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It’s on the first day of his linguistics lectures that Yeowool first sees him. Dressed in greens and coppertones, he spots him easily.Yeowool finds a seat at the back of the classroom, sets down his tall paper cup filled with hot coffee. He bought it from a newly opened Starbucks that he passed today on his way from the dorms to campus, and even though it’s the first beverage he’s ever purchased from this specific coffee shop, the green logo is more than home to him. He gets out his laptop, his phone, and a small box filled with English mint candy. Around him, students are shuffling into the classroom, their teacher is setting up his Power Point presentation in the front.Yeowool recognises almost all of the faces in here. Sadly enough that his best friend from high school, Kim Suho, doesn’t share any of his classes; the only thing they do share is their dorm room. And so it is striking that, absorbed in sipping the thick, hot liquid while still sucking on a piece of mint candy, this one boy in specific catches his eye.He enters the classroom with a dirty green backpack hanging off one of his shoulders. His hair is dark brown with a slight curl to it, his eyes roaming about the rows of chairs as he searches for a place to sit. For a tiny moment, Yeowool watches him close his eyes, then take a confident turn for the back of the seats.There are still some empty chairs next to Yeowool, and as the boy sits down in the same row as him, he leaves exactly two polite spaces in between them.Yeowool can’t help but grin against the edge of his paper cup.He’s crazy cute.Class starts a few moments later. The basics of English linguistics, the first slide of the presentation reads, but Yeowool can barely listen as their teacher starts talking. How could he, with this mysterious boy shuffling through his backpack right next to him?The boy pulls out a notebook and opens it, a few pieces of paper falling out instantly. With a tiny glance to the side, Yeowool can catch black symbols drawn all over them. He frowns, looks again. The boy hastily collects his stuff and starts scribbling down information from the presentation, but all Yeowool can pay attention to is the scrawls all over the inside of the notebook.They look like symbols from another world, like nothing he has ever seen. He couldn’t even place what part of the world’s culture they could belong to. Celtic? Not really. They do look a tiny bit like the drawings from that one fantasy movie with Jamie Campbell Bower in it. Yeowool doesn’t remember the title, just remembers watching it because that guy is really hot.Slowly, he turns his attention back to the lesson. He types some things into his open Word document, occasionally sips at his coffee.Who even takes pen and paper to a college lecture?He looks around and sees most of the other students typing away on their laptops or tablet devices.Not that there is anything wrong with the scratching of pen on paper, but there is no doubt that this boy is more than a little odd.Who even wears dirty green converse with brown socks? The overalls he is wearing are cute, Yeowool notes, so is the light green shirt he wears underneath it. There is a necklace around his neck, a light blue crystal dangling from it.
So he’s gay.
With a satisfied grin, Yeowool takes another swig of coffee. No straight guy would wear overalls with crystal necklaces. He has met enough guys of both ends of the spectrum to know this one for sure.The boy’s pencil case is made of dark brown leather and when he sticks his pen back in after the lesson, something jingles in there. Coins?When the lesson is over, Yeowool packs up his stuff, sliding his laptop into his bag and slinging it over one shoulder. Swiftly, he picks up his empty paper cup and his phone with the headphones still dangling from it. The boy is scrambling to stuff everything into his backpack, his notebook that carries those weird symbols on the outside as well, his pencils, a clear glass bottle filled with water and… Are those pink stones in there? Yeowool watches in fascination as the other packs it away quickly, losing a small bottle in the process. With a tiny clank it falls to the floor. In his haste, he doesn’t even seem to notice, and Yeowool bends down to pick it up from under the table.“Hey,” he calls out softly when the boy turns to leave.Their eyes meet and something inside of Yeowool’s guts turns.His eyes are this weirdly intense green colour, big lashes crowning around them.It’s as if this guy is staring right into his soul or something.“You dropped this,” Yeowool makes, offering the bottle to him. It’s not longer than his thumb, made of a dark brown glass and slightly heavy in his palm. He doesn’t even want to begin to imagine what might be in there.The boy visibly blushes and snatches it from his hand.“Thanks,” he murmurs, turning on his heel again, but Yeowool reaches out for his shoulder. He feels the other flinch under his touch and can’t bite back a grin.“Hey, hold on. Don’t be so quick, honey.”The boy looks back again. Obviously startled by Yeowool’s sweet tone of voice, he stares up at him with big green eyes. He is almost one foot shorter than him and looks like he might be two or even three years younger. He must be really damn smart if he’s already in college, Yeowool thinks to himself. It’s quite clear that this is the boy’s first year in college and it’s cute to someone like Yeowool, who has been living this life for two years now.“What’s your name?” Yeowool asks, letting his hand drop from the other’s shoulder.“Uh, um,” the boy coughs, the tips of his ears red, “I’m, uh, Hansung.”
Crazy cute, damnit.
Yeowool grins. “Okay… Well, nice to meet you, Uh-Hansung.”“It’s actually- ”“I’m Yeowool,” Yeowool cuts him off, shooting out his hand at him, and grinning even wider when the boy reluctantly takes it to shake it for a moment. “You look like you could use someone to hang out with.”There is a moment of silence, some clear thinking on the other’s part.“Do I?” he finally gives back and Yeowool watches him reach up to fiddle with the stone around his neck.“Sure do,” he replies, “You even got friends on campus?”Hansung shakes his head, looking past Yeowool for a moment. It’s as if he might space out if he stared a little longer, but catches himself before he does. “I don’t know anyone around here. I just moved to town.”Yeowool raises his eyebrows, letting out an understanding little ‘ahh’ noise. It sounds more airy than necessary and he is completely aware of it.
So that explains it.
“Hm?”“Well,” Yeowool speaks, the grin never leaving his lips, “I’ll have to show you around a bit, then, huh?”Hansung’s eyes grow wide and unsure again. “What?”“Ah, you’ll see, you’ll see,” Yeowool makes and reaches out again to pat the boy’s shoulder. He bites down on his lower lip deliciously, then adds: “See you tomorrow, then, yeah?”Hansung nods slowly, then finally turns, his dirty backpack hanging off one shoulder as he almost runs out of the classroom. Yeowool raises his hand to his nose. All he did was hold that bottle for a good half-minute and his fingertips smell like one of those esoteric shops. Somehow, the scent brings a smirk to his lips.Who is this boy? *** “So symbols, you’re sayin’?”“Yeah, totally,” Yeowool confirms, “Like witchy shit, ya get me?”Suho sighs and rubs his face. He is hanging upside down on his bed, head almost touching the fuzzy carpet that Yeowool brought into their dorm when they moved in two years ago. By now, all the blood that’s run down into Suho’s cheeks is making him redder than the red of Yeowool’s bed sheets, but he doesn’t look like he is ready to leave his position any time soon. Yeowool doesn’t mind the amusing view, though. He is sitting on his own bed across from his friend’s, brushing the tangles out of his shoulder-long hair. There will be a frat party in a few hours and he cannot go out with his hair looking like a roll of hay.“Maybe,” Suho muses, “He’s one of those satan lovers, like…” He pauses for a moment and Yeowool watches him with a grin. “He loves the devil and fucks himself with a trident and-”Yeowool cracks up. “Oh, I wanna ride me some trident, honey.”“Who doesn’t…”“But real talk,” Yeowool speaks, setting down his hair brush this time. “I wanna know what the fuck this kid’s up to. And he needs some friends.”Suho cranes his neck backwards to look at him. “So you’re saying…”“Listen to me, sweetie, I don’t say this about a lotta guys-”“You sure don’t…” Suho murmurs quietly, but Yeowool totally hears him.“But this Hansung kid is one odd motherfucker… But he’s also cute as hell, and I need to get him laid.”For a few seconds, the two of them just stare at each other blankly. Honestly, it’s only Suho staring blankly, because Yeowool likes to think he can only stare fiercely, but at the end of the day… What does it really matter, his friend gets the point.Finally, Suho rolls over and sits up with a groan. His head looks like the exact shade of blush Yeowool is planning to wear for the party later and he runs one hand through his hair swiftly. Mussed up like this, it sort of looks like Cole Sprouse. Even the shade is right.“So you wanna fuck him,” he states and Yeowool giggles. “You don’t even know more that his name!”“Oh, I’m so nasty~… ” Yeowool sings with an eye roll and a matching smirk.Suho shifts to sit cross-legged. “Is he coming tonight?”“If we tell him…”“But how, if you don’t have his number?”“Fair,” Yeowool agrees, head tilting to the side, “Point taken.”Suho hums and picks up his phone. “Maybe Park Banryu has it.”“Oh, your elementary school crush is gonna help us?” Yeowool teases and skillfully dodges the pillow Suho throws at him.“You said your little satan is a newbie, yeah?” Suho asks while typing something into his phone, “So since Banryu is a tutor for the freshmen like every fucking year like the perfect Christian he is- ”Yeowool giggles at the way Suho rolls his eyes.“So yeah, he might have his number, hold on.”And indeed, he does.It only takes his friend a few annoyed texts back and forth, some eye rolling about that So Goddamn Prude Park Banryu until he really gets the guy to send him Hansung’s phone number. Yeowool is ecstatic, even moves off his bed to join Suho. After all, he will have to text the boy about the party.“So what should I say,” he murmurs, Suho pressed into his side and watching his thumbs hover over the keyboard.“You’re askin’ me? Man, I dunno.”“Thanks for the help, Suho,” Yeowool gives back, “Fuck you, too.”Suho boxes him, Yeowool squeaks and boxes back, but soon they’re back to the same dilemma. And the clock is ticking.“‘Hey there, beautiful,” Yeowool reads out, but Suho is quick to interrupt him.“Have you ever noticed that ‘hey there’ rhymes with ‘underwear’? No? Hey there, underwear?”Yeowool stares at him for a few silent seconds, then starts over again. “Hey there, beautiful, it’s the stunning guy from your linguistics class’. That sounds totally cute, right?”Suho shakes his head. “Totally corny. Try gorgeous , ” he offers.“‘Hey there gorgeous’?! That sounds like a line from a cheap 90s porn movie-”“No, it’s the gorgeous guy from your class,” Suho corrects him.Yeowool pretends to tear up. “You think I’m gorgeous? Honey, I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”“Of course you are,” Suho snorts, “Now go on. Tell him about the party.”Yeowool wipes another fake tear, flips back his hair dramatically, then gets back to work. “Okay. So… ‘My friend Jidwi is having a frat party tonight aaand…’,” he stops typing to look at his friend as he speaks airily, “I wanna eat your ass under the moonlight, so you better show up, my dear...”“How romantic.”“Naturally,” Yeowool winks at Suho and continues tapping at the keys lazily, “Alright, alright, ‘blahblahblah, frat party tonight, so do you wanna come, so we can continue our chat from earlier’,” he exhales through his mouth, “Is that too cheesy?”“Totally,” Suho grins, “I love it.”Yeowool adds a little ‘xx Yeowool’ and presses send, watching the message deliver and the little arrows spring up as Hansung opens the text. Suho next to him is typing something into his phone and Yeowool half-suspects him to be texting that Park Banryu guy still, but since Suho helped him with getting Hansung’s number, he won’t tease him about it any longer. Instead, while inspecting his nails, he asks, “What you gonna wear tonight, then?”Suho hums. “I dunno, guess just… Some jeans ‘n T-shirt.”“But you’re not picking the tunes tonight, are you?”“No, thank God,” Suho grins, “My equipment’s still at the club, Jidwi better not ask me to do it spontaneously.”Yeowool narrows his eyes. “So you can get wasted tonight.”The other sort of shrugs. Suho works a part-time job as a DJ at a local gay nightclub and Yeowool always thinks it’s unfortunate how the best parties are actually Suho’s work shifts. He can never truly enjoy them with his friend, always has to venture out to find boys by himself. Which is fun, of course, but nights like these, when Suho isn’t responsible for the mood of the grinding, are even more exciting.A small ‘ding’ from Yeowool’s pink iPhone bring them back to their previous topic.Yeowool squeals. “‘Hi Yeowool, how did you get my number, haha, laugh emoji-”“He’s a virgin,” Suho throws in.“‘I don’t really go to parties, but I’m not busy tonight anyway, so we can go if you wanna’, omigod, he’s such a virgin!”“A satanic virgin. I like it.” Suho grins. “Tell him to meet you outside at 10, that should give you enough time to get your whore on.”Yeowool smacks him, but laughs.“On it, honey.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
At quarter past ten, Yeowool shows up at their arranged spot. He is fashionably late, fashionably dressed, but nothing beats the look in Hansung’s eyes when he stares up at him like a deer in the headlights.“Evening,” Yeowool greets him, his tone of voice purposely low. He is wearing his best blouse, dark purple and see-through, his dark booty jeans and black ankle boots. His hair is curled slightly and smells like jasmine and ylang ylang, one of Yeowool’s favourite mixes. On his lips, he is wearing a cherry lip gloss, his eyes are rimmed with black and purple.“H-hi,” Hansung gives back, his eyes darting around.Yeowool grins.
Just you take it all in…
“You’re… Wearing makeup,” the boy remarks.Yeowool almost cracks up. “And?”“And you’re late,” he adds, but Yeowool only has eyes for Hansung’s outfit. He changed out of the overalls and put on a black T-shirt that carries a small white print that reads In Goddess We Trust . Yeowool raises an eyebrow and lets his gaze trail lower. Hansung is wearing the same dirty converse, but at least his unfortunate backpack stayed in the dorm. Again, there is a crystal dangling from his neck, but in the darkness Yeowool can’t tell if it’s the same as this morning or not.From behind him, Suho steps in. “Sorry, kid,” he speaks, “Someone took their time getting ready.”“Yeah, someone,” Yeowool shoots back with a grin, “You!” Suho huffs out a laugh. “Well, I didn’t take thirty minutes deciding what underwear I’m gonna put on.”“Oh, shut up,” Yeowool smacks him with a grin.Hansung looks between them with big eyes that carry the obvious question, but Suho soon supplies the answer.“I’m Kim Suho,” he says, reaching out fistbump-shake Hansung’s hand and chuckling when the boy gets it wrong. “And I’m living the great pleasure of being this bitch’s roommate.”Yeowool gasps. “Ex-cuse me?” “Hate you, too,” Suho chuckles and pats Yeowool’s ass.“Um, I’m Hansung.”Yeowool watches his friend’s grin spread wider at the weak tone of voice. “Oh, you’re the edgy kid, then? D’you really hail satan?”Hansung frowns. “Wh-what?”“Nothing, nothing,” Suho gives back instantly, laughing and patting the boy’s shoulder, “Just pullin’ ya leg, kiddo.”The boy sort of nods.Yeowool bites down on his lip.
Crazy damn fucking cute.
“So... You’re friends?” Hansung asks.“Friends, yeah.”“Or something like that,” Yeowool argues and steps away from Suho, closer to Hansung. From inside the big frat house, music can already be heard, chatter from some people hanging out at the front porch and smoking in small groups. “We going in?”*The moment they enter the house, Hansung feels short of breath. He doesn’t know what exactly he expected, but it definitely didn’t start at the doorstep.Stuffy air and a faint smell of weed hit him, the latter coming from what looks like a common room. There are even occasional wafts of smoke and giggling, loud groups of people passing them and it feels exactly like a college party. Hansung has never been in one of those frat houses, but he definitely considered moving into one when he got accepted into the college and it became clear that he would be moving. In the end, he decided to go with a classic dorm room for two, though, and in the end it was probably the best decision. Frat houses have always been infamous for their wild parties and following his two new acquaintances into the common (living?) room, he is sort of glad not to be alone.Sofas are built up crookedly, a huge group of people squeezed into the cushions and sitting on the floor. The smoke gets denser from here on, but other than that the atmosphere is surprisingly calm. It’s not even 11pm and couples are just lazily hanging around, there is nothing that one would expect from a wild party.They stop, and Hansung almost bumps into Suho’s broad back. The other turns around at him, leaning down a bit. “I’mma get us drinks,” Suho shouts over the volume of the music, some popular song that Hansung wishes he couldn’t sing along to. “What d’ya wanna drink, kiddo?”
Kiddo.
Can he stop calling him that?“Uh…” Hansung makes and his mind draws a complete blank. He doesn’t know any popular alcoholic drinks that they would have at this party, only knows the cocktails he and his friends always made for their coven celebrations. And rose petal wine, of course, but who around here brews rose petal wine? He blinks twice, staring back at Suho without an answer, silently cursing himself for making it look like he never had a drop of alcohol before.“Well?” Suho asks impatiently, but resolves the problem himself two seconds later, “Y’know what, I’m just gonna get you the same thing Yeowool drinks.”Hansung nods and grins a little when the taller boy leaves, elbowing his way through the dancing, sweating crowd. Definitely an Aries, he thinks, Or Leo. So much fire in that aura. “So Hansung,” a voice speaks, close to his ear, interrupting his thoughts. It’s Yeowool, of course. Hansung tries looking back at him, but can’t hold the intense gaze for long. Usually, he doesn’t mind it, but those eyes in combination with the dark eye makeup is really something he has to get used to.“So?” Hansung repeats, eyes trailing along the other’s dark curls. Why is he standing so close?“Tell me something I don’t know. Who are you?”“I am… Hansung,” Hansung says, chuckling at his own helplessness. “And I’m 19 years old and uh… Yeah, I dunno.”“You’re a freshman, right? Cute.”Hansung nods. He hates the fact that he has to crane his neck a little to look up at Yeowool, hates the fact that everyone around him looks so much older and more mature than him. In comparison to these guys, Hansung looks like a highschooler.Quickly, he stops those thoughts from coming in. He slips his hand into his pocket, fingers closing around the tumbled carnelian in there. It lays heavily in his palm, cool and reassuring.
Breathe.
Whatever this guy wants from him, whether it’s to make fun of him or drag him around as his ‘cute freshman +1’, at least he got him into this party and Hansung will get a free drink. Life could be better right now, but it could also be worse. At least Hansung doesn’t spend his first weekend at college all by himself in his dorm room.“And what do you do,” Yeowool digs further, “In your free time. Are you as boring as all of my friends?”Hansung can’t tear his eyes away from that grin. Every word this guy speaks drips with sweet sarcasm and he can’t even tell what he means by all of it. Why is he so interested in him?“I…” he starts, trying to think of the most un-boring thing he does, but he can’t really come up with anything.He… Takes walks in the woods sometimes? He goes to the library and fills his self-brought mug up with cocoa from the vending machine, drinking one after the other while rummaging through books about mythology and underground cults? He loves looking at the stars, meeting up with his friends and talking about life and death and occasionally to the dead, but everything he can come up with sounds as boring as he can possibly imagine.Yeowool steps in a little and his hand reaches out.Suddenly, Hansung holds his breath.He feels how the other touches the little amethyst dangling from his choker, feels little tingles where those fingers brush against his skin.“It’s pretty,” the other breaths. How can Hansung even hear him over the music? “Why d’you wear it?”“Uh- I, um.”“You got a lot of strange things like this, hm?”Yeowool’s fingers brush along Hansung’s ear, then start touching his hair.Hansung doesn’t have a pulse anymore.“S-strange… Things?” he manages and his fist clenches around his carnelian.
Breathe, damnit.
“I been wanting to ask,” Yeowool speaks, “What’s with those accessories? What’s with those symbols you have all over your notebook? Talk to me, honey.”
Sigils.
He means the sigils.
Hansung sort of shrugs, searching his head for the easiest explanation and of course, the easiest way is to go all the way. And Yeowool asked for it, so what else would he tell him?“Well, I’m, uh…” Hansung swallows, but continues bravely, “I’m a witch.”He looks up and meets the other’s eyes and for a moment, he really thinks he found a friend in Yeowool. His fingers stop playing with his hair and for the first time since they met this morning, the other actually looks at him. But then the expected happens: Yeowool starts laughing.Of course, it’s right then that Suho returns. He is carrying two tall glasses filled with something pink and an umbrella stuck into a piece of pineapple, and a bottle of beer under his arm.“What’s so funny?” he asks and pouts when Yeowool waves him off, “Hey, I wanna hear a joke!”“Tell you later.”Suho grins and thrusts the two glasses at them. Hansung eyes the fruit suspiciously before he takes it. “That’s two Pink Dildos for you, but they didn’t have the straws anymore,” he explains before opening his bottle with the back of a lighter skillfully. The cap falls to the floor, but it doesn’t seem to bother him.Next to Hansung, Yeowool gasps. “An umbrella? Really? What the fuck is a Pink Dildo without the dildo straw?!” Suho just shrugs and raises his beer for a small cheers. “I dunno, man, Sunwoo’s making them, so all complaints go to that guy, not me.”“Sunwoo,” the boy huffs, “Umbrellas.” And as if Hansung would understand his distaste for the decoration, he rolls his eyes at him, then raises his glass to clink it with his.“I, uh,” Hansung starts shakily, but is instantly interrupted.“Oh, please don’t tell me you don’t drink?”“No, I do,” he gives back a little too quickly, “But, uh, it’s just, I’m… I’m allergic to pineapples, you see, so...”Suho laughs loudly and reaches out for Hansung’s glass. “Can’t have enough of ‘em,” he makes and snatches it from under the little paper umbrella, “Makes your semen sweet.”Hansung watches the boy stuff the yellow fruit into his mouth in awe and barely even notices Yeowool clinking their glasses together. After a moment, he looks over to him and sees him sipping the pink liquid already. Carefully, he raises the cocktail to his lips. It smells like melted strawberry bubblegum in there and Hansung is torn between gagging and downing it all in one go.When he takes a few swigs, he really loves it.“Aaand? Ain’t that the best drink ever?” Yeowool asks, nudging him from the side.What’s with this guy and physical contact?Hansung nods. “It’s a bit sweet, but.”“Yeah, that’s what I say,” Suho agrees, making a face, “Can’t drink that sissy shit.”“Oh,” Yeowool makes, rolling his eyes, “‘Cause you’re a real man, I get it.” He looks over to Hansung and points at his yellow umbrella. “Usually, they have these pink, like, dildo straws,” he explains with a grin, “Like I don’t know how they make them or where they get those, but… They really look like dildos!”Hansung hums and nods. Again . Yeowool’s eyes are on him, Suho’s eyes are on him, and he feels so damn basic.So god-and-goddess-fucking basic.He doesn’t even understand what these two guys see in him.But then, of course, Yeowool breaks the thought silence between them - the music around is still blaring.“So what I laughed about earlier,” he starts, and the fact that he is looking over to Suho gives Hansung a moment to admire the shimmer along Yeowool’s cheekbones, “Is that Hansung told me that, well… He’s a witch.”Suho sputters and spits out some of his beer. Yeowool shrieks as he jumps backwards. The boy wipes his mouth with his sleeve, his cheeks glowing from his grin. “A fucking what?!” Yeowool giggles. “Tell him, honey.”“I’m a witch,” Hansung repeats, less enthusiastically than the other. He knows exactly what is going to follow up to that question. He is going to be treated like some endangered zoo animal species and probably even laughed at again like earlier. Life could really be worse right now, but it could also be better, he thinks to himself.“Don’cha mean like, wizard?” Suho asks as if he knows everything about paganism and Hansung sighs heavily.“No, it’s… Witch. I’m a male, real witch, yes. What are you looking at?”Suho scoffs. “I dunno, maybe… The fact that you claim to be a fucking witch?! You say it like it’s fucking normal, don’t you realise how hilarious this is?!”
Endangered zoo animal, here we go.
“First up, I don’t claim to be anything and also, like… I dunno, it’s kinda, like… My life, so…”“So d’you ride a broomstick, then? Where’s your cat? Or do you own a raven??” Hansung tries hard not to roll his eyes, but instead just takes a long sip from his pink bubblegum drink. Whatever liquor is mixed in there, it’s really not something light and he is glad to have it right now.From the side, he can feel Yeowool’s glistening eyes watching his every move.“Can you do, like, telekinesis, then? And do you hail satan, or not?” Actually, Hansung wants to say, the Christian definition of ‘devil’ doesn’t even exist in Wicca, but… “But you can’t be a real fucking witch if you don’t got a special witch power, man. You at least got, like, a witch name?” Suho digs further, and this time Hansung actually bursts out laughing.“I don’t have a witch name and I don’t know any witches who do … Unless you wanna take, say, the names of deities or pantheons you work with or…”“Wait, hol’up, honey,” Yeowool cuts in, “So you know other witches?”Hansung nods a little, downing the last of his drink. “Most of my friends are witches, actually,” he confirms, “Except my one friend, she just calls herself a psychic medium, because she works more with the spirit world and her ancestors than actually doing the kind of spellwork that is usually associated with witchcraft.”He looks from left to right and sees both boys staring back at him blankly. Suho’s jaw is slightly dropped, whereas Yeowool just gives him this mysterious intrigued grin. It shouldn’t feel this good to render two handsome older guys speechless at once, but somehow Hansung feels a certain feeling of pride in his chest.So he proved not to be boring. That’s a start, right?“Wow,” Suho finally makes before raising his beer back to his lips, “You really are as strange as you look.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The night gets deeper and the drinks get stronger and after about two hours of talking about Hansung’s strange witchy shenanigans, Yeowool feels like the boy is the only sober one amongst the crowd.Over time, these parties do get more crowded, people starting to dance and press up against each other rather than just standing around with their drinks. It’s a typical Saturday night mood and Yeowool spots some boys nearby that he might have hooked up with in the past. Not like he would pay much attention to them now; the smaller boy right before him is intriguing enough to keep him interested.Hansung says something, but the music is too loud for Yeowool to catch a single word. Shawn Mendes is turned up way too loud and remixed into a house beat, so he leans in closer, his ear by the boy’s mouth.“I said,” Hansung repeats, and Yeowool is proud to note a tiny lilt in his voice, “What do we do now?”
So tipsy, at least.
Yeowool grins. “We usually crochet,” he gives back easily, “Or sometimes we work on science projects after midnight.”The gaze he earns for his joke is priceless. Looking back and around, he realises that Suho has ditched them, his empty beer cans the only evidence that he was ever there. By now, he’s probably found some slim bony, big-eyed freshman boy that he’s drunkenly running after, begging to get laid. Being friends with Kim Suho can be exhausting sometimes.But Yeowool only has eyes for Hansung now.“So what do you really do,” he asks again and Yeowool can’t help but chuckle at his innocence.“Honey, this is a party,” he emphasises, leaning in until his lips graze the boy’s earlobe, “We should dance.”For a moment, Yeowool is sure that Hansung will push him off. This guy doesn’t even have to cross his arms for him to see his scepticism. One of his hands is still holding his single glass of Pink Dildo, his other is on his hip, their eyes meet. There it is again, that piercing glare that made Yeowool shiver the first time they met. Is it because he calls himself a witch that Hansung stares everyone down like this? Or is it just Yeowool he eyes up like this?“Wha’re you doing?” Yeowool makes with a slur in his voice, not bothering to move back any further, “Reading my aura?”A smile crosses Hansung’s lips. “Just thinking.”Yeowool falls forward again and this time his tongue shoots out to lick against the boy’s earlobe gently. “Rule number one,” he whispers, “Don’t think. Just dance. ”Hansung raises an eyebrow. “You’re drunk.”“Oh, honey, she’s seen worse than this…”“‘She’?”Yeowool snatches the glass from the boy’s hand to place it back on the counter together with his own. It’s probably his third, fourth (fifth?) glass, but who cares. He turns back around and places his free hands on Hansung’s hips.“Dance with me, Hansung,” he speaks, “Please.”Again, their eyes meet.Again, Yeowool feels his heart beating worse than with any boy.Hookups like these don’t usually stir him like this, do they?“Okay,” Hansung finally agrees, only to quickly add, “But just! Just dancing… Okay?”With a smirk, Yeowool nods. “Gotcha. Just dancing.”He pulls him into the crowd.Sweating bodies from left and right press them together. In the heat, Hansung’s shirt is soft to touch, Yeowool’s blouse sticking to his own skin. Hands move over hips and up over chests to find a place to rest on the shoulders. The songs picked for this party aren’t worse than any other time, but Yeowool finds himself unable to listen to what is blasting from the speakers.Hansung’s eyes on him are a far more enchanting sight.They are half lidded over and after a few minutes, there are beads of sweat forming above his upper lip and on the tip of his nose. It’s loud in here with all the chattering and shouting and music and glasses clanking and… Yeowool can only hear Hansung’s breath. It’s so pure, simple and honest gasps for air as they spin around each other, sway from side to side and back and forth. His feet are thoughtless as the music plays on, his hands working their way upwards into soft brown curls that feel oh-so-soft under his tingling fingertips.And Hansung smiles back at him.His eyes are closed slightly, Yeowool’s only opened a crack. They have grown heavy while listening to Hansung’s curious witch stories and while downing drink after drink and while staring down the boy’s neck and the little bit of collarbone exposed by his T-shirt while pretending to be all ears.All eyes is what he is.All hands.All heat, all tongue along his lower lip, all thighs brushing up against places they probably shouldn’t because what they’re doing is just dance and fingers clawing at the fabric of Hansung’s shirt when the boy pulls back a little.“Slow,” Yeowool hears, and then his own heavy panting.He catches a glimpse of the other’s expression right before he leans in to his ear.“I’m not a slow one, honey,” he breaths without thinking, but Hansung stays.A low hum.Does he like it?Again, his fingers feel up the boy’s sides and the narrow shape of his hip. How thin he must be underneath these clothes. How fragile and beautiful.Hansung steps closer for a moment, their chests pressing together briefly and Yeowool’s breath gets caught in his throat.“Hansung-”Hansung’s gaze is blue and piercing.Yeowool blinks twice.It’s almost completely dark in here, save for the light coming from the kitchen, and as far as he remembers Hansung’s eyes are green, so how can it he blue?He huffs, disregarding it quickly. It’s probably just the alcohol and adrenaline rushing to his head.A slower song starts playing, some straight Justin Bieber love song and Hansung puts his hands on his shoulders. Slowly, Yeowool lets his spinning head sink forward. Their foreheads kiss together, but instead of his earlier passion, a calming sensation now melts down his spine.Gently, they sway from side to side.“This is where you’d usually go and disappear, right?” Hansung murmurs somewhere close to his ear.Yeowool’s heart sinks a bit.He’s right. Absolutely right.Slow dancing and deep eye gazing isn’t what his name stands for. He’s used to intertwining fingers and pulling each other through the dark and going skinny dipping and getting buttfucked in the neighbours’ garden and ending up on some Snapchat story waving champagne at the camera, his face smeared with lipstick and the remnants of semen of someone he only knows from his History seminar.Hansung knows.Numbly, Yeowool nods. “How do you know?”“Well,” the reply comes, the other turning his face away in order to reach his ear. “I had a feeling.”“Mm-hm…” he makes, cupping Hansung’s face to force his eyes back on his. “And what d’you feel now?”Their noses are millimeters apart. Yeowool can’t hear the music anymore. He feels like floating on a cloud and the sky is only theirs, but soon some guy bumps into him from the back and he stumbles forward against the other. His knees are soft like pudding.“What do you say,” Hansung starts, “We find your friend and he’ll take you back to your dorm safely, yeah?”Yeowool frowns.Stopping now?They only just begun the fun, haven’t they?“Hey,” the boy says, louder than before, “You’re drunk. I know you wanna stay, but… It’s better for the both of us.”Yeowool doesn’t know what Hansung means. He doesn’t understand how stopping and going to bed before 3am can be the better option for anyone, but that doesn’t stop the shorter boy from closing his fingers around his arm to guide him through the crowd. It doesn’t stop him from making their way to the kitchen, back to the couches, outside to the backyard, through the kitchen again, only to surely find Suho pressed up against a freshman next to the freezer.The light is gloomy in here, Hansung’s hand on him a steady guide and Yeowool’s lower half stirs with interest when they walk in on the scene. Somehow, Kim Suho is even more attractive with his mouth shut by another boy. His back looks strong and the hand that’s half disappearing into the guy’s pants looks even stronger.Yeowool grins.“Whatta surpriiise…” he slurs, stumbling against Hansung when he slows to a sudden stop.Suho pulls back from his hookup for the night, shooting them a look through heavy eyelids. His panting sounds louder here, where the bass is muffled from the walls. “Wha’ss going on?” he makes. Yeowool can’t tell if he’s delighted or annoyed to see them, but either way Hansung doesn’t seem to care.“Take Yeowool to his bed before he passes out,” he demands.The tone of his voice makes Yeowool shudder.A silence.One breath.Two breaths.Three breaths.Laughter, finally.“Are you kidding me?” Suho snorts, turning back to the freshman. Yeowool catches his eye, catches himself feeling jealous for at least a second.He’s suddenly yanked out of his thoughts when Hansung steps forward and he stumbles over his own feet.“He’s drunk,” Hansung stresses. “Take him home.”“When isn’t he ever?” Suho shoots back and Yeowool watches the way he thumbs down the guy’s nipple through his shirt. A gasp tears through the kitchen.“Come on. Take him home.”Yeowool’s eyes fly back to the boy next to him.Suho chuckles. “He can take himself home, I’m busy.”“He’s your friend.”Suho eyes him up for a moment. Then, he laughs. “That bitch?”Yeowool can’t help but shiver at the tone of Hansung’s voice.“I’m serious.Take. Him. Home.”It’s as if there is fire shooting right out of Hansung’s eyes and if Yeowool weren’t so drunk he would probably attribute it to all the witch stuff they talked about earlier.Finally, Suho sighs. After a longing gaze and finally a kiss on the lips, he pulls back from his freshman.“I’m sorry, baby,” Yeowool hears him murmur, “But duty’s calling. Forgot to mention I’m a part time babysitter.”“Thank you,” Hansung speaks.The moment he lets go of him and Yeowool reaches out to take Suho’s arm, everything goes black.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The first thing he smells when Yeowool wakes up the next morning is Suho’s cologne right against his nose. Some Jean Paul Gaultier scent that his ex-boyfriend gave him years ago, but that Suho refuses to stop using since that day, even though it smells like a soapy forest and bergamot. Warm, Yeowool thinks, keeping his eyes shut to keep the headache out. There is one coming, he knows it. It’s not his first night drunk beyond memory, not his first morning to wake up in a stranger’s bed with pounding temples and a gurgling stomach.
But wait.
This isn’t a stranger’s bed.He feels soft covers brush against his naked bum and the sensation jolts him awake. His eyes shoot open and he sits up very suddenly. Next to him, someone is bundled up in blankets, around him his own dorm, almost exactly the way he left it last night. For a moment - for one ridiculously short irrational moment - Yeowool hopes that it’s not Suho who is lying next to him in bed naked. But of course, the guy then gives a little snor and stirs, turning his face to reveal his identity to Yeowool.Kim Suho, without a doubt.Kim Suho with drool dribbling down one corner of his mouth and his hair all tousled and the skin beyond his bare collarbones so tan, so inviting, so-
Headache.
Yeowool winces. He lays back down. One look over at his wall calendar tells him that it is indeed Sunday morning. No classes today, thank God. His eyes fall upon his own bed and he spots last night’s purple blouse, Suho’s jeans and his own underwear scattered about the space, the bedding untouched. The fact that he can’t spot his friend’s boxers anywhere gives him the small glint of hope that maybe Suho is clothed at least a little underneath those covers.Whatever happened last night, it happened fast.And the worst thing is, Yeowool doesn’t remember a single thing.There was meeting Hansung before the frat house, going inside to get drinks, and then… They played some Spin The Bottle, or… Was that last weekend? Yeowool sighs as he tries his best to piece together the time between drinking his first two cocktails and finally asking Hansung to dance.
Right. Dance.
How did that ever happen? That little shy boy that he has only just met some days ago suddenly pressed up against him in a sweating crowd, Yeowool trying his best to get a lick at his delicious skin, Hansung dragging him out there eventually. And then, what happened? Did they leave the crowd to hook up in some other room? Upstairs in Jidwi’s bed? In the bathroom? Or did they maybe-Yeowool tenses up as something hard presses up against his leg. In his sleep, Suho snuggles closer, murmuring softly.“Suho,” Yeowool says with a hint of threat in his voice, like the calm before the storm. His hand slowly moves underneath the covers to confirm the unmistakable.“Mmhpf,” Suho replies, rubbing some drool on his arm.“Suho.”When his fingers brush against it, the other moans out.“Suho!” Yeowool exclaims and his friend jumps a little. His eyes are round and confused, his lips puffy, his cheeks carry the imprints of his pillow.“Why’s your hand on my-” he starts mumbling sleepily, but Yeowool is quicker than him.“Why are you hard against my leg?!”For a moment, they stare at each other. Suho blinks a few times, seemingly struggling even more to explain to his mind why the hell they’re in the same bed, buttnaked, only the gently nudge of his erection between them.“Jesus,” Yeowool breathes out, “How much did you drink?!” Suho sputters, sitting up. “I- I’m not- You!” His slow eyes find his, “You’re usually the one who drinks like a hooker!”“Me?! Explain this,” Yeowool demands, gesturing at them and the garments on the floor and the tent the blanket throws around Suho’s crotch elegantly.“Well…” Suho looks away and Yeowool can’t tell if he’s blushing or if it’s just his just-woke-up-face, “Ph-Physical contact. ”“I didn’t even touch you,” Yeowool protests and pulls his hand away. He needs it to rub at his temples exasperatedly. Eyes closed, he carefully, feels out the extents of the dull pounding in his head.It’s as if Athena herself is in there, kicking her feet against the shell of his brain like a punishment for messing up like this.Yeowool sighs again.He needs water, a whole lot of water. It’s clear he will also need a good breakfast and an aspirin or three. It’s annoying. Since when does he get hungover?Suho rustles with the sheets and brings Yeowool to open one eye.“Sooo, uhm,” he makes, “I’m gonna shower now and-”Yeowool interrupts before he can finish. “I think I can imagine, yes, thank you.”“Well, what,” Suho shoots back, a smirk creeping up the corners of his mouth. Yeowool moves back to avoid his morning breath.“What what?”“You never cringed when I did it to you.”Yeowool’s sleepy eyes suddenly don’t feel so sleepy anymore and his hand is quicker than his mind in smacking his friend on the arm.“Ow!”Suho’s words still ring in his ears like an alarm clock without a snooze button. It’s true, they had some scenes in the past… Maybe in the most recent past as well, but that’s weeks ago and…“You don’t think we…” Yeowool starts, lowering his voice.“What, fucked?”Yeowool bites down on his lower lip. Alcohol always makes Suho’s handsome features appear even fairer. Even more like the apollonian figure he could never resist pressing against in a hot, sweaty room and disappearing into a bathroom stall with. And it appears they both were really damn wasted last night.“Fuck,” he blurts out, watching with sagging shoulders as Suho gets up from the bed, shamelessly showing off his hard-on as he produces a towel and a pair of boxers from the floor.“Why?” he asks casually, picking up a crinkled red T-shirt, “We hooked up in the past, never was a problem.”Yeowool lets himself sink back into the pillows, his gaze on the ceiling a little more dramatically than necessary. “You’re right it wasn’t... But today I didn’t want to wake up with Rocky himself, I…”“Oh?”Yeowool pinches the bridge of his nose. “I was supposed to wake up with Hansung. ” * He doesn’t answer.Six-and-a-half hours since the text and Yeowool still doesn’t answer.Hansung breathes out a sigh and puts his phone back down. Then, he picks it back up to check if Ahro has replied to any of his messages yet. Last night was wild enough for four audio messages and a few party selfies. The latter, he also shared to their coven’s group chat shamelessly, showing off his cool new friends Yeowool and Suho.
Friends.
Hansung feels weird labelling them as such.He grows attached to people way too quickly and it’s a problem. All Yeowool did was invite him to a house party because he felt sorry for him, then brought Suho with him. They had a few drinks, some dancing, and the usual “Oh, so you’re one of those Guru People” talk, until Hansung had to bring both of them back to their dorm, asking other people for the way there, because both Suho and Yeowool had been too drunk to navigate.They’re not friends.They only just met.Hansung grows attached to people way too quickly and it’s a problem, because he feels impatient refreshing Yeowool’s chat again and again, upset when his own text bubbles stays lonely and sad.
[4:02am] just got back to my dorm -- hope you both sleep well!
[9:47am] morning! ^-^ how’s your head?
He is too pushy. Too forward.By now, Yeowool hasn’t replied to him because of one of two reasons: a) he is sick of him or b) he is still asleep and will be so hungover by the time he wakes up that he will be sick of him. And Hansung doesn’t even blame him.
Sigh.
He leans back into his fort of black pillows. There are three new message from the coven and Hansung taps on the notification to display them. His friend Duc sent back a few wow-ing emojis and a “My Goddess, who are these hotties?” and Eden simply replied with a “u lucky ass”.Hansung grins at the latter and quickly types out an answer.
[10:04am] not so much lucky, because nothing happened
[10:04am] i just danced with yeowool (long hair) and that’s it
Seems like Ahro is still asleep. Either that, or she is out in the forest doing whatever she does on Sunday mornings. These days, she collects flowers and herbs to dry them and make tea out of them. She’s been getting really good at it and Hansung admires the spellwork she does with her recipes.A small buzz makes him look up to see Eden’s reply.
[10:05am] oooo long hair is cute yeaaaaa but if i had 2 choose id go for the jock guy
Hansung chuckles at that description of Suho and tells them “he’s a DJ” because apart from the fact that he is not straight and hates sweet cocktails, that’s all he knows about him. Oh, and that he doesn’t mind grinding up against younger boys in public spaces. Eden would actually be his type, honestly.For a second, Hansung watches the smoke swirling up from the Patchouli incense stick he lit earlier, but the picture doesn’t leave him alone. It’s been haunting his mind since last night.When they walked into the kitchen, finding Suho with his hands down this boy’s pants. In terms of body type, he looked exactly like Hansung himself, and it makes him nervous now to think that that could have been him. If Yeowool hadn’t been so persistent, that is. Then again, as soon as they sent Suho’s hookup (?) away, Yeowool became a lot more interested in the man himself. Last night, Hansung was sober enough to remember the way he clung to Suho on their way back to the dorms. Yeowool’s hands around Suho’s waist as they stumbled down the hallway, up to that door with the small 34 on it.Suho had fumbled with his key and turned his head back to Hansung.“Up to here,” he had told him, “Don’ worry, I’ll take goooood care of him...”Yeowool had rubbed his nose into Suho’s T-shirt and Suho had winked back at Hansung and Hansung himself had stood there speechlessly, watching the pair open the door and close it behind them.They only just met and they are not Hansung’s friends, but… The question that doesn’t leave his mind is: Are Yeowool and Suho even friends?It’s what they introduced themselves as and of course alcohol adds a lot of scope to that definition, but it did surprise Hansung how naturally and, well, sexually Yeowool seemed to press up against his ‘friend’. They’ve gone out to party together before, but Hansung still doesn’t grind up against Duc’s or Ahro’s side when he gets drunk, does he?His phone buzzes in his hands and yanks him out of his thoughts. His fingers automatically go to tap at the group chat, but this time the notification comes from another conversation.
Yeowool.
Hansung would be lying if he claimed his heart didn’t skip a beat.There are two texts and after everything that has happened, all his doubts and worries, they couldn’t be more perfect:
[10:12am] my head?
[10:12am] i haven’t had any complaints yet ;)
Well done, Miss Fame.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
[10:12am, Yeowool:] my head?
[10:12am, Yeowool:] i haven’t had any complaints yet ;)
A smile spreads Hansung’s lips in an instant and if it weren’t for the black cushions at his back, he’d probably melt into a puddle right here on his bed.
Before he can stop himself, his fingers already type out a reply.
[10:13am, Hansung:] good ^-^
[10:13am, Hansung:] i enjoyed dancing last night . .
For a moment, Hansung bites down on his lower lip, already beginning to regret his choice of words, but Yeowool soon starts typing.
[10:13am, Yeowool:] oh, you ain’t the only one who enjoyed that, honey~
“Oh my-” Hansung murmurs, unable to stop grinning. There is a quiet knock on the door and before he can even answer it, it’s already pushed open.
“Woah, jeez, ew!” emerges a voice behind a pile of books carried by a set of strong, pale arms. It’s Janghyun, Hansung’s roommate. They don’t know much about each other, as they haven’t had a good chance to really talk since classes started last week. So far Hansung knows it’s Janghyun, who is most probably straight, has a girlfriend in something called Universe’s Town Square and who just moved in to the dorms as well, because he couldn’t afford living in the frats anymore.
And Janghyun knows, well,
now
he knows about Hansung’s love for incense.
“Hi Janghy-” he starts to greet, but is cut off by a tumble of books crashing down onto the other’s bed.
“The fuck you smoking over there? You know those experimental drugs aren’t legal yet, yeah?”
Hansung lets his phone sink and chuckles a bit. “That’s,” he makes, “Nono, I don’t smoke, it’s… It’s just incense. You know, patchouli? Like… Like a scent for the room?”
Janghyun stares him down for a few seconds like he just declared he eats bluebirds for breakfast and puts nails and screws in his milkshake, but then he just shakes his head and turns back to his books.
“Whatever, man, it’s stinky as hell is all I’m saying.”
Hansung pouts at Janghyun’s back intently, but it doesn’t seem to change his mind that easily. With a sigh he gets up to put the incense stick out.
“Maybe you just don’t like patchouli,” Hansung offers, “A lot of people don’t like patchouli…”
The other merely huffs and hastily opens the window. Then, he starts picking up books from the bed and stacking them in the little shelf he built up yesterday afternoon. There are a lot of books about design and conceptual drawing but Hansung smiles as he also spots a few titles like “Lord of the Rings” and “Treasure Island”.
When, even after a few minutes, Janghyun still doesn’t respond to him, Hansung picks his phone back up.
Two new messages from the coven group chat and the same sweet toned text from Yeowool.
Hansung exhales loudly through his nose, a smile on his lips.
Honey.
[10:22am, Hansung:] thanks for taking me to my first college party ^-^ it was really great
Backing out of the chat before he can cringe about his own answer, he quickly taps on the two texts from Duc.
[10:17am, Duc:] Why do you have such a weakness for jocks, Eden? Is it your subconscious wanting to compensate your own lethargy? [devil emoji]
[10:20am, Duc] *hectically covers self in basil and patchouli*
Hansung can’t help but grin. Oh, how he misses these guys.
[10:23am, Hansung] speaking of patchouli, can u guys imagine my new roommate just told me off for lighting incense in the room :((
Duc’s response is only a few seconds away.
[10:23am, Duc] That is even sadder than the fact that you’re away in the first place…
[10:23am, Eden] nice try homie but aint no basil or choulie gon save ur ass when i come to stab u with my switchblade ;)
Involuntarily, Hansung snorts at his friend’s reply. Janghyun’s head turns, one eyebrow cocked.
“What?” he makes.
Hansung shakes his head. “Just, uh. My friend.”
“Ah.” And he turns back to his books.
[10:24am, Duc] Ouch. How is the Universe gonna like this attitude, you suppose?
[10:24am, Eden] oh bugger off asshole im not in the mood
[10:24am, Eden] hansung ur roommate tho.. he hot?
This time Hansung merely bites down on his lower lip, mindful of the other’s presence. Damnit Eden… They never were the type to beat around the bush. Secretly, he eyes up Janghyun’s broad back. It’s the kind of build you would expect on an average college guy, nothing too muscular, but not slim either. He has shoulders to climb on, arms to lean against, and from a quick sideglance Hansung can tell that there is a plush tummy hidden beneath the T-shirt, a perfect tummy to cuddle with. He is handsome without a doubt, the effortless kind of handsome. His brown hair isn’t styled in any particular way, it just sort of
exists.
Like a patch of wild grass, growing however it pleases, yet still managing to look well-rounded and beautiful. And Hansung’s likes his aura. For some reason he already knows they can be comfortable around each other soon. As soon as they know more about each other, that is.
Janghyun is cool in conclusion, but to put it in three words: not Eden’s case.
[10:24am, Duc] Eden… Love me… :((
[10:24am, Eden] 911 yes hello i have a weird stalker and he called me lazy and fat please arrest him
[10:25am, Duc] I never said that!!
[10:25am, Hansung] sorry, eden, he has a girlfriend ://
[10:26am, Eden] wow today rly is my lucky day isnt it
Before Hansung can start typing, though, Janghyun turns to face him, then sits down next to his shelf on the floor. “So, what friend was that? You found any on campus yet?”
For a moment Hansung wants to nod, but then remembers that Yeowool and Suho aren’t really his friends and he shakes his head.
“No? Tha’s sad. I’mma take you to meet mine some time if you wanna. They’re real different from me, but… Y’know, they’re a good bunch.”
“I have friends like that at home, yeah, but… Yeah.”
“Yeah,” Janghyun agrees, matter-of-factly, staring down his empty nightstand for a moment. “But yeah, people like Alec and Suho, you’d be surprised to see we’re friends.”
Hansung’s heart surely skips a little beat.
Suho as in…
Kim Suho?
“But whatever,” he continues before Hansung can do so much as open his mouth, “You don’t wanna hear me ramble on about a bunch of dudes you haven’t even met. Hey, you think these books look alright? Somehow they fit better in my old room.”
“Looks good to me,” Hansung assures, unable to bite back a smile. Of course Janghyun would be a little perfectionistic as a design student. “Was it nicer?”
“Hm?”
Janghyun’s eyes lock with his and for the first time Hansung realises
how
dark his irises are. They’re so black, it looks like they’re one with his pupils.
“Living in the frat house,” he explains. “You said you moved here from the frat house and… Is it better there than in the dorms over here?”
Janghyun nods, finally understanding. “Right, you’re totally new to this, you haven’t been in a frat house-”
“Actually,” Hansung interrupts him, but instantly covers his mouth.
“Actually?”
“Sorry, no, go on.”
Janghyun raises an eyebrow and continues. “Uh… Yeah, so frats are cool. More space somehow. And ours always smelled like weed somehow. You smoke weed?”
“No…” Hansung gives back with a small shake of his head. “You?”
“Mmmh… Sometimes. Depends,” Janghyun pauses for a moment, then chuckles. “But don’t tell my mum, yeah?”
Hansung laughs, shaking his head again. In his lap, his phone buzzes, but he doesn’t reach for it.
“But what did you wanna say there? About frats?”
Their eyes meet again, the gaze even more intense than earlier. Without thinking, Hansung’s fingers close around his phone, but not because he wants to read the text. It’s almost as if he’s subconsciously trying to find something to hold onto. He realises this when - a few solid seconds later - Janghyun is still looking at him, obviously waiting for an answer.
“Um, uh,” Hansung manages, and suddenly all his confidence from a few moments earlier is gone and the energy that so happily resided in his chest shoots up into his cheeks until they feel hot and flushed.
“Did you mean you’ve been in a frat house before, or…?”
What would Janghyun think of him if he told him about the party last night? When he came home after bringing Yeowool and Suho to bed safely, his roommate hadn’t even been in yet. But then again, Janghyun is a second-year, with an established group of college friends - among them at least Kim Suho! - so he is definitely allowed to stay out for that long without being looked at weirdly. This is college after all, not highschool.
Hansung breathes out through his mouth in an attempt to clear his mind.
He doesn’t want to lie to his new friend (?) but he also doesn’t want to admit to the fact that he talked to Suho about the taste of semen last night and watched him make out with some freshman. And if Janghyun is Suho’s friend, he definitely knows Yeowool as well…
Speaking of whom. Hansung’s phone buzzes again and when he shoots it a little glance, he can read the guy’s name clearly on the display. Two texts from him.
[10:37am, Yeowool:] it really was great <33
but last night can remain our little secret, right~?
[10:38am, Yeowool:] hansung?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Do you mean you’ve been in a frat house before?”
Janghyun’s eyes are still lingering on him, expecting an answer. But Hansung know he cannot tell his roommate about Yeowool. He’s made a promise. They’ve made a promise.
So he’ll just leave him out. It isn’t exactly lying that way, is it?
“Yeah,” Hansung gives back and Janghyun looks almost relieved. “I heard there was gonna be a party and since I didn’t have anything else to do last night…”
“First week, and you’ve already met the Martians? Damn.”
Hansung can’t help but grin at that choice of words. Martians?
“Oh,” Janghyun makes, chuckling and providing an explanation as soon as he sees the confused expression on the boy’s face. “Most of the guys in that frat house do martial arts, and somehow everyone just calls them the Martians. Probably started as some stupid joke, and… You know how it goes.” He steps back over to the window, closing it again. It seems like he’s satisfied with airing out the scent of patchouli.
Hansung hums. “That’s fun.”
“Yeah…” Janghyun plunks down on his bed, still eyeing up his row of books suspiciously. “I was actually gonna go, too, but then Town Square kept me busy… Did Suho lay the tunes?”
“No, he… uh,” the shorter boy starts, thumb gliding over the display of his phone idly. A small smile turns up the corners of his mouth. “He didn’t. I saw him dancing, though.”
It’s not a lie. And his intentions aren’t bad. Nothing will come back to him threefold, he is safe.
There is a small silence between them, Hansung picking his phone back up again and texting Yeowool a few reassuring thumbs-up and smiley-face emojis, before another thought comes to his mind. “Oh, by the way,” he starts again, catching his roommate’s gaze briefly, “I was gonna ask, just if you don’t mind, um… What exactly is this ‘Town Square’?”
Janghyun, who has just knelt down on the floorboards to readjust his books, sinks back down on his bed with a sigh and a little grin. “Town Square,” he repeats, leaning against the wall, “It’s basically… Well, it’s an RPG game, that’s a role play g--”
“Oh, I know what RPG stands for,” Hansung grins.
“Oh, okay. So, uh, yeah. It’s an online RPG and it has a huge, active community, great mods, great interactive combat and… Yeah, I met my girlfriend over Town Square. She lives in Spain.”
So, it's a long-distance relationship. Somehow, Hansung had already been expecting something like this. And somehow, Janghyun really is giving him Pisces vibes right now. He sounds so sad telling him about her, and it makes him want to hug the guy, even though they barely know each other.
“How long have you been together?”
“Little over three years,” Janghyun replies without having to think about it.
Hansung makes a little ‘whew’ sound. “Have you ever met up, you know, in real life?”
A small, reminiscent smile ghosts over Janghyun’s lips and he nods. “Yeah, but that’s… That was over a year ago. Plane tickets really aren’t cheap, you know. And working as a barista doesn’t exactly make me rich…” He chuckles quietly. “Suho is better off, what with his DJ job and all…”
Again, Kim Suho.
Janghyun can’t
not
bring him up, can he?
Hansung’s eyes narrow a little. “Really? Where does he work? At frat parties?” he asks, but is met with a quick shake of the head.
“Oh no, he’s one of the regular DJs in
Strut
. That’s, uh… A gay club.”
The small side-glance makes Hansung tense up. It’s not that he’s uncomfortable with his own sexuality but the mention of it outside of his usual safe space still makes him blush a bit.
“Oh,” he manages, “Good for him.”
“Yeah, really,” Janghyun sighs, stretching out his arms. Then, he yawns. “He’s a good guy. Little too loud and too fast, if you ask me, but once you’ve got used to that… You should meet him.”
Hansung bites his lower lip.
Bold of you to assume I haven’t already,
he thinks to himself.
*
The next time they meet, Yeowool hasn’t changed his strategy of approach one bit. After a lecture they share, he skips down the stairs of the hall to stop Hansung before he can leave the building. Like the first time they introduced each other, his hand lands on the boy’s shoulder, turning him around decidedly. Hansung jumps, but his face lights up the moment their eyes meet.
“Hey,” he makes, slightly out of breath from rushing after Hansung, “Almost got away there.”
Hansung grins. The crystal dangling from his neck is red today. His eyes are green, his hair is wavy, everything is normal.
“That was my plan. I was gonna escape on my broom, actually,” he jokes, actually cracking Yeowool up for a moment.
“Where do you park it, behind the bikes?”
“Oops. Exposed.”
Yeowool’s hand is still on his shoulder, students shuffling out of the hall around them. Elbows and backpacks brush them left and right. A few days have passed after the frat party at the Martians’ and after his and Suho’s dubious night together.
Since then, they have come to the conclusion that maybe they didn’t have sex at all, because neither did Yeowool feel any butt-pain throughout the day, nor did they find any used condoms or open lube lying around their dorm room. It’s weak evidence, but it’s all they were able to gather, and deep down Yeowool is more than glad to have an alibi for himself. Just in case anyone asks, right? Just in case this thing with Hansung… turns out to be more than just a quick fling. Which, before it can be a quick fling, has to develop into
a
fling first, anyway. They haven’t even kissed. How untypical for him. Yeowool brushed his fingers over one of the straps on Hansung’s leather backpack before letting his hand drop.
“This time, you pick where we’re going,” he speaks suddenly, surprising himself a little.
“What?”
Yeowool grins. “Well, last time, I dragged you out to that party, and… I didn’t even really ask if you wanted to come, darling that I am.”
Hansung tilts his head a little.
“Anyway,” Yeowool carries on, “I wanna meet you again. And this time, I’ll let you decide.”
The boy hums in thought, opens his mouth, but is cut off when a taller girl bumps into his shoulder. She apologises immediately, but it seems Hansung’s train of thought is gone. Yeowool turns and they walk out, side by side.
Outside, Yeowool pulls out a small pink package. He flips it open and fishes out a slim, long cigarette, sticking it between his lips before offering it out to the other.
“Oh no, I don’t smoke,” Hansung quickly says, although he looks like he regrets his words the moment they come out of his mouth.
Yeowool lights up, exhaling a slow cloud. “You always smell a little like smoke, though… Like an entire guru shop.”
“That’s, uh… Probably just the incense. I really don’t smoke.” He holds his sleeve up to his nose, then offers it to Yeowool’s face. “Here. Patchouli.”
“Patchouli,” Yeowool repeats, raising one eyebrow as he continues smoking.
With Hansung’s sleeve up, his wrist is exposed, showing his elegant watch. Hansung’s eyes grow wide. “Oh, I gotta leave, I’ll uh--”
“Text me if you think of a place.” Calmly, Yeowool taps off the ash and reaches out to cup the boy’s cheek briefly, thumb brushing over the heated skin.
“Y-yes, I’ll do that!” Hansung pulls away quickly, seeming embarrassed by the caressing gesture, and he raises his hand in a little goodbye. And without another word, those dirty green sneakers carry him away and around the corner towards the bus stop, the jingling in his backpack growing more faint, the farther away he gets. It’s the last he can hear of Hansung before he disappears.
Not five minutes pass before his phone gives a little ‘ding’ noise.
It’s Hansung.
[4:35pm, Hansung] I think I know a place!!!]