#boyfromthevoid

the evening brought upon a sentimental aura to the apartment. it began punctually at dinner time, exactly when kyung promised to be there after work. blazer and shoes started at the door. remnants of a meal upon the table; spare plates and cups left in their places, used dishes soaking in sudsy water — far too preoccupied to be washed. the evening left other crumbs as its trail led into the bedroom of song sangwoo. shirts. bottoms. belts. until eventually in the bedroom, upon the grand bed with obsidian sheets, lay resting the young lovers. 

they were relaxing comfortably, having removed the oppressive clothing that entrapped them in their professional personas and in exchange, unwinding into tired sweatpants and pilling hoodies. they looked so at peace together, carefully interwoven in each others arms. upon the side table, a fresh bouquet of roses. upon the bed with them, remains of candies within the heart shaped boxes. 

champagne and a saw movie marathon. that’s what kyung had jokingly suggested to sangwoo over text one midnight. little did the taller know that his partner would fulfill that wish for him. allowing him to relax fully in the comfort of his home, in his arms. resting upon the silky pillows, sangwoo pulled kyung to lay his head on his lap. slow and nimble fingers threading through the locks of kyung’s inky hair.

“kyung...”

barely a whisper, the younger smiled down at him, his fingers slowly stroking down from his hair to his cheek. caressing it fondly and delicately, “kyung?” he tried again, slightly louder.

“babe.” eyes full of love, cheeks flushed like a cherub. “are you having a good night? is there anything more i can do for you?” his fingers danced upon kyung’s jawline now, tracing his face. “is it true?”

“...devoted to you, like a religion.”

that’s what kyung had told him in the midst of their passionate kisses. in their 4am confession texts. in the bed time video calls they arranged nightly. in their sleep-lulled good mornings where sangwoo looked a mess and hadn’t fixed himself for the other.

“i feel the same way.”

not one to develop feelings easily, sangwoo had allowed himself to fall. fall for the man that supported his dreams. for the man that nursed his bruised body in the middle of a party. for the man that cared about his best friend. for the man that was not only intelligent, but the most loving partner he could have ever imagined for himself. he is so grateful to himself to allow his feelings to grow. exploring this new land called love.

“kyung...,” finger tips just gently grazing his lover’s pink pout. “how devoted are you to me? do you think you could prove it to me, love?” eyes lidded now, staring at the lovely lips that spill sweet words and tender kisses. his mind shifting into a darker plain...

the wind was nipping upon his exposed skin, a shiver running up his spine, sangwoo let out a sigh. his eyes scanned the line of guests waiting to pass the security screening and he felt mild irritation — he purposely took his time getting ready to avoid this line.

whatever.

he wanted to be excited about the party, he did, but once his foot touched the pavement outside the venue his “friend” ditched him. something about being annoyed they didn’t get their earlier? eh, oh well. he rolled his eyes a little at the thought. pleasant surprise spreading over his face when he focused his vision forward — a face he was very eager to spot in this dull queue.

“iseul!” he exclaimed happily, waving his arms up high from his spot in line. to hell with this — contorting himself to slip under the velvet ropes that kept everyone in order. “iseul, hey!” jogging lightly towards the female before him.

as far as sibling relationships go, sangwoo knows that he’s far from being the ideal brother to his big sister. there was no such thing as “perfect siblings” because that just doesn’t exist — and if one does exist, it’s probably fake... and creepy as all hell. no, sangwoo knew that he was far from being perfect or consistently reliable to soobin, but for today he would make the effort for her.

his sister was a person of many faces, and he knew that she liked to keep her facades up for the betterment of others (but mostly herself). it was extremely rare that she would ever show weakness, but an exception was forced to be made given the situation. sangwoo had extended an invitation out to her upon hearing her soft spoken voice on the phone that her relationship of several years had a fallout.

upon hearing the question, sangwoo couldn't help the click of his tongue. he really would have preferred to keep this information under wraps, but at this point the classist had already blown his secret to every reader it had. there was no point in hiding it, the truth had to come from his lips. the last thing he wanted was to be pinned as a suspect in the murder case. the frown that sat on his forehead pinched his eyebrows together, he pressed his lips into a tight line and averted his eyes from the investigators. face brushed with rouge at the thoughts of his private engagement with the writer.

"yes, i can tell you." he sighed, stretching his neck side to side as he embraced the fact that it was now or never, and never didn't look all that favorable given the circumstances. "i had an altercation with an individual in the restroom that night." a scoff escaped his lips, shaking his head in annoyance. "words were said — and not very smart ones at that if i may add."

getting off track.

waving his hand in the air, clearing the slate, "it was a stupid little fight. pride before all else. anyways," the raven sighed and continued, "after that, i was alone for a while to clear my thoughts after it went down. that was when... uhm," his mind stuttered for a moment remembering that well dressed figure. the scent of his cologne. the confident smile.

"that was when i was approached by ahn kyung."

rouge to merlot, his face was telling of his affections for the novelist. although their relationship was still blooming, a sprout, it had hit the younger much harder than he had anticipated. heart stuttering at the mere thought of his romantic lover, he couldn't really filter out the logical thoughts from the subjective, rose tinted mementos of kyung.

"uh, um," thoughts faltering, he shook his head softly, "he had noticed my marks and offered to tend to my wounds in the private room. i had a bit of a headache after everything, and the private rooms were the only place where things were quieter." he paused for a moment, making sure not to ramble. "that's everything. we were together the whole time."

he cleared his throat completing his statement. fighting to keep his mind from wandering to kyung's gentle voice, his attentiveness, and how he made sure to follow up with sangwoo after that.

sangwoo pauses for a moment, adjusting himself in his seat as he tries to recall the events of the night. he purses his lips in thought, closing his eyes in a wince — a stinging reminder that he hasn't entirely healed after his debacle at the party of the year.

"uhm," clearing his throat, he sits up straight and tilts his head to the side as he concludes his replay of the party. "in all honesty, there weren't any other star guests that i had seen that night besides my best friend, sian. we had arrived together to the party but i never once saw him with anyone from the yang family." he nodded his head after finishing his statement, mostly to reassure himself that he had said all he needed to.

honestly, sangwoo was incredibly uneasy being in this room. all he wanted to do was answer these questions honestly and leave. he knows he didn't do anything wrong, so there was no need to be so tense. however, the looming fact that mrs. yang had died at the party made it difficult to not be tense. to think that everyone was out there drinking and living it up while she was murdered... was a difficult pill to swallow. when learning the news, he felt a wave of guilt knowing that he was clueless to the situation.

hwanhee’s appearance never gave off the impression that he spent most of his private time alone in this garage. hwanhee seemed like he belonged in front of a camera rather than a steering wheel. sangwoo has always admired the older’s physical features; he was handsome — a kind face with a warm smile. it was no wonder his sister had fallen madly for him.

yet, seeing the other here in this space that was tinted with the scent of oil and rubber, the younger could see that this was where hwanhee truly belonged. he looked at peace, the troubles outside these 4 walls couldn’t penetrate this sanctuary if they tried.

“hyung?” speaking up after a while of admiring the finer details of one of the polished cars. sangwoo was one of the few people that knew about this place, and he felt special to know that his older brother trusted him to spend time unwinding here together.

“i know you’re in your zone right now, but i brought the stuff.” smiling wide at the other, “i have some options for you to pick from.” he walked towards the black backpack he brought with him and began to rummage inside. he pulled out the most tame of his selections and presented it to the other. “i know you’re not crazy about showing skin, so i got this one. what do you think? i thought the layered look would suit you.” his voice trailed on happily as he admired his piece — an oversized black t-shirt with a long sleeved undershirt, plain and clean. 

a deep sigh left his bruised lips, the heels of his palms burying themselves against his shut eyes. thankful to be home after the fiasco that was the 2m networking party, sangwoo couldn’t shake off the dull thumping in the core of his cranium — much less, the stinging pain from his sore knuckles and darkening marks on his face.

the night had been a turbulence of emotions, violent highs and lows that interchanged as often as a fickle teenager’s thoughts. truth be told, sangwoo felt like a teenager in this moment. back pressed flat on the hard floor of his bedroom, he groaned as his memory reminded him of the stupidity of his pride.

“...yeon...” voice weak and timid, afraid to make itself known, lest the pain in his body awaken further. 

“siyeon?” lolling his heavy head to the side to face his equally defeated companion, this evening seemed to serve well for no one.