The Morning After (1/2)
★Title: The Morning After for poussieredetoi ♡
★Pairing: Kyungsoo/Sehun, Kyungsoo/Kris, other minor pairings
★Rating: PG-13
★Length: 12,864 words
★Warnings/Disclaimers: Some swearing
★Author’s notes/Messages for the recipient: Dear poussieredetoi, when you said to be creative, I’m not sure this is what you had in mind, haha. Hope you enjoy the crack anyway. Many thanks to G, J, and R for keeping me sane while writing this.
★Summary: The morning after his old college crush’s wedding, Kyungsoo wakes up in a bed that’s not his own. He enlists his BFF’s help to uncover the mystery.
KYUNGSOO
The morning after Kris gets married to his girlfriend, Krystal, Kyungsoo wakes up in a hotel bed. Naked. Under the sheets. His clothes are nowhere to be seen. His eyes widen and he stumbles out of the bed in a panicked haze, body awkwardly wrapped up in a bed sheet.
He counts up to 10 in his head to steady his breathing and tries to recall what happened the day before. Right, there was Kris' wedding in the early afternoon. Kris was Kyungsoo’s roommate in uni for two years before Kris graduated. Kyungsoo might have had a little crush on him that he never told him about, but in his defense, it was hard not to get attracted to Kris. He always acted like such an ice prince in front everyone else, but if they could only see the silly, gummy smile he aimed at Kyungsoo every day (not to mention the abs hidden under his immaculately pressed dress shirts), well, Kyungsoo thinks they’d understand.
At the wedding hall, Kris looked handsome in his black tux even though his slicked back hair made him look a little uptight. Krystal was the picture of a blushing bride beside him in an elegant empire-waist wedding gown, a smile adorning her face. They looked so happy, and Kyungsoo was relieved to note that his heart didn’t even give a little twinge when the couple shared their first kiss as husband and wife.
After the wedding came the reception at the grand ballroom of some hotel whose name Kyungsoo can’t remember. Everyone and their mother was there, so Kyungsoo had to endure making small talk with just about every acquaintance from uni he hadn’t bothered to keep up with after graduating. At least his bratty best friend, Sehun, was there to amuse him every now and then. Somewhere along the way, someone might have offered him a can of cheap beer--beer at a reception--and he thinks he might have accepted. The details become hazy after that.
His foot catches on something soft, wrenching him out of his musings. He looks down. And blinks. And blinks again. There's a frilly pink lace bra on the floor. The tide of panic he had kept at bay suddenly starts flooding right back into his stomach.
Kyungsoo reaches for the telephone on the bedside table and dials a familiar cellphone number with numb fingers. There's a full-length mirror on the wall, and he stares at his reflection as he waits for someone to pick up. He has terrible bed head, and what is that strange-looking mark on his neck? He frowns at it.
"Whoever you are, the world better be ending outside. It's inhuman to call anyone at the break of dawn." Sehun's voice is an octave deeper from sleep.
"Sehun, I just woke up in some hotel bed and I don't know where I am," Kyungsoo says as if he's talking about the weather.
"Oh. It's you, hyung." Kyungsoo hears Sehun muffle a yawn. "Mmmm...probably 'cause you got shitface drunk last night. Man, didn't know you had it in you."
"It was just a can of beer and I don't have a hangover, so no, I don't think I got drunk."
"Trust me when I say you're a big fan of soju bombs," Sehun deadpans.
"Oh Sehun, this is not the time for jokes. I can’t remember anything." Kyungsoo lets a little of his fear show in his voice. "I think I saw a hickey on my neck. And there's a lace bra on the floor. A lace bra."
Silence. "Didn't know you were straight," Sehun finally says.
Kyungsoo refrains from rolling eyes. No, wait, it's too late, he's already rolling his eyes. "I'm still gay, as far as I know."
"Okay, so maybe you picked up a guy with a cross-dressing kink."
"There's no one else in this room." Kyungsoo ruffles his hair in frustration. "Just what the heck did I do last night?"
"So you really can't remember anything?"
Sehun's voice sounds more awake now, and Kyungsoo can detect a hint of amusement in it. He narrows his eyes. "I just remember drinking some beer. You were right next to me. Did I do anything...strange last night?"
"You're always strange, Kyungsoo-hyung."
"Shut up or I'll hit you with a stick when I see you,” Kyungsoo hisses. “Did I do anything involving yo--a certain a guy?"
"Very strange," Sehun continues as if he hadn't heard Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo makes a sound of distress under his breath that he doesn't quite muffle successfully.
"Okay, okay," Sehun says, laughing. "Yeah, you kind of embarrassed yourself in front of that Kris guy, but nothing life-changing."
Kyungsoo stands up straight. "You’re lying."
"Uh oh. I can hear you stop breathing from here. Don't worry. You didn't reveal that you had a crush on him back when you were in uni..."
Kyungsoo breathes a quiet sigh of relief.
"...but you did say you felt sorry for washing all his boxers for him back when you were roommates. 'If I knew from the start you were straight, I would have just let you suffer through hand-washing them yourself' were your words, I think. Man, you were pissed." Sehun laughs. "You were a lot of fun, hyung.”
Kyungsoo groans and starts banging his head against the table.
"Are you banging your head against something right now? Because, hyung, you shouldn't do that. I thought we trained you out of this in uni."
Kyungsoo stops because something that's decidedly not the table is rubbing against his cheek. Upon closer inspection, he sees that it's a hotel notepad. He smiles in triumph. "Sehun, how fast can you get to Skypark Hotel?"
To his credit, Sehun understands what Kyungsoo’s getting at immediately. "Oh. So you did pick someone up last night. Ha, I knew it!” Sehun is laughing to himself, and Kyungsoo wants to kick him. “Anyway, why do I have to go there? Can't you get back to your apartment by yourself?"
"I'm naked and I don't know where my clothes are, that's why," Kyungsoo says bluntly. "Make sure to bring clothes for me."
"Hey!"
Kyungsoo ends the call and goes back to looking in the mirror. “What are you looking at?” he tells the mark on his neck. He stares it down. Maybe if he stares at it hard enough it will melt from the sheer strength of his gaze.
And maybe the sun revolves around the earth.
***
Kyungsoo opens the door to a sleepy-eyed Sehun in a snapback, a chipper-looking Chanyeol beside him with a similar snapback on his head. They look like extremely tall hoodlums, Kyungsoo notes with a snort. Chanyeol is Kyungsoo’s annoyingly inquisitive officemate, a graphics designer with a toothy smile that just doesn’t know when to quit. “Why did you bring Chanyeol with you?”
Sehun shrugs, a noncommittal look on his face. “Needed someone to carry the backpack with your clothes in it.”
“You lazy kid. You couldn’t even carry it by yourself?” Kyungsoo is still wrapped up in the bed sheet, and he pulls it around himself self-consciously, aware that Sehun is looking at him. Despite having been roommates with Sehun in uni, Kyungsoo has taken great care not to expose himself in front of Sehun, especially in the bathroom. ‘It’s silly,’ Sehun often tells him. ‘You shower with other guys all the time. What do you have that I don’t?’
Kyungsoo can’t really explain it himself. It might have something to do with Sehun barging into the bathroom unannounced while Kyungsoo had been in the middle of taking a shower one time. Both of them were startled, but Sehun had stared at Kyungsoo's body, his gaze lingering on Kyungsoo's crotch. Kyungsoo had blushed so hard he'd felt the heat going all the way down to his toes. He'd made sure to hit Sehun’s neck extra hard that day (he also put lots of salt in the lunch he made for Sehun).
“I never thought I’d see the day composed Do Kyungsoo wakes up with bed head, prancing around naked except for a bed sheet,” Chanyeol says, handing him the backpack.
“What do you mean composed?” Kyungsoo grumbles, grabbing the backpack from him. “My temper flares just because you exist every single work day.”
Chanyeol looks proud at that.
Kyungsoo changes in the bathroom at lightning speed, tossing on the shirt and pants Sehun had brought for him. He stays at Sehun’s place--an apartment he’s renting now that he’s finally graduated from uni--so often half his clothes are already in Sehun’s closet. The striped shirt droops on his shoulders, and he stares at himself in the mirror. “Yah, this is your shirt!” he yells. “You couldn’t have picked one of mine?” When Sehun doesn’t answer, Kyungsoo gets out of the bathroom, ready to give Sehun a piece of his mind, but the other boy is sleeping on the hotel bed, the snapback covering his face. “Brat,” Kyungsoo mutters under his breath, but he smiles and rearranges the snapback to better cover Sehun's face. He thinks he sees Sehun’s lips twitch.
“Why is there a bra on the floor?” Chanyeol asks. He sounds genuinely perplexed.
Kyungsoo rushes to Chanyeol’s side immediately and snatches it away from him. “Forget that. You were with me and Sehun last night, right?”
Chanyeol’s eyebrows furrow. “Yeah,” he says slowly. “For some of it, anyway.”
Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Did I, um, would you happen to know what I...did last night?”
Chanyeol shrugs and grins easily. “I think the better question is, what didn’t you do last night?”
Kyungsoo feels his blood run cold. “Please tell me I didn’t kiss anyone,” he blurts out.
“Okay, I won’t tell you that you kissed me,” Chanyeol says with a shit-eating grin.
Kyungsoo’s eyes widen in mortification.
“He’s kidding, hyung,” Sehun pipes up from the bed.
"I thought you were asleep!"
“Don’t look so distressed. You know Chanyeol's a liar.” Sehun props his chin up on both hands and watches as Kyungsoo turns as still as a statue. “Hyung?”
“I need to know exactly what I did last night,” Kyungsoo says, his voice low. He cracks his knuckles. “Or I’ll have to cut off Chanyeol’s balls.”
“Whoa, whoa, I was kidding! Don’t involve my balls in this!” Chanyeol moves his hands in front of his crotch in a defensive pose.
But Kyungsoo isn’t listening. He crooks a finger at Sehun.
Sehun raises an eyebrow and gives him a “Who me?” look.
“Get up, Sehun.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at his best friend’s faux innocent look. “You’re coming with me.”
Sehun groans but rolls out of bed anyway. “Where are we going?”
Kyungsoo hates that Sehun still looks kind of cute with his hair unkempt like that. He wishes he can say the same about his bed head. “You’re going to help me make a list of the people I interacted with last night,” he says, a manic gleam in his eyes. “And then we’re going to visit all of them.”
LUHAN AND MINSEOK
They visit Luhan and Minseok first because the two men live in an apartment in Myeongdong and their place is the closest. Luhan looks genuinely delighted to see them, much to Kyungsoo’s surprise. Although he had been Sehun’s Mandarin tutor back in uni, he and Kyungsoo didn’t really interact much because Kyungsoo thought there was something off about him.
The surprise lasts for about 10 seconds because, after that, Kyungsoo sees Sehun handing Luhan a cup of Angel in Us coffee. It figures Sehun had brought Luhan a bribe. He frowns as Luhan pulls Sehun into a warm hug.
“Ugh, hyung. Stop touching me. Just take your drink,” Sehun says as Luhan proceeds to squeeze the life out of him.
Now Kyungsoo remembers exactly why he’d found Luhan weird: he had no concept of personal space whatsoever. Kyungsoo had always been suspicious of Luhan’s advances towards Sehun. He clears his throat pointedly, causing Luhan to turn his attention on him. Right. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Kyungsoo hates it when people (other than Sehun maybe) are all in his face.
Luhan pulls Kyungsoo into a hug. “I’m sorry, Kyungsoo,” he coos. “Were you feeling neglected? I always liked you better than Sehun anyways.”
“Geroff,” Kyungsoo mumbles into Luhan’s shirt.
“I missed you too,” Luhan says as he finally lets go of Kyungsoo. He motions for both of them to sit on the couch. “But what are you guys doing here? We just saw each other last night.”
“About last night,” Kyungsoo says, going to straight to the point. “Hyung, uh, could you recount what I did exactly?”
“What he means is he can’t remember a thing from last night,” Sehun supplies helpfully. The look he gives Luhan is just a little too meaningful. Kyungsoo doesn’t like it. “We’re trying to piece it all back together for him.”
Luhan claps his hands in amusement. “Oh, I love mysteries.” He taps a finger against his chin. “Let me see...what did Kyungsoo do last night...”
***
Kyungsoo was a devil on the dance floor. Luhan wondered why the younger man had never shown off his skills back in uni because, damn, could he roll those hips. Who knew Do Kyungsoo could dance like that? Luhan was almost distracted from watching his Minseok. Almost.
“Luhan-hyung,” Kyungsoo sing-songed as he sidled up to Luhan, pressing up against his side, his eyes as wide as saucers. “Dance with me.” He looked just a little drunk.
Luhan looked longingly at Minseok, who was lost in the throng of bodies on the dance floor. He looked dashing in his tux as he did a fluid hip roll. And his ass. His ass in those slacks. Luhan licked his lips.
“Let’s dance, hyung,” Kyungsoo repeated, gripping Luhan’s arm tightly. “Please.”
Luhan gave Minseok one last look before turning his attention to Kyungsoo. “Fine,” he said, looking at Kyungsoo’s pleading, watery eyes. Geez. Luhan hadn’t even known Kyungsoo had aegyo. The boy was against doing anything cute back in uni. “But only because you’re such a cute dongsaeng.”
While they spun around and around the dance floor, Kyungsoo pressing into Luhan’s personal space a bit too close for comfort (which was saying a lot because Luhan was a pretty touchy guy), Luhan asked, “Was Sehun ignoring you? Is that why you’re trying to look especially cute?”
“Nooooooo.” Kyungsoo was pouting, and Luhan pinched his cheek.
“Just how drunk are you?” Luhan asked. “Ugh, you could give Minseok a run for his money with your cuteness.”
Kyungsoo scoffed and buried his head on Luhan’s shoulder.
It felt like barely a minute had passed when Luhan saw Minseok approach Kyungsoo from behind and tap him on the shoulder. “May I cut in?” Minseok asked. His tone was polite, but Luhan could see how stiff his body posture was.
Kyungsoo continued to pout but gave in easily. Luhan thought he saw Sehun leading Kyungsoo away, but he couldn’t be sure. He was too busy staring at Minseok.
Minseok put his hands around Luhan’s hips and Luhan smiled giddily. “You’re mine,” Minseok whispered, his lips grazing the shell of Luhan’s ear. “You can’t dance with anyone else.”
“Were you jealous?” Luhan shivered in delight and laid his head against Minseok’s neck. “Don’t worry. I’m all yours.”
***
Sehun makes a face and pretends to gag. “Ew, hyung, I didn’t think that was helpful at all. We didn’t really need to know about your stupid love life.”
‘Danced with Luhan,’ Kyungsoo jots down on his list right next to Luhan’s name. He gets a brief flashback of dancing with Luhan last night, but the rest of the details don’t come to him. ‘Luhan and Minseok are boyfriends,’ he adds. He doesn’t know why, but he feels relieved as he writes that. ‘Did not kiss either. Does not seem to own frilly lace bras.’ He purses his lips thoughtfully. ‘Apparently, I become clingy and childish when I’m drunk,’ he writes.
The apartment door opens and Minseok steps into the living room. He’s wearing a tank top and sweatpants. His sweat is falling in rivulets down his neck and back. It looks like he’s been out on a morning run.
“Minseok-ah!” Luhan immediately goes in for a hug.
“Ugh, no, Luhan. I’m all sweaty and gross.”
Luhan sniffs Minseok’s neck. “Even your sweat smells sweet.”
“Personal space.” Minseok rolls his eyes but only tries to push Luhan away half-heartedly. He shrugs at Sehun and Kyungsoo when the other two look at him aghast.
“I’ll go get you a glass of water,” Luhan announces and promptly heads for the kitchen.
Minseok sits across from Kyungsoo and Sehun and proceeds to wipe the sweat off his neck with a small towel. “What brings you two here?”
“We’re trying to help Kyungsoo-hyung regain his memories from last night," Sehun says. "Did you know? He woke up in a hotel room, and there was a bra-yah, yah, hyung! Ouch, that hurts!”
Kyungsoo relinquishes his hold on Sehun’s shoulder. “According to Luhan-hyung, I pestered him until he danced with me, but you cut in fast because you were jealous,” he recounts. He rustles his paper and examines his notes. “You said he was yours.”
Minseok raises a perfectly arched eyebrow. “When did I say that?” He looks confused. “You were so drunk you looked like you were going to heave on the dance floor. That’s why I cut in. I asked Kris to get you a cab, but I kind of lost track of you in the crowd.” Minseok scratches his head sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”
Sehun and Kyungsoo blink at each other and start laughing. Kyungsoo controls himself soon enough, but Sehun is laughing so hard tears are coming out of his eyes.
“What’s so funny?” Minseok asks.
“Oh, not much,” Sehun says, wiping away his tears. “It’s just...Luhan-hyung calls you his boyfriend, but it’s like you have no idea how much he likes you.”
“Wait, what? Did you just say Luhan likes me?” Minseok’s jaw drops. “As in...in a romantic sense?”
Sehun and Kyungsoo exchange a look. “Does that make you uncomfortable, hyung?” Kyungsoo asks seriously.
“I- no. Not at all.” Minseok fiddles with his hair and ducks his head. “I just. This is surprising, that’s all.”
Sehun snorts. “You’re just as oblivious as Kyungsoo-hyung.”
“How many times do I have to tell you?” Kyungsoo says. “I swear I didn’t know! I thought Joonmyun-hyung was just being generous with his credit card. How was I supposed to know he liked me?”
Sehun shushes him and they glare at each other, only to stop when they hear Minseok mumbling to himself. “What was that, hyung?” Sehun asks.
“I said, I’m not used to the people I like liking me back,” Minseok says more loudly, scratching his head.
They hear a gasp, and everyone turns to see Luhan carrying a glass of water, his eyes wide. “Minseok-ah, you like me?”
“I-uh…” Minseok looks down shyly, and Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. Luhan has already placed the glass of water on the table, leaving both his hands free to cup Minseok’s cheeks and tilt his face upward.
“Right,” Kyungsoo says, tugging an interested-looking Sehun up by the arm. “I think we’re done here. Thanks, Luhan-hyung. Nice to see you, Minseok-hyung.” He really doesn’t want to know what will happen next. Naturally, neither man answers him.
When Kyungsoo looks back one last time as they leave the apartment, he sees Luhan’s hand sneaking its way up Minseok’s shirt. Kyungsoo closes the door with a bang.
KRIS
Sehun asks for a quick bubble tea break before they head to their next stop. He ends up drinking three cups, much to the dismay of Kyungsoo and his wallet (Sehun had said it was payment for him coming with Kyungsoo today).
Kyungsoo watches with barely concealed annoyance as Sehun slurps up his pearls through a straw, making sucking sounds that Kyungsoo thinks the other patrons in the shop would find obscene. He throws a piece of tissue at him. “Stop sucking those things up like a vacuum. You’re embarrassing me with those...odd sounds.”
Sehun releases the straw with a pop and grins at him. Kyungsoo suddenly finds the tablecloth interesting. Oh, look, someone’s drawn a doodle of a puppy on it. How...cute. Kyungsoo hates cute things. “Hardly anyone’s here, hyung. It’s still early.”
“Whatever,” Kyungsoo tells Sehun’s fingers, which are drumming on the table. “I don’t understand why you love bubble tea so much anyway. I’d rather drink coffee.”
“You’re missing out,” Sehun says seriously. “But that’s okay. I think I drink enough bubble tea for both of us.”
Kyungsoo makes a noncommittal grunt as Sehun returns to his last cup of bubble tea. While Sehun goes on with his obnoxious slurping, Kyungsoo surveys his list. His eyes land on Kris' name written on the number one spot and he bites the end of his pen in thought. Kris must be on his honeymoon right now, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give him a call.
“I wasn’t ignoring you,” Sehun suddenly says. “Last night, I mean.”
Kyungsoo looks up, startled. “So Luhan-hyung’s story was true?”
Sehun shrugs. “I have no idea. You drifted away from me after the whole ‘Kris and his boxers’ thing.”
Kyungsoo feels his ears burn. “Stop mentioning that, brat.”
“But it’s so funny!”
Kyungsoo glares at him, widening his eyes for maximum effect.
“Okay, okay,” Sehun says, standing up from his chair. Kyungsoo can read the laughter that’s still in his eyes. “I need to pee anyway. I just thought you should know.”
Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at him and suppresses a groan. “Just go. You don’t need to tell me about your bathroom habits.”
While Sehun is having his bathroom break, Kyungsoo makes a decision. Although just the idea of last night having anything to do with Kris makes his stomach plummet, Kyungsoo thinks figuring out what happened is more important.
Kris answers his cellphone after three rings. “H-hello?” Kyungsoo winces and clears his throat. “Hello?” he repeats, his voice stronger this time.
“Oh, hi, Kyungsoo!” Kris sounds happy to hear from him. Way too happy, in fact. Kyungsoo frowns. He’d lived with Kris for two years, and he’d like to think he knows when Kris is hiding something. “I didn’t think I’d hear from you so soon!” The false cheer in his voice makes Kyungsoo wince.
“You’re talking in exclamation points,” Kyungsoo says. “Is something wrong? About last night. Did I…”
“It’s nothing,” Kris cuts in, and this time his voice sounds like the calmer Wu Fan Kyungsoo knows. “I’m sorry it’s so awkward. I just expected you to stay away from me for a while, after...well, you know, last night.” He laughs softly. “But I guess I underestimated you, huh? That should teach me never to doubt Do Kyungsoo.”
This is when Kyungsoo gets that feeling of dread back in the pit of his stomach. “Why would I stay away from you?”
“You’re too nice to me, Kyungsoo,” Kris says, and Kyungsoo feels like he’s missing half the conversation. “Thanks for last night, really. I appreciate what you did for me. I know it wasn’t easy for you to do it.” Pause. “It’s not like you knew what you were doing too.”
Kyungsoo’s mouth runs dry, and he feels himself turning pale at Kris' words. If Kris mentions anything about a frilly pink bra, he is going to scream. Right. Calming himself down now. He really doesn’t want to think of him, Kris, and a bra in the same context.
“I’m really thankful,” Kris is saying when Kyungsoo zones back in. “Let’s have lunch one of these days, yeah? Catch up properly.”
“Uh, yeah,” Kyungsoo says in a dull monotone. “Lunch. Right.”
“Oh, that’s Krystal.” Kris' voice is still warm with the glow of newlywed love. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? Take care of yourself, Kyungsoo.”
“Bye,” Kyungsoo answers mechanically. He contemplates nibbling on his fingertips to settle his nerves. Just what did he do with Kris last night?
Three minutes later, Sehun plops back onto his seat. “What did I miss?”
Kyungsoo considers banging his head against the table, thinks better of it (Sehun would just tsk at him), and stands up. “Nothing. Let’s just go and get this over with,” he says.
BAEKHYUN
They catch Baekhyun at his CD store, just as he’s about to have his lunchbreak. It takes them longer than expected to get there because Sehun keeps insisting Kyungsoo shouldn’t talk to Baekhyun.
“He’s your enemy, hyung,” Sehun says. “Your enemy. Remember how he put pepper in your milk? Threw away your final paper for music history right as you were about to hand it in?”
“Yeah, so?” Kyungsoo says. He’s still reeling from the phone call with Kris, and he wants to move on from it quickly. “He’s on my list. I have to know what he knows even if I hate him.”
Sehun had looked so wounded on the subway Kyungsoo had actually considered skipping Baekhyun. And now that they’re here and Baekhyun is staring at him, Kyungsoo wishes he had listened to Sehun.
“Do you really want to know what you did?” Baekhyun is wiggling his eyebrows like the weirdo that he is. Why does Kyungsoo know so many strange people? “I’m warning you. Once I start, there's no turning back."
Baekhyun’s smile is creepy as fuck. Kyungsoo clears his throat and unconsciously grips onto Sehun's sleeve. "Tell me."
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
***
Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had always had problems getting along in uni. For some reason, Kyungsoo would always look at him with those judging eyes of his, whether they met in the hallway, the classroom, or choir practice.
So maybe Baekhyun had come on a little too strong the first time they met, but, hey, the French kissed each other's cheeks in greeting all the time and no one had protested against getting a kiss from Baekhyun before. How was he to know Kyungsoo would get violent after a little peck?
***
"What peck? You were aiming for my lips!"
***
Anyway.
Kyungsoo never did trust Baekhyun after that, no matter how much Baekhyun tried to get to know him better. Okay, so maybe Baekhyun teased him and played pranks on him every chance he could (and Kyungsoo had him in a headlock each time), but Baekhyun couldn't help himself. Kyungsoo--dare he say it?--looked so cute when he was angry.
After a year of pestering Kyungsoo, he’d reluctantly accepted that he and Kyungsoo would be enemies forever. Imagine his surprise when Kyungsoo approached him at the reception of Kris' wedding and proceeded to cling to him.
"Baekhyunnieee," Kyungsoo whined. It was the first time Baekhyun heard him call him that. And in baby talk too. "Baekhyunnie, let's play."
"Where's Sehun?" Baekhyun asked, suspicious of Kyungsoo's sudden interest in him. "You're usually with Sehun."
"Let's play, Baekhyunnie," Kyungsoo repeated.
Baekhyun noted the two spots of pink on Kyungsoo's cheeks, figured out Kyungsoo was very, very drunk, and decided, "Yolo."
"Okay," he told Kyungsoo. "Let's play."
Kyungsoo giggled. He giggled. Baekhyun didn't know if he wanted to aww or be terrified. Kyungsoo didn't have any aegyo at all.
The shorter man wrapped his arm around Baekhyun’s and led him to the buffet table, where he proceeded to eat directly off the plates. Kyungsoo looked thoughtful for a while as he chewed on a dumpling he'd picked up with his fingers, and then he bent down, sniffed the tablecloth, and proceeded to give it a nibble.
For a moment, Baekhyun thought of stopping him, but then he thought, "Yolo."
***
"You let me eat a tablecloth?!"
There is muffled laughter in the background, and Kyungsoo shoots Sehun a dirty look.
"Shut up," Baekhyun says, grinning. "I haven't even gotten to the good part."
***
After Baekhyun had successfully dragged Kyungsoo away from the buffet table, the latter insisted on going to the DJ booth.
The dimpled man at the booth smiled at both of them, even as his attention was occupied by mixing.
"Do you have like Celine Dion?" Kyungsoo told the guy earnestly. "Can you play the Titanic song?" He put his hand over his heart. "You know, the one that goes...'" He opened his mouth wide and belted out, 'My heart will go on a-and oooonnnn!'"
“No,” the man said, continuing to smile. His nameplate read ‘Lay.’ “But I have ‘I’m Your Lady.’”
“...and you are my maaaaaan!” Kyungsoo wailed. He started sniffling pathetically. “God, I hate that song. It’s so horrible it makes me want to cry. You understand how I feel, right?” Kyungsoo squinted at Lay’s chest. “Lay?”
Even Baekhyun had his limits and he bowed apologetically at the DJ and dragged Kyungsoo away. "Kyungsoo," he said as if talking to a child, "we don't do that at parties, okay?" Kyungsoo pouted at him, and, boy, Baekhyun really was terrified now. Do Kyungsoo did not pout. Ever. "Besides, you said you hated Celine Dion songs."
"I hate you," Kyungsoo said, looking every bit like a murderous, well, puppy (if puppies had extremely large eyes).
“That’s okay,” Baekhyun said airily. “I already made peace with that a few years ago.”
“Oh yeah? Well, what if I kissed you?” Kyungsoo said. “I bet you won’t like it.” He seemed to think better of that and smiled (it was more of a smirk, really, and it was a Kyungsoo expression that was more familiar to Baekhyun). “I bet you’ll like it.”
Baekhyun’s jaw dropped. “Say what?” Did his long-time enemy say he wanted to kiss Baekhyun? He knew he was good-looking and all, but that was unexpected.
Kyungsoo gave him the same considering look he had given the tablecloth. Baekhyun thought he should probably feel offended, but he was still too busy being shocked. In fact, he was so shocked he didn’t even realize Kyungsoo was caressing his cheek until the other was already leaning in for a kiss.
***
“Ow, ow, Sehun, you ungrateful -ow!”
Kyungsoo blinks as Baekhyun hops around the store on one foot. “Did you just...step on him?”
Sehun just looks bored. “I might have stepped on him, yep.”
“I was just getting to the really good part,” Baekhyun whines as he continues jumping up and down. “Kyungsoo, what you did was- ow! You- YAH, OH SEHUN!”
“...Did you just step on him again?”
“Maybe.” Sehun takes Kyungsoo’s hand and tugs on it. “Come on, hyung. We need to visit the rest of the people on your list.”
Kyungsoo frowns. Part of him is relieved he doesn’t need to hear about himself kissing Baekhyun, but the other part is wondering what if it didn’t stop with just a kiss?! What if, for example, Baekhyun has a thing for frilly pink lace bras?
“He doesn’t like bras,” Sehun says.
Kyungsoo laughs awkwardly. “Did I just say that out loud?”
“Nah,” Sehun says, grinning as he slings Kyungsoo’s man purse over his shoulder. “Your face is just really easy to read.”
Kyungsoo sighs and lets Sehun pull him away. He chooses not to comment on the fact that before he met Sehun, there wouldn’t have been that many expressions to read on his face in the first place.
As they walk down the street, they can still hear Baekhyun screaming bloody murder from somewhere inside the shop. Secretly, Kyungsoo wants to scream too. The more people they talk to, the more confused he becomes about last night.
TAO
It's late afternoon by the time they get to the next person on their list. Tao opens the door to his apartment with hooded eyes and a curl to his mouth. If Kyungsoo doesn’t know Tao as a soft-spoken phys ed major back from uni days, he would have been scared just seeing that face. Right now, though, any thug vibes Tao is sending are offset by the panda print boxers he's wearing.
"Who are you?" Tao asks. He rubs his eyes sleepily and leans against the doorframe. Even if he looks like he just woke up, the skin on his face is glowing, and Kyungsoo vaguely wonders if Tao had put on some product before opening the door. It reminds him of how Kris used to have a complicated beauty routine back when they were roommates.
"Hi,” Kyungsoo says. His voice comes out a little squeaky. He hasn’t had this much social interaction in months (unless seeing Sehun counts). “I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Kyungsoo? We went to the same uni, and I think I talked to you at Kris' wedding reception last night.” Sehun clears his throat. “Oh, and this is Sehun, I guess.”
“Hyung,” Sehun pipes up. “I deserve way more than an ‘I guess.’”
Tao straightens up from his slouched position, a look of recognition lighting up his face. He points an accusing finger at Kyungsoo. “It’s you!”
“It’s me?” Kyungsoo echoes slowly. The intense stare Tao is giving him is making him feel nervous. Is this how people feel when he looks at them?
“You were trying to lure gege away from jiejie!”
Kyungsoo feels a little faint. “I was?”
Tao scrunches his nose. “Yeah. You’re a bad man! You almost convinced me with your angel act too.”
Sehun snickers, and Kyungsoo hits his shoulder. “So, uh, could you maybe elaborate on what kind of bad things I did? I was a little drunk...” Sehun snickers again; Kyungsoo pinches his thigh this time. “I was a little drunk, and I want to make sure I remember everything, you know, for future reference.” He tries a smile.
Tao gives him another one of his intense stares. “Okay, yeah, sure.” Kyungsoo thinks he sounds just a little breathless, but he attributes it to Tao waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Tao gestures for Kyungsoo and Sehun to follow him into the apartment.
Sehun rolls his eyes but enters the living room. “You just called Kyungsoo-hyung a bad man, but you’re still letting us in. What kind of bad judgment is this?”
“Shut up,” Kyungsoo hisses. Tao actually looks a little hurt by Sehun’s words. Kyungsoo smiles awkwardly at him. “Don’t mind him. Please tell us what you know.”
“Fine,” Tao says, settling down comfortably on his black couch. “but only because you asked nicely.”
***
Tao couldn't help crying at Kris' wedding. He was so touched that his ge, who'd had so much trouble with girls dumping him in uni, was finally getting married--and to a beautiful woman at that. He was going to miss Kris buying him lots of Gucci (and, okay, maybe that was why he was crying, because do you know how expensive Gucci underwear is?), but, hey, Tao had his new friend, Joonmyun-ge. Life was good.
Or at least it was until a drunk Kyungsoo stumbled his way to the bride and groom's table, going on and on about Kris' boxers in a slurred voice. Tao vaguely remembered Kyungsoo as Kris' roommate back in uni, but they didn’t really move in the same circles, so they hardly saw each other. Kris looked embarrassed as Kyungsoo went on, while Krystal looked like she was trying not to laugh. Tao felt indignant for both of them. He didn't understand everything Kyungsoo was saying--he was a bit far away and maybe his Korean could still use some work--but it sure sounded to him like Kyungsoo had access to Kris' boxers (and not just one pair!). Tao knew what that meant. He wasn't dumb.
And so he took it upon himself to warn Kyungsoo off before the boy decided to become Kris' lover on the side. "Kris-ge is straight," he told Kyungsoo, when the boy wandered in his direction after his speech about boxers. "He's also not a cheater."
Kyungsoo gave him a blank look. “I know that,” he said, words clear even though his face was a bit red from alcohol.
Tao put his hands on his hips. “Oh yeah? Well, why are you trying to lure him away from his wife at his own reception?”
“I’m not,” Kyungsoo said, flicking Tao on the nose.
Tao gasped. How dare Kyungsoo flick his most precious nose? His eyes narrowed. Did this small dude want to be wushu’d out of the ballroom?
“Tao, right? I remember you from uni. Somewhat. I just...needed to let some steam out, you know?” Kyungsoo said. If Tao didn’t know any better, he’d think Kyungsoo was sober. “I had a crush on him when I was in uni and I never told him. So I figured I’d tell him now that it’s over. I mean, god, it was like four years ago.” He smiled, and Tao felt his heart beat slightly faster in his chest at the other’s heart-shaped smile. Wait, no, his heart was beating fast because he was angry at Kyungsoo. He wouldn’t let himself fall into this guy’s trap!
“Yeah, okay,” Tao said, brows furrowed. “As long as you stay away from gege, I guess it’s fine.”
"Oh, please. It's not like I see Kris on a regular basis anyway," Kyungsoo said easily. “Hey, do you know where I can get more beer? Or soju. Soju will do."
"Why?" Tao asked.
"I'm about to do something really dumb, and I need all the help I can get." Kyungsoo smiled again.
Tao frowned and felt deeply suspicious. Nevertheless, he pointed Kyungsoo to the drinks table.
It was around an hour later, when Tao was ready to call it a day, that he saw Kyungsoo walking on unsteady feet, being dragged away by Kris somewhere. Tao immediately followed them, using his amazing ninja skills to press himself seamlessly against the hotel walls and remain unseen. He watched the numbers climb up on the elevator Kris and Kyungsoo had entered. Two floors. Tao used the emergency stairs, taking the steps three at a time, thanks to his long and extremely well-muscled legs. He arrived on the right floor just in time to see the two men having a quiet conversation in the hallway.
"I'm sorry to spring this on you so suddenly, Kyungsoo, but..."
Tao put his hand around his ear as if it would help him hear better.
"...I love you and I can't live without you. I know it's selfish, but I just want to be with you one last time."
Tao stifled a gasp.
"Honestly, I thought you were just getting me a cab," Kyungsoo said. "But if this is what you want..." Tao's eyes widened. Kyungsoo's voice just then had sounded silky and seductive.
***
"Are you writing a movie script or what?" Sehun asks with a snort. "Hyung is about as seductive as a piece of wood."
"Gee, thanks."
"And I don't even know Kris that well, but even I can tell he didn't say any of that. Seriously? Who says cheesy stuff like that?"
Kyungsoo and Tao both cough. "Believe me when I say Kris is one of the cheesiest guys on the planet," says Kyungsoo. "But yeah, I doubt he said any of that." Besides, Kris is straight and very in love with Krystal. But even though Kyungsoo's saying it with conviction, he can't help thinking of his phone call with Kris. 'Thanks for last night,' Kris had said. He couldn't have been talking about this, could he?
Tao frowns at them. "Do you want to know what happened or not?"
***
Tao's jaw dropped when he saw them entering a hotel room. No, he thought. Kris-ge wouldn't cheat on his wife. He wouldn't. Tao was torn between kicking the door open and confronting his ge and letting things go. What if he opened the door and saw something he didn't want to see? In the end, he did something that was somewhere in between: he pressed his ear against the door and tried to listen in.
Unfortunately, the walls weren't as thin as he'd thought. All he could hear were words like bra and panty as well as a couple of frustrated groans (or were they moans?). Tao scrambled to hide somewhere in the corridor when he heard the door being opened. Only Kris came out, looking flustered but also triumphant. He was holding a Victoria's Secret paper bag.
Tao really didn't want to know what that was all about. He ran away before Kris could see him.
***
"So, you see," Tao is saying, "it's really obvious. I don't know what kind of magic you used, but you seduced Kris-ge! You might look cute and squishy, but it's all a lie!" Tao looks personally affronted by this. "I know you like him, but he's a married man. You should set your sights on someone else."
Kyungsoo exhales and ruffles his hair in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't like him!"
Tao put his arms over his chest and gives him a disbelieving look.
"I don't," Kyungsoo insists.
"It sure didn't look like it."
"I don't! I like someone else, okay?" Kyungsoo blurts out. He regrets it immediately and wishes he can take it back.
"You do?" Sehun says, just like Kyungsoo thought he would. "I thought you were still into that Kris guy. That’s why you wanted me to come with you to the wedding, right? For moral support."
"I don't want to talk about it," Kyungsoo says quickly. "The point is, I don't like Kris like that anymore. That was a long time ago. You know that, Sehun."
"He's right," a new voice echoes.
(part 2)
★Pairing: Kyungsoo/Sehun, Kyungsoo/Kris, other minor pairings
★Rating: PG-13
★Length: 12,864 words
★Warnings/Disclaimers: Some swearing
★Author’s notes/Messages for the recipient: Dear poussieredetoi, when you said to be creative, I’m not sure this is what you had in mind, haha. Hope you enjoy the crack anyway. Many thanks to G, J, and R for keeping me sane while writing this.
★Summary: The morning after his old college crush’s wedding, Kyungsoo wakes up in a bed that’s not his own. He enlists his BFF’s help to uncover the mystery.
KYUNGSOO
The morning after Kris gets married to his girlfriend, Krystal, Kyungsoo wakes up in a hotel bed. Naked. Under the sheets. His clothes are nowhere to be seen. His eyes widen and he stumbles out of the bed in a panicked haze, body awkwardly wrapped up in a bed sheet.
He counts up to 10 in his head to steady his breathing and tries to recall what happened the day before. Right, there was Kris' wedding in the early afternoon. Kris was Kyungsoo’s roommate in uni for two years before Kris graduated. Kyungsoo might have had a little crush on him that he never told him about, but in his defense, it was hard not to get attracted to Kris. He always acted like such an ice prince in front everyone else, but if they could only see the silly, gummy smile he aimed at Kyungsoo every day (not to mention the abs hidden under his immaculately pressed dress shirts), well, Kyungsoo thinks they’d understand.
At the wedding hall, Kris looked handsome in his black tux even though his slicked back hair made him look a little uptight. Krystal was the picture of a blushing bride beside him in an elegant empire-waist wedding gown, a smile adorning her face. They looked so happy, and Kyungsoo was relieved to note that his heart didn’t even give a little twinge when the couple shared their first kiss as husband and wife.
After the wedding came the reception at the grand ballroom of some hotel whose name Kyungsoo can’t remember. Everyone and their mother was there, so Kyungsoo had to endure making small talk with just about every acquaintance from uni he hadn’t bothered to keep up with after graduating. At least his bratty best friend, Sehun, was there to amuse him every now and then. Somewhere along the way, someone might have offered him a can of cheap beer--beer at a reception--and he thinks he might have accepted. The details become hazy after that.
His foot catches on something soft, wrenching him out of his musings. He looks down. And blinks. And blinks again. There's a frilly pink lace bra on the floor. The tide of panic he had kept at bay suddenly starts flooding right back into his stomach.
Kyungsoo reaches for the telephone on the bedside table and dials a familiar cellphone number with numb fingers. There's a full-length mirror on the wall, and he stares at his reflection as he waits for someone to pick up. He has terrible bed head, and what is that strange-looking mark on his neck? He frowns at it.
"Whoever you are, the world better be ending outside. It's inhuman to call anyone at the break of dawn." Sehun's voice is an octave deeper from sleep.
"Sehun, I just woke up in some hotel bed and I don't know where I am," Kyungsoo says as if he's talking about the weather.
"Oh. It's you, hyung." Kyungsoo hears Sehun muffle a yawn. "Mmmm...probably 'cause you got shitface drunk last night. Man, didn't know you had it in you."
"It was just a can of beer and I don't have a hangover, so no, I don't think I got drunk."
"Trust me when I say you're a big fan of soju bombs," Sehun deadpans.
"Oh Sehun, this is not the time for jokes. I can’t remember anything." Kyungsoo lets a little of his fear show in his voice. "I think I saw a hickey on my neck. And there's a lace bra on the floor. A lace bra."
Silence. "Didn't know you were straight," Sehun finally says.
Kyungsoo refrains from rolling eyes. No, wait, it's too late, he's already rolling his eyes. "I'm still gay, as far as I know."
"Okay, so maybe you picked up a guy with a cross-dressing kink."
"There's no one else in this room." Kyungsoo ruffles his hair in frustration. "Just what the heck did I do last night?"
"So you really can't remember anything?"
Sehun's voice sounds more awake now, and Kyungsoo can detect a hint of amusement in it. He narrows his eyes. "I just remember drinking some beer. You were right next to me. Did I do anything...strange last night?"
"You're always strange, Kyungsoo-hyung."
"Shut up or I'll hit you with a stick when I see you,” Kyungsoo hisses. “Did I do anything involving yo--a certain a guy?"
"Very strange," Sehun continues as if he hadn't heard Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo makes a sound of distress under his breath that he doesn't quite muffle successfully.
"Okay, okay," Sehun says, laughing. "Yeah, you kind of embarrassed yourself in front of that Kris guy, but nothing life-changing."
Kyungsoo stands up straight. "You’re lying."
"Uh oh. I can hear you stop breathing from here. Don't worry. You didn't reveal that you had a crush on him back when you were in uni..."
Kyungsoo breathes a quiet sigh of relief.
"...but you did say you felt sorry for washing all his boxers for him back when you were roommates. 'If I knew from the start you were straight, I would have just let you suffer through hand-washing them yourself' were your words, I think. Man, you were pissed." Sehun laughs. "You were a lot of fun, hyung.”
Kyungsoo groans and starts banging his head against the table.
"Are you banging your head against something right now? Because, hyung, you shouldn't do that. I thought we trained you out of this in uni."
Kyungsoo stops because something that's decidedly not the table is rubbing against his cheek. Upon closer inspection, he sees that it's a hotel notepad. He smiles in triumph. "Sehun, how fast can you get to Skypark Hotel?"
To his credit, Sehun understands what Kyungsoo’s getting at immediately. "Oh. So you did pick someone up last night. Ha, I knew it!” Sehun is laughing to himself, and Kyungsoo wants to kick him. “Anyway, why do I have to go there? Can't you get back to your apartment by yourself?"
"I'm naked and I don't know where my clothes are, that's why," Kyungsoo says bluntly. "Make sure to bring clothes for me."
"Hey!"
Kyungsoo ends the call and goes back to looking in the mirror. “What are you looking at?” he tells the mark on his neck. He stares it down. Maybe if he stares at it hard enough it will melt from the sheer strength of his gaze.
And maybe the sun revolves around the earth.
***
Kyungsoo opens the door to a sleepy-eyed Sehun in a snapback, a chipper-looking Chanyeol beside him with a similar snapback on his head. They look like extremely tall hoodlums, Kyungsoo notes with a snort. Chanyeol is Kyungsoo’s annoyingly inquisitive officemate, a graphics designer with a toothy smile that just doesn’t know when to quit. “Why did you bring Chanyeol with you?”
Sehun shrugs, a noncommittal look on his face. “Needed someone to carry the backpack with your clothes in it.”
“You lazy kid. You couldn’t even carry it by yourself?” Kyungsoo is still wrapped up in the bed sheet, and he pulls it around himself self-consciously, aware that Sehun is looking at him. Despite having been roommates with Sehun in uni, Kyungsoo has taken great care not to expose himself in front of Sehun, especially in the bathroom. ‘It’s silly,’ Sehun often tells him. ‘You shower with other guys all the time. What do you have that I don’t?’
Kyungsoo can’t really explain it himself. It might have something to do with Sehun barging into the bathroom unannounced while Kyungsoo had been in the middle of taking a shower one time. Both of them were startled, but Sehun had stared at Kyungsoo's body, his gaze lingering on Kyungsoo's crotch. Kyungsoo had blushed so hard he'd felt the heat going all the way down to his toes. He'd made sure to hit Sehun’s neck extra hard that day (he also put lots of salt in the lunch he made for Sehun).
“I never thought I’d see the day composed Do Kyungsoo wakes up with bed head, prancing around naked except for a bed sheet,” Chanyeol says, handing him the backpack.
“What do you mean composed?” Kyungsoo grumbles, grabbing the backpack from him. “My temper flares just because you exist every single work day.”
Chanyeol looks proud at that.
Kyungsoo changes in the bathroom at lightning speed, tossing on the shirt and pants Sehun had brought for him. He stays at Sehun’s place--an apartment he’s renting now that he’s finally graduated from uni--so often half his clothes are already in Sehun’s closet. The striped shirt droops on his shoulders, and he stares at himself in the mirror. “Yah, this is your shirt!” he yells. “You couldn’t have picked one of mine?” When Sehun doesn’t answer, Kyungsoo gets out of the bathroom, ready to give Sehun a piece of his mind, but the other boy is sleeping on the hotel bed, the snapback covering his face. “Brat,” Kyungsoo mutters under his breath, but he smiles and rearranges the snapback to better cover Sehun's face. He thinks he sees Sehun’s lips twitch.
“Why is there a bra on the floor?” Chanyeol asks. He sounds genuinely perplexed.
Kyungsoo rushes to Chanyeol’s side immediately and snatches it away from him. “Forget that. You were with me and Sehun last night, right?”
Chanyeol’s eyebrows furrow. “Yeah,” he says slowly. “For some of it, anyway.”
Kyungsoo clears his throat. “Did I, um, would you happen to know what I...did last night?”
Chanyeol shrugs and grins easily. “I think the better question is, what didn’t you do last night?”
Kyungsoo feels his blood run cold. “Please tell me I didn’t kiss anyone,” he blurts out.
“Okay, I won’t tell you that you kissed me,” Chanyeol says with a shit-eating grin.
Kyungsoo’s eyes widen in mortification.
“He’s kidding, hyung,” Sehun pipes up from the bed.
"I thought you were asleep!"
“Don’t look so distressed. You know Chanyeol's a liar.” Sehun props his chin up on both hands and watches as Kyungsoo turns as still as a statue. “Hyung?”
“I need to know exactly what I did last night,” Kyungsoo says, his voice low. He cracks his knuckles. “Or I’ll have to cut off Chanyeol’s balls.”
“Whoa, whoa, I was kidding! Don’t involve my balls in this!” Chanyeol moves his hands in front of his crotch in a defensive pose.
But Kyungsoo isn’t listening. He crooks a finger at Sehun.
Sehun raises an eyebrow and gives him a “Who me?” look.
“Get up, Sehun.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at his best friend’s faux innocent look. “You’re coming with me.”
Sehun groans but rolls out of bed anyway. “Where are we going?”
Kyungsoo hates that Sehun still looks kind of cute with his hair unkempt like that. He wishes he can say the same about his bed head. “You’re going to help me make a list of the people I interacted with last night,” he says, a manic gleam in his eyes. “And then we’re going to visit all of them.”
LUHAN AND MINSEOK
They visit Luhan and Minseok first because the two men live in an apartment in Myeongdong and their place is the closest. Luhan looks genuinely delighted to see them, much to Kyungsoo’s surprise. Although he had been Sehun’s Mandarin tutor back in uni, he and Kyungsoo didn’t really interact much because Kyungsoo thought there was something off about him.
The surprise lasts for about 10 seconds because, after that, Kyungsoo sees Sehun handing Luhan a cup of Angel in Us coffee. It figures Sehun had brought Luhan a bribe. He frowns as Luhan pulls Sehun into a warm hug.
“Ugh, hyung. Stop touching me. Just take your drink,” Sehun says as Luhan proceeds to squeeze the life out of him.
Now Kyungsoo remembers exactly why he’d found Luhan weird: he had no concept of personal space whatsoever. Kyungsoo had always been suspicious of Luhan’s advances towards Sehun. He clears his throat pointedly, causing Luhan to turn his attention on him. Right. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Kyungsoo hates it when people (other than Sehun maybe) are all in his face.
Luhan pulls Kyungsoo into a hug. “I’m sorry, Kyungsoo,” he coos. “Were you feeling neglected? I always liked you better than Sehun anyways.”
“Geroff,” Kyungsoo mumbles into Luhan’s shirt.
“I missed you too,” Luhan says as he finally lets go of Kyungsoo. He motions for both of them to sit on the couch. “But what are you guys doing here? We just saw each other last night.”
“About last night,” Kyungsoo says, going to straight to the point. “Hyung, uh, could you recount what I did exactly?”
“What he means is he can’t remember a thing from last night,” Sehun supplies helpfully. The look he gives Luhan is just a little too meaningful. Kyungsoo doesn’t like it. “We’re trying to piece it all back together for him.”
Luhan claps his hands in amusement. “Oh, I love mysteries.” He taps a finger against his chin. “Let me see...what did Kyungsoo do last night...”
***
Kyungsoo was a devil on the dance floor. Luhan wondered why the younger man had never shown off his skills back in uni because, damn, could he roll those hips. Who knew Do Kyungsoo could dance like that? Luhan was almost distracted from watching his Minseok. Almost.
“Luhan-hyung,” Kyungsoo sing-songed as he sidled up to Luhan, pressing up against his side, his eyes as wide as saucers. “Dance with me.” He looked just a little drunk.
Luhan looked longingly at Minseok, who was lost in the throng of bodies on the dance floor. He looked dashing in his tux as he did a fluid hip roll. And his ass. His ass in those slacks. Luhan licked his lips.
“Let’s dance, hyung,” Kyungsoo repeated, gripping Luhan’s arm tightly. “Please.”
Luhan gave Minseok one last look before turning his attention to Kyungsoo. “Fine,” he said, looking at Kyungsoo’s pleading, watery eyes. Geez. Luhan hadn’t even known Kyungsoo had aegyo. The boy was against doing anything cute back in uni. “But only because you’re such a cute dongsaeng.”
While they spun around and around the dance floor, Kyungsoo pressing into Luhan’s personal space a bit too close for comfort (which was saying a lot because Luhan was a pretty touchy guy), Luhan asked, “Was Sehun ignoring you? Is that why you’re trying to look especially cute?”
“Nooooooo.” Kyungsoo was pouting, and Luhan pinched his cheek.
“Just how drunk are you?” Luhan asked. “Ugh, you could give Minseok a run for his money with your cuteness.”
Kyungsoo scoffed and buried his head on Luhan’s shoulder.
It felt like barely a minute had passed when Luhan saw Minseok approach Kyungsoo from behind and tap him on the shoulder. “May I cut in?” Minseok asked. His tone was polite, but Luhan could see how stiff his body posture was.
Kyungsoo continued to pout but gave in easily. Luhan thought he saw Sehun leading Kyungsoo away, but he couldn’t be sure. He was too busy staring at Minseok.
Minseok put his hands around Luhan’s hips and Luhan smiled giddily. “You’re mine,” Minseok whispered, his lips grazing the shell of Luhan’s ear. “You can’t dance with anyone else.”
“Were you jealous?” Luhan shivered in delight and laid his head against Minseok’s neck. “Don’t worry. I’m all yours.”
***
Sehun makes a face and pretends to gag. “Ew, hyung, I didn’t think that was helpful at all. We didn’t really need to know about your stupid love life.”
‘Danced with Luhan,’ Kyungsoo jots down on his list right next to Luhan’s name. He gets a brief flashback of dancing with Luhan last night, but the rest of the details don’t come to him. ‘Luhan and Minseok are boyfriends,’ he adds. He doesn’t know why, but he feels relieved as he writes that. ‘Did not kiss either. Does not seem to own frilly lace bras.’ He purses his lips thoughtfully. ‘Apparently, I become clingy and childish when I’m drunk,’ he writes.
The apartment door opens and Minseok steps into the living room. He’s wearing a tank top and sweatpants. His sweat is falling in rivulets down his neck and back. It looks like he’s been out on a morning run.
“Minseok-ah!” Luhan immediately goes in for a hug.
“Ugh, no, Luhan. I’m all sweaty and gross.”
Luhan sniffs Minseok’s neck. “Even your sweat smells sweet.”
“Personal space.” Minseok rolls his eyes but only tries to push Luhan away half-heartedly. He shrugs at Sehun and Kyungsoo when the other two look at him aghast.
“I’ll go get you a glass of water,” Luhan announces and promptly heads for the kitchen.
Minseok sits across from Kyungsoo and Sehun and proceeds to wipe the sweat off his neck with a small towel. “What brings you two here?”
“We’re trying to help Kyungsoo-hyung regain his memories from last night," Sehun says. "Did you know? He woke up in a hotel room, and there was a bra-yah, yah, hyung! Ouch, that hurts!”
Kyungsoo relinquishes his hold on Sehun’s shoulder. “According to Luhan-hyung, I pestered him until he danced with me, but you cut in fast because you were jealous,” he recounts. He rustles his paper and examines his notes. “You said he was yours.”
Minseok raises a perfectly arched eyebrow. “When did I say that?” He looks confused. “You were so drunk you looked like you were going to heave on the dance floor. That’s why I cut in. I asked Kris to get you a cab, but I kind of lost track of you in the crowd.” Minseok scratches his head sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”
Sehun and Kyungsoo blink at each other and start laughing. Kyungsoo controls himself soon enough, but Sehun is laughing so hard tears are coming out of his eyes.
“What’s so funny?” Minseok asks.
“Oh, not much,” Sehun says, wiping away his tears. “It’s just...Luhan-hyung calls you his boyfriend, but it’s like you have no idea how much he likes you.”
“Wait, what? Did you just say Luhan likes me?” Minseok’s jaw drops. “As in...in a romantic sense?”
Sehun and Kyungsoo exchange a look. “Does that make you uncomfortable, hyung?” Kyungsoo asks seriously.
“I- no. Not at all.” Minseok fiddles with his hair and ducks his head. “I just. This is surprising, that’s all.”
Sehun snorts. “You’re just as oblivious as Kyungsoo-hyung.”
“How many times do I have to tell you?” Kyungsoo says. “I swear I didn’t know! I thought Joonmyun-hyung was just being generous with his credit card. How was I supposed to know he liked me?”
Sehun shushes him and they glare at each other, only to stop when they hear Minseok mumbling to himself. “What was that, hyung?” Sehun asks.
“I said, I’m not used to the people I like liking me back,” Minseok says more loudly, scratching his head.
They hear a gasp, and everyone turns to see Luhan carrying a glass of water, his eyes wide. “Minseok-ah, you like me?”
“I-uh…” Minseok looks down shyly, and Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. Luhan has already placed the glass of water on the table, leaving both his hands free to cup Minseok’s cheeks and tilt his face upward.
“Right,” Kyungsoo says, tugging an interested-looking Sehun up by the arm. “I think we’re done here. Thanks, Luhan-hyung. Nice to see you, Minseok-hyung.” He really doesn’t want to know what will happen next. Naturally, neither man answers him.
When Kyungsoo looks back one last time as they leave the apartment, he sees Luhan’s hand sneaking its way up Minseok’s shirt. Kyungsoo closes the door with a bang.
KRIS
Sehun asks for a quick bubble tea break before they head to their next stop. He ends up drinking three cups, much to the dismay of Kyungsoo and his wallet (Sehun had said it was payment for him coming with Kyungsoo today).
Kyungsoo watches with barely concealed annoyance as Sehun slurps up his pearls through a straw, making sucking sounds that Kyungsoo thinks the other patrons in the shop would find obscene. He throws a piece of tissue at him. “Stop sucking those things up like a vacuum. You’re embarrassing me with those...odd sounds.”
Sehun releases the straw with a pop and grins at him. Kyungsoo suddenly finds the tablecloth interesting. Oh, look, someone’s drawn a doodle of a puppy on it. How...cute. Kyungsoo hates cute things. “Hardly anyone’s here, hyung. It’s still early.”
“Whatever,” Kyungsoo tells Sehun’s fingers, which are drumming on the table. “I don’t understand why you love bubble tea so much anyway. I’d rather drink coffee.”
“You’re missing out,” Sehun says seriously. “But that’s okay. I think I drink enough bubble tea for both of us.”
Kyungsoo makes a noncommittal grunt as Sehun returns to his last cup of bubble tea. While Sehun goes on with his obnoxious slurping, Kyungsoo surveys his list. His eyes land on Kris' name written on the number one spot and he bites the end of his pen in thought. Kris must be on his honeymoon right now, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to give him a call.
“I wasn’t ignoring you,” Sehun suddenly says. “Last night, I mean.”
Kyungsoo looks up, startled. “So Luhan-hyung’s story was true?”
Sehun shrugs. “I have no idea. You drifted away from me after the whole ‘Kris and his boxers’ thing.”
Kyungsoo feels his ears burn. “Stop mentioning that, brat.”
“But it’s so funny!”
Kyungsoo glares at him, widening his eyes for maximum effect.
“Okay, okay,” Sehun says, standing up from his chair. Kyungsoo can read the laughter that’s still in his eyes. “I need to pee anyway. I just thought you should know.”
Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at him and suppresses a groan. “Just go. You don’t need to tell me about your bathroom habits.”
While Sehun is having his bathroom break, Kyungsoo makes a decision. Although just the idea of last night having anything to do with Kris makes his stomach plummet, Kyungsoo thinks figuring out what happened is more important.
Kris answers his cellphone after three rings. “H-hello?” Kyungsoo winces and clears his throat. “Hello?” he repeats, his voice stronger this time.
“Oh, hi, Kyungsoo!” Kris sounds happy to hear from him. Way too happy, in fact. Kyungsoo frowns. He’d lived with Kris for two years, and he’d like to think he knows when Kris is hiding something. “I didn’t think I’d hear from you so soon!” The false cheer in his voice makes Kyungsoo wince.
“You’re talking in exclamation points,” Kyungsoo says. “Is something wrong? About last night. Did I…”
“It’s nothing,” Kris cuts in, and this time his voice sounds like the calmer Wu Fan Kyungsoo knows. “I’m sorry it’s so awkward. I just expected you to stay away from me for a while, after...well, you know, last night.” He laughs softly. “But I guess I underestimated you, huh? That should teach me never to doubt Do Kyungsoo.”
This is when Kyungsoo gets that feeling of dread back in the pit of his stomach. “Why would I stay away from you?”
“You’re too nice to me, Kyungsoo,” Kris says, and Kyungsoo feels like he’s missing half the conversation. “Thanks for last night, really. I appreciate what you did for me. I know it wasn’t easy for you to do it.” Pause. “It’s not like you knew what you were doing too.”
Kyungsoo’s mouth runs dry, and he feels himself turning pale at Kris' words. If Kris mentions anything about a frilly pink bra, he is going to scream. Right. Calming himself down now. He really doesn’t want to think of him, Kris, and a bra in the same context.
“I’m really thankful,” Kris is saying when Kyungsoo zones back in. “Let’s have lunch one of these days, yeah? Catch up properly.”
“Uh, yeah,” Kyungsoo says in a dull monotone. “Lunch. Right.”
“Oh, that’s Krystal.” Kris' voice is still warm with the glow of newlywed love. “I’ll talk to you later, okay? Take care of yourself, Kyungsoo.”
“Bye,” Kyungsoo answers mechanically. He contemplates nibbling on his fingertips to settle his nerves. Just what did he do with Kris last night?
Three minutes later, Sehun plops back onto his seat. “What did I miss?”
Kyungsoo considers banging his head against the table, thinks better of it (Sehun would just tsk at him), and stands up. “Nothing. Let’s just go and get this over with,” he says.
BAEKHYUN
They catch Baekhyun at his CD store, just as he’s about to have his lunchbreak. It takes them longer than expected to get there because Sehun keeps insisting Kyungsoo shouldn’t talk to Baekhyun.
“He’s your enemy, hyung,” Sehun says. “Your enemy. Remember how he put pepper in your milk? Threw away your final paper for music history right as you were about to hand it in?”
“Yeah, so?” Kyungsoo says. He’s still reeling from the phone call with Kris, and he wants to move on from it quickly. “He’s on my list. I have to know what he knows even if I hate him.”
Sehun had looked so wounded on the subway Kyungsoo had actually considered skipping Baekhyun. And now that they’re here and Baekhyun is staring at him, Kyungsoo wishes he had listened to Sehun.
“Do you really want to know what you did?” Baekhyun is wiggling his eyebrows like the weirdo that he is. Why does Kyungsoo know so many strange people? “I’m warning you. Once I start, there's no turning back."
Baekhyun’s smile is creepy as fuck. Kyungsoo clears his throat and unconsciously grips onto Sehun's sleeve. "Tell me."
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
***
Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had always had problems getting along in uni. For some reason, Kyungsoo would always look at him with those judging eyes of his, whether they met in the hallway, the classroom, or choir practice.
So maybe Baekhyun had come on a little too strong the first time they met, but, hey, the French kissed each other's cheeks in greeting all the time and no one had protested against getting a kiss from Baekhyun before. How was he to know Kyungsoo would get violent after a little peck?
***
"What peck? You were aiming for my lips!"
***
Anyway.
Kyungsoo never did trust Baekhyun after that, no matter how much Baekhyun tried to get to know him better. Okay, so maybe Baekhyun teased him and played pranks on him every chance he could (and Kyungsoo had him in a headlock each time), but Baekhyun couldn't help himself. Kyungsoo--dare he say it?--looked so cute when he was angry.
After a year of pestering Kyungsoo, he’d reluctantly accepted that he and Kyungsoo would be enemies forever. Imagine his surprise when Kyungsoo approached him at the reception of Kris' wedding and proceeded to cling to him.
"Baekhyunnieee," Kyungsoo whined. It was the first time Baekhyun heard him call him that. And in baby talk too. "Baekhyunnie, let's play."
"Where's Sehun?" Baekhyun asked, suspicious of Kyungsoo's sudden interest in him. "You're usually with Sehun."
"Let's play, Baekhyunnie," Kyungsoo repeated.
Baekhyun noted the two spots of pink on Kyungsoo's cheeks, figured out Kyungsoo was very, very drunk, and decided, "Yolo."
"Okay," he told Kyungsoo. "Let's play."
Kyungsoo giggled. He giggled. Baekhyun didn't know if he wanted to aww or be terrified. Kyungsoo didn't have any aegyo at all.
The shorter man wrapped his arm around Baekhyun’s and led him to the buffet table, where he proceeded to eat directly off the plates. Kyungsoo looked thoughtful for a while as he chewed on a dumpling he'd picked up with his fingers, and then he bent down, sniffed the tablecloth, and proceeded to give it a nibble.
For a moment, Baekhyun thought of stopping him, but then he thought, "Yolo."
***
"You let me eat a tablecloth?!"
There is muffled laughter in the background, and Kyungsoo shoots Sehun a dirty look.
"Shut up," Baekhyun says, grinning. "I haven't even gotten to the good part."
***
After Baekhyun had successfully dragged Kyungsoo away from the buffet table, the latter insisted on going to the DJ booth.
The dimpled man at the booth smiled at both of them, even as his attention was occupied by mixing.
"Do you have like Celine Dion?" Kyungsoo told the guy earnestly. "Can you play the Titanic song?" He put his hand over his heart. "You know, the one that goes...'" He opened his mouth wide and belted out, 'My heart will go on a-and oooonnnn!'"
“No,” the man said, continuing to smile. His nameplate read ‘Lay.’ “But I have ‘I’m Your Lady.’”
“...and you are my maaaaaan!” Kyungsoo wailed. He started sniffling pathetically. “God, I hate that song. It’s so horrible it makes me want to cry. You understand how I feel, right?” Kyungsoo squinted at Lay’s chest. “Lay?”
Even Baekhyun had his limits and he bowed apologetically at the DJ and dragged Kyungsoo away. "Kyungsoo," he said as if talking to a child, "we don't do that at parties, okay?" Kyungsoo pouted at him, and, boy, Baekhyun really was terrified now. Do Kyungsoo did not pout. Ever. "Besides, you said you hated Celine Dion songs."
"I hate you," Kyungsoo said, looking every bit like a murderous, well, puppy (if puppies had extremely large eyes).
“That’s okay,” Baekhyun said airily. “I already made peace with that a few years ago.”
“Oh yeah? Well, what if I kissed you?” Kyungsoo said. “I bet you won’t like it.” He seemed to think better of that and smiled (it was more of a smirk, really, and it was a Kyungsoo expression that was more familiar to Baekhyun). “I bet you’ll like it.”
Baekhyun’s jaw dropped. “Say what?” Did his long-time enemy say he wanted to kiss Baekhyun? He knew he was good-looking and all, but that was unexpected.
Kyungsoo gave him the same considering look he had given the tablecloth. Baekhyun thought he should probably feel offended, but he was still too busy being shocked. In fact, he was so shocked he didn’t even realize Kyungsoo was caressing his cheek until the other was already leaning in for a kiss.
***
“Ow, ow, Sehun, you ungrateful -ow!”
Kyungsoo blinks as Baekhyun hops around the store on one foot. “Did you just...step on him?”
Sehun just looks bored. “I might have stepped on him, yep.”
“I was just getting to the really good part,” Baekhyun whines as he continues jumping up and down. “Kyungsoo, what you did was- ow! You- YAH, OH SEHUN!”
“...Did you just step on him again?”
“Maybe.” Sehun takes Kyungsoo’s hand and tugs on it. “Come on, hyung. We need to visit the rest of the people on your list.”
Kyungsoo frowns. Part of him is relieved he doesn’t need to hear about himself kissing Baekhyun, but the other part is wondering what if it didn’t stop with just a kiss?! What if, for example, Baekhyun has a thing for frilly pink lace bras?
“He doesn’t like bras,” Sehun says.
Kyungsoo laughs awkwardly. “Did I just say that out loud?”
“Nah,” Sehun says, grinning as he slings Kyungsoo’s man purse over his shoulder. “Your face is just really easy to read.”
Kyungsoo sighs and lets Sehun pull him away. He chooses not to comment on the fact that before he met Sehun, there wouldn’t have been that many expressions to read on his face in the first place.
As they walk down the street, they can still hear Baekhyun screaming bloody murder from somewhere inside the shop. Secretly, Kyungsoo wants to scream too. The more people they talk to, the more confused he becomes about last night.
TAO
It's late afternoon by the time they get to the next person on their list. Tao opens the door to his apartment with hooded eyes and a curl to his mouth. If Kyungsoo doesn’t know Tao as a soft-spoken phys ed major back from uni days, he would have been scared just seeing that face. Right now, though, any thug vibes Tao is sending are offset by the panda print boxers he's wearing.
"Who are you?" Tao asks. He rubs his eyes sleepily and leans against the doorframe. Even if he looks like he just woke up, the skin on his face is glowing, and Kyungsoo vaguely wonders if Tao had put on some product before opening the door. It reminds him of how Kris used to have a complicated beauty routine back when they were roommates.
"Hi,” Kyungsoo says. His voice comes out a little squeaky. He hasn’t had this much social interaction in months (unless seeing Sehun counts). “I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Kyungsoo? We went to the same uni, and I think I talked to you at Kris' wedding reception last night.” Sehun clears his throat. “Oh, and this is Sehun, I guess.”
“Hyung,” Sehun pipes up. “I deserve way more than an ‘I guess.’”
Tao straightens up from his slouched position, a look of recognition lighting up his face. He points an accusing finger at Kyungsoo. “It’s you!”
“It’s me?” Kyungsoo echoes slowly. The intense stare Tao is giving him is making him feel nervous. Is this how people feel when he looks at them?
“You were trying to lure gege away from jiejie!”
Kyungsoo feels a little faint. “I was?”
Tao scrunches his nose. “Yeah. You’re a bad man! You almost convinced me with your angel act too.”
Sehun snickers, and Kyungsoo hits his shoulder. “So, uh, could you maybe elaborate on what kind of bad things I did? I was a little drunk...” Sehun snickers again; Kyungsoo pinches his thigh this time. “I was a little drunk, and I want to make sure I remember everything, you know, for future reference.” He tries a smile.
Tao gives him another one of his intense stares. “Okay, yeah, sure.” Kyungsoo thinks he sounds just a little breathless, but he attributes it to Tao waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Tao gestures for Kyungsoo and Sehun to follow him into the apartment.
Sehun rolls his eyes but enters the living room. “You just called Kyungsoo-hyung a bad man, but you’re still letting us in. What kind of bad judgment is this?”
“Shut up,” Kyungsoo hisses. Tao actually looks a little hurt by Sehun’s words. Kyungsoo smiles awkwardly at him. “Don’t mind him. Please tell us what you know.”
“Fine,” Tao says, settling down comfortably on his black couch. “but only because you asked nicely.”
***
Tao couldn't help crying at Kris' wedding. He was so touched that his ge, who'd had so much trouble with girls dumping him in uni, was finally getting married--and to a beautiful woman at that. He was going to miss Kris buying him lots of Gucci (and, okay, maybe that was why he was crying, because do you know how expensive Gucci underwear is?), but, hey, Tao had his new friend, Joonmyun-ge. Life was good.
Or at least it was until a drunk Kyungsoo stumbled his way to the bride and groom's table, going on and on about Kris' boxers in a slurred voice. Tao vaguely remembered Kyungsoo as Kris' roommate back in uni, but they didn’t really move in the same circles, so they hardly saw each other. Kris looked embarrassed as Kyungsoo went on, while Krystal looked like she was trying not to laugh. Tao felt indignant for both of them. He didn't understand everything Kyungsoo was saying--he was a bit far away and maybe his Korean could still use some work--but it sure sounded to him like Kyungsoo had access to Kris' boxers (and not just one pair!). Tao knew what that meant. He wasn't dumb.
And so he took it upon himself to warn Kyungsoo off before the boy decided to become Kris' lover on the side. "Kris-ge is straight," he told Kyungsoo, when the boy wandered in his direction after his speech about boxers. "He's also not a cheater."
Kyungsoo gave him a blank look. “I know that,” he said, words clear even though his face was a bit red from alcohol.
Tao put his hands on his hips. “Oh yeah? Well, why are you trying to lure him away from his wife at his own reception?”
“I’m not,” Kyungsoo said, flicking Tao on the nose.
Tao gasped. How dare Kyungsoo flick his most precious nose? His eyes narrowed. Did this small dude want to be wushu’d out of the ballroom?
“Tao, right? I remember you from uni. Somewhat. I just...needed to let some steam out, you know?” Kyungsoo said. If Tao didn’t know any better, he’d think Kyungsoo was sober. “I had a crush on him when I was in uni and I never told him. So I figured I’d tell him now that it’s over. I mean, god, it was like four years ago.” He smiled, and Tao felt his heart beat slightly faster in his chest at the other’s heart-shaped smile. Wait, no, his heart was beating fast because he was angry at Kyungsoo. He wouldn’t let himself fall into this guy’s trap!
“Yeah, okay,” Tao said, brows furrowed. “As long as you stay away from gege, I guess it’s fine.”
"Oh, please. It's not like I see Kris on a regular basis anyway," Kyungsoo said easily. “Hey, do you know where I can get more beer? Or soju. Soju will do."
"Why?" Tao asked.
"I'm about to do something really dumb, and I need all the help I can get." Kyungsoo smiled again.
Tao frowned and felt deeply suspicious. Nevertheless, he pointed Kyungsoo to the drinks table.
It was around an hour later, when Tao was ready to call it a day, that he saw Kyungsoo walking on unsteady feet, being dragged away by Kris somewhere. Tao immediately followed them, using his amazing ninja skills to press himself seamlessly against the hotel walls and remain unseen. He watched the numbers climb up on the elevator Kris and Kyungsoo had entered. Two floors. Tao used the emergency stairs, taking the steps three at a time, thanks to his long and extremely well-muscled legs. He arrived on the right floor just in time to see the two men having a quiet conversation in the hallway.
"I'm sorry to spring this on you so suddenly, Kyungsoo, but..."
Tao put his hand around his ear as if it would help him hear better.
"...I love you and I can't live without you. I know it's selfish, but I just want to be with you one last time."
Tao stifled a gasp.
"Honestly, I thought you were just getting me a cab," Kyungsoo said. "But if this is what you want..." Tao's eyes widened. Kyungsoo's voice just then had sounded silky and seductive.
***
"Are you writing a movie script or what?" Sehun asks with a snort. "Hyung is about as seductive as a piece of wood."
"Gee, thanks."
"And I don't even know Kris that well, but even I can tell he didn't say any of that. Seriously? Who says cheesy stuff like that?"
Kyungsoo and Tao both cough. "Believe me when I say Kris is one of the cheesiest guys on the planet," says Kyungsoo. "But yeah, I doubt he said any of that." Besides, Kris is straight and very in love with Krystal. But even though Kyungsoo's saying it with conviction, he can't help thinking of his phone call with Kris. 'Thanks for last night,' Kris had said. He couldn't have been talking about this, could he?
Tao frowns at them. "Do you want to know what happened or not?"
***
Tao's jaw dropped when he saw them entering a hotel room. No, he thought. Kris-ge wouldn't cheat on his wife. He wouldn't. Tao was torn between kicking the door open and confronting his ge and letting things go. What if he opened the door and saw something he didn't want to see? In the end, he did something that was somewhere in between: he pressed his ear against the door and tried to listen in.
Unfortunately, the walls weren't as thin as he'd thought. All he could hear were words like bra and panty as well as a couple of frustrated groans (or were they moans?). Tao scrambled to hide somewhere in the corridor when he heard the door being opened. Only Kris came out, looking flustered but also triumphant. He was holding a Victoria's Secret paper bag.
Tao really didn't want to know what that was all about. He ran away before Kris could see him.
***
"So, you see," Tao is saying, "it's really obvious. I don't know what kind of magic you used, but you seduced Kris-ge! You might look cute and squishy, but it's all a lie!" Tao looks personally affronted by this. "I know you like him, but he's a married man. You should set your sights on someone else."
Kyungsoo exhales and ruffles his hair in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you? I don't like him!"
Tao put his arms over his chest and gives him a disbelieving look.
"I don't," Kyungsoo insists.
"It sure didn't look like it."
"I don't! I like someone else, okay?" Kyungsoo blurts out. He regrets it immediately and wishes he can take it back.
"You do?" Sehun says, just like Kyungsoo thought he would. "I thought you were still into that Kris guy. That’s why you wanted me to come with you to the wedding, right? For moral support."
"I don't want to talk about it," Kyungsoo says quickly. "The point is, I don't like Kris like that anymore. That was a long time ago. You know that, Sehun."
"He's right," a new voice echoes.
(part 2)