fic exchange: for purplehaze_33
Title: Quite the Predicament
Author: hoyah
Word Count: 5500+
Notes: Written for hosu_yongwonhi's fic exchange. Prompt provided by purplehaze_33. I worked kind of loosely off of it. >-<; Hope it doesn't disappoint too much. Thanks so much to my beta kallistei for cleaning up so much of my mess. :)
"They don't have the money to stay, so they're going back to Kwangju. But I've still got my job and I think if I share a small place with a roommate, I can keep going to school."
YunHo was seated in JunSu's living room, game controller in hand, eyes focused on the screen but still talking despite all this.
JunSu was all ears, though he was just as occupied with their game and the task of destroying all of YunHo's warships.
It was a typical afternoon and these conversations were common. They'd gotten used to filtering each other's voices from the explosions on screen; it became easy with practice, and they'd had nearly fifteen years for that.
JunSu and YunHo had known each other since YunHo's first day at nursery school. YunHo was five years old, starting late because of the big move. His parents weren't city folk, but moved for the sake of his father's job. Now that his father had been fired, they wanted to move back.
"Will you be able to take on those extra hours? Aren't you taking a lot of courses this semester?" JunSu asked, glancing over at his friend with something like concern that lasted only until YunHo destroyed another of his ships.
YunHo was always taking a lot of courses every semester. He was pre-law, and had high hopes of becoming a great criminal lawyer one day.
"Just because it's more courses than you've got doesn't make it 'a lot' Mr. 'I'm signing up for Intro to Oceans because it looks easy.' Hah! Another one down."
JunSu stuck his tongue out at him. "Do you have a roommate in mind yet?"
YunHo shrugged, expression clueless but hopeful. "I figured I could place an ad online. It can't hurt. It'll be like making a new friend."
JunSu paused the game, turning to lean towards him, sulkiness turned to excitement and eagerness. "Maybe you don't have to. What if I was your roommate?"
Up until this point, JunSu had been living with his parents. The original plan to move into an apartment with his twin brother when they finally entered university fell through when JunHo got a baseball scholarship in the United States. JunSu had considered moving in with YunHo, but YunHo couldn't afford to move out at the time.
"If you've gotta move out now, why not move in with me?"
Game forgotten, YunHo squirmed excitedly in his seat. "Really? You wouldn't miss your parents too much?"
JunSu laughed, clapping his hand on YunHo's shoulder. "It's not like we're moving very far. We'll still be in Seoul, right? I don't think we need to worry about my mom, even if we were on the other side of the city. She'd find us somehow, some way."
YunHo grinned. This was definitely a step up from living with a total stranger. "JunSu yah! You're going to be the best roommate!" he exclaimed, dropping his controller and launching himself at JunSu for one of his patented bear hugs.
"YunHo... can't... breathe..." But JunSu was smiling broadly behind the fake choking noises.
Moving day was hectic. It had taken them a week to find a place that 1) met JunSu's standards for space and 2) allowed them to move in immediately. On top of that, YunHo was helping his parents pack for their move back to Kwangju.
"You can use our movers," JunSu had offered, coming in around ten in the morning to see YunHo crumpled by the wall chugging a bottle of water. He had undoubtedly been on the move all morning.
"Don't worry about it."
"You can accept help every once in a while, you know."
YunHo flashed an easy-going smiled that belied the exhaustion clear across his face. "I don't want to be a bother."
JunSu kicked him lightly in the hip with the toe of his shoe. In the end, they both left the movers to their work and JunSu accompanied YunHo on the last three trips back to his apartment.
"You need to invest in a bigger car," JunSu advised him as he shut the passenger door and pulled on his seatbelt. The last of YunHo's belongings were piled high in the back seat. "Can you even see anything in the rear view mirror?"
"Of course I can." YunHo started the engine and stuck his head out the window to see behind him. "I see my dresser."
JunSu rolled his eyes. "This can't be safe. If we get pulled over, I'm saying you've taken me hostage."
YunHo smirked, pulling out carefully but narrowly missing the bumper in front of him regardless. "Who would believe you? You look like a delinquent with those piercings in your ear."
"My doe eyes will convince them." He batted them playfully at YunHo, who only laughed as he moved to shove him away. "Yah, watch the road! You'd better be treating me to breakfast after endangering my life like this. And that doesn't mean," he added quickly, "that you get to cook it. I've seen what you do to eggs."
"What? I thought you liked them!" YunHo squawked, noticing a traffic light's transition from orange to red too late to do more than gun it.
JunSu glared at him once they passed the honking cars and he was able to tear his fingers from their harsh grip on the door handle. "I wanted to spare your feelings. But since I'm probably going to die anyway, what's the point?"
"Oh, shut up."
Living with YunHo was easier than driving with him. At least for the first week. JunSu found it very convenient to have YunHo always on hand when he needed help with an assignment. Which was basically every time he sat down to do an assignment.
Whereas YunHo was a solid A student, JunSu was on the other end of the academic spectrum. He was attending on a soccer scholarship and depended upon YunHo to tutor him in essentially all his classes.
"You know you're the only reason I've passed any of the courses I've taken," JunSu reminded him. "If you don't help me, how am I going to balance soccer, studying, and chorus?"
Speaking of which, they had a rehearsal in about an hour, and JunSu was still only a third of the way through his problem sets.
"Fine, I'll help. I don't know how you'll get this done by tomorrow, though," YunHo remarked, shaking his head as JunSu frowned intently at his worksheet.
"You know JaeJoong's not going to let any of us off easy tonight."
"Shh, just get your drink so you can help me."
YunHo rolled his eyes and stood up, going into the kitchen for a glass of water. As he was putting the bottle back into the fridge, he heard JunSu shout from the living room.
"Aha!"
Well, it was always a good sign when he hit upon an epiphany during the middle of an assignment. Hopefully whatever he had just figured out would be useful for the rest of the problems.
As they rolled into the second week, JunSu noticed a particular habit of YunHo's that left him doubting how much he really knew about his best friend. It was true that they often visited each other, but he'd never noticed YunHo's propensity to laze around shirtless when he didn't have to be anywhere.
"Is it that hot?" he asked one day, coming back from an afternoon class to find YunHo on the couch with a book, hand resting lazily across his stomach.
YunHo's torso was lean and toned - not particularly muscled, but fit. The hapkido classes he took were obviously doing something for him, in any case. He glanced up from his novel and flashed a smile. "Welcome home." He had either not heard JunSu's question or didn't want to answer.
JunSu shook his head, dropping his bag off by his room and taking a seat on the cushioned chair perpendicular to the couch. Oddly, he couldn't keep his eyes off of YunHo's bare arms, which were somewhat flexed as he bent his elbow to hold his book up.
"Does it bother you?"
JunSu nearly leapt out of his chair, startled by the sound of YunHo's voice.
"What?"
"You're staring."
"What? No, I just..." He swallowed, not having realized how intently he had been staring at the size of YunHo's biceps. "Why don't you ever wear your shirt when you're here?"
YunHo shrugged. "I never wore my shirt at home. I just put one on for guests, so you never noticed." He laughed softly, setting his book down and sitting up to stretch.
His triceps were just as attractive as his biceps, JunSu noted, and then promptly dismissed himself.
"Does it bother you?" YunHo asked again.
JunSu shook his head. "No, no. This is home now, so... I was just curious."
Now was not the time for his hormones to be acting up, he told himself as he headed for the kitchen to grab a snack. Though how he went so many years without noticing that his best friend had such a body was quite beyond him. Maybe it was a new development.
"What's a new development?" YunHo shouted from the living room.
JunSu cursed himself for having apparently thought out loud.
"Your ugly face!" he shouted back, and then quickly bolted for the door with a bag of pretzels in hand before YunHo could get changed and catch up to him. Perhaps there was some advantage to be taken from this habit after all.
"So he exercises in the living room," JaeJoong said with a shrug, popping open another bottle of soju and offering it to JunSu as he joined him on the couch to watch their monthly marathon of High School Musical. "You've got the most space there."
"It's not just that. He... sometimes he's just wearing his..." JunSu was turning red, frustrated that JaeJoong didn't seem to understand the issue he took with YunHo's health and fitness. A month living with YunHo and he found himself more than a little perturbed by all the new things he was learning about his friend.
"Wearing his what?" JaeJoong prompted.
"Shorts! Bicycle shorts sometimes! Can't he wear sweats and a t-shirt like normal people?"
"Let's... just finish watching the movie." JaeJoong was smirking. This was usually not a good sign, but JunSu was too distracted to pay attention to this small detail.
"Yeah, okay."
The sulkiness lasted throughout the movie, and JaeJoong's staring didn't help any.
"What?" JunSu snapped, turning to his head sharply to face him during Gabriella's "Gotta Go My Own Way." They were both usually teary-eyed messes at this point in the film, but neither was paying enough attention to be moved.
"You like him!" JaeJoong announced, looking quite proud of himself for having finally reached this conclusion.
JunSu's face was stuck somewhere between shocked, horrified, and somewhat disturbed. The next few things he spluttered were nonsensical at best.
Jaejoong grinned, looking more convinced now than ever. "You do! You finally realized that Jung YunHo is a hot piece of ass and that's why you're having all these problems with him."
"They're real problems!"
The arch in JaeJoong's eyebrows was a clear indication of how pathetic JunSu's defense was. "You've complained about him sleeping, reading, showering, exercising. All very normal things."
"It's not what he's doing. It's how he's doing it."
"Right, and that's got nothing to do with your hormones?"
JunSu was spluttering again. JaeJoong took this opportunity to grab more soju.
"A toast!" he proclaimed, forcing JunSu to clink bottles with him. "My little boy is finally growing up." Moments later he was soaked in soju.
It was a known fact that JaeJoong was a gossip. So of course by the next afternoon, all of their mutual friends were aware of JunSu's predicament.
"I am not in any predicament!" he protested, when YooChun brought it up over their lunch date at a campus cafe. "Just because you've seen me naked, you think you know everything..."
"That's exactly right," YooChun agreed, aiming a bright smile at JunSu after ducking the french fry that was promptly launched at him.
"We don't have to talk about YunHo now, though," YooChun went on, concerned JunSu might aim the french fry dipped in ketchup at his head. "I was going to tell you about the party I'm throwing next week."
"Oh?" JunSu considered carefully, then popped the fry into his mouth. "What for?"
"Chew with your mouth closed. For ChangMin's birthday."
"YooChun... that was in February. We already threw him a party, remember? With YunHo?"
YooChun leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Duh. So he won't be expecting this. Are you in? Because it's next Saturday and I need to plan for it."
As annoyed as he was, he had to admit that YooChun's parties were the best around. "I'm in. Are you going to tell YunHo or should I?"
"He already knows."
JunSu wasn't surprised - YooChun always planned well ahead.
"You know he's going to be upset you're not throwing a separate one for him, right?"
"I'm sure he'll live."
YunHo was playing video games with ChangMin when JunSu came in late that night. Well, more like YunHo was seated on the ground playing and ChangMin was curled up with a blanket on the couch. JunSu noticed that YunHo was wearing a t-shirt - probably because there was company - as he kicked off his shoes and headed towards his room.
"Not even going to say hi?" YunHo called out, a moment later. The sounds from the game had stopped.
JunSu blinked, in the middle of taking off his pants so he could change into his pajamas.
When he'd gotten into his pajamas and poked his head out to say the proper greetings, YunHo was in the hallway, leaning against the wall waiting for him.
"Oh, hey." At least he was wearing a shirt this time. JunSu offered a small smile, too tired to put much effort into it. "What'd you do today?"
"Not much. You?"
JunSu shrugged, reaching to scratch behind his neck. "Not much. Soccer practice. I'm really tired, so I think I'm just going to turn in." The last match had been an intense one, since his team had lost the two rounds before it, and he was sure he was going to be sore in the morning from how aggressively they'd all attacked the field.
"Tired, huh...?"
For the first time in a long time, the expression on YunHo's face was entirely unreadable to JunSu. This unnerved him, because YunHo was generally an easy person to read, even if they hadn't been best friends since kindergarten.
"Well... good night."
"Good night."
YunHo was the first to turn and leave. JunSu felt that something important had just happened, but he wasn't sure what it was, and he was too tired to concentrate enough to figure it out.
"You're such an idiot."
YunHo had left for work early in the morning, well before JunSu woke up. Since it was a Saturday, he had no classes and practice wasn't until late into the evening. ChangMin was making breakfast when JunSu sleepily padded his way into the kitchen, and immediately shut him down when he related YunHo's odd behavior from the night before.
"He told me you've been avoiding him all week."
JunSu blinked at him, taking a bite out of the toast laid in front of him. "What? No I haven't."
ChangMin's response was to roll his eyes, turning back around to shut off the stove and take their eggs out of the frying pan. "Uh-huh. And when was the last time you talked to him? Before last night."
JunSu didn't suppose the "good-byes" he always shouted out before leaving counted, so had to take a moment to think about their last real conversation. When he realized it hadn't been since Tuesday, his face fell.
"That's what I thought."
Sometimes, JunSu wished ChangMin wasn't such a smartass. "You're lucky you cook well."
"You'd never kick me out. So what are you going to do about all this?"
"Talk to him. I guess."
ChangMin nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer. "While I'm dispensing advice, you really ought to do something about this crush you have on him, too."
JunSu's glare didn't do much to intimidate ChangMin. If anything, it only fueled his laughter. "Sometimes I wonder who's the dongsaeng and who's the hyung."
"We all know that I'm more mentally mature than all of you combined," ChangMin retorted. JunSu threw a slice of toast at ChangMin's head, and instantly regretted it when he realized it was the last.
JunSu came in early from practice that night, using his soreness as an excuse. It would be a good time for them to talk, he reasoned, and maybe he could explain his behavior for the last week. Not that he had been aware he was avoiding YunHo, he just found it unsettling how naked he always was around their apartment. On further contemplation, however, he realized he was being silly, because YunHo was like a brother, and he'd never had a problem with JunHo being naked.
YunHo wasn't available, however, and there was a note on the fridge.
Ingredients for bibimbap inside. I'll be back late tonight.
-YH
"At least this gives me time to figure out what to say," JunSu muttered, opening the fridge to figure out his meal. Yet he was annoyed, because he had spent all day thinking about it, even if he didn't know exactly what he wanted to say yet.
In need of someone to complain to, he set his bibimbap aside once it had been prepared and pulled out his phone to call JaeJoong.
"Ah? I'm sorry, I can't come over. Kind of busy at the moment."
"But how can you be busy when I need you? Yah, what's more important me? Me or whatever girl you've got over right now?" JunSu knew that if JaeJoong was too busy to hang out with him, it must have been because he had lured another sophomore over to his apartment to spend the night.
JaeJoong snickered and JunSu considered this a confirmation. "Definitely not you right now. I'll call you later. B-"
JunSu hung up before hearing the answer, dialing YooChun next.
"Busy. Can't talk."
And ChangMin didn't pick up at all. JunSu had just left his soccer friends with the excuse of being in too much pain to continue practicing, so he couldn't exactly rejoin them on the field, either.
"I hate my life," he told no one in particular, and called his mother to complain instead. At least she would always be there for him.
"Oh, hi, honey, your father's taking me out for a romantic dinner tonight and I'm just getting changed. Can you believe it? He hasn't done anything like this in years."
JunSu resisted the urge to ask why he was choosing to do it now, and wished her good luck on her date.
Being in Church on Sunday at least helped calm JunSu down somewhat from the multiple disappointments of the previous night.
"YunHo."
"Hm?" They had just got home and YunHo was toeing off his shoes while at the same time loosening his tie.
It was ridiculous, JunSu thought, how YunHo looked as good all dressed up as he did with hardly anything on. How he went so many years without a girlfriend was amazing, though JunSu supposed it had something to do with how busy he was with all his responsibilities.
"You want to watch a movie tonight? We... haven't really spent any time together this last week." He offered a small smile, trying to keep the mood light.
YunHo turned to face him, smile bright with relief. Having not really seen that smile for about a week, JunSu was taken off guard. "Sounds good to me."
JunSu smiled, a little relieved himself at how easy this was going to be. "Okay, good."
Even though the movie was part of JunSu's plan to make it up to YunHo for ignoring him the whole week, YunHo was too considerate to be pampered himself.
"Really, I could have paid for the movie."
YunHo grinned. "You paid last time." After he fought for the privilege, JunSu thought. YunHo hardly ever let anyone pay for the movie - if he had a girlfriend, she would have been spoiled rotten.
"Well at least let me pay for the popcorn."
"I already bought it." YunHo held up the two bags, blinking innocently.
JunSu sighed in exasperation. "You..."
"Oh shut up." YunHo slung his arm over JunSu's shoulder and forced him out the door. "You can pay for all of it next time if you want."
During the movie, of course, YunHo was just as considerate as ever. It was becoming annoying how often he kept asking, "You sure you don't want more popcorn?" after they'd finished the first bag, though.
JunSu's response was almost always the same. "I'm good. Now shut up so we can watch."
The movie ended without either of them getting up to pop another bag of popcorn and they settled on the ground for a card game, a drama playing in the background that they sometimes sat down for or watched on the computer the next day. It starred JunSu's favorite actress, SooAe.
It was during a scene where HyungTae was taking care of a very sick NanHee and YunHo was getting up to grab tea for JunSu when he complained about falling asleep that a realization struck him.
He had always known Jung YunHo was a catch. After all, he was YunHo's best friend. So he knew just how kind, considerate, generous, forgiving, and now apparently attractive YunHo was. But never before had JunSu considered he would want YunHo to be his catch.
"Fuck my life," he muttered. "I am in a predicament."
"What?"
The sight of YunHo coming back shirtless was not helping this situation. But JunSu forced a smile and took the tea offered. "I think I forfeit."
Their sixth week together went by a bit easier, despite JunSu's admission that he was falling for Yunho. But now that they were planning ChangMin's surprise birthday party, it was easy to spend time with YunHo and at the same time forcibly ignore the awkwardness of their situation.
It also forced YunHo into a shirt most of the time they saw each other, and this made spending time with him easier for JunSu to bear.
"So we're going to lure him in like it's just another rehearsal?" YunHo asked, confirming their plans.
"Right. I'll be spending time with him to make sure we get there on time. I text all the time, anyway, so he won't be suspicious when I let you know when we're coming over."
"Mmhm. And I'll make sure everyone is there half an hour early. What about the cake?" YunHo asked, turning to YooChun.
"Already ordered. I picked the blond one."
Everyone turned to blink at him. "The... blond one?" YunHo asked. JunSu noticed there was a tic in his jaw. He was obviously holding back something.
YooChun rolled his eyes. "You guys need to lighten up a little. I didn't get him a stripper, I was just kidding. I bet he'd like that, though."
JaeJoong snickered and JunSu reached up instinctively to touch YunHo's shoulder, holding him back from unleashing whatever rage he might have had towards YooChun's antics. When the older boy turned to look at him, though, he dropped his hand immediately.
"So let's talk alcohol," JaeJoong went on, with a devilish smirk.
The plans for ChangMin's birthday party went without a hitch. Except for the part where he obviously knew everything had been planned well ahead of time.
"How'd you figure it out?" JunSu asked, unconvinced by ChangMin's exclamation of surprise when he was led into YooChun's apartment and everyone jumped out to shout 'Surprise!'
"What do you mean?" ChangMin's eyes were big, his attempt at innocent ignorance.
JunSu rolled his eyes. "Don't pretend you didn't know. You're a terrible actor and you always have been." He had known this since ChangMin had decided to audition on a whim for a play on campus. It was a spectacular disaster, really, and they'd laughed at him for days.
"Is that any way to talk to the birthday boy?" ChangMin asked, clearly disgruntled at having his acting demeaned so. He took his craft very seriously. For the one week before the audition, anyway.
"Your birthday was in February!"
"Well, this is my birthday party and I'll be surprised if I want to!"
With a dramatic wave, ChangMin spun himself around and stalked off in the opposite direction.
"What happened there?" YunHo asked, grabbing ahold of JunSu's arm and tugging him towards a secluded corner of YooChun's apartment. This was his habit. Too many girls hitting on me, he'd told JunSu with some embarrassment the first time JunSu caught him.
"Eh, it was nothing." Whatever reason ChangMin had to feign surprise, JunSu wasn't about to disappoint the others by bringing it up. They had all worked hard on keeping the party a surprise for him.
"That's good." YunHo smiled at him and he smiled back, the last week together having resolved some of the tension between him.
Even though he was still getting used to the idea of wanting to jump YunHo's bones every time he saw him, resisting the urge tonight was easier with the large crowds keeping them apart.
"I guess I'd better rejoin the party before JaeJoong notices."
"Already?" But JunSu stood up with him, reluctant as he was to step back into the crowd and separate.
As glad as he had been earlier about everyone else keeping him distracted from thoughts of wanting to push YunHo up against a wall and kissing him, he was now cursing just how distracting all those girls throwing themselves against YunHo as the night went on were.
It wasn't uncommon for YunHo to have many admirers, but JunSu had never before taken notice of how blatantly they showed their affection towards him.
"Someone's jealous~" a familiar voice sing-songed in his head. JunSu turned and glared half-heartedly at JaeJoong - he was a little too bleary-eyed to glare so it came off as more of a sulk.
"Sh-sh-shut up."
JaeJoong laughed and slung an arm over JunSu's shoulder. "Someone's also apparently drunk. Now what are you doing standing over here when YunHo is over there?"
"Trying to spontaneously combust that girl up on his lap with my mind," JunSu stated bluntly. He had a tendency to get very serious when he was drunk. It was unlike his usual perky self.
JaeJoong always found this amusing. "Idiot." Being very helpful, he steered JunSu towards YunHo and what JunSu had mentally nicknamed as "that fucking flirt". "She's kinda cute."
Before anyone was really aware of what was happening, JaeJoong had maneuvered his way into the girl's conversation with YunHo, stolen her away, and deposited JunSu in her place.
"Hey," YunHo said with a soft laugh. He, unlike JunSu, tended to get very silly when he was drunk. And he seemed well onto his way to being drunk. "What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?"
JunSu blinked at him. "That was the lamest line ever." He couldn't help brushing his finger over YunHo's lip when he started pouting, though.
"What would be a better line?" YunHo asked, apparently oblivious the the touch of JunSu's finger on his mouth.
JunSu took a moment, deliberating carefully. But he was somewhat distracted by the way YunHo was staring up at him, eyes hazy from alcohol. "I don't know," he finally concluded.
YunHo laughed and JunSu dropped his fingers, then found himself laughing as well, body shaking in YunHo's laugh as they found amusement in absolutely nothing at all.
When they'd both managed to get ahold of themselves, they were both half sprawled out on the couch, JunSu curled up half on YunHo with his leg awkwardly up on one of the arm rests.
"You're warm," he informed him.
YunHo nodded. "Mmhm. Must be the beer."
"But I think you're always warm?"
YunHo shifted and JunSu found himself settled more firmly on the couch, YunHo's body hovered over him at an angle. "Yeah?"
JunSu nodded, unaware that it was probably very inappropriate to be laying his hand so deep underneath YunHo's shirt, near his chest. "Really warm. Especially here."
YunHo smiled. JunSu closed his eyes. He was sure where this was leading and was eager to get to that point. But he was suddenly interrupted when another drunken partygoer fell atop the both of them and sent him crashing onto the floor.
"Oh fuck me."
YunHo took JunSu home after that, because neither of them was really in a party mood after having someone dropped on them from out of nowhere.
"I'm tired," JunSu noted, tone slightly whiny as he kicked off his shoes and stumbled towards his room.
YunHo took a moment to pull off his sneakers and followed after him. "Do you need me to bring you anything?" he asked, practically on JunSu's heels.
JunSu shook his head, then realized that wasn't helping his lightheadedness and stopped to reply with a brief, "No."
As he collapsed on his bed, he noticed that YunHo had followed him into his room.
"Nn... What're you doing?" he asked, feeling the weight on the bed shift as YunHo curled up to join him.
"Going to sleep." The answer came in barely a whisper. JunSu raised his head to look over at YunHo, confused by the tone. "Su-yah...?"
"Yeah?" YunHo hadn't called him 'Su-yah' in years. Not since they were still in elementary school.
"Don't die in your sleep? Okay?"
JunSu blinked at him, more than a little confused. "I won't."
"That's good. I don't want you to die before I can even kiss you properly."
JunSu blinked again, taken back to that moment on the couch, when he was sure YunHo was about to lean in and kiss him. "Uh..." was his eloquent response.
It was an unnecessary one, as YunHo continued mumbling, apparently not done with his spiel. "I went through a lot of trouble tonight, to see if you wanted to kiss me back. Still don't know if you do, but if you die, I can't find out. So don't die, okay?"
JunSu nodded, more than a little confused by this sudden confession. "I'll try not to."
"I know. You always try your best. But just in case, maybe I should just kiss you now."
As JunSu was trying to formulate a response to that, YunHo was already cupping the back of his head, dragging him in for said kiss. JunSu didn't fight it, shutting his eyes and succumbing for once to a situation that couldn't be helped.
The kiss was firm, but kind, just like he would have expected it to be, had he thought about it very much in the past. When it ended, it left him warm and breathless, content to stay curled at YunHo's side for at least a week if he thought he could manage it.
When he woke up the next morning, YunHo was nowhere in sight, but the scent of breakfast filled the apartment. Stumbling bleary-eyed into the kitchen, he found YunHo burning another pan of eggs and couldn't help but smile at the mess all over the table.
"You can't make a simple breakfast?"
YunHo stuck his tongue out at him. JunSu noted he was wearing a shirt - probably because he was afraid of oil splattering onto his chest.
After helping YunHo clear the mess and ordering two McMuffins from a McDonald's nearby, JunSu went to shower and get changed. But as he was leaving his room with fresh clothes, his path was blocked by YunHo.
"Wait a minute. Can we... talk first?"
JunSu hesitated, already sure of the topic and not sure he wanted to broach it. "Yeah, I guess we can."
YunHo nodded, then went on. "Last night. I... The kiss, was that... okay?"
JunSu smiled, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. I won't hold it against you just because you were drunk."
The way YunHo's face fell, JunSu didn't think that was the answer he was looking for.
"I mean..."
"Was it that bad?" YunHo interrupted.
"No!" JunSu blurted out before he could stop himself. The situation was getting more awkward by the minute and he wasn't sure what to do with it. "Are you - are you trying to tell me yesterday actually meant something to you?"
He hadn't meant for it to sound as bad as it did, and the look on YunHo's face nearly destroyed what will he had to keep talking.
"I mean... I thought you were just drunk, being a little silly. I don't... Yunho, I don't know what's going on."
"Isn't it obvious?" At least YunHo was finally cracking a small smile. "I like you, JunSu. I just wanted to see if I could get you to like me, too."
JunSu simply couldn't follow that train of thought, so he chose to gape blankly at Yunho, instead. "I think," he finally managed to whisper, "you're going to have to explain from the beginning."
YunHo sighed, running a hand through his hair, looking frazzled. "The others - they were in on it. They've known for a while now, and when I told them we were moving in together, they started helping me come up with plans to make you like me. They told me not to wear a shirt around the apartment - it was embarrassing but I did it. They told me to exercise more in the open, so you'd notice my body." He was blushing now, clearly embarrassed to admit to all this. "And when things weren't moving fast enough, ChangMin had the idea for the party. I complained you were avoiding me and he figured it'd force us to spend more time together. Then they were going to ply you with alcohol, but you were drinking enough on your own. And when JaeJoong brought you over and put you in my lap, I think I was supposed to confess. Except before I could, that guy fell on us. And now... now I don't know. I meant to confess before I kissed you. It was just hard not to."
He stopped abruptly, waiting for a response. From the way YunHo was fidgeting, JunSu was sure it was taking all his effort to stay put and not run away. It was somehow very endearing, even if he now thought YunHo was probably the biggest idiot in the world.
"You... are so fucking retarded."
Tossing aside his clothes, JunSu did what he had been wanting to do since their last card game together. He reached up to cup YunHo's cheek and dragged him down for a kiss that not even SooAe or Lee JungJin could match.
Author: hoyah
Word Count: 5500+
Notes: Written for hosu_yongwonhi's fic exchange. Prompt provided by purplehaze_33. I worked kind of loosely off of it. >-<; Hope it doesn't disappoint too much. Thanks so much to my beta kallistei for cleaning up so much of my mess. :)
"They don't have the money to stay, so they're going back to Kwangju. But I've still got my job and I think if I share a small place with a roommate, I can keep going to school."
YunHo was seated in JunSu's living room, game controller in hand, eyes focused on the screen but still talking despite all this.
JunSu was all ears, though he was just as occupied with their game and the task of destroying all of YunHo's warships.
It was a typical afternoon and these conversations were common. They'd gotten used to filtering each other's voices from the explosions on screen; it became easy with practice, and they'd had nearly fifteen years for that.
JunSu and YunHo had known each other since YunHo's first day at nursery school. YunHo was five years old, starting late because of the big move. His parents weren't city folk, but moved for the sake of his father's job. Now that his father had been fired, they wanted to move back.
"Will you be able to take on those extra hours? Aren't you taking a lot of courses this semester?" JunSu asked, glancing over at his friend with something like concern that lasted only until YunHo destroyed another of his ships.
YunHo was always taking a lot of courses every semester. He was pre-law, and had high hopes of becoming a great criminal lawyer one day.
"Just because it's more courses than you've got doesn't make it 'a lot' Mr. 'I'm signing up for Intro to Oceans because it looks easy.' Hah! Another one down."
JunSu stuck his tongue out at him. "Do you have a roommate in mind yet?"
YunHo shrugged, expression clueless but hopeful. "I figured I could place an ad online. It can't hurt. It'll be like making a new friend."
JunSu paused the game, turning to lean towards him, sulkiness turned to excitement and eagerness. "Maybe you don't have to. What if I was your roommate?"
Up until this point, JunSu had been living with his parents. The original plan to move into an apartment with his twin brother when they finally entered university fell through when JunHo got a baseball scholarship in the United States. JunSu had considered moving in with YunHo, but YunHo couldn't afford to move out at the time.
"If you've gotta move out now, why not move in with me?"
Game forgotten, YunHo squirmed excitedly in his seat. "Really? You wouldn't miss your parents too much?"
JunSu laughed, clapping his hand on YunHo's shoulder. "It's not like we're moving very far. We'll still be in Seoul, right? I don't think we need to worry about my mom, even if we were on the other side of the city. She'd find us somehow, some way."
YunHo grinned. This was definitely a step up from living with a total stranger. "JunSu yah! You're going to be the best roommate!" he exclaimed, dropping his controller and launching himself at JunSu for one of his patented bear hugs.
"YunHo... can't... breathe..." But JunSu was smiling broadly behind the fake choking noises.
Moving day was hectic. It had taken them a week to find a place that 1) met JunSu's standards for space and 2) allowed them to move in immediately. On top of that, YunHo was helping his parents pack for their move back to Kwangju.
"You can use our movers," JunSu had offered, coming in around ten in the morning to see YunHo crumpled by the wall chugging a bottle of water. He had undoubtedly been on the move all morning.
"Don't worry about it."
"You can accept help every once in a while, you know."
YunHo flashed an easy-going smiled that belied the exhaustion clear across his face. "I don't want to be a bother."
JunSu kicked him lightly in the hip with the toe of his shoe. In the end, they both left the movers to their work and JunSu accompanied YunHo on the last three trips back to his apartment.
"You need to invest in a bigger car," JunSu advised him as he shut the passenger door and pulled on his seatbelt. The last of YunHo's belongings were piled high in the back seat. "Can you even see anything in the rear view mirror?"
"Of course I can." YunHo started the engine and stuck his head out the window to see behind him. "I see my dresser."
JunSu rolled his eyes. "This can't be safe. If we get pulled over, I'm saying you've taken me hostage."
YunHo smirked, pulling out carefully but narrowly missing the bumper in front of him regardless. "Who would believe you? You look like a delinquent with those piercings in your ear."
"My doe eyes will convince them." He batted them playfully at YunHo, who only laughed as he moved to shove him away. "Yah, watch the road! You'd better be treating me to breakfast after endangering my life like this. And that doesn't mean," he added quickly, "that you get to cook it. I've seen what you do to eggs."
"What? I thought you liked them!" YunHo squawked, noticing a traffic light's transition from orange to red too late to do more than gun it.
JunSu glared at him once they passed the honking cars and he was able to tear his fingers from their harsh grip on the door handle. "I wanted to spare your feelings. But since I'm probably going to die anyway, what's the point?"
"Oh, shut up."
Living with YunHo was easier than driving with him. At least for the first week. JunSu found it very convenient to have YunHo always on hand when he needed help with an assignment. Which was basically every time he sat down to do an assignment.
Whereas YunHo was a solid A student, JunSu was on the other end of the academic spectrum. He was attending on a soccer scholarship and depended upon YunHo to tutor him in essentially all his classes.
"You know you're the only reason I've passed any of the courses I've taken," JunSu reminded him. "If you don't help me, how am I going to balance soccer, studying, and chorus?"
Speaking of which, they had a rehearsal in about an hour, and JunSu was still only a third of the way through his problem sets.
"Fine, I'll help. I don't know how you'll get this done by tomorrow, though," YunHo remarked, shaking his head as JunSu frowned intently at his worksheet.
"You know JaeJoong's not going to let any of us off easy tonight."
"Shh, just get your drink so you can help me."
YunHo rolled his eyes and stood up, going into the kitchen for a glass of water. As he was putting the bottle back into the fridge, he heard JunSu shout from the living room.
"Aha!"
Well, it was always a good sign when he hit upon an epiphany during the middle of an assignment. Hopefully whatever he had just figured out would be useful for the rest of the problems.
As they rolled into the second week, JunSu noticed a particular habit of YunHo's that left him doubting how much he really knew about his best friend. It was true that they often visited each other, but he'd never noticed YunHo's propensity to laze around shirtless when he didn't have to be anywhere.
"Is it that hot?" he asked one day, coming back from an afternoon class to find YunHo on the couch with a book, hand resting lazily across his stomach.
YunHo's torso was lean and toned - not particularly muscled, but fit. The hapkido classes he took were obviously doing something for him, in any case. He glanced up from his novel and flashed a smile. "Welcome home." He had either not heard JunSu's question or didn't want to answer.
JunSu shook his head, dropping his bag off by his room and taking a seat on the cushioned chair perpendicular to the couch. Oddly, he couldn't keep his eyes off of YunHo's bare arms, which were somewhat flexed as he bent his elbow to hold his book up.
"Does it bother you?"
JunSu nearly leapt out of his chair, startled by the sound of YunHo's voice.
"What?"
"You're staring."
"What? No, I just..." He swallowed, not having realized how intently he had been staring at the size of YunHo's biceps. "Why don't you ever wear your shirt when you're here?"
YunHo shrugged. "I never wore my shirt at home. I just put one on for guests, so you never noticed." He laughed softly, setting his book down and sitting up to stretch.
His triceps were just as attractive as his biceps, JunSu noted, and then promptly dismissed himself.
"Does it bother you?" YunHo asked again.
JunSu shook his head. "No, no. This is home now, so... I was just curious."
Now was not the time for his hormones to be acting up, he told himself as he headed for the kitchen to grab a snack. Though how he went so many years without noticing that his best friend had such a body was quite beyond him. Maybe it was a new development.
"What's a new development?" YunHo shouted from the living room.
JunSu cursed himself for having apparently thought out loud.
"Your ugly face!" he shouted back, and then quickly bolted for the door with a bag of pretzels in hand before YunHo could get changed and catch up to him. Perhaps there was some advantage to be taken from this habit after all.
"So he exercises in the living room," JaeJoong said with a shrug, popping open another bottle of soju and offering it to JunSu as he joined him on the couch to watch their monthly marathon of High School Musical. "You've got the most space there."
"It's not just that. He... sometimes he's just wearing his..." JunSu was turning red, frustrated that JaeJoong didn't seem to understand the issue he took with YunHo's health and fitness. A month living with YunHo and he found himself more than a little perturbed by all the new things he was learning about his friend.
"Wearing his what?" JaeJoong prompted.
"Shorts! Bicycle shorts sometimes! Can't he wear sweats and a t-shirt like normal people?"
"Let's... just finish watching the movie." JaeJoong was smirking. This was usually not a good sign, but JunSu was too distracted to pay attention to this small detail.
"Yeah, okay."
The sulkiness lasted throughout the movie, and JaeJoong's staring didn't help any.
"What?" JunSu snapped, turning to his head sharply to face him during Gabriella's "Gotta Go My Own Way." They were both usually teary-eyed messes at this point in the film, but neither was paying enough attention to be moved.
"You like him!" JaeJoong announced, looking quite proud of himself for having finally reached this conclusion.
JunSu's face was stuck somewhere between shocked, horrified, and somewhat disturbed. The next few things he spluttered were nonsensical at best.
Jaejoong grinned, looking more convinced now than ever. "You do! You finally realized that Jung YunHo is a hot piece of ass and that's why you're having all these problems with him."
"They're real problems!"
The arch in JaeJoong's eyebrows was a clear indication of how pathetic JunSu's defense was. "You've complained about him sleeping, reading, showering, exercising. All very normal things."
"It's not what he's doing. It's how he's doing it."
"Right, and that's got nothing to do with your hormones?"
JunSu was spluttering again. JaeJoong took this opportunity to grab more soju.
"A toast!" he proclaimed, forcing JunSu to clink bottles with him. "My little boy is finally growing up." Moments later he was soaked in soju.
It was a known fact that JaeJoong was a gossip. So of course by the next afternoon, all of their mutual friends were aware of JunSu's predicament.
"I am not in any predicament!" he protested, when YooChun brought it up over their lunch date at a campus cafe. "Just because you've seen me naked, you think you know everything..."
"That's exactly right," YooChun agreed, aiming a bright smile at JunSu after ducking the french fry that was promptly launched at him.
"We don't have to talk about YunHo now, though," YooChun went on, concerned JunSu might aim the french fry dipped in ketchup at his head. "I was going to tell you about the party I'm throwing next week."
"Oh?" JunSu considered carefully, then popped the fry into his mouth. "What for?"
"Chew with your mouth closed. For ChangMin's birthday."
"YooChun... that was in February. We already threw him a party, remember? With YunHo?"
YooChun leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Duh. So he won't be expecting this. Are you in? Because it's next Saturday and I need to plan for it."
As annoyed as he was, he had to admit that YooChun's parties were the best around. "I'm in. Are you going to tell YunHo or should I?"
"He already knows."
JunSu wasn't surprised - YooChun always planned well ahead.
"You know he's going to be upset you're not throwing a separate one for him, right?"
"I'm sure he'll live."
YunHo was playing video games with ChangMin when JunSu came in late that night. Well, more like YunHo was seated on the ground playing and ChangMin was curled up with a blanket on the couch. JunSu noticed that YunHo was wearing a t-shirt - probably because there was company - as he kicked off his shoes and headed towards his room.
"Not even going to say hi?" YunHo called out, a moment later. The sounds from the game had stopped.
JunSu blinked, in the middle of taking off his pants so he could change into his pajamas.
When he'd gotten into his pajamas and poked his head out to say the proper greetings, YunHo was in the hallway, leaning against the wall waiting for him.
"Oh, hey." At least he was wearing a shirt this time. JunSu offered a small smile, too tired to put much effort into it. "What'd you do today?"
"Not much. You?"
JunSu shrugged, reaching to scratch behind his neck. "Not much. Soccer practice. I'm really tired, so I think I'm just going to turn in." The last match had been an intense one, since his team had lost the two rounds before it, and he was sure he was going to be sore in the morning from how aggressively they'd all attacked the field.
"Tired, huh...?"
For the first time in a long time, the expression on YunHo's face was entirely unreadable to JunSu. This unnerved him, because YunHo was generally an easy person to read, even if they hadn't been best friends since kindergarten.
"Well... good night."
"Good night."
YunHo was the first to turn and leave. JunSu felt that something important had just happened, but he wasn't sure what it was, and he was too tired to concentrate enough to figure it out.
"You're such an idiot."
YunHo had left for work early in the morning, well before JunSu woke up. Since it was a Saturday, he had no classes and practice wasn't until late into the evening. ChangMin was making breakfast when JunSu sleepily padded his way into the kitchen, and immediately shut him down when he related YunHo's odd behavior from the night before.
"He told me you've been avoiding him all week."
JunSu blinked at him, taking a bite out of the toast laid in front of him. "What? No I haven't."
ChangMin's response was to roll his eyes, turning back around to shut off the stove and take their eggs out of the frying pan. "Uh-huh. And when was the last time you talked to him? Before last night."
JunSu didn't suppose the "good-byes" he always shouted out before leaving counted, so had to take a moment to think about their last real conversation. When he realized it hadn't been since Tuesday, his face fell.
"That's what I thought."
Sometimes, JunSu wished ChangMin wasn't such a smartass. "You're lucky you cook well."
"You'd never kick me out. So what are you going to do about all this?"
"Talk to him. I guess."
ChangMin nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer. "While I'm dispensing advice, you really ought to do something about this crush you have on him, too."
JunSu's glare didn't do much to intimidate ChangMin. If anything, it only fueled his laughter. "Sometimes I wonder who's the dongsaeng and who's the hyung."
"We all know that I'm more mentally mature than all of you combined," ChangMin retorted. JunSu threw a slice of toast at ChangMin's head, and instantly regretted it when he realized it was the last.
JunSu came in early from practice that night, using his soreness as an excuse. It would be a good time for them to talk, he reasoned, and maybe he could explain his behavior for the last week. Not that he had been aware he was avoiding YunHo, he just found it unsettling how naked he always was around their apartment. On further contemplation, however, he realized he was being silly, because YunHo was like a brother, and he'd never had a problem with JunHo being naked.
YunHo wasn't available, however, and there was a note on the fridge.
Ingredients for bibimbap inside. I'll be back late tonight.
-YH
"At least this gives me time to figure out what to say," JunSu muttered, opening the fridge to figure out his meal. Yet he was annoyed, because he had spent all day thinking about it, even if he didn't know exactly what he wanted to say yet.
In need of someone to complain to, he set his bibimbap aside once it had been prepared and pulled out his phone to call JaeJoong.
"Ah? I'm sorry, I can't come over. Kind of busy at the moment."
"But how can you be busy when I need you? Yah, what's more important me? Me or whatever girl you've got over right now?" JunSu knew that if JaeJoong was too busy to hang out with him, it must have been because he had lured another sophomore over to his apartment to spend the night.
JaeJoong snickered and JunSu considered this a confirmation. "Definitely not you right now. I'll call you later. B-"
JunSu hung up before hearing the answer, dialing YooChun next.
"Busy. Can't talk."
And ChangMin didn't pick up at all. JunSu had just left his soccer friends with the excuse of being in too much pain to continue practicing, so he couldn't exactly rejoin them on the field, either.
"I hate my life," he told no one in particular, and called his mother to complain instead. At least she would always be there for him.
"Oh, hi, honey, your father's taking me out for a romantic dinner tonight and I'm just getting changed. Can you believe it? He hasn't done anything like this in years."
JunSu resisted the urge to ask why he was choosing to do it now, and wished her good luck on her date.
Being in Church on Sunday at least helped calm JunSu down somewhat from the multiple disappointments of the previous night.
"YunHo."
"Hm?" They had just got home and YunHo was toeing off his shoes while at the same time loosening his tie.
It was ridiculous, JunSu thought, how YunHo looked as good all dressed up as he did with hardly anything on. How he went so many years without a girlfriend was amazing, though JunSu supposed it had something to do with how busy he was with all his responsibilities.
"You want to watch a movie tonight? We... haven't really spent any time together this last week." He offered a small smile, trying to keep the mood light.
YunHo turned to face him, smile bright with relief. Having not really seen that smile for about a week, JunSu was taken off guard. "Sounds good to me."
JunSu smiled, a little relieved himself at how easy this was going to be. "Okay, good."
Even though the movie was part of JunSu's plan to make it up to YunHo for ignoring him the whole week, YunHo was too considerate to be pampered himself.
"Really, I could have paid for the movie."
YunHo grinned. "You paid last time." After he fought for the privilege, JunSu thought. YunHo hardly ever let anyone pay for the movie - if he had a girlfriend, she would have been spoiled rotten.
"Well at least let me pay for the popcorn."
"I already bought it." YunHo held up the two bags, blinking innocently.
JunSu sighed in exasperation. "You..."
"Oh shut up." YunHo slung his arm over JunSu's shoulder and forced him out the door. "You can pay for all of it next time if you want."
During the movie, of course, YunHo was just as considerate as ever. It was becoming annoying how often he kept asking, "You sure you don't want more popcorn?" after they'd finished the first bag, though.
JunSu's response was almost always the same. "I'm good. Now shut up so we can watch."
The movie ended without either of them getting up to pop another bag of popcorn and they settled on the ground for a card game, a drama playing in the background that they sometimes sat down for or watched on the computer the next day. It starred JunSu's favorite actress, SooAe.
It was during a scene where HyungTae was taking care of a very sick NanHee and YunHo was getting up to grab tea for JunSu when he complained about falling asleep that a realization struck him.
He had always known Jung YunHo was a catch. After all, he was YunHo's best friend. So he knew just how kind, considerate, generous, forgiving, and now apparently attractive YunHo was. But never before had JunSu considered he would want YunHo to be his catch.
"Fuck my life," he muttered. "I am in a predicament."
"What?"
The sight of YunHo coming back shirtless was not helping this situation. But JunSu forced a smile and took the tea offered. "I think I forfeit."
Their sixth week together went by a bit easier, despite JunSu's admission that he was falling for Yunho. But now that they were planning ChangMin's surprise birthday party, it was easy to spend time with YunHo and at the same time forcibly ignore the awkwardness of their situation.
It also forced YunHo into a shirt most of the time they saw each other, and this made spending time with him easier for JunSu to bear.
"So we're going to lure him in like it's just another rehearsal?" YunHo asked, confirming their plans.
"Right. I'll be spending time with him to make sure we get there on time. I text all the time, anyway, so he won't be suspicious when I let you know when we're coming over."
"Mmhm. And I'll make sure everyone is there half an hour early. What about the cake?" YunHo asked, turning to YooChun.
"Already ordered. I picked the blond one."
Everyone turned to blink at him. "The... blond one?" YunHo asked. JunSu noticed there was a tic in his jaw. He was obviously holding back something.
YooChun rolled his eyes. "You guys need to lighten up a little. I didn't get him a stripper, I was just kidding. I bet he'd like that, though."
JaeJoong snickered and JunSu reached up instinctively to touch YunHo's shoulder, holding him back from unleashing whatever rage he might have had towards YooChun's antics. When the older boy turned to look at him, though, he dropped his hand immediately.
"So let's talk alcohol," JaeJoong went on, with a devilish smirk.
The plans for ChangMin's birthday party went without a hitch. Except for the part where he obviously knew everything had been planned well ahead of time.
"How'd you figure it out?" JunSu asked, unconvinced by ChangMin's exclamation of surprise when he was led into YooChun's apartment and everyone jumped out to shout 'Surprise!'
"What do you mean?" ChangMin's eyes were big, his attempt at innocent ignorance.
JunSu rolled his eyes. "Don't pretend you didn't know. You're a terrible actor and you always have been." He had known this since ChangMin had decided to audition on a whim for a play on campus. It was a spectacular disaster, really, and they'd laughed at him for days.
"Is that any way to talk to the birthday boy?" ChangMin asked, clearly disgruntled at having his acting demeaned so. He took his craft very seriously. For the one week before the audition, anyway.
"Your birthday was in February!"
"Well, this is my birthday party and I'll be surprised if I want to!"
With a dramatic wave, ChangMin spun himself around and stalked off in the opposite direction.
"What happened there?" YunHo asked, grabbing ahold of JunSu's arm and tugging him towards a secluded corner of YooChun's apartment. This was his habit. Too many girls hitting on me, he'd told JunSu with some embarrassment the first time JunSu caught him.
"Eh, it was nothing." Whatever reason ChangMin had to feign surprise, JunSu wasn't about to disappoint the others by bringing it up. They had all worked hard on keeping the party a surprise for him.
"That's good." YunHo smiled at him and he smiled back, the last week together having resolved some of the tension between him.
Even though he was still getting used to the idea of wanting to jump YunHo's bones every time he saw him, resisting the urge tonight was easier with the large crowds keeping them apart.
"I guess I'd better rejoin the party before JaeJoong notices."
"Already?" But JunSu stood up with him, reluctant as he was to step back into the crowd and separate.
As glad as he had been earlier about everyone else keeping him distracted from thoughts of wanting to push YunHo up against a wall and kissing him, he was now cursing just how distracting all those girls throwing themselves against YunHo as the night went on were.
It wasn't uncommon for YunHo to have many admirers, but JunSu had never before taken notice of how blatantly they showed their affection towards him.
"Someone's jealous~" a familiar voice sing-songed in his head. JunSu turned and glared half-heartedly at JaeJoong - he was a little too bleary-eyed to glare so it came off as more of a sulk.
"Sh-sh-shut up."
JaeJoong laughed and slung an arm over JunSu's shoulder. "Someone's also apparently drunk. Now what are you doing standing over here when YunHo is over there?"
"Trying to spontaneously combust that girl up on his lap with my mind," JunSu stated bluntly. He had a tendency to get very serious when he was drunk. It was unlike his usual perky self.
JaeJoong always found this amusing. "Idiot." Being very helpful, he steered JunSu towards YunHo and what JunSu had mentally nicknamed as "that fucking flirt". "She's kinda cute."
Before anyone was really aware of what was happening, JaeJoong had maneuvered his way into the girl's conversation with YunHo, stolen her away, and deposited JunSu in her place.
"Hey," YunHo said with a soft laugh. He, unlike JunSu, tended to get very silly when he was drunk. And he seemed well onto his way to being drunk. "What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?"
JunSu blinked at him. "That was the lamest line ever." He couldn't help brushing his finger over YunHo's lip when he started pouting, though.
"What would be a better line?" YunHo asked, apparently oblivious the the touch of JunSu's finger on his mouth.
JunSu took a moment, deliberating carefully. But he was somewhat distracted by the way YunHo was staring up at him, eyes hazy from alcohol. "I don't know," he finally concluded.
YunHo laughed and JunSu dropped his fingers, then found himself laughing as well, body shaking in YunHo's laugh as they found amusement in absolutely nothing at all.
When they'd both managed to get ahold of themselves, they were both half sprawled out on the couch, JunSu curled up half on YunHo with his leg awkwardly up on one of the arm rests.
"You're warm," he informed him.
YunHo nodded. "Mmhm. Must be the beer."
"But I think you're always warm?"
YunHo shifted and JunSu found himself settled more firmly on the couch, YunHo's body hovered over him at an angle. "Yeah?"
JunSu nodded, unaware that it was probably very inappropriate to be laying his hand so deep underneath YunHo's shirt, near his chest. "Really warm. Especially here."
YunHo smiled. JunSu closed his eyes. He was sure where this was leading and was eager to get to that point. But he was suddenly interrupted when another drunken partygoer fell atop the both of them and sent him crashing onto the floor.
"Oh fuck me."
YunHo took JunSu home after that, because neither of them was really in a party mood after having someone dropped on them from out of nowhere.
"I'm tired," JunSu noted, tone slightly whiny as he kicked off his shoes and stumbled towards his room.
YunHo took a moment to pull off his sneakers and followed after him. "Do you need me to bring you anything?" he asked, practically on JunSu's heels.
JunSu shook his head, then realized that wasn't helping his lightheadedness and stopped to reply with a brief, "No."
As he collapsed on his bed, he noticed that YunHo had followed him into his room.
"Nn... What're you doing?" he asked, feeling the weight on the bed shift as YunHo curled up to join him.
"Going to sleep." The answer came in barely a whisper. JunSu raised his head to look over at YunHo, confused by the tone. "Su-yah...?"
"Yeah?" YunHo hadn't called him 'Su-yah' in years. Not since they were still in elementary school.
"Don't die in your sleep? Okay?"
JunSu blinked at him, more than a little confused. "I won't."
"That's good. I don't want you to die before I can even kiss you properly."
JunSu blinked again, taken back to that moment on the couch, when he was sure YunHo was about to lean in and kiss him. "Uh..." was his eloquent response.
It was an unnecessary one, as YunHo continued mumbling, apparently not done with his spiel. "I went through a lot of trouble tonight, to see if you wanted to kiss me back. Still don't know if you do, but if you die, I can't find out. So don't die, okay?"
JunSu nodded, more than a little confused by this sudden confession. "I'll try not to."
"I know. You always try your best. But just in case, maybe I should just kiss you now."
As JunSu was trying to formulate a response to that, YunHo was already cupping the back of his head, dragging him in for said kiss. JunSu didn't fight it, shutting his eyes and succumbing for once to a situation that couldn't be helped.
The kiss was firm, but kind, just like he would have expected it to be, had he thought about it very much in the past. When it ended, it left him warm and breathless, content to stay curled at YunHo's side for at least a week if he thought he could manage it.
When he woke up the next morning, YunHo was nowhere in sight, but the scent of breakfast filled the apartment. Stumbling bleary-eyed into the kitchen, he found YunHo burning another pan of eggs and couldn't help but smile at the mess all over the table.
"You can't make a simple breakfast?"
YunHo stuck his tongue out at him. JunSu noted he was wearing a shirt - probably because he was afraid of oil splattering onto his chest.
After helping YunHo clear the mess and ordering two McMuffins from a McDonald's nearby, JunSu went to shower and get changed. But as he was leaving his room with fresh clothes, his path was blocked by YunHo.
"Wait a minute. Can we... talk first?"
JunSu hesitated, already sure of the topic and not sure he wanted to broach it. "Yeah, I guess we can."
YunHo nodded, then went on. "Last night. I... The kiss, was that... okay?"
JunSu smiled, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. I won't hold it against you just because you were drunk."
The way YunHo's face fell, JunSu didn't think that was the answer he was looking for.
"I mean..."
"Was it that bad?" YunHo interrupted.
"No!" JunSu blurted out before he could stop himself. The situation was getting more awkward by the minute and he wasn't sure what to do with it. "Are you - are you trying to tell me yesterday actually meant something to you?"
He hadn't meant for it to sound as bad as it did, and the look on YunHo's face nearly destroyed what will he had to keep talking.
"I mean... I thought you were just drunk, being a little silly. I don't... Yunho, I don't know what's going on."
"Isn't it obvious?" At least YunHo was finally cracking a small smile. "I like you, JunSu. I just wanted to see if I could get you to like me, too."
JunSu simply couldn't follow that train of thought, so he chose to gape blankly at Yunho, instead. "I think," he finally managed to whisper, "you're going to have to explain from the beginning."
YunHo sighed, running a hand through his hair, looking frazzled. "The others - they were in on it. They've known for a while now, and when I told them we were moving in together, they started helping me come up with plans to make you like me. They told me not to wear a shirt around the apartment - it was embarrassing but I did it. They told me to exercise more in the open, so you'd notice my body." He was blushing now, clearly embarrassed to admit to all this. "And when things weren't moving fast enough, ChangMin had the idea for the party. I complained you were avoiding me and he figured it'd force us to spend more time together. Then they were going to ply you with alcohol, but you were drinking enough on your own. And when JaeJoong brought you over and put you in my lap, I think I was supposed to confess. Except before I could, that guy fell on us. And now... now I don't know. I meant to confess before I kissed you. It was just hard not to."
He stopped abruptly, waiting for a response. From the way YunHo was fidgeting, JunSu was sure it was taking all his effort to stay put and not run away. It was somehow very endearing, even if he now thought YunHo was probably the biggest idiot in the world.
"You... are so fucking retarded."
Tossing aside his clothes, JunSu did what he had been wanting to do since their last card game together. He reached up to cup YunHo's cheek and dragged him down for a kiss that not even SooAe or Lee JungJin could match.