121127 CHAPTERED FIC: COLLIDE: FIFTEEN
Collide
Fifteen | Woohyun/Sunggyu, Hoya(Howon)/Dongwoo, L(Myungsoo)/Sungyeol | Fluff > Crack | PG13 (for cussing and sexual references)
Summary: Typical high school fic in which Woohyun is no longer top dog, Myungsoo’s life becomes interesting, Howon finally feels something and Sungjong discovers his future.
(poster by chocolate_ai)
-
From: Cutie
Republic of Coffee. You know it right? I’ll meet you there in fifteen
As soon as the text showed up on his phone, Woohyun spat the foam out of his mouth, rinsed and then ran out of the bathroom. He was brushing his teeth when he read the text - It was ten at night on a Saturday and Woohyun didn’t plan to go out or eat anything. It didn’t take him long to find the café, which was close by Sunggyu’s house. Its location would explain why Myungsoo had such a close friendship with the usual barista who worked there. Woohyun drove, so it didn’t take him very long at all. When he arrived, he saw Sunggyu sitting alone at one of the outside tables, hot coffee sitting in front of him.
Woohyun smiled upon approaching Sunggyu, taking his seat. The older boy, in turn, didn’t show much interest in Woohyun’s arrival and sipped on the steaming drink.
After taking his order, Woohyun asked, ‘So what’s up?’
Sunggyu shrugged. ‘I became too sick of the phone.’
There was a few minutes of comfortable silence, just staring out into the night scene. Woohyun took a minute to watch Sunggyu’s every action - the way he mouthed to a song Woohyun couldn’t make out, the way he gently blew the hair out his eyes, the way he pulled the fabric of his wide-neck shirt closer when the cold wind blew. Sunggyu noticed the staring but he didn’t really give a damn, since it didn’t affect him in any way.
When Woohyun’s cappuccino came, he questioned with a sly smile, ‘Is this a date?’
‘Only if you pay me,’ Sunggyu snorted jokingly.
Woohyun’s smile grew wider. ‘You just became a prostitute,’ he commented, chuckling slightly.
Uncrossing his legs, Sunggyu lifted an eyebrow at the statement. ‘A prostitute engages in sexual activity for money,’ he corrected matter-of-factly.
‘Oh,’ Woohyun voiced. His smirk then came back and he asked lowly, leaning over the table, ‘Want to become a prostitute?’
‘You’re insane,’ Sunggyu laughed.
‘I’m not hearing a no,’ Woohyun sing-songed in a teasing manner.
Unexpectedly, Sunggyu leaned over the table and hovered his lips right beside Woohyun’s ear. His breath was warm and tingling, and Woohyun’s own breath hitched. ‘No, nope, na-dah, never,’ Sunggyu whispered. Then he returned to his original position, propping his leg over the other again, asking, ‘Understand?’
Woohyun nodded and grinned darkly at Sunggyu. ‘Goddamn it, you’re sexy,’ he stated.
‘You’re straightforward,’ Sunggyu scoffed.
‘I don’t lie on dates.’
Sunggyu rolled his eyes. ‘Nam Woohyun,’ he said in a warning tone.
Woohyun rose his hands up in defeat, muttering, ‘I know, I know. This isn’t a date.’
Sunggyu smiled and then heard some familiar voices. He turned his attention to over Woohyun’s shoulder, at the table a few rows away from them. ‘But they might think it is…’ Sunggyu remarked, his tone of voice beginning to sound serious. Woohyun turned around and saw two boys at a table, shooting the stink eye in their direction.
‘They go to our school?’
‘Afraid so,’ Sunggyu answered in irony, ‘To top it off, they are not very fond of me, or Myungsoo for that matter.’
Woohyun asked playfully, ‘Why, because you’ve beaten the shit out of them before?’
‘No,’ Sunggyu rejected, ‘It wasn’t my fault as Myungsoo was the one who tricked the one on the right to have sex with him. I was only written into their blacklists because I am the notorious Kim Myungsoo’s brother.’
Woohyun’s brow furrowed.
‘Myungsoo hasn’t spoken a word to him since the morning I had to kick him out of our house,’ Sunggyu added leisurely, blowing cool air into his mug.
‘Your brother is one hell of a playboy.’
‘He’s a manipulative mastermind,’ Sunggyu corrected in distaste. To him, the word playboy didn’t even come close to the way Myungsoo acted. Sunggyu knew that in actuality, Myungsoo was plainly sick and evil.
Woohyun pondered out loud, ‘I’m surprised he still acts like that even when you… What’s the word?’
‘Discipline?’ Sunggyu chipped in unsurely.
‘I was thinking of something that described knocking out all his brain cells with a metal ruler, but discipline is good too.’
‘He knows I don’t care who he messes around with. It’s just when he brings his player persona to our house that I choose to discipline him.’
‘Did your dad…?’ Woohyun trailed off, realising what he was implying. He then carefully inspected Sunggyu’s expression, which was directed elsewhere, to see how touchy the subject was. He continued, carefully picking his words, ‘I mean, did your dad discipline Myungsoo a lot?’
Sunggyu’s voice came out quiet, ‘Not really. Myungsoo was only thirteen when he passed away, so…’
Woohyun nodded, drowning in the awkward silence.
Noticing the tense atmosphere, Sunggyu lightened the mood a little, chuckling fondly, ‘But mum traumatised him, rather than using traditional methods of punishing.’
Woohyun’s lip curled. ‘How so?’
‘I’ll just say that there’s a reason why Myungsoo’s so messed-up now.’ Sunggyu finished the rest of his cup of coffee. Woohyun laughed heartedly for a moment, liking how Sunggyu lightened the mood when Woohyun slaughtered it.
The night air grew colder and Sunggyu wrapped his arms around himself, trapping his heat. Woohyun had an urge to take off his leather jacket and drape it over Sunggyu’s shoulders, but that would be weird because, as Sunggyu strongly specified, this was not a date.
It kind of came out of nowhere - Woohyun’s thoughts, that is. He started thinking about his parents and how they’ve disciplined him throughout his life. In all honesty, to Woohyun it felt like they hadn’t been around since he started preschool. It was like they didn’t know they had a son and that he was their responsibility for eighteen years.
‘I kind of wished my parents punished me,’ Woohyun murmured all of a sudden.
Sunggyu’s eyebrows rose, staring softly at Woohyun’s hung head and the bitter smile playing at his lips. ‘What do you mean?’
Woohyun licked his bottom lip, shaking his head. ‘No, it’s nothing,’ he insisted.
Sunggyu said somewhat sternly, ‘Woohyun, since you are listening to me, the least I can do is return the favour.’
The younger student sighed, knowing that the look Sunggyu was giving him meant he wasn’t going to give up without a form of an answer. ‘Let’s just say… I don’t think I even have parents.’
Sunggyu’s head tilted, but nonetheless didn’t question him about the response.
They spent an hour or so just blabbering on about worthless topics and arguing about their stupid opinions. They shared embarrassing stories about Myungsoo and Sungyeol, exploiting pinky promises and spit shakes. When Woohyun asked about Howon, Sunggyu just politely said that it was best he not know and that it wasn’t a good idea coming from him.
It was close to transition into Sunday and they had both agreed it was time to head home. Woohyun stood up, the two plates holding empty cups in his hands. ‘Now, I’m paying, right?’ Woohyun mused dotingly.
Sunggyu argued, reaching into his back pocket, ‘No, we’re going Dutch.’
‘So this is a date,’ Woohyun hummed.
‘Woohyun, you -‘
‘I’m kidding,’ Woohyun chuckled, taking the money Sunggyu handed him and placing it at the cashier. ‘Come on, I’ll walk you home.’
-
Sunggyu had insisted that he could walk himself home and that Woohyun’s attempt at chivalry was not welcomed, but Woohyun persisted and assured Sunggyu it was okay to ditch his car for a little while. They ended up quietly strolling in the same direction, by each other’s sides. They waited at the side of the busy road until it was safe enough to cross, standing in silence. Woohyun looked over at the older student - how his lips were red and his cheeks were reddening, his arms tightly wound around his torso, how visible his breath was. Woohyun noted that Sunggyu was pretty attractive under the streetlight, the shadow of his eyelashes slayed on his skin. Sunggyu sniffled a little and Woohyun finally slid off his jacket. If Sunggyu was going to nag about how it wasn’t a date, Woohyun would just deny him and say that he was just being a gentleman.
Fortunately Sunggyu willing took the jacket and let Woohyun drape it over his shoulders, enjoying the warmth emitting from it, originally from Woohyun’s body heat.
Woohyun just stared at him, taking in every detail that was enhanced by the streetlight above. Sunggyu was goddamn gorgeous and Woohyun couldn’t tear his eyes away. When Sunggyu looked at him back, directly into his eyes, Woohyun couldn’t help but lean into Sunggyu’s inviting warmth. His eyelids started drooping, his lips hungry for Sunggyu’s contact.
Sadly, Woohyun’s lips came in contact with Sunggyu’s palm - his face did, actually - pushing his head away with a chuckle. ‘You’re too much,’ Sunggyu laughed, supplying a bright smile. Woohyun’s annoyance disappeared upon looking at Sunggyu’s face.
Before they could miss the opportunity, they ran across the road to the other side, continuing straight to the Kim residence.
When the yellow house came into sight, Sunggyu ran up to it and Woohyun followed suit in confusion.
There was a shivering lady standing in the driveway, worriedly glancing at her phone.
Sunggyu paced up to her, her back turned, and called softly, ‘Ms Lee?’
She immediately turned around. ‘Sunggyu,’ she gasped in relief.
‘What are you doing here?’
She then ranted, ‘Is Howon here? Is he with Myungsoo?’
Sunggyu shook his head slowly. ‘No, I haven’t seen him.’
Woohyun, standing behind Sunggyu, thought to himself, ‘So she’s Howon’s mum?’
‘Have you tried calling him?’ Sunggyu asked.
‘He won’t pick up his phone,’ she said, sounding desperate, ‘He didn’t come home until late Friday night and when I woke up this morning, he wasn’t home.’
Woohyun then got an idea. ‘Sunggyu,’ he exclaimed. The mentioned boy then turned around, almost forgetting Woohyun was still there. ‘Call Dongwoo.’
Without a question, Sunggyu fished out his phone and clicked on Dongwoo’s number. ‘Does Howon happen to be with you?’ he asked after the ringing stopped. ‘Tell Howon to check his phone.’
Woohyun could make out some of Dongwoo’s muffled voice from the phone before Sunggyu said a quick bye.
‘He’s there,’ Sunggyu concluded after putting his phone back into his pocket.
Howon’s mother nodded and gave Sunggyu a quick hug - Sunggyu didn’t hug back. ‘Thank you,’ she said gratefully. Sunggyu just gave her a quick smile before she turned to Woohyun and advised, ‘Take care of this one. He’s of a rare kind.’
Woohyun grinned. ‘I’ll try my best.’
Sunggyu just snorted.
-
Dongwoo scrunched his face up at the phone right after Sunggyu hung up on him. His voice was still croaky because he had just woken up, having had slept with his head in Howon’s lap. ‘Sunggyu told you to check your phone,’ Dongwoo yawned, leaning the side of his face against Howon’s shoulder. Howon slipped out his phone, blinking away his drowsiness - Yeah, he fell asleep too. Dongwoo had made Howon come over that morning, using his emoticons of doom and all. After he arrived, Dongwoo dragged him all over town, window shopping and playing at the arcade. Dongwoo taught Howon how to play DDR. It was hilarious to watch. When they got home, Howon was forced to teach Dongwoo some Taekwondo - Another hilarious thing to watch as they did break a lamp.
19 missed calls: Miss Lee
36 text messages: Miss Lee
Dongwoo propped his chin on Howon’s shoulder and rather nosily peeked at the phone screen. ‘Who’s Miss Lee?’ he mumbled.
‘My mother.’
‘You call your mum Miss Less? That’s cute!’ Dongwoo exclaimed brightly. ‘Wait… Why did she call you so much? Did you forget to tell her you were coming over?’
Howon turned his phone off, shoving it back into his pocket. ‘I didn’t forget,’ he stated, staring blankly at the switched-off television screen.
Dongwoo pouted. ‘So why won’t you just tell her?’
Howon snapped, ‘My whereabouts is none of her business.’
‘She’s your mum,’ Dongwoo retorted, a little surprised at the way Howon raised his voice at him.
Howon corrected sternly, glare hard, ‘She’s Miss Lee.’ He then stood up and made his way to the door, and before Dongwoo could stop him, left.
When the door closed, Dongwoo honestly felt like shit.
-
Monday came and Sungyeol felt relieved because he hadn’t talked to Myungsoo since Friday. To be perfectly truthful, Sungyeol missed him over the weekend and was oddly excited to be back at school and back in Myungsoo’s close proximity. When he arrived, Dongwoo and Woohyun were waiting for him at the gates. The three walked into the building together, Dongwoo looking a little down and Woohyun being exceptionally quiet, probably because he was terrified by how abnormal Dongwoo was being. Sungyeol was quiet too and just strolled to his locker when it was in sight.
He saw Sunggyu standing beside his locker, his arms crossed and his back against the metal lockers. ‘Sungyeol,’ he said.
Sungyeol looked at him while opening his locker.
‘Don’t believe anything he says,’ Sunggyu said in a cautioning tone, ‘Remember what I told you the other day.’ Sungyeol gulped a little because Sunggyu was being rather scary. The older student then walked away, to his own locker, and left Sungyeol with his thoughts.
Sungyeol knew who he was. He was Myungsoo and Sunggyu was right to warn him. Sungyeol had heard about Myungsoo’s reputation and he knew he shouldn’t have given in so easily… But Myungsoo was unbelievably skilled and Sungyeol really couldn’t help it.
-
At recess, Sunggyu saw Dongwoo sitting outside against a wall, looking gloomy and Howonless. ‘Dongwoo?’ Sunggyu called, just in case he had mistaken the head of dark brown hair.
Dongwoo looked up and met eyes with the older boy. ‘Sunggyu,’ he said in return.
Sunggyu continued to stand before him and asked, worried over how Dongwoo’s usual bubbly self was gone, ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Howon’s mad at me.’
‘I don’t believe you,’ Sunggyu scoffed in disbelief.
‘He is!’ Dongwoo cried, ‘He’s mad at me for asking him about personal stuff and I don’t know, Howon’s weird.’
After thorough thinking, Sunggyu nodded and advised, ‘Don’t back down.’
Dongwoo scrunched his face in confusion.
‘Usually any normal human being with reasonable intelligence would steer clear of making Howon angry,’ Sunggyu continued with a sigh, ‘But you should make him mad.’
‘Why?’
‘Because…’ Sunggyu licked his lips, trying to find the best way to explain without betraying Howon’s trust and the whole confidentiality pat they had when they were in middle school. ‘Howon needs someone new to talk to. Neither I nor Sungjong can help him any longer and he trusts you more than he would a normal person.’
Dongwoo frowned but nonetheless nodded warily.
‘And he wouldn’t dare hurt you.’
Dongwoo nodded again.
‘And you do know about that rumour circulating, don’t you?’
‘What rumour?’
‘The ridiculous Howon lost his virginity to Dongwoo rumour.’
-
Sungyeol decided to stick with Sunggyu’s warning about his brother. Instead of finding Myungsoo like he had originally planned, Sungyeol decided to avoid him. The recess bell had rung and Sungyeol was making his way down the stairs, to his locker. When he reached the bottom of the flight, he was suddenly jerked to the side by a strong arm. He immediately screamed, ‘WHAT THE HELL, YOU -‘
Myungsoo’s hand cut him off and he heard a playful chuckle by his ear. Sungyeol turned around and Myungsoo was smirking sinfully right at him, hands already reaching for the older boy’s waist. Sungyeol wasn’t prepared for the showering of quick kisses on every patch of bare skin and had to push the younger away to get a word in.
‘Stop it!’
Myungsoo was affectionately kissing his neck, sending tingles down Sungyeol’s spine. ‘Why?’ he laughed.
Already feeling dizzy, Sungyeol weakly pushed the other boy away, mumbling, ‘P - Please stop…’
Myungsoo saw the look on Sungyeol’s face - the pout, the hint of pink of his cheeks - and decided to let him off. Instead of being annoying and perverted, Myungsoo let him go and held both of his hands, smiling sweetly at him. ‘Okay,’ he cooed softly. Sungyeol melted a little at the tone of voice and the smile and the everything Myungsoo was inflicting on him.
-
Dongwoo decided to give Sunggyu’s advice a try. He went up to Howon’s locker and grabbed his arm to forcefully turn him around. ‘Why are you mad at me?’ Dongwoo droned, pouting.
Howon closed his locker harder than necessary. ‘You were delving into the personal aspects of my life.’ His voice came out somewhat hasty, like he wanted to just push Dongwoo away and run.
Dongwoo whined while jumping up and down, ‘I’m your friend, I’m allowed to know some personal aspects of your life.’
Howon began walking in a fast pace, books in his hands. It was like he was trying to avoid the older boy, but Dongwoo was relentless.
‘Howon!’ Dongwoo shouted, pulling the other back by the shoulder.
Howon sneered, his eyes piercing into Dongwoo’s, ‘I can only trust Sunggyu and Sungjong with that type of information.’
Dongwoo stepped back, a little shocked at the answer. Howon’s answer hit him hard and made him look down, tearing up. ‘You know how much that hurts me, right?’ he mumbled, his voice cracking slightly, ‘Don’t you trust me?’
Howon’s mouth opened and closed, looking in all different directions. He didn’t give Dongwoo a reply so the older boy said, ‘No? But I trust you and -‘
‘I do trust you,’ Howon interjected, sounding rather irritated that the older boy was jumping to conclusions.
Dongwoo snapped, ‘Then why won’t you talk to me about anything?!’ Dongwoo then sniffled, a few tears rolling down his cheeks - He was always a cry-baby.
Upon seeing Dongwoo’s tears, his gaze softened and his voice quietened. ‘You will look at me differently,’ Howon explained bitterly, ‘I don’t want you to look at me with sympathy. I’d really dislike that.’
The answer made Dongwoo wrap his arms around Howon’s neck in a tight hug, in the middle of the hallway with everyone walking passed in astonishment - They had never seen Howon being hugged, nor hugging someone back for that matter. It was kind of a miracle and they were all tempted to take proof pictures - No one would believe them otherwise. Lee Howon voluntarily embracing someone? Nonsense! Even so, Howon’s arms were loose around Dongwoo’s waist, but they were around his waist nonetheless. Dongwoo smiled into his neck and murmured gently, ‘Whatever you say will never change how I look at you.’
Howon swallowed thickly, blinking at the way Dongwoo pressed his body closer against him, how warm he was. He took in a sharp intake of breath and fluttered his eyelids.
‘Promise me,’ he whispered softly.
Dongwoo tilted his head up and looked at the other with surprise. ‘Promise you?’
Lee Howon would never, ever do this. He’d never ask for a promise because he knew how the world worked and how in the end, everyone was in it for themselves. There was no such things as a team or a partnership or a bond unless they’ve been together from the very start like Sunggyu or Myungsoo or Sungjong - They’ve always been there. Dongwoo hasn’t. But still, Howon requested a promise from him and he ran the risk of Dongwoo breaking it.
Everyone knew promises were meant to be broken… But Howon thought Dongwoo knew better.
‘Promise me.’
Dongwoo smiled widely, squeezing Howon tighter.
‘I promise you.’
-
From: Fuck Yongguk
Hi?
Sungjong rolled his eyes at the text he just received, peeking under the table to where his phone was. He was in literature and would rather not let the she-witch of a teacher catch him texting in class.
To: Fuck Yongguk
Why are you texting in class? Sunggyu-hyung’s going to crack it at me!
Before he could finish reading the assigned page of his textbook, his phone lit up again and Yongguk’s text appeared on his screen.
From: Fuck Yongguk
Why are you texting back then? I thought you were meant to be ranked eighth or something
Sungjong wanted to throw his phone out the window.
To: Fuck Yongguk
Why are you disturbing me then, when you know I have work to do?!!!?!
Sungjong put his phone back into his pocket and refused to look at it again, even when it lit up. By the end of class, Sungjong had learnt nothing and had completed nothing. Yongguk was getting on his nerves again and it was distracting.
When he walked out of the room, he slipped his phone out and giggled at the text Yongguk sent.
From: Fuck Yongguk
): Sorry
West campus guys weren’t supposed to be so cute unless they were Sungyeol.
-
‘You free tonight?’ Myungsoo whispered. It was last period and he had psychology with Sungyeol. Sungyeol was drowsily falling in and out of sleep until he heard Myungsoo’s voice.
‘What? Why?’ he murmured, rubbing his tired eyes.
‘Let’s go somewhere,’ Myungsoo said. He then winced at a past experience that scarred him and added, ‘Not a café though.’ Sungyeol and coffee was definitely something he didn’t want to revisit.
Sungyeol blinked rapidly. ‘I don’t feel like going anywhere.’
‘Okay then,’ Myungsoo decided, ‘I’ll come to you then.’
Sungyeol choked on air, ‘W - What?’
‘Text me your address later,’ Myungsoo yawned and then laid his head on the desk, ‘I’ll keep you company.’
Sungyeol swallowed thickly - He had no choice. Either he’d given Myungsoo his address or Myungsoo would follow him home. He had a GPS embedded behind his eyelids anyway.
‘Okay, I’ll text you later,’ Sungyeol blurted out with an annoyed sigh.
-
‘Hello, hello,’ Woohyun sang through the phone.
Without a greeting, Sunggyu said, ‘Myungsoo’s not acting mad at me anymore.’
‘Really?’
The corner of Sunggyu’s lip quirked. ‘He told me you spoke to him on Friday night…’
Woohyun recalled a bar and a bartender who gave him a fake phone number. Oh and of course Myungsoo and his unstoppable drinking tolerance. ‘Yeah, I did,’ he confirmed.
‘What did he say?’
‘He said that he genuinely likes Sungyeol and just wants to show him that.’
Sunggyu asked rather suspiciously, ‘Do you think he’s telling the truth?’
‘I don’t know. I was pretty drunk.’ Woohyun decided it was best Sunggyu didn’t know he was drunk and that Myungsoo was drinking for that matter. And Woohyun definitely didn’t want Sunggyu to worry about Myungsoo any longer so he somewhat lied, ‘Yeah, he was telling the truth.’
There was a moment of quiet before Woohyun could practically hear Sunggyu’s shoulders loosen up. ‘Okay then,’ Sunggyu let out a sigh of relief, ‘I guess I’ll just let him do what he wants for the time being.’
Woohyun cracked a smile. ‘You’re a good brother.’
‘I try,’ Sunggyu chuckled, ‘And trust me, being brothers with Kim Myungsoo is difficult.’
‘Being best friends with Sungyeol and Dongwoo is pretty difficult too.’
‘But Dongwoo and Sungyeol are adorable.’
‘Of course, they’ve had years of training from me,’ Woohyun scoffed. He could practically hear Sunggyu roll his eyes at him.
‘You never fail to show me how insane you are.’
-
AN\ Wow Sunggyu’s giving advice to everyone today lol
Ohhhh what’s happening?! ;D what’s going on in Myungsoo’s head?
Prologue One Two Three Four Five Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Sixteen
Fifteen | Woohyun/Sunggyu, Hoya(Howon)/Dongwoo, L(Myungsoo)/Sungyeol | Fluff > Crack | PG13 (for cussing and sexual references)
Summary: Typical high school fic in which Woohyun is no longer top dog, Myungsoo’s life becomes interesting, Howon finally feels something and Sungjong discovers his future.
(poster by chocolate_ai)
-
From: Cutie
Republic of Coffee. You know it right? I’ll meet you there in fifteen
As soon as the text showed up on his phone, Woohyun spat the foam out of his mouth, rinsed and then ran out of the bathroom. He was brushing his teeth when he read the text - It was ten at night on a Saturday and Woohyun didn’t plan to go out or eat anything. It didn’t take him long to find the café, which was close by Sunggyu’s house. Its location would explain why Myungsoo had such a close friendship with the usual barista who worked there. Woohyun drove, so it didn’t take him very long at all. When he arrived, he saw Sunggyu sitting alone at one of the outside tables, hot coffee sitting in front of him.
Woohyun smiled upon approaching Sunggyu, taking his seat. The older boy, in turn, didn’t show much interest in Woohyun’s arrival and sipped on the steaming drink.
After taking his order, Woohyun asked, ‘So what’s up?’
Sunggyu shrugged. ‘I became too sick of the phone.’
There was a few minutes of comfortable silence, just staring out into the night scene. Woohyun took a minute to watch Sunggyu’s every action - the way he mouthed to a song Woohyun couldn’t make out, the way he gently blew the hair out his eyes, the way he pulled the fabric of his wide-neck shirt closer when the cold wind blew. Sunggyu noticed the staring but he didn’t really give a damn, since it didn’t affect him in any way.
When Woohyun’s cappuccino came, he questioned with a sly smile, ‘Is this a date?’
‘Only if you pay me,’ Sunggyu snorted jokingly.
Woohyun’s smile grew wider. ‘You just became a prostitute,’ he commented, chuckling slightly.
Uncrossing his legs, Sunggyu lifted an eyebrow at the statement. ‘A prostitute engages in sexual activity for money,’ he corrected matter-of-factly.
‘Oh,’ Woohyun voiced. His smirk then came back and he asked lowly, leaning over the table, ‘Want to become a prostitute?’
‘You’re insane,’ Sunggyu laughed.
‘I’m not hearing a no,’ Woohyun sing-songed in a teasing manner.
Unexpectedly, Sunggyu leaned over the table and hovered his lips right beside Woohyun’s ear. His breath was warm and tingling, and Woohyun’s own breath hitched. ‘No, nope, na-dah, never,’ Sunggyu whispered. Then he returned to his original position, propping his leg over the other again, asking, ‘Understand?’
Woohyun nodded and grinned darkly at Sunggyu. ‘Goddamn it, you’re sexy,’ he stated.
‘You’re straightforward,’ Sunggyu scoffed.
‘I don’t lie on dates.’
Sunggyu rolled his eyes. ‘Nam Woohyun,’ he said in a warning tone.
Woohyun rose his hands up in defeat, muttering, ‘I know, I know. This isn’t a date.’
Sunggyu smiled and then heard some familiar voices. He turned his attention to over Woohyun’s shoulder, at the table a few rows away from them. ‘But they might think it is…’ Sunggyu remarked, his tone of voice beginning to sound serious. Woohyun turned around and saw two boys at a table, shooting the stink eye in their direction.
‘They go to our school?’
‘Afraid so,’ Sunggyu answered in irony, ‘To top it off, they are not very fond of me, or Myungsoo for that matter.’
Woohyun asked playfully, ‘Why, because you’ve beaten the shit out of them before?’
‘No,’ Sunggyu rejected, ‘It wasn’t my fault as Myungsoo was the one who tricked the one on the right to have sex with him. I was only written into their blacklists because I am the notorious Kim Myungsoo’s brother.’
Woohyun’s brow furrowed.
‘Myungsoo hasn’t spoken a word to him since the morning I had to kick him out of our house,’ Sunggyu added leisurely, blowing cool air into his mug.
‘Your brother is one hell of a playboy.’
‘He’s a manipulative mastermind,’ Sunggyu corrected in distaste. To him, the word playboy didn’t even come close to the way Myungsoo acted. Sunggyu knew that in actuality, Myungsoo was plainly sick and evil.
Woohyun pondered out loud, ‘I’m surprised he still acts like that even when you… What’s the word?’
‘Discipline?’ Sunggyu chipped in unsurely.
‘I was thinking of something that described knocking out all his brain cells with a metal ruler, but discipline is good too.’
‘He knows I don’t care who he messes around with. It’s just when he brings his player persona to our house that I choose to discipline him.’
‘Did your dad…?’ Woohyun trailed off, realising what he was implying. He then carefully inspected Sunggyu’s expression, which was directed elsewhere, to see how touchy the subject was. He continued, carefully picking his words, ‘I mean, did your dad discipline Myungsoo a lot?’
Sunggyu’s voice came out quiet, ‘Not really. Myungsoo was only thirteen when he passed away, so…’
Woohyun nodded, drowning in the awkward silence.
Noticing the tense atmosphere, Sunggyu lightened the mood a little, chuckling fondly, ‘But mum traumatised him, rather than using traditional methods of punishing.’
Woohyun’s lip curled. ‘How so?’
‘I’ll just say that there’s a reason why Myungsoo’s so messed-up now.’ Sunggyu finished the rest of his cup of coffee. Woohyun laughed heartedly for a moment, liking how Sunggyu lightened the mood when Woohyun slaughtered it.
The night air grew colder and Sunggyu wrapped his arms around himself, trapping his heat. Woohyun had an urge to take off his leather jacket and drape it over Sunggyu’s shoulders, but that would be weird because, as Sunggyu strongly specified, this was not a date.
It kind of came out of nowhere - Woohyun’s thoughts, that is. He started thinking about his parents and how they’ve disciplined him throughout his life. In all honesty, to Woohyun it felt like they hadn’t been around since he started preschool. It was like they didn’t know they had a son and that he was their responsibility for eighteen years.
‘I kind of wished my parents punished me,’ Woohyun murmured all of a sudden.
Sunggyu’s eyebrows rose, staring softly at Woohyun’s hung head and the bitter smile playing at his lips. ‘What do you mean?’
Woohyun licked his bottom lip, shaking his head. ‘No, it’s nothing,’ he insisted.
Sunggyu said somewhat sternly, ‘Woohyun, since you are listening to me, the least I can do is return the favour.’
The younger student sighed, knowing that the look Sunggyu was giving him meant he wasn’t going to give up without a form of an answer. ‘Let’s just say… I don’t think I even have parents.’
Sunggyu’s head tilted, but nonetheless didn’t question him about the response.
They spent an hour or so just blabbering on about worthless topics and arguing about their stupid opinions. They shared embarrassing stories about Myungsoo and Sungyeol, exploiting pinky promises and spit shakes. When Woohyun asked about Howon, Sunggyu just politely said that it was best he not know and that it wasn’t a good idea coming from him.
It was close to transition into Sunday and they had both agreed it was time to head home. Woohyun stood up, the two plates holding empty cups in his hands. ‘Now, I’m paying, right?’ Woohyun mused dotingly.
Sunggyu argued, reaching into his back pocket, ‘No, we’re going Dutch.’
‘So this is a date,’ Woohyun hummed.
‘Woohyun, you -‘
‘I’m kidding,’ Woohyun chuckled, taking the money Sunggyu handed him and placing it at the cashier. ‘Come on, I’ll walk you home.’
-
Sunggyu had insisted that he could walk himself home and that Woohyun’s attempt at chivalry was not welcomed, but Woohyun persisted and assured Sunggyu it was okay to ditch his car for a little while. They ended up quietly strolling in the same direction, by each other’s sides. They waited at the side of the busy road until it was safe enough to cross, standing in silence. Woohyun looked over at the older student - how his lips were red and his cheeks were reddening, his arms tightly wound around his torso, how visible his breath was. Woohyun noted that Sunggyu was pretty attractive under the streetlight, the shadow of his eyelashes slayed on his skin. Sunggyu sniffled a little and Woohyun finally slid off his jacket. If Sunggyu was going to nag about how it wasn’t a date, Woohyun would just deny him and say that he was just being a gentleman.
Fortunately Sunggyu willing took the jacket and let Woohyun drape it over his shoulders, enjoying the warmth emitting from it, originally from Woohyun’s body heat.
Woohyun just stared at him, taking in every detail that was enhanced by the streetlight above. Sunggyu was goddamn gorgeous and Woohyun couldn’t tear his eyes away. When Sunggyu looked at him back, directly into his eyes, Woohyun couldn’t help but lean into Sunggyu’s inviting warmth. His eyelids started drooping, his lips hungry for Sunggyu’s contact.
Sadly, Woohyun’s lips came in contact with Sunggyu’s palm - his face did, actually - pushing his head away with a chuckle. ‘You’re too much,’ Sunggyu laughed, supplying a bright smile. Woohyun’s annoyance disappeared upon looking at Sunggyu’s face.
Before they could miss the opportunity, they ran across the road to the other side, continuing straight to the Kim residence.
When the yellow house came into sight, Sunggyu ran up to it and Woohyun followed suit in confusion.
There was a shivering lady standing in the driveway, worriedly glancing at her phone.
Sunggyu paced up to her, her back turned, and called softly, ‘Ms Lee?’
She immediately turned around. ‘Sunggyu,’ she gasped in relief.
‘What are you doing here?’
She then ranted, ‘Is Howon here? Is he with Myungsoo?’
Sunggyu shook his head slowly. ‘No, I haven’t seen him.’
Woohyun, standing behind Sunggyu, thought to himself, ‘So she’s Howon’s mum?’
‘Have you tried calling him?’ Sunggyu asked.
‘He won’t pick up his phone,’ she said, sounding desperate, ‘He didn’t come home until late Friday night and when I woke up this morning, he wasn’t home.’
Woohyun then got an idea. ‘Sunggyu,’ he exclaimed. The mentioned boy then turned around, almost forgetting Woohyun was still there. ‘Call Dongwoo.’
Without a question, Sunggyu fished out his phone and clicked on Dongwoo’s number. ‘Does Howon happen to be with you?’ he asked after the ringing stopped. ‘Tell Howon to check his phone.’
Woohyun could make out some of Dongwoo’s muffled voice from the phone before Sunggyu said a quick bye.
‘He’s there,’ Sunggyu concluded after putting his phone back into his pocket.
Howon’s mother nodded and gave Sunggyu a quick hug - Sunggyu didn’t hug back. ‘Thank you,’ she said gratefully. Sunggyu just gave her a quick smile before she turned to Woohyun and advised, ‘Take care of this one. He’s of a rare kind.’
Woohyun grinned. ‘I’ll try my best.’
Sunggyu just snorted.
-
Dongwoo scrunched his face up at the phone right after Sunggyu hung up on him. His voice was still croaky because he had just woken up, having had slept with his head in Howon’s lap. ‘Sunggyu told you to check your phone,’ Dongwoo yawned, leaning the side of his face against Howon’s shoulder. Howon slipped out his phone, blinking away his drowsiness - Yeah, he fell asleep too. Dongwoo had made Howon come over that morning, using his emoticons of doom and all. After he arrived, Dongwoo dragged him all over town, window shopping and playing at the arcade. Dongwoo taught Howon how to play DDR. It was hilarious to watch. When they got home, Howon was forced to teach Dongwoo some Taekwondo - Another hilarious thing to watch as they did break a lamp.
19 missed calls: Miss Lee
36 text messages: Miss Lee
Dongwoo propped his chin on Howon’s shoulder and rather nosily peeked at the phone screen. ‘Who’s Miss Lee?’ he mumbled.
‘My mother.’
‘You call your mum Miss Less? That’s cute!’ Dongwoo exclaimed brightly. ‘Wait… Why did she call you so much? Did you forget to tell her you were coming over?’
Howon turned his phone off, shoving it back into his pocket. ‘I didn’t forget,’ he stated, staring blankly at the switched-off television screen.
Dongwoo pouted. ‘So why won’t you just tell her?’
Howon snapped, ‘My whereabouts is none of her business.’
‘She’s your mum,’ Dongwoo retorted, a little surprised at the way Howon raised his voice at him.
Howon corrected sternly, glare hard, ‘She’s Miss Lee.’ He then stood up and made his way to the door, and before Dongwoo could stop him, left.
When the door closed, Dongwoo honestly felt like shit.
-
Monday came and Sungyeol felt relieved because he hadn’t talked to Myungsoo since Friday. To be perfectly truthful, Sungyeol missed him over the weekend and was oddly excited to be back at school and back in Myungsoo’s close proximity. When he arrived, Dongwoo and Woohyun were waiting for him at the gates. The three walked into the building together, Dongwoo looking a little down and Woohyun being exceptionally quiet, probably because he was terrified by how abnormal Dongwoo was being. Sungyeol was quiet too and just strolled to his locker when it was in sight.
He saw Sunggyu standing beside his locker, his arms crossed and his back against the metal lockers. ‘Sungyeol,’ he said.
Sungyeol looked at him while opening his locker.
‘Don’t believe anything he says,’ Sunggyu said in a cautioning tone, ‘Remember what I told you the other day.’ Sungyeol gulped a little because Sunggyu was being rather scary. The older student then walked away, to his own locker, and left Sungyeol with his thoughts.
Sungyeol knew who he was. He was Myungsoo and Sunggyu was right to warn him. Sungyeol had heard about Myungsoo’s reputation and he knew he shouldn’t have given in so easily… But Myungsoo was unbelievably skilled and Sungyeol really couldn’t help it.
-
At recess, Sunggyu saw Dongwoo sitting outside against a wall, looking gloomy and Howonless. ‘Dongwoo?’ Sunggyu called, just in case he had mistaken the head of dark brown hair.
Dongwoo looked up and met eyes with the older boy. ‘Sunggyu,’ he said in return.
Sunggyu continued to stand before him and asked, worried over how Dongwoo’s usual bubbly self was gone, ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Howon’s mad at me.’
‘I don’t believe you,’ Sunggyu scoffed in disbelief.
‘He is!’ Dongwoo cried, ‘He’s mad at me for asking him about personal stuff and I don’t know, Howon’s weird.’
After thorough thinking, Sunggyu nodded and advised, ‘Don’t back down.’
Dongwoo scrunched his face in confusion.
‘Usually any normal human being with reasonable intelligence would steer clear of making Howon angry,’ Sunggyu continued with a sigh, ‘But you should make him mad.’
‘Why?’
‘Because…’ Sunggyu licked his lips, trying to find the best way to explain without betraying Howon’s trust and the whole confidentiality pat they had when they were in middle school. ‘Howon needs someone new to talk to. Neither I nor Sungjong can help him any longer and he trusts you more than he would a normal person.’
Dongwoo frowned but nonetheless nodded warily.
‘And he wouldn’t dare hurt you.’
Dongwoo nodded again.
‘And you do know about that rumour circulating, don’t you?’
‘What rumour?’
‘The ridiculous Howon lost his virginity to Dongwoo rumour.’
-
Sungyeol decided to stick with Sunggyu’s warning about his brother. Instead of finding Myungsoo like he had originally planned, Sungyeol decided to avoid him. The recess bell had rung and Sungyeol was making his way down the stairs, to his locker. When he reached the bottom of the flight, he was suddenly jerked to the side by a strong arm. He immediately screamed, ‘WHAT THE HELL, YOU -‘
Myungsoo’s hand cut him off and he heard a playful chuckle by his ear. Sungyeol turned around and Myungsoo was smirking sinfully right at him, hands already reaching for the older boy’s waist. Sungyeol wasn’t prepared for the showering of quick kisses on every patch of bare skin and had to push the younger away to get a word in.
‘Stop it!’
Myungsoo was affectionately kissing his neck, sending tingles down Sungyeol’s spine. ‘Why?’ he laughed.
Already feeling dizzy, Sungyeol weakly pushed the other boy away, mumbling, ‘P - Please stop…’
Myungsoo saw the look on Sungyeol’s face - the pout, the hint of pink of his cheeks - and decided to let him off. Instead of being annoying and perverted, Myungsoo let him go and held both of his hands, smiling sweetly at him. ‘Okay,’ he cooed softly. Sungyeol melted a little at the tone of voice and the smile and the everything Myungsoo was inflicting on him.
-
Dongwoo decided to give Sunggyu’s advice a try. He went up to Howon’s locker and grabbed his arm to forcefully turn him around. ‘Why are you mad at me?’ Dongwoo droned, pouting.
Howon closed his locker harder than necessary. ‘You were delving into the personal aspects of my life.’ His voice came out somewhat hasty, like he wanted to just push Dongwoo away and run.
Dongwoo whined while jumping up and down, ‘I’m your friend, I’m allowed to know some personal aspects of your life.’
Howon began walking in a fast pace, books in his hands. It was like he was trying to avoid the older boy, but Dongwoo was relentless.
‘Howon!’ Dongwoo shouted, pulling the other back by the shoulder.
Howon sneered, his eyes piercing into Dongwoo’s, ‘I can only trust Sunggyu and Sungjong with that type of information.’
Dongwoo stepped back, a little shocked at the answer. Howon’s answer hit him hard and made him look down, tearing up. ‘You know how much that hurts me, right?’ he mumbled, his voice cracking slightly, ‘Don’t you trust me?’
Howon’s mouth opened and closed, looking in all different directions. He didn’t give Dongwoo a reply so the older boy said, ‘No? But I trust you and -‘
‘I do trust you,’ Howon interjected, sounding rather irritated that the older boy was jumping to conclusions.
Dongwoo snapped, ‘Then why won’t you talk to me about anything?!’ Dongwoo then sniffled, a few tears rolling down his cheeks - He was always a cry-baby.
Upon seeing Dongwoo’s tears, his gaze softened and his voice quietened. ‘You will look at me differently,’ Howon explained bitterly, ‘I don’t want you to look at me with sympathy. I’d really dislike that.’
The answer made Dongwoo wrap his arms around Howon’s neck in a tight hug, in the middle of the hallway with everyone walking passed in astonishment - They had never seen Howon being hugged, nor hugging someone back for that matter. It was kind of a miracle and they were all tempted to take proof pictures - No one would believe them otherwise. Lee Howon voluntarily embracing someone? Nonsense! Even so, Howon’s arms were loose around Dongwoo’s waist, but they were around his waist nonetheless. Dongwoo smiled into his neck and murmured gently, ‘Whatever you say will never change how I look at you.’
Howon swallowed thickly, blinking at the way Dongwoo pressed his body closer against him, how warm he was. He took in a sharp intake of breath and fluttered his eyelids.
‘Promise me,’ he whispered softly.
Dongwoo tilted his head up and looked at the other with surprise. ‘Promise you?’
Lee Howon would never, ever do this. He’d never ask for a promise because he knew how the world worked and how in the end, everyone was in it for themselves. There was no such things as a team or a partnership or a bond unless they’ve been together from the very start like Sunggyu or Myungsoo or Sungjong - They’ve always been there. Dongwoo hasn’t. But still, Howon requested a promise from him and he ran the risk of Dongwoo breaking it.
Everyone knew promises were meant to be broken… But Howon thought Dongwoo knew better.
‘Promise me.’
Dongwoo smiled widely, squeezing Howon tighter.
‘I promise you.’
-
From: Fuck Yongguk
Hi?
Sungjong rolled his eyes at the text he just received, peeking under the table to where his phone was. He was in literature and would rather not let the she-witch of a teacher catch him texting in class.
To: Fuck Yongguk
Why are you texting in class? Sunggyu-hyung’s going to crack it at me!
Before he could finish reading the assigned page of his textbook, his phone lit up again and Yongguk’s text appeared on his screen.
From: Fuck Yongguk
Why are you texting back then? I thought you were meant to be ranked eighth or something
Sungjong wanted to throw his phone out the window.
To: Fuck Yongguk
Why are you disturbing me then, when you know I have work to do?!!!?!
Sungjong put his phone back into his pocket and refused to look at it again, even when it lit up. By the end of class, Sungjong had learnt nothing and had completed nothing. Yongguk was getting on his nerves again and it was distracting.
When he walked out of the room, he slipped his phone out and giggled at the text Yongguk sent.
From: Fuck Yongguk
): Sorry
West campus guys weren’t supposed to be so cute unless they were Sungyeol.
-
‘You free tonight?’ Myungsoo whispered. It was last period and he had psychology with Sungyeol. Sungyeol was drowsily falling in and out of sleep until he heard Myungsoo’s voice.
‘What? Why?’ he murmured, rubbing his tired eyes.
‘Let’s go somewhere,’ Myungsoo said. He then winced at a past experience that scarred him and added, ‘Not a café though.’ Sungyeol and coffee was definitely something he didn’t want to revisit.
Sungyeol blinked rapidly. ‘I don’t feel like going anywhere.’
‘Okay then,’ Myungsoo decided, ‘I’ll come to you then.’
Sungyeol choked on air, ‘W - What?’
‘Text me your address later,’ Myungsoo yawned and then laid his head on the desk, ‘I’ll keep you company.’
Sungyeol swallowed thickly - He had no choice. Either he’d given Myungsoo his address or Myungsoo would follow him home. He had a GPS embedded behind his eyelids anyway.
‘Okay, I’ll text you later,’ Sungyeol blurted out with an annoyed sigh.
-
‘Hello, hello,’ Woohyun sang through the phone.
Without a greeting, Sunggyu said, ‘Myungsoo’s not acting mad at me anymore.’
‘Really?’
The corner of Sunggyu’s lip quirked. ‘He told me you spoke to him on Friday night…’
Woohyun recalled a bar and a bartender who gave him a fake phone number. Oh and of course Myungsoo and his unstoppable drinking tolerance. ‘Yeah, I did,’ he confirmed.
‘What did he say?’
‘He said that he genuinely likes Sungyeol and just wants to show him that.’
Sunggyu asked rather suspiciously, ‘Do you think he’s telling the truth?’
‘I don’t know. I was pretty drunk.’ Woohyun decided it was best Sunggyu didn’t know he was drunk and that Myungsoo was drinking for that matter. And Woohyun definitely didn’t want Sunggyu to worry about Myungsoo any longer so he somewhat lied, ‘Yeah, he was telling the truth.’
There was a moment of quiet before Woohyun could practically hear Sunggyu’s shoulders loosen up. ‘Okay then,’ Sunggyu let out a sigh of relief, ‘I guess I’ll just let him do what he wants for the time being.’
Woohyun cracked a smile. ‘You’re a good brother.’
‘I try,’ Sunggyu chuckled, ‘And trust me, being brothers with Kim Myungsoo is difficult.’
‘Being best friends with Sungyeol and Dongwoo is pretty difficult too.’
‘But Dongwoo and Sungyeol are adorable.’
‘Of course, they’ve had years of training from me,’ Woohyun scoffed. He could practically hear Sunggyu roll his eyes at him.
‘You never fail to show me how insane you are.’
-
AN\ Wow Sunggyu’s giving advice to everyone today lol
Ohhhh what’s happening?! ;D what’s going on in Myungsoo’s head?
Prologue One Two Three Four Five Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Sixteen