121209 CHAPTERED FIC: COLLDE: SEVENTEEN
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Seventeen | 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)
-
The front door creaked open and Myungsoo looked up from the couch. Sunggyu was entering, hastily running in due to the cold. Myungsoo noticed the copies of what looked like to be Sunggyu’s résumés in his hands and he questioned, ‘Finding a new job?’
Sunggyu sat on the dining table and placed his face in his arms, sighing. He made a humming noise as his answer and his brother nodded.
‘How did you get fired at your old one anyway?’ Myungsoo yawned.
Sunggyu lifted his head up and mumbled, propping his chin on his forearm, ‘I kept coming late.’
The blanket started dropping a little and so Myungsoo pulled it up higher, placing the edge of the blanket on his mother’s shoulder. She was sleeping soundly as she had just finished eating dinner (Myungsoo actually cooked quite well) and was exhausted from work. Her head was on Myungsoo’s shoulder comfortably as the latter was watching TV. ‘Why?’ Myungsoo clicked his tongue.
‘Myungsoo, my shift started at three in the morning. It was hard for me get up,’ Sunggyu answered matter-of-factly, staring at the back of his mother’s head.
‘Maybe you should’ve just slept earlier, like at nine or something, and put an alarm clock on. Neither mum nor I could wake up from sound, anyway,’ Myungsoo suggested, pointing to his sleeping mother in emphasis.
Sunggyu sat up straight and smiled, staring dully into empty space. ‘I don’t think I can do that,’ he said quietly, although Myungsoo heard him.
‘Why?’
Sunggyu then thought back to every night around nine or ten and shook his head. ‘It wouldn’t be ideal for my mental well-being,’ he stated.
Myungsoo tilted his head in confusion.
-
After a while, Myungsoo had fallen asleep with his head over his mother’s. Sunggyu noticed the quiet snoring and stood up, confirming Myungsoo’s sleeping state. He stood there, behind the coffee table and watched them for a moment. His mother was always exhausted, always having to work extra shifts at the hospital to keep the family going. She never acted like she hated it; in all honesty she loved her job, but there came a point when the job she loved became too much for her to bear. Myungsoo was too naïve to realise what she was going through, but you couldn’t really blame him since she put up such a confident and happy front. Sunggyu was smart enough to see through that though. So he decided to get a job, as many jobs as he could to help her sustain the household. When he got fired, their mother’s workload increased and Sunggyu became desperate for another job.
He saw how tired she was, how her arm was wrapped around her youngest son’s so tightly like it was her lifeline, and he wavered. Sunggyu felt his eyes water and he turned his gaze away, refusing to cry in front of them, even if they were sleeping. He knew he had to be stronger than this.
After running up to his room and shutting the door, he grabbed his phone and immediately called Woohyun.
‘Hello, Mr student body president,’ Woohyun sang happily.
Something about Woohyun’s voice triggered something and Sunggyu let the tears out. He just sobbed with the phone pressed against his ear and wiping the falling droplets with the sleeve of his free hand, unable to choke out proper words.
‘Sunggyu?’ Woohyun called softly, hearing nothing but the crying and feeling extremely worried over the older boy.
Sunggyu’s voice came out cracked and croakier than usual, ‘Woohyun… Can I come over?’
‘I’ll come get you.’
Woohyun came to pick him up within five minutes flat.
-
‘I just feel like I’m letting everybody down.’ Sunggyu pulled his knees up to his chest and pouted, seated on Woohyun’s couch.
Woohyun came over with two steaming cups of tea and asked in concern, ‘What happened?’
Sunggyu sighed and informed miserably, ‘I went cold-canvasing today… No one even bothered to look at my résumé.’
Woohyun’s ears perked up. ‘You need a job?’
‘I need the money, we need the money.’
There was an awkward silence around the practically empty house. Woohyun took a seat, the two cups gently placed on the table. He ended up sitting with his elbows propped on his thighs, his fingers threaded together loosely as he thought deeply about Sunggyu’s situation. Sunggyu watched him, wondering what he was thinking.
Woohyun swallowed and suggested, ‘You know… My parents just throw a shitload of money at me every month and I don’t use -‘
‘Don’t you dare,’ Sunggyu cut off, that threatening look on his face.
Woohyun sighed loudly in exasperation. ‘But Sunggyu, I really want to help,’ he argued.
Sunggyu huffed, not impressed, ‘If you really want to help then help me find a job.’
The older student was being extremely stubborn and Woohyun was starting to get pissed off. He slumped into the couch, creating the inevitable squeaking noises, and covered his face in his hands as he thought. Sunggyu bit his lip and exhaled audibly.
‘Work for me,’ Woohyun offered.
Sunggyu stood up from the couch and shouted, ‘You’re completely insane!’
Woohyun rolled his eyes and snapped, ‘I’m not asking you to be my sex pet or anything weird like that!’
‘Then what work do you need?’ Sunggyu scoffed. Woohyun was seriously doing his head in.
‘Homework help,’ Woohyun answered without trouble.
‘You’re kidding.’
‘I’m not.’ Woohyun stood up too, stepping in front of the other boy.
Sunggyu groaned, ‘Woohyun, this is stupid.’
‘I’m not asking you to tutor me, I just want you to check over my homework,’ Woohyun tried to convince, feeling somewhat helpless as Sunggyu’s expression didn’t tell him that he approved of the idea.
Sunggyu shook his head slowly and began walking towards the front door. ‘Woohyun, I can’t do this,’ he muttered.
‘Why not?!’ Woohyun grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back with more force than expected. Sunggyu ended up closer than he had intended, their chest just a few inches apart.
‘Because I will never except charity from you!’ Sunggyu exclaimed angrily. He took in a deep breath and he murmured quietly, ‘I don’t want you to feel sympathetic towards me or my family, ever.’
Woohyun licked his dry lips and ruffled his hair. He then held Sunggyu by the shoulders and glared directly into his eyes, demanding through gritted teeth, ‘Sunggyu, just tell me what you want from me.’
Since Sunggyu was never very fond of touching, he shrugged Woohyun off with a blank stare. ‘I want you to make me feel like I can handle this,’ he stated.
The corner of Woohyun’s lip quirked a little, because even then Sunggyu was being unbearably cute. ‘You can handle this,’ he chuckled.
Sunggyu laughed breathlessly, ‘Oh that’s horrible. You have to be more convincing than that.’
-
It was Thursday and the routine of messed-up events was going to happen all over again. Myungsoo and Sungyeol were being lovey-dovey (Well, as close to lovey-dovey as those two brats could get), Sunggyu was at a meeting about the talent show, Woohyun was playing soccer or basketball or tackle-because-you-feel-like-it with the other delinquents, and Yongguk was being whipped per usual by Sungjong.
Dongwoo and Howon were in the gymnasium again - as stated above, it was part of a really strange routine - just talking about whatever they thought of. Actually, Dongwoo was talking and Howon was just listening and memorising like the weird kid he’d always been.
The one-sided conversation came to an end and was replaced by comfortable silence. Dongwoo was leaning comfortably into the younger boy’s arm, his own arm wrapped around Howon’s and their fingers loosely intertwined. Dongwoo began to look up at Howon’s face and noticed him staring somewhat longingly at some direction. Dongwoo followed his sight and found him staring at his clothed left wrist.
Dongwoo immediately sat up straight. ‘Are you tempted?’ he snapped.
Howon stiffened, his eyes wide as he turned his head and looked stunned at the other student.
Dongwoo clarified, although he was pretty sure Howon knew exactly what he meant, ‘I mean, are you tempted to cut yourself again?’
Upon seeing Dongwoo’s concern, Howon looked down to the ground and sealed his lips shut. Dongwoo knew what that meant - It meant yes. It meant Howon was tempted to slit his wrist and feel the pain and see the blood and break the healing streak he had promised Dongwoo he would keep. Dongwoo started tearing up - It was all too easy for him on most occasions - and questioned helplessly in a cracked voice, ‘Howon, what can I do to make you feel something?’
Howon wanted to know that too. ‘I don’t know,’ he replied simply, feeling Dongwoo’s fingers squeeze his.
Dongwoo’s tears fell one-by-one, onto their sleeves. ‘Howon…’ he mumbled.
Howon couldn’t stand to watch him and placed his free hand gently on Dongwoo’s shoulder, whispering, ‘Please don’t cry. It makes me feel something, but it’s not something I want to feel.’
Dongwoo cried harder, burying his face into the crook of Howon’s neck. Howon hugged him around the waist until he stopped crying.
-
Friday came along to fuck up the routine. Just a little bit - nothing too drastic. The only really weird thing that happened was that recess, when Doojoon approached Myungsoo at his locker. Since Myungsoo was never really good with faces (which didn’t exactly help the fact that he hit on practically everyone), it took him a while to realise it was Sungyeol’s cousin.
Doojoon scratched his head awkwardly as he asked, ‘Um, are you butthead?’
‘Sorry?’ Myungsoo laughed. ‘Maybe I should hit on you too? You’re good-looking up close.’ Putting his evil thoughts aside, Myungsoo decided that it would be weird to flirt with Doojoon because, well, he’s related to Sungyeol and that can’t be a good thing.
Doojoon then held out a little plastic box. ‘Sungyeol told me to give this to someone named butthead,’ he verified. Myungsoo took the offered box and open it up. He saw little, almost unripe strawberries and smiled widely.
George 2.
‘Yes, I guess I am butthead then,’ he concluded. After putting the box quickly into his locker, he turned to Doojoon and mentioned coolly, ‘You’re Sungyeol’s cousin, right?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah, I’m Yoon Doojoon,’ he introduced, holding his hand out politely.
‘Kim Myungsoo,’ Myungsoo said as he shook the hand with a strong grip.
Doojoon tipped his head to the side and pondered in curiosity, ‘Kim Myungsoo? Kim Sunggyu’s brother?’
‘Yeah, you know him?’ Myungsoo smirked - Everyone knew his brother and the business he was involved in.
Clearing his throat, Doojoon shrugged. ‘I’ve heard stories and I’ve seen him around the, um, the bleachers,’ he responded carefully.
‘Yeah, he loves that place,’ Myungsoo commented in amusement, ‘We look nothing alike, don’t we?’
A junior Myungsoo didn’t really recognise (even though he slept with his older sister one time) ran up to Doojoon and panted, ‘Captain!’
Doojoon rose his eyebrows at the boy.
‘Coach is getting impatient. He wants you at practice now,’ he informed, emphasising that he needed to leave as soon as possible.
Doojoon gave a quick nod and bid Myungsoo farewell, ‘Well, it was nice to meet you.’
‘You too,’ Myungsoo said oddly as he watched the two run down the hallway.
-
Myungsoo was bored as fuck. Really lousy fuck. The reason? Well, Sungyeol had a dentist appointment and wouldn’t arrive to school until after lunch. Therefore, Myungsoo added another person to his mental death note with an evil grin on his face.
That lunch time, Myungsoo found Sungjong and Yongguk by the windows on the first floor, amongst the thick crowd. They were watching Sunggyu beating up a sophomore rather lazily, meaning it wasn’t that big of a deal.
‘What did the kid do?’ Myungsoo yawned, still bored.
Sungjong shrugged and leaned into Yongguk’s chest, the latter tightening his grip around his waist. ‘I don’t know. Probably late consecutively,’ Sungjong guessed unthoughtfully.
Sunggyu turned around a little, the boy’s collar in his hand. Myungsoo found an opportunity to greet him. ‘Hi, hyung!’ he shouted through the glass.
Luckily, Sunggyu had pretty amazing hearing. He looked over at the windows with a small smile. He then turned his attention back to the sweating boy hanging from his fingers. ‘That’s my brother,’ Sunggyu remarked, way too casually for the situation. He demanded, ‘Wave to him for me.’
The victim then used all the energy he had to wave towards the building until Sunggyu looked satisfied. After that, Sunggyu left him with one final blow to his torso, letting him wheeze on the grass. As Sunggyu was walking towards the building, he felt eyes on him and so he craned his neck back. Sungyeol’s cousin was staring at him strangely from inside the soccer goals.
‘Expectedly Sungyeol’s cousin is already terrified of me.’ Sunggyu then proceeded to the building without a care. He then met eyes with a frowning Woohyun and rolled his eyes, pushing his ugly face away in distaste.
-
‘Why did you go to the dentist?’
Sungyeol was stuffing things into his pigsty of a locker and Myungsoo was just watching in fascination. After great difficulty, Sungyeol was able to squeeze the door shut and lock it before the contraption exploded. It was the end of the day and he figured he’d just deal with it on Monday.
To answer Myungsoo’s question, Sungyeol opened his mouth as wide as he could and pointed, whilst trying to say cavities with his mouth still open. Myungsoo didn’t bother to look in the mouth - Sungyeol’s breath was pretty foul even after that dentist visit. They began walking together down the hall.
‘Did you get fillings?’ Myungsoo asked, honestly not really interested. He was just trying to be nice.
Sungyeol was more bouncy than usual and was swaying around everywhere. ‘No, my cavities aren’t that bad yet, but look,’ he exclaimed cheerfully while reaching into his pocket. The hand came back filled with colourful treats. ‘He gave me candy.’
Myungsoo lolled his head back and barked, ‘That’s so stupid!’
Sungyeol snapped back, ‘You’re stupid!’
Myungsoo jumped in front of the older boy and gripped his arms. ‘I know I’m stupid!’ he shouted, ‘And do you know why I’m stupid?’
After poking his tongue out, Sungyeol whined childishly, ‘Yeah, because you’re Kim Myung-‘
Then Myungsoo kissed him, ignoring how bad Sungyeol’s breath was, and Sungyeol swallowed his words, not a thought in his head.
They separated and Myungsoo watched Sungyeol’s reaction, the way his face changed from multiple different expressions in a matter of seconds.
‘…Stop doing that,’ Sungyeol mumbled meekly.
Myungsoo laughed, ‘What’s that?’
‘Stop catching me off-guard like that.’
‘Okay then, skyscraper.’ Myungsoo smiled sweetly and pulled Sungyeol into his embrace. He rested his chin on the older student’s shoulder and murmured into his ear lovingly, ‘I’m stupid because I’m clinging onto someone as stupid as you.’
Sungyeol just about melted.
-
‘How’s the job hunting going?’
‘Fruitless,’ Sunggyu deadpanned, collapsing on his bed. He buried his face into the soft pillow and sighed. He then shifted his head and stared at his phone on the bedside table.
Woohyun was in the bathroom - hence the echoing voice - and had just came out of the shower and was getting dressed. ‘If it makes you feel any better, my toenail broke in half when I kicked a tree,’ Woohyun commented hopefully.
Sunggyu laughed, ‘That’s funny.’
‘What, me breaking a toenail?’
‘No, you kicking a tree.’
Woohyun grinned at his reflection and slipped a shirt on. ‘How’s your brother been, by the way? I haven’t spoken to him in a while, thanks to Sungyeol,’ he said nonchalantly, throwing his used towel into the hamper like it was a basketball.
‘He’s been doing well, I guess, since he knows that there is no reason to be jealous any longer… Although I’m still sceptical over how much he really likes Sungyeol.’
‘But he’s still trying to win Sungyeol, even though he knows about Doojoon, right?’
‘I guess…’
‘Overall, that’s good to hear,’ Woohyun uttered as he threw on a grey long-sleeved shirt. As he strolled out of the bathroom with long strides, he offered, ‘Want to… come over?’
Sunggyu pouted and hugged his pillow tightly. ‘Not going anywhere tonight?’
‘We could go somewhere, if you want,’ Woohyun said slyly, sitting on his bed.
Sunggyu smirked at this and lifted his head up from the plush feeling. ‘Let’s take a walk,’ he said.
-
Woohyun waited for Sunggyu to come out by the mailbox. Sunggyu ran out in a thin baggy tee and white-washed jeans, which made Woohyun want to rip all his hair out because it was seven degrees outside. When Sunggyu approached him, Woohyun spat in disapproval, ‘Jeez, don’t you have any thicker clothes?’
‘Woohyun, I’m fine. It’s not that cold,’ Sunggyu deadpanned, rolling his eyes.
Woohyun pinched at the fabric of his shirt, examining it. ‘It’s freezing and you’re only wearing one layer,’ Woohyun sighed. He then proceeded to take off his woolly jacket and drape it over Sunggyu’s shoulders, muttering, ‘Here.’
He even helped Sunggyu with the sleeves and buttoned the jacket to keep the older boy warm. Sunggyu didn’t struggle or protest, but rather he whined stubbornly, ‘You honestly worry too much.’
‘Look who’s talking,’ Woohyun retorted, again in mild disapproval.
They began walking down the little court, out into the little street, until they hit the main road. As they were walking down the footpath, they scanned through all the stores - The only ones that were opened were the convince stores and neither of them had any interest in going in them.
Sunggyu found slight enjoyment in swinging around a streetlight pole until he was facing Woohyun. ‘What are we going to do? Everything’s closed except for the nightclubs,’ he sang, although it did sound rather gloomy on that dark night.
‘Nightclubs are fun,’ Woohyun commented.
Since Sunggyu had his moment of childish fun, they began walking down the road again. ‘And how would you know?’ Sunggyu queried with suspicion that made the younger somewhat nervous.
Woohyun rubbed the nape of his neck and stammered, ‘Um, there are - there are under-18 clubs around.’
As they turned the turn, Sunggyu smirked rather mischievously and opinionated, ‘But the 18-and-over ones are so much more fun.’
Woohyun’s eyes widened at his words and he looked at the student body president, the oh-so-rule-obeying student body president, in astonishment.
Sunggyu attempted an innocent smile before pointing forward. ‘Shall we go to the park?’ he suggested - not that he would take no for an answer.
-
‘I feel like such a child,’ Sunggyu laughed heartedly. They were on the swings, going as high as they could. Woohyun easily got higher than Sunggyu ever could - His house was near the area and him, Dongwoo and Sungyeol used to come to the park every day after school and play til their hearts’ content. Woohyun had learned a few tricks with the swings and how to get maximum height and speed.
‘You know, one time, I spun three-sixty on the one you’re sitting on,’ Woohyun bragged, starting to slow down.
Sunggyu dug his heels into the rubber beneath the swing to stop the pendulum effect. ‘You’re lying,’ Sunggyu objected.
Woohyun’s swing came to a halt. ‘I’m serious. I thought I was going to die,’ he chuckled, placing a hand over his heart to show Sunggyu how serious he was. In all honestly, Woohyun really did do a three-sixty and came out of it without injury - too bad Dongwoo and Sungyeol were playing chaser and missed it.
Revisiting his childhood, Sunggyu started twisting the chains and made himself spin. ‘Why can’t I believe you?’
‘Why don’t you trust me?’ Woohyun countered in mock hurt as he held his heart with both hands and made pained noises. Sunggyu used this opportunity to kick him when he wasn’t paying attention and make him swing right and left.
After a few moments of laughter and kicking each other playfully, Sunggyu leaned the side of his face against the cool metal. He spun his swing a little and stared attentively at the younger student who was staring back in fascination.
‘I’m curious about something, Mr Nam,’ Sunggyu voiced lazily.
Woohyun kicked off a piece of bark off his shoe. ‘What is it?’
‘You haven’t been hungry for attention lately,’ Sunggyu mentioned, scanning over Woohyun’s features. Woohyun swiftly turned his head and his eyebrows rose at Sunggyu’s words. Surprisingly patiently, Sunggyu waited for an answer as a number of emotions flashed onto Woohyun’s face repeatedly.
And then there was a loud scream.
‘What was that?’ Sunggyu craned his head up and his eyes sifted through the buildings around the park. He then stood up as another scream resounded from one direction, Woohyun following suit.
The third scream came and the two boys then knew where it was coming from and sprinted in that direction. They came in contact with a young woman being harassed by an older man, who was tugging at her hair and her clothes. From the very second they came, they knew he was extremely drunk by the smell of alcohol and vomit.
The girl screamed, ‘Let go!’
Sunggyu grabbed her hair to stop it from being pulled as it was obviously hurting her. Woohyun grabbed the man by the collar.
‘Where are you going, you little slut?!’ the man growled in contempt.
Sunggyu was just about to knock the wind out of the man until Woohyun held his risen wrist and pushed it away. ‘Sunggyu, stay out of this!’ he warned, a look in his eyes Sunggyu had never seen before.
‘What the hell are you talking about? You -‘
Sunggyu was immediately shut up as he saw the man collapse on the concrete in an unceremonious fashion, all by the matter of one punch from a certain Nam Woohyun. The girl cried as she held Sunggyu tightly around the waist, as Sunggyu watched Woohyun deal with the pervert in concern, his hands stroking her back comfortingly. Woohyun hauled the man up by his shirt and threw him against the brick wall forcefully, obviously making his head hit the bricks hard.
Woohyun gritted his teeth as his eyes emitted I’m going to fucking slaughter you. As the man swallowed thickly, already out of breath, Woohyun’s grip tightened around the cotton. ‘I suggest you leave before I knock you out completely,’ he growled before throwing the deadweight-like body against the wall again, earning a hefty groan. He then let the man slide onto the floor, winded.
After exhaling a deep breath, Woohyun turned and saw Sunggyu looking at him in surprise with the girl crying into his shoulder. Woohyun instantly softened and suggested they walk her home.
-
‘Are you okay, Miss?’ Sunggyu asked after his voice returned. He hadn’t spoken the whole walk to the nameless girl’s apartment building. Woohyun was quiet too and only talked when he wanted to confirm directions.
‘I’m fine thanks to your boyfriend,’ she giggled, not completely sober yet… Or maybe she was completely sober.
Sunggyu denied strongly, ‘No, he’s -‘
‘Don’t deny! I see the way you look at each other,’ she slurred with a cheeky grin, opening her door with her keys. She then saluted the two boys and cooed, ‘I am very thankful. You two are lifesavers. Good night, saviours!’
When the door shut, Sunggyu immediately turned to Woohyun, who was just as stunned as he was. ‘She’s drunk,’ Woohyun stated.
Sunggyu nodded vigorously. ‘Yes, she’s very drunk.’
The walk back home was more than a little bit awkward.
-
‘Hey Kim,’ Woohyun greeted as he wrapped an arm around Myungsoo’s shoulders that Monday morning. ‘How’s project SY going?’
Myungsoo bit back a smile. ‘Amazingly smooth,’ he answered bashfully.
‘Really?’
‘I think he’s already fallen.’
Woohyun grinned and punched his shoulder. ‘He’s already fallen for you?!’
Myungsoo smirked. ‘No, he’s already fallen for my act.’
Woohyun then began applauding as he ran down the hallway with a spring in his step. ‘Always use a condom, my child!’ he called loudly.
Myungsoo snorted and began to catch up to him, tackling him from behind.
-
AN\ Hey lovelies! ^^ Remember at about third chapter when I asked you who your fav character was? The majority said Sunggyu or Howon. There were a few who picked Sungyeol and Dongwoo too… Well…. WHO’S YOUR FAV CHARACTER NOW?! :D
Prologue One Two Three Four Five Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Eighteen
Seventeen | 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)
-
The front door creaked open and Myungsoo looked up from the couch. Sunggyu was entering, hastily running in due to the cold. Myungsoo noticed the copies of what looked like to be Sunggyu’s résumés in his hands and he questioned, ‘Finding a new job?’
Sunggyu sat on the dining table and placed his face in his arms, sighing. He made a humming noise as his answer and his brother nodded.
‘How did you get fired at your old one anyway?’ Myungsoo yawned.
Sunggyu lifted his head up and mumbled, propping his chin on his forearm, ‘I kept coming late.’
The blanket started dropping a little and so Myungsoo pulled it up higher, placing the edge of the blanket on his mother’s shoulder. She was sleeping soundly as she had just finished eating dinner (Myungsoo actually cooked quite well) and was exhausted from work. Her head was on Myungsoo’s shoulder comfortably as the latter was watching TV. ‘Why?’ Myungsoo clicked his tongue.
‘Myungsoo, my shift started at three in the morning. It was hard for me get up,’ Sunggyu answered matter-of-factly, staring at the back of his mother’s head.
‘Maybe you should’ve just slept earlier, like at nine or something, and put an alarm clock on. Neither mum nor I could wake up from sound, anyway,’ Myungsoo suggested, pointing to his sleeping mother in emphasis.
Sunggyu sat up straight and smiled, staring dully into empty space. ‘I don’t think I can do that,’ he said quietly, although Myungsoo heard him.
‘Why?’
Sunggyu then thought back to every night around nine or ten and shook his head. ‘It wouldn’t be ideal for my mental well-being,’ he stated.
Myungsoo tilted his head in confusion.
-
After a while, Myungsoo had fallen asleep with his head over his mother’s. Sunggyu noticed the quiet snoring and stood up, confirming Myungsoo’s sleeping state. He stood there, behind the coffee table and watched them for a moment. His mother was always exhausted, always having to work extra shifts at the hospital to keep the family going. She never acted like she hated it; in all honesty she loved her job, but there came a point when the job she loved became too much for her to bear. Myungsoo was too naïve to realise what she was going through, but you couldn’t really blame him since she put up such a confident and happy front. Sunggyu was smart enough to see through that though. So he decided to get a job, as many jobs as he could to help her sustain the household. When he got fired, their mother’s workload increased and Sunggyu became desperate for another job.
He saw how tired she was, how her arm was wrapped around her youngest son’s so tightly like it was her lifeline, and he wavered. Sunggyu felt his eyes water and he turned his gaze away, refusing to cry in front of them, even if they were sleeping. He knew he had to be stronger than this.
After running up to his room and shutting the door, he grabbed his phone and immediately called Woohyun.
‘Hello, Mr student body president,’ Woohyun sang happily.
Something about Woohyun’s voice triggered something and Sunggyu let the tears out. He just sobbed with the phone pressed against his ear and wiping the falling droplets with the sleeve of his free hand, unable to choke out proper words.
‘Sunggyu?’ Woohyun called softly, hearing nothing but the crying and feeling extremely worried over the older boy.
Sunggyu’s voice came out cracked and croakier than usual, ‘Woohyun… Can I come over?’
‘I’ll come get you.’
Woohyun came to pick him up within five minutes flat.
-
‘I just feel like I’m letting everybody down.’ Sunggyu pulled his knees up to his chest and pouted, seated on Woohyun’s couch.
Woohyun came over with two steaming cups of tea and asked in concern, ‘What happened?’
Sunggyu sighed and informed miserably, ‘I went cold-canvasing today… No one even bothered to look at my résumé.’
Woohyun’s ears perked up. ‘You need a job?’
‘I need the money, we need the money.’
There was an awkward silence around the practically empty house. Woohyun took a seat, the two cups gently placed on the table. He ended up sitting with his elbows propped on his thighs, his fingers threaded together loosely as he thought deeply about Sunggyu’s situation. Sunggyu watched him, wondering what he was thinking.
Woohyun swallowed and suggested, ‘You know… My parents just throw a shitload of money at me every month and I don’t use -‘
‘Don’t you dare,’ Sunggyu cut off, that threatening look on his face.
Woohyun sighed loudly in exasperation. ‘But Sunggyu, I really want to help,’ he argued.
Sunggyu huffed, not impressed, ‘If you really want to help then help me find a job.’
The older student was being extremely stubborn and Woohyun was starting to get pissed off. He slumped into the couch, creating the inevitable squeaking noises, and covered his face in his hands as he thought. Sunggyu bit his lip and exhaled audibly.
‘Work for me,’ Woohyun offered.
Sunggyu stood up from the couch and shouted, ‘You’re completely insane!’
Woohyun rolled his eyes and snapped, ‘I’m not asking you to be my sex pet or anything weird like that!’
‘Then what work do you need?’ Sunggyu scoffed. Woohyun was seriously doing his head in.
‘Homework help,’ Woohyun answered without trouble.
‘You’re kidding.’
‘I’m not.’ Woohyun stood up too, stepping in front of the other boy.
Sunggyu groaned, ‘Woohyun, this is stupid.’
‘I’m not asking you to tutor me, I just want you to check over my homework,’ Woohyun tried to convince, feeling somewhat helpless as Sunggyu’s expression didn’t tell him that he approved of the idea.
Sunggyu shook his head slowly and began walking towards the front door. ‘Woohyun, I can’t do this,’ he muttered.
‘Why not?!’ Woohyun grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back with more force than expected. Sunggyu ended up closer than he had intended, their chest just a few inches apart.
‘Because I will never except charity from you!’ Sunggyu exclaimed angrily. He took in a deep breath and he murmured quietly, ‘I don’t want you to feel sympathetic towards me or my family, ever.’
Woohyun licked his dry lips and ruffled his hair. He then held Sunggyu by the shoulders and glared directly into his eyes, demanding through gritted teeth, ‘Sunggyu, just tell me what you want from me.’
Since Sunggyu was never very fond of touching, he shrugged Woohyun off with a blank stare. ‘I want you to make me feel like I can handle this,’ he stated.
The corner of Woohyun’s lip quirked a little, because even then Sunggyu was being unbearably cute. ‘You can handle this,’ he chuckled.
Sunggyu laughed breathlessly, ‘Oh that’s horrible. You have to be more convincing than that.’
-
It was Thursday and the routine of messed-up events was going to happen all over again. Myungsoo and Sungyeol were being lovey-dovey (Well, as close to lovey-dovey as those two brats could get), Sunggyu was at a meeting about the talent show, Woohyun was playing soccer or basketball or tackle-because-you-feel-like-it with the other delinquents, and Yongguk was being whipped per usual by Sungjong.
Dongwoo and Howon were in the gymnasium again - as stated above, it was part of a really strange routine - just talking about whatever they thought of. Actually, Dongwoo was talking and Howon was just listening and memorising like the weird kid he’d always been.
The one-sided conversation came to an end and was replaced by comfortable silence. Dongwoo was leaning comfortably into the younger boy’s arm, his own arm wrapped around Howon’s and their fingers loosely intertwined. Dongwoo began to look up at Howon’s face and noticed him staring somewhat longingly at some direction. Dongwoo followed his sight and found him staring at his clothed left wrist.
Dongwoo immediately sat up straight. ‘Are you tempted?’ he snapped.
Howon stiffened, his eyes wide as he turned his head and looked stunned at the other student.
Dongwoo clarified, although he was pretty sure Howon knew exactly what he meant, ‘I mean, are you tempted to cut yourself again?’
Upon seeing Dongwoo’s concern, Howon looked down to the ground and sealed his lips shut. Dongwoo knew what that meant - It meant yes. It meant Howon was tempted to slit his wrist and feel the pain and see the blood and break the healing streak he had promised Dongwoo he would keep. Dongwoo started tearing up - It was all too easy for him on most occasions - and questioned helplessly in a cracked voice, ‘Howon, what can I do to make you feel something?’
Howon wanted to know that too. ‘I don’t know,’ he replied simply, feeling Dongwoo’s fingers squeeze his.
Dongwoo’s tears fell one-by-one, onto their sleeves. ‘Howon…’ he mumbled.
Howon couldn’t stand to watch him and placed his free hand gently on Dongwoo’s shoulder, whispering, ‘Please don’t cry. It makes me feel something, but it’s not something I want to feel.’
Dongwoo cried harder, burying his face into the crook of Howon’s neck. Howon hugged him around the waist until he stopped crying.
-
Friday came along to fuck up the routine. Just a little bit - nothing too drastic. The only really weird thing that happened was that recess, when Doojoon approached Myungsoo at his locker. Since Myungsoo was never really good with faces (which didn’t exactly help the fact that he hit on practically everyone), it took him a while to realise it was Sungyeol’s cousin.
Doojoon scratched his head awkwardly as he asked, ‘Um, are you butthead?’
‘Sorry?’ Myungsoo laughed. ‘Maybe I should hit on you too? You’re good-looking up close.’ Putting his evil thoughts aside, Myungsoo decided that it would be weird to flirt with Doojoon because, well, he’s related to Sungyeol and that can’t be a good thing.
Doojoon then held out a little plastic box. ‘Sungyeol told me to give this to someone named butthead,’ he verified. Myungsoo took the offered box and open it up. He saw little, almost unripe strawberries and smiled widely.
George 2.
‘Yes, I guess I am butthead then,’ he concluded. After putting the box quickly into his locker, he turned to Doojoon and mentioned coolly, ‘You’re Sungyeol’s cousin, right?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah, I’m Yoon Doojoon,’ he introduced, holding his hand out politely.
‘Kim Myungsoo,’ Myungsoo said as he shook the hand with a strong grip.
Doojoon tipped his head to the side and pondered in curiosity, ‘Kim Myungsoo? Kim Sunggyu’s brother?’
‘Yeah, you know him?’ Myungsoo smirked - Everyone knew his brother and the business he was involved in.
Clearing his throat, Doojoon shrugged. ‘I’ve heard stories and I’ve seen him around the, um, the bleachers,’ he responded carefully.
‘Yeah, he loves that place,’ Myungsoo commented in amusement, ‘We look nothing alike, don’t we?’
A junior Myungsoo didn’t really recognise (even though he slept with his older sister one time) ran up to Doojoon and panted, ‘Captain!’
Doojoon rose his eyebrows at the boy.
‘Coach is getting impatient. He wants you at practice now,’ he informed, emphasising that he needed to leave as soon as possible.
Doojoon gave a quick nod and bid Myungsoo farewell, ‘Well, it was nice to meet you.’
‘You too,’ Myungsoo said oddly as he watched the two run down the hallway.
-
Myungsoo was bored as fuck. Really lousy fuck. The reason? Well, Sungyeol had a dentist appointment and wouldn’t arrive to school until after lunch. Therefore, Myungsoo added another person to his mental death note with an evil grin on his face.
That lunch time, Myungsoo found Sungjong and Yongguk by the windows on the first floor, amongst the thick crowd. They were watching Sunggyu beating up a sophomore rather lazily, meaning it wasn’t that big of a deal.
‘What did the kid do?’ Myungsoo yawned, still bored.
Sungjong shrugged and leaned into Yongguk’s chest, the latter tightening his grip around his waist. ‘I don’t know. Probably late consecutively,’ Sungjong guessed unthoughtfully.
Sunggyu turned around a little, the boy’s collar in his hand. Myungsoo found an opportunity to greet him. ‘Hi, hyung!’ he shouted through the glass.
Luckily, Sunggyu had pretty amazing hearing. He looked over at the windows with a small smile. He then turned his attention back to the sweating boy hanging from his fingers. ‘That’s my brother,’ Sunggyu remarked, way too casually for the situation. He demanded, ‘Wave to him for me.’
The victim then used all the energy he had to wave towards the building until Sunggyu looked satisfied. After that, Sunggyu left him with one final blow to his torso, letting him wheeze on the grass. As Sunggyu was walking towards the building, he felt eyes on him and so he craned his neck back. Sungyeol’s cousin was staring at him strangely from inside the soccer goals.
‘Expectedly Sungyeol’s cousin is already terrified of me.’ Sunggyu then proceeded to the building without a care. He then met eyes with a frowning Woohyun and rolled his eyes, pushing his ugly face away in distaste.
-
‘Why did you go to the dentist?’
Sungyeol was stuffing things into his pigsty of a locker and Myungsoo was just watching in fascination. After great difficulty, Sungyeol was able to squeeze the door shut and lock it before the contraption exploded. It was the end of the day and he figured he’d just deal with it on Monday.
To answer Myungsoo’s question, Sungyeol opened his mouth as wide as he could and pointed, whilst trying to say cavities with his mouth still open. Myungsoo didn’t bother to look in the mouth - Sungyeol’s breath was pretty foul even after that dentist visit. They began walking together down the hall.
‘Did you get fillings?’ Myungsoo asked, honestly not really interested. He was just trying to be nice.
Sungyeol was more bouncy than usual and was swaying around everywhere. ‘No, my cavities aren’t that bad yet, but look,’ he exclaimed cheerfully while reaching into his pocket. The hand came back filled with colourful treats. ‘He gave me candy.’
Myungsoo lolled his head back and barked, ‘That’s so stupid!’
Sungyeol snapped back, ‘You’re stupid!’
Myungsoo jumped in front of the older boy and gripped his arms. ‘I know I’m stupid!’ he shouted, ‘And do you know why I’m stupid?’
After poking his tongue out, Sungyeol whined childishly, ‘Yeah, because you’re Kim Myung-‘
Then Myungsoo kissed him, ignoring how bad Sungyeol’s breath was, and Sungyeol swallowed his words, not a thought in his head.
They separated and Myungsoo watched Sungyeol’s reaction, the way his face changed from multiple different expressions in a matter of seconds.
‘…Stop doing that,’ Sungyeol mumbled meekly.
Myungsoo laughed, ‘What’s that?’
‘Stop catching me off-guard like that.’
‘Okay then, skyscraper.’ Myungsoo smiled sweetly and pulled Sungyeol into his embrace. He rested his chin on the older student’s shoulder and murmured into his ear lovingly, ‘I’m stupid because I’m clinging onto someone as stupid as you.’
Sungyeol just about melted.
-
‘How’s the job hunting going?’
‘Fruitless,’ Sunggyu deadpanned, collapsing on his bed. He buried his face into the soft pillow and sighed. He then shifted his head and stared at his phone on the bedside table.
Woohyun was in the bathroom - hence the echoing voice - and had just came out of the shower and was getting dressed. ‘If it makes you feel any better, my toenail broke in half when I kicked a tree,’ Woohyun commented hopefully.
Sunggyu laughed, ‘That’s funny.’
‘What, me breaking a toenail?’
‘No, you kicking a tree.’
Woohyun grinned at his reflection and slipped a shirt on. ‘How’s your brother been, by the way? I haven’t spoken to him in a while, thanks to Sungyeol,’ he said nonchalantly, throwing his used towel into the hamper like it was a basketball.
‘He’s been doing well, I guess, since he knows that there is no reason to be jealous any longer… Although I’m still sceptical over how much he really likes Sungyeol.’
‘But he’s still trying to win Sungyeol, even though he knows about Doojoon, right?’
‘I guess…’
‘Overall, that’s good to hear,’ Woohyun uttered as he threw on a grey long-sleeved shirt. As he strolled out of the bathroom with long strides, he offered, ‘Want to… come over?’
Sunggyu pouted and hugged his pillow tightly. ‘Not going anywhere tonight?’
‘We could go somewhere, if you want,’ Woohyun said slyly, sitting on his bed.
Sunggyu smirked at this and lifted his head up from the plush feeling. ‘Let’s take a walk,’ he said.
-
Woohyun waited for Sunggyu to come out by the mailbox. Sunggyu ran out in a thin baggy tee and white-washed jeans, which made Woohyun want to rip all his hair out because it was seven degrees outside. When Sunggyu approached him, Woohyun spat in disapproval, ‘Jeez, don’t you have any thicker clothes?’
‘Woohyun, I’m fine. It’s not that cold,’ Sunggyu deadpanned, rolling his eyes.
Woohyun pinched at the fabric of his shirt, examining it. ‘It’s freezing and you’re only wearing one layer,’ Woohyun sighed. He then proceeded to take off his woolly jacket and drape it over Sunggyu’s shoulders, muttering, ‘Here.’
He even helped Sunggyu with the sleeves and buttoned the jacket to keep the older boy warm. Sunggyu didn’t struggle or protest, but rather he whined stubbornly, ‘You honestly worry too much.’
‘Look who’s talking,’ Woohyun retorted, again in mild disapproval.
They began walking down the little court, out into the little street, until they hit the main road. As they were walking down the footpath, they scanned through all the stores - The only ones that were opened were the convince stores and neither of them had any interest in going in them.
Sunggyu found slight enjoyment in swinging around a streetlight pole until he was facing Woohyun. ‘What are we going to do? Everything’s closed except for the nightclubs,’ he sang, although it did sound rather gloomy on that dark night.
‘Nightclubs are fun,’ Woohyun commented.
Since Sunggyu had his moment of childish fun, they began walking down the road again. ‘And how would you know?’ Sunggyu queried with suspicion that made the younger somewhat nervous.
Woohyun rubbed the nape of his neck and stammered, ‘Um, there are - there are under-18 clubs around.’
As they turned the turn, Sunggyu smirked rather mischievously and opinionated, ‘But the 18-and-over ones are so much more fun.’
Woohyun’s eyes widened at his words and he looked at the student body president, the oh-so-rule-obeying student body president, in astonishment.
Sunggyu attempted an innocent smile before pointing forward. ‘Shall we go to the park?’ he suggested - not that he would take no for an answer.
-
‘I feel like such a child,’ Sunggyu laughed heartedly. They were on the swings, going as high as they could. Woohyun easily got higher than Sunggyu ever could - His house was near the area and him, Dongwoo and Sungyeol used to come to the park every day after school and play til their hearts’ content. Woohyun had learned a few tricks with the swings and how to get maximum height and speed.
‘You know, one time, I spun three-sixty on the one you’re sitting on,’ Woohyun bragged, starting to slow down.
Sunggyu dug his heels into the rubber beneath the swing to stop the pendulum effect. ‘You’re lying,’ Sunggyu objected.
Woohyun’s swing came to a halt. ‘I’m serious. I thought I was going to die,’ he chuckled, placing a hand over his heart to show Sunggyu how serious he was. In all honestly, Woohyun really did do a three-sixty and came out of it without injury - too bad Dongwoo and Sungyeol were playing chaser and missed it.
Revisiting his childhood, Sunggyu started twisting the chains and made himself spin. ‘Why can’t I believe you?’
‘Why don’t you trust me?’ Woohyun countered in mock hurt as he held his heart with both hands and made pained noises. Sunggyu used this opportunity to kick him when he wasn’t paying attention and make him swing right and left.
After a few moments of laughter and kicking each other playfully, Sunggyu leaned the side of his face against the cool metal. He spun his swing a little and stared attentively at the younger student who was staring back in fascination.
‘I’m curious about something, Mr Nam,’ Sunggyu voiced lazily.
Woohyun kicked off a piece of bark off his shoe. ‘What is it?’
‘You haven’t been hungry for attention lately,’ Sunggyu mentioned, scanning over Woohyun’s features. Woohyun swiftly turned his head and his eyebrows rose at Sunggyu’s words. Surprisingly patiently, Sunggyu waited for an answer as a number of emotions flashed onto Woohyun’s face repeatedly.
And then there was a loud scream.
‘What was that?’ Sunggyu craned his head up and his eyes sifted through the buildings around the park. He then stood up as another scream resounded from one direction, Woohyun following suit.
The third scream came and the two boys then knew where it was coming from and sprinted in that direction. They came in contact with a young woman being harassed by an older man, who was tugging at her hair and her clothes. From the very second they came, they knew he was extremely drunk by the smell of alcohol and vomit.
The girl screamed, ‘Let go!’
Sunggyu grabbed her hair to stop it from being pulled as it was obviously hurting her. Woohyun grabbed the man by the collar.
‘Where are you going, you little slut?!’ the man growled in contempt.
Sunggyu was just about to knock the wind out of the man until Woohyun held his risen wrist and pushed it away. ‘Sunggyu, stay out of this!’ he warned, a look in his eyes Sunggyu had never seen before.
‘What the hell are you talking about? You -‘
Sunggyu was immediately shut up as he saw the man collapse on the concrete in an unceremonious fashion, all by the matter of one punch from a certain Nam Woohyun. The girl cried as she held Sunggyu tightly around the waist, as Sunggyu watched Woohyun deal with the pervert in concern, his hands stroking her back comfortingly. Woohyun hauled the man up by his shirt and threw him against the brick wall forcefully, obviously making his head hit the bricks hard.
Woohyun gritted his teeth as his eyes emitted I’m going to fucking slaughter you. As the man swallowed thickly, already out of breath, Woohyun’s grip tightened around the cotton. ‘I suggest you leave before I knock you out completely,’ he growled before throwing the deadweight-like body against the wall again, earning a hefty groan. He then let the man slide onto the floor, winded.
After exhaling a deep breath, Woohyun turned and saw Sunggyu looking at him in surprise with the girl crying into his shoulder. Woohyun instantly softened and suggested they walk her home.
-
‘Are you okay, Miss?’ Sunggyu asked after his voice returned. He hadn’t spoken the whole walk to the nameless girl’s apartment building. Woohyun was quiet too and only talked when he wanted to confirm directions.
‘I’m fine thanks to your boyfriend,’ she giggled, not completely sober yet… Or maybe she was completely sober.
Sunggyu denied strongly, ‘No, he’s -‘
‘Don’t deny! I see the way you look at each other,’ she slurred with a cheeky grin, opening her door with her keys. She then saluted the two boys and cooed, ‘I am very thankful. You two are lifesavers. Good night, saviours!’
When the door shut, Sunggyu immediately turned to Woohyun, who was just as stunned as he was. ‘She’s drunk,’ Woohyun stated.
Sunggyu nodded vigorously. ‘Yes, she’s very drunk.’
The walk back home was more than a little bit awkward.
-
‘Hey Kim,’ Woohyun greeted as he wrapped an arm around Myungsoo’s shoulders that Monday morning. ‘How’s project SY going?’
Myungsoo bit back a smile. ‘Amazingly smooth,’ he answered bashfully.
‘Really?’
‘I think he’s already fallen.’
Woohyun grinned and punched his shoulder. ‘He’s already fallen for you?!’
Myungsoo smirked. ‘No, he’s already fallen for my act.’
Woohyun then began applauding as he ran down the hallway with a spring in his step. ‘Always use a condom, my child!’ he called loudly.
Myungsoo snorted and began to catch up to him, tackling him from behind.
-
AN\ Hey lovelies! ^^ Remember at about third chapter when I asked you who your fav character was? The majority said Sunggyu or Howon. There were a few who picked Sungyeol and Dongwoo too… Well…. WHO’S YOUR FAV CHARACTER NOW?! :D
Prologue One Two Three Four Five Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen Eighteen