himself. A curt 'yes' was rarely the best answer to any question leading to a confession - Kibum knew that for a fact but, despite being eloquent enough to share Jonghyun's embarassing exploits in three different languages, he seldom found the proper words when it came to Woohyun.
"I should go to back to Korea-"
"You should go to back to Korea."
"Right now. Is he even in Korea? How do I know if he's in Korea for all I know he's here in Japan or China or a country outside Asia-"
Jinki threw a lone cheese ball at him. "There's a reason why you have a phone, you know."
Kibum furrowed his eyebrows for a while, looked down at his phone, then at Jinki. "You're a genius. Keep drinking," he said, almost smiling as he did so, and texted Woohyun as fast as he could while walking back to his room.
nam where u at ryt now?
we need to talk
pls reply asap pls
nam i need u :c)
The first thing Woohyun did upon arriving in their hotel in China was to hit the sack and bury his phone in comforters. From the airport, they went straight to a scheduled performance, then to record a show, then had dinner with some important people whose names escape Woohyun as much as sleep does. The second thing, to reach for his phone from under three layers of blankets. Finally, the third - to check if he'd received any messages while he too busy looking infinitely interested in every single thing while trying to understand Chinese. Twelve messages - two from his service provider, three from his mother, and seven from Kibum, at least three of them simply donned with sad-faced smileys and nam where da fuq r u? myungsoo said u were in china but i don't trust dat guy. pls reply goddamit.
r u stalking me, Woohyun decided to reply, and Kibum's reply came in within fifteen seconds.
wud u kill me if i told u i'm at ur doorstep right now
kinda creepy.
the ppl here are staring at me like i'm a hot korean idol. pls let me in :c
"It's fucking one in the morning," was Woohyun's greeting when he opened the door.
Kibum bolted from where he was and smiled at Woohyun. There Kibum was, about a foot away from him, without make up under the fedora he was wearing, hair now a deep shade of black. "You've changed," Woohyun commented, voice barely above a whisper. "You've changed a lot."
"The hair color wasn't my idea."
"I know." Woohyun chuckled. Kibum was hardly the type who'd go for a conventional hair color. "Come in."
Woohyun forgot to turn on the lights in a rush to open the door. In this kind of lighting, the room looked tiny, too small for two people. The desk lamp cast a sick glow on Kibum - it was one in the morning and neither of them had any rest nor sleep. It was one in the morning and it was dark and it was cold, and there was only one bed in the room.
"Did you make reservations?" Woohyun asked.
Kibum shook his head.
The silence was deafening. It was the reason why Woohyun headphones slung around his neck, or why he fancied having the stereo blast his music even at such a late hour. He hated silence; it made him think more than the usual, made him come up with many bad ideas (and, on certain occasions, good ideas).
Woohyun patted the space next to him and gestured for Kibum to come closer.
"Why are you here?"
Kibum's furrowed his eyebrows and pressed his lips together. This was a look Woohyun didn't see often. A smile and a smirk came naturally to Kibum, but none of these - confusion was thick in his eyebrows and the uneven rise and fall of his chest. Woohyun blinked once, twice, until Kibum parted his lips to speak.
"I just wanted you to know that I meant what I said. I do - miss you, I mean. And I more than miss you. This... thing that we have, that we do - normal friends don't do this."
"We're not normal friends," Woohyun replied. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying, this isn't normal. I don't want it to be normal.
Kibum chuckled. "Yeah. We're more than that."
Kibum moved closer and traced the length of Woohyun's face, then gave Woohyun's chin a light pinch as his fingers settled on it. Woohyun winced - if Kibum was going for romantic or at least something leading to good make-up sex, then this wasn't the way to do it.
"I want us to be more than friends," Kibum rushed. "Tell me you want the same thing."
Woohyun smiled a little. This was how their friendship worked - Kibum was the initiator, the daredevil, the one who took the risks. Woohyun's job was to reciprocate. On a whim, Woohyun would do his own set of stunts with the risk of a failure and, for all of Kibum's being a tease and Kibum's lack of ability in expressing sympathy, Kibum rarely ever made him feel like a poor excuse of a risk-taker.
Woohyun leaned in and pressed his lips lightly on Kibum's.
Neither of them moved, but Woohyun felt a surge of blood coursing through his veins. Gravity was weighing down on him. He placed his hands on Kibum's shoulders, slowly guiding Kibum down on the bed. He snaked his hands inside Kibum's threadbare shirt, feeling the cold skin on his own, and he relished the feeling until he could feel his lips again, until Kibum kissed back, probing the caverns of his mouth with his tongue.
When Woohyun pulled away, Kibum commented, "This isn't more-than-friends."
"It's more-than-awkward-friends," Woohyun replied. "Deal with it."
Kibum was chuckling, giggling. Woohyun leaned in and let his lips hover Kibum's, feeling the vibration against his skin until he found himself laughing. This was a great deal of progress, all things considered. If Woohyun were to give himself a score, he'd give himself a 90%. He'd give Kibum an 89% for that snide remark.
They were't more-than-friends, nor were they more-than-awkward-friends. He had the perfect word for this at the tip of his tongue, but then Kibum was kissing him again, running fingers through his hair, leaving soft kisses - and marks - on his skin.
This was more.
Title: I had a dream you died (and I just want to be with you tonight)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s)/Focus: Woohyun/Key
Length: 2,728 words
Summary: A little bit of texting goes a long way, says Woohyun's phone bill. Kibum agrees. They try to find a solution that doesn't involve a lot of texting, but confrontations aren't their thing.
Notes: This is sort of a sequel to penny_lane_42's fic. Pennylane, I hope I did your fic justice! WooKey is such an interesting pair and it was hard to resist the pull of the fic that you wrote. ;___; Also, thanks to E for holding my hand through this thing; I owe you a coffee session, maybe some booze. ♥
Remixee author: penny_lane_42
Title of work you remixed: nothing compares 2 u
Link to work you remixed: http://penny-lane-42.livejournal.com/341334.html
ppl r starting 2 think u actually like him
u jealous?
of frogface? r u serious?
Fifteen minutes 'til the plane landed and Woohyun was in the aircraft comfort room, fingers wrapped tight around his cock, pumping in a slow, steady motion. Idol life taught him to be more independent, and that entailed having to know how to satisfy himself in the fastest way possible. He'd been in much tighter situations before, and this wasn't exactly the first time he's doing it in the plane. He's experienced, in a sense - experienced in making the most out of boring flights, of pushing back the feeling of longing at the back of his mind when he turns off his phone before he boards for any flight.
When he got back to his seat, Sunggyu said, "You broke your previous record."
"You keep track?"
"When do I not?"
Woohyun rolled his eyeballs. "Creeper," he said, scoffing as he did so, and put his headphones back on. Two more hours until they arrived at their destination.
Two more hours without mobile access and new messages from Kibum flooding his inbox.
i. It started as something fairly innoccent and harmless. He met Kibum in one of those music shows they performed in. Kibum introduced himself to Woohyun, claiming that Woohyun looked interesting and seemed like the type who'd indulge him in his crazy ideas. Woohyun said, "Uh, thanks," and tried to weasel his way out of the conversation by signalling at Sunggyu to get him the fuck out of here, but Sunggyu had eyes the size of slits; it was a miracle he still saw anything with them.
Fifteen minutes into their conversation and five minutes before Infinite went up on stage, Woohyun decided that maybe Kibum wasn't too bad a conversationalist and that talking to him probably wasn't the worst idea he's had since joining Woolim.
Ocassional meet ups in between shows turned into weekend coffee dates turned into habitual ice cream getaways somewhere in Hongdae turned into daily texting until the whee hours of the morning. Their phone bills sky rocketed and Kibum got more shit than expected. Jonghyun was more than happy to take some blame because, "Jonghyun-hyung is clingy as hell, and he just loves texting me even if we're just one hotel room apart."
"Could be worse. He texts me when I take too long in the bathroom," Jinki replied. Woohyun knew because Kibum had him on loudspeaker when SHINee was having a roundtable discussion about the repercussions of having hyperactive texting buddies; Woohyun was SHINee's phantom sixth member.
"I've got mad creeper skills," Jonghyun admitted. "But Kibummie's catching up really quick. I don't know if I should be proud or freaked out."
"O-kay!" Kibum exclaimed, then put him back on the normal receiver mode. "I'll call you later, Woo. Or maybe we can just chat? iMessage or something? Yeah. Bye!"
They kept texting, anyway. Phone bills be damned.
Late night texts turned into late night video chats turned into Kibum sneaking into Infinite's dorm at ten in the evening. Loud conversations turned into hushed voices, choked screams of each other's names. Soon, Kibum was more than a fellow performer or artist, or a texting buddy, or a friend. Kibum was part of his everyday routine and Kibum was leaving Korea for an extended stay in Japan.
Kibum was pursuing his dreams while Woohyun was still working on his vocals back in Korea. He still had a long way to go.
("You never learn, do you?"
Kibum rolled on his stomach and looked up, meeting Jonghyun's eyes as he furrowed his eyebrows. "I think you know by now that my brain stops functioning at 12:00 and it's already 12:01?" he replied, a bit unsure, and Jonghyun just shook his head.
"How are you planning to bail out of the 'huge phone bill sermon' now?"
Kibum laughed gingerly. "I don't know. Minho could use a personality transplant. We can be much closer."
Jonghyun walked to where Kibum was and sat on the edge of his bed. They'd been in Japan for exactly a month already, and Kibum was still having a hard time getting used to the unfamiliar warmth and weight on his bed. "I'm just saying, you can't do this forever."
"We're just friends."
"Your phone bill has a cap. And because I'm a good hyung, I'll keep reminding you that."
Kibum exhaled loudly and pulled the pillows close, too close that he was already being engulfed by them. The warmth that they provided wasn't the same, though.
It will never be the same.)
Either his mobile connection was intermittent, or Kibum hadn't texted in the past ten minutes. They were talking about Kibum's rather erratic and jam-packed schedule a earlier and, somewhere between focusing on Infinite's team meeting-cum-bull session and Kibum balancing practice and texting, their conversation had been cut short. Kibum had a habit of disappearing sometimes, between shoots and van rides, and Woohyun had grown accustomed to receiving late replies from time to time, sometimes none at all.
"Staring at your phone won't make him reply to you faster."
Woohyun gave Myungsoo a stern look. "Being rude won't make you a better singer. Go away."
Myungsoo held his hands up in mock defense, then reached out to give Woohyun's arms a light squeeze. "I'm just concerned about the welfare of your phone bill, that's all."
"I'm not using you as a scapegoat, don't worry."
"Good to know."
Woohyun lay his phone face down on the couch and curled up, closing his eyes as he did so. Times like these, he wished the heating system in their dorm was functioning, and Kibum wasn't travelling for work and was snug fit beside him, instead.
Times like these, he wished he hadn't met Kibum.
No one outside of Infinite and SHINee knew the extent of the problem or just how close Kibum and Woohyun were to each other. The press release was that they're good friends, fashion buddies (even if Kibum had adamantly denied this; Woohyun's fashion was, to Kibum, passable at best); the truth was that they didn't know what exactly they were. So Eeteuk's question came as a surprise, especially with that big grin tugging at the corners of Eeteuk's lips.
"Is he your boyfriend?"
Woohyun choked up enough control to not let his features give him away. "We're just friends," he replied, and he belatedly realized that it was the worst answer he could possibly give. A little later, when Eeteuk still hadn't let the topic go, Woohyun said, "I mean, I still have a lot to learn about idol life. Kibum teaches me well."
u make me sound old nam :c Kibum said over text. It was the first Woohyun had gotten from Kibum since this morning, at around 8 a.m., and they had never gone this long without a fruitful conversation. Another beep signalled another message from Kibum, this time saying, how was ur day? c:
do u miss me? Woohyun replied. After answering Eeteuk's controversial question with a showbiz answer, what else could possibly go wrong?
f i told u that i do wud u believe me?
Woohyun's fingers hovered on the screen for a while. idk u tell me, he hastily typed, but quickly erased the entirety of the text for a more well thought of reply.
do u, rly?
Woohyun's phone was silent for the next few minutes. The screen had already dimmed, and the section where the battery was had already cooled down; still, no reply from Kibum. So he slipped his phone back in his pocket, ignored it for the rest of the show even if he heard three distinct beeps, each two seconds apart, even if Myungsoo kicked him from under the table as if saying, "Are you really doing this?"
He kicked Myungsoo right back. Yes, I am.
Kibum's reply was a curt and simple, yes.
The other two texts were from Woohyun's service provider, telling him to pay his phone bill a week from now. Woohyun was hoping for an explanation, but maybe he shouldn't be expecting such from Kibum. Kibum was a man of words, yes, but he had never been good at explaining himself, resorting to big gestures and flailing and unintelligible sounds when asked for a rebuttal.
Woohyun checked his phone one last time before turning it off. Infinite had a show in China, they were boarding in five minutes, and (500) Days of Summer had just started playing on his iPod Touch. There were better things to attend to.
("Whoa, we're drinking beer tonight? Kibummie, are you okay?"
"He's never okay," Jonghyun replied, a few feet behind Kibum. He had a huge bowl of assorted chips cradled in his arms and Kibum was just walking sluggishly beside him. "But I could use some help here, hyung."
Kibum snatched the bowl from Jonghyun. "You're pathetic," he said, a bit wheezy. He could feel his throat throbbing in pain - maybe doing an extra round of vocal practice with Jonghyun wasn't the best idea.
Jonghyun scoffed at him. "Yeah. Says the one who ordered a whole crate of beer."
The unspoken rule was to never discuss the depth of Woohyun and Kibum's relationship, except during special occasions - social gatherings where the big bosses try to weed out the truth from them, in radio or television shows that Eeteuk hosted, or days when Kibum brought home more than three bottles of beer for personal consumption. Kibum uncapped one bottle and took a sip - he'd never liked the taste of beer, but he wasn't in the mood for hard liquor, either.
"So, how did you screw up this time?"
Kibum laughed gingerly. "That's the thing - I didn't screw up."
Kibum stared at his SMS conversation with Woohyun. Woohyun hadn't texted since posing the question Kibum replied to, and Kibum didn't make an effort to follow up on Woohyun's reaction or at least try to explain himself. A curt 'yes' was rarely the best answer to any question leading to a confession - Kibum knew that for a fact but, despite being eloquent enough to share Jonghyun's embarassing exploits in three different languages, he seldom found the proper words when it came to Woohyun.
"I should go to back to Korea-"
"You should go to back to Korea."
"Right now. Is he even in Korea? How do I know if he's in Korea for all I know he's here in Japan or China or a country outside Asia-"
Jinki threw a lone cheese ball at him. "There's a reason why you have a phone, you know."
Kibum furrowed his eyebrows for a while, looked down at his phone, then at Jinki. "You're a genius. Keep drinking," he said, almost smiling as he did so, and texted Woohyun as fast as he could while walking back to his room.
nam where u at ryt now?
we need to talk
pls reply asap pls
nam i need u :c)
The first thing Woohyun did upon arriving in their hotel in China was to hit the sack and bury his phone in comforters. From the airport, they went straight to a scheduled performance, then to record a show, then had dinner with some important people whose names escape Woohyun as much as sleep does. The second thing, to reach for his phone from under three layers of blankets. Finally, the third - to check if he'd received any messages while he too busy looking infinitely interested in every single thing while trying to understand Chinese. Twelve messages - two from his service provider, three from his mother, and seven from Kibum, at least three of them simply donned with sad-faced smileys and nam where da fuq r u? myungsoo said u were in china but i don't trust dat guy. pls reply goddamit.
r u stalking me, Woohyun decided to reply, and Kibum's reply came in within fifteen seconds.
wud u kill me if i told u i'm at ur doorstep right now
kinda creepy.
the ppl here are staring at me like i'm a hot korean idol. pls let me in :c
"It's fucking one in the morning," was Woohyun's greeting when he opened the door.
Kibum bolted from where he was and smiled at Woohyun. There Kibum was, about a foot away from him, without make up under the fedora he was wearing, hair now a deep shade of black. "You've changed," Woohyun commented, voice barely above a whisper. "You've changed a lot."
"The hair color wasn't my idea."
"I know." Woohyun chuckled. Kibum was hardly the type who'd go for a conventional hair color. "Come in."
Woohyun forgot to turn on the lights in a rush to open the door. In this kind of lighting, the room looked tiny, too small for two people. The desk lamp cast a sick glow on Kibum - it was one in the morning and neither of them had any rest nor sleep. It was one in the morning and it was dark and it was cold, and there was only one bed in the room.
"Did you make reservations?" Woohyun asked.
Kibum shook his head.
The silence was deafening. It was the reason why Woohyun headphones slung around his neck, or why he fancied having the stereo blast his music even at such a late hour. He hated silence; it made him think more than the usual, made him come up with many bad ideas (and, on certain occasions, good ideas).
Woohyun patted the space next to him and gestured for Kibum to come closer.
"Why are you here?"
Kibum's furrowed his eyebrows and pressed his lips together. This was a look Woohyun didn't see often. A smile and a smirk came naturally to Kibum, but none of these - confusion was thick in his eyebrows and the uneven rise and fall of his chest. Woohyun blinked once, twice, until Kibum parted his lips to speak.
"I just wanted you to know that I meant what I said. I do - miss you, I mean. And I more than miss you. This... thing that we have, that we do - normal friends don't do this."
"We're not normal friends," Woohyun replied. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying, this isn't normal. I don't want it to be normal.
Kibum chuckled. "Yeah. We're more than that."
Kibum moved closer and traced the length of Woohyun's face, then gave Woohyun's chin a light pinch as his fingers settled on it. Woohyun winced - if Kibum was going for romantic or at least something leading to good make-up sex, then this wasn't the way to do it.
"I want us to be more than friends," Kibum rushed. "Tell me you want the same thing."
Woohyun smiled a little. This was how their friendship worked - Kibum was the initiator, the daredevil, the one who took the risks. Woohyun's job was to reciprocate. On a whim, Woohyun would do his own set of stunts with the risk of a failure and, for all of Kibum's being a tease and Kibum's lack of ability in expressing sympathy, Kibum rarely ever made him feel like a poor excuse of a risk-taker.
Woohyun leaned in and pressed his lips lightly on Kibum's.
Neither of them moved, but Woohyun felt a surge of blood coursing through his veins. Gravity was weighing down on him. He placed his hands on Kibum's shoulders, slowly guiding Kibum down on the bed. He snaked his hands inside Kibum's threadbare shirt, feeling the cold skin on his own, and he relished the feeling until he could feel his lips again, until Kibum kissed back, probing the caverns of his mouth with his tongue.
When Woohyun pulled away, Kibum commented, "This isn't more-than-friends."
"It's more-than-awkward-friends," Woohyun replied. "Deal with it."
Kibum was chuckling, giggling. Woohyun leaned in and let his lips hover Kibum's, feeling the vibration against his skin until he found himself laughing. This was a great deal of progress, all things considered. If Woohyun were to give himself a score, he'd give himself a 90%. He'd give Kibum an 89% for that snide remark.
They were't more-than-friends, nor were they more-than-awkward-friends. He had the perfect word for this at the tip of his tongue, but then Kibum was kissing him again, running fingers through his hair, leaving soft kisses - and marks - on his skin.
This was more.