love language

he feels out of place, leaning against the hood of a shiny car he could only ever dream of affording. the keys jingle quietly in his tight grip and he crosses his arms over his chest, ducks his head lower into his collar to avoid passing people ogling at the heavily inked and cheap looking man sitting on a very expensive car. 

‘ take one of my cars ’ is what the boss said to him, tossed the keys at him like it was no big deal and then told him with a dismissing wave of his hand to, ‘ take the boy home. ’ the boy being no one other than his too cute, too lethal of a young thing that he likes to keep on his arm. minsu isn’t blind. it’s his job to watch over the girls-- a self title house mom, and he knows hoojin. how can he not? 

everyone knows him. 

there’s a game, a terribly dangerous and risky game that they’ve been playing, dancing around each other with loaded looks and unsaid desires. it makes minsu’s blood run hot-- in more ways than one. he’s not going to lie and say there aren’t a few singed holes in his sheets from when he’s woken up from a particularly riveting dream involving the dancer. 

“it took you long enough.” he mumbles, pushing off the hood of the car, catching the other with a pointed look when he finally emerges from the club. “i thought you’d never come on outta there.” 

[...]

“i really thought i wouldn’t see you tonight, but you came…” she whispers into him. and then, with slight uncertainty, she asks, “for me?” whatever the honest answer is, she doesn’t want it. that dark shadow of cruelty rises to obscure her thoughts once more, and she hopes he’ll say he did come for her - even if he didn’t.

it’s dangerous, the game they’ve fallen into. it’s dangerous and silly. it’s clear as day how much they want each other, how much he needs here when she’s not around and how much he’s still craving her even when she’s already in his arms, on his lips. 

her kisses are addicting, like nothing else he has ever tasted and spencer isn’t afraid to admit that he’s a weak, weak man when it comes to her. it almost feels like they’re somewhere in a dream, both beautiful and craving each other. or, it would feel that way if it wasn’t the usual for their meetings lately. it’s a little bittersweet, he thinks, that they’ve gotten themselves into such a hole that the only time they can relish in each other’s presence is in private, in secret. 

it’s something he wants to change, but can’t quite find the courage to do. 

“oh, baby...” he starts, hands firm on her hips and pulling her towards him. “i wouldn’t come for anyone else.” which is only partly true, but right here and right now is not when they’re going to face that. 

there’s a sort of intimacy that they’re gathering, all alone in the hallway, fireworks loud outside the building. spencer almost can’t hear them however, not over how babette is looking at him, how he can’t tear his eyes away from her. 

he kisses her again, urgent and firm, like he’ll never kiss anyone else in his life, with, dare he say it, almost a whisper of love. but he’s greedy. spencer can never stop at simple kisses, always wants all of her, like-- like an addiction. 

[...]

he turns, gripping the door handle so tight his knuckles turn white. “we’re done. by the way. i’m burning all of your shit. don’t talk to me.” he unlocks the door with a twist of his wrist. “have fun fucking noah, jamie, alec — all of them. until they get bored of you, that is.”

she laughs, bitter and unamused. “wow, a slut shaming joke? that’s not very nice of you.” she deserves it, she supposes. she deserves all of the terrible things that he’s saying to her, but elodie just really can’t bring herself to care. 

just like she couldn’t bring herself to feel guilty when she was in noah’s bed or in the study room with alec. 

“god, don’t get so bent up about it, dom. it’s not like we were going anywhere. it was fun! that’s all.” it’s a little heartless of her, sure, and they weren’t serious yet. probably could have been if she could have kept her legs closed and her hands to herself, but maybe her aunt was right. 

girls like elodie always end up in trouble, just like her mother and just like her brother. 

it was his fault for getting so invested in the first place. elodie knew where she stood and she didn’t let her feelings get involved. she was smart. she didn’t let it get personal. 

“i told him that you broke up with me.” if everything was out in the open there was no use hiding it. it wasn’t something she was ashamed of either way, actually had her thinking that maybe she had another shot if she played her cards right. 

her eyes dart to his hand on the doorknob and she rolls her eyes. “running away?” she didn’t blame him, but she wasn’t going to let him go so easily, not after that comment. “haven’t you heard? anais already took care of that. unless you wanted a shot at me too.” or maybe he had and he’s just trying to pick at a sore spot. either way, she won’t let it work, is far too over it for it to do any real damage. that’s the thing, whatever he says, can’t do her any harm. not when she’s so cool about it, so nonchalant and uncaring. 

elodie only cared about herself, and this was no different. “oh?” the feigned innocent in her voice is bitter, a little sickeningly sweet. “we are? i never would have guessed.” he was stupid to even think it needed to be said. 

[...]

he couldn’t believe it. she seemed more annoyed at the possibility of noah outing her —which, fuck that noah guy for actively fucking a girl he knew was in a relationship — than she was regretful for her actions. “how many people did you fuck? did it stop at just jamie and noah? who the fuck else did you touch, elodie? jesus fuck are you kidding me?”

it’s expected, she supposed, this sort of reaction. he’s in the right, angry and probably feeling a bit betrayed, but all she can think about is how upsetting it was that she got caught-- and that it wasn’t noah who had her slipping up. 

“oops.” she hums, like it was something as simple as forgetting milk at the store, or even missing a date. still, she heaves a sigh, like this was the most inconvenient thing in the world, like this was just a mild speed bump in her daily routine. hadn’t her brother warned her that she was going to get caught eventually? 

“oh, of course, it was jamie.” that girl was nice to a fault, honest to the point it’s gotten elodie in trouble more than once. “it was just a little bit of team bonding. it wasn’t like it really mattered.” at least, not to her. nothing like that really mattered to her. dom on the other hand, he was the sentimental type, the type where loyalty actually meant something and wasn’t just a promise waiting to be broken. 

in elodie’s opinion, she was doing him a favor. showing him how easily infidelity comes to people. 

how love didn’t really exist. 

her expression turns sour at the connotations of being hurt. questions like that, the implications behind them, always got under her skin. “first of all, no one has hurt me.” she’s just a product of her childhood, whether she’s willing to admit it or not. 

“and it’s just the opposite, sweetheart. i’d say with as much fooling around as i’ve done, misery was the last thing i was spreading. you know better than anyone i always make sure my partner finishes.” she wasn’t going to get nasty. even elodie knew she was the one in the wrong, but she wasn’t going to get defensive. there was nothing to defend against. 

“but if you really want to know-- since we’re being honest and all now, let me go down the list.” she slides herself off the desk, brazen and the least bit sorry, holding up a hand and counting down on well manicured fingers. 

[...]

he flexes his hands a bit, trying to get the jitters out of his system. he’s angry. he’s hurt. he feels betrayed. this situation isn’t new to him. it just hurts that he has to be in this exact same position again. “i have one question for you, elodie. for now. just answer me this: did you sleep with someone else?”

“oh?” she can’t help how excited she is. while they are no stranger to this sort of thing, dom has never been so bold as to corner her in a classroom. 

she’s hopping up onto the desk with a little thrill, the sound of the lock clicking almost seemed louder than normal, more high stakes. it’s all fun and games really, swinging her legs back and forth. she almost feels like the cat that got the mouse, almost. 

the way she perks up at the notion of a question, interested and both figuratively and literally on the edge of her seat, is obvious, as if the way her excitement is quickly put out, cut short. the smile quickly falls off her face. 

“excuse me?” the question, though admittedly, it sounds a bit more like an accusation, catches her off guard. it’s not what she expected from him. maybe a ‘did you miss me?’ sort of thing, but never something so bold as to outright question her infidelity. 

not that she’s ashamed of it, or is even sorry in the slightest. it’s more confusing, more of a game of who spilt. 

[...]

“we need to talk,” he tells her sternly, pointing to the empty classroom for them to convene in. “now.”

the thing with boyfriends is that they’re needy. they show up and they need something, attention, love, faithfulness and elodie wasn’t too keen on any of it. she’s been told she has little to no conscious and well, there really isn’t an argument. 

she doesn’t feel bad for the things that she does. 

she doesn’t feel bad when she drives someone to tears nor does she feel any bit of regret when she’s slipping out of someone else’s room, someone who very much isn’t her boyfriend. it’s a little bit of dom’s fault, she thinks. maybe if he wasn’t so trusting of her, then it wouldn’t be so easy. 

but another thing with boyfriends, something she’s grown used to, is that attention, having to give it out and usually, the reward isn’t so bad. it’s a little odd that he’s showing up so out of the blue, but it’s not unheard of and she’s not all too upset that she now has to dedicate her afternoon to dom. it’s not the worst. 

and at first, maybe his tone is a little off, a little harsher than she’s used to hearing from him, but then she’s being directed into an empty classroom and a little smile curls on her lips. this part of having a boyfriend, yeah, she doesn’t mind this part to much. 

a conundrum for @jjkrps

eugene wasn’t someone for parties. he didn’t go drunken revelry and wasn’t much for the loud crowd of a bar. yes, he realizes he’s in a band. and yes, he knows that means being in the very atmosphere he doesn’t care for, but sacrifices will be made, must be made. 

besides, this is for the ideal university experience, right? isn’t that what he’s supposed to be chasing? 

he really doesn’t know at this point, not two drinks in and a cigarette in his hand, but he knows because he’s been to this bar before, he knows he’ll get in trouble for smoking inside so he waits. it’s a bit cold out, snow dusting the ground and while that doesn’t bother him, he’s a bit hesitant to slip out the back door because while they have the best intentions, his bandmates have been known to forget him after a show. 

he’s not too keen on having to find a ride home. 

but it’s sort of worse, isn’t it? a part of his brain promptly argues a little louder, starting something and not finishing it. soohwa shifts again, just enough so he can hide his face on hyunki’s neck, not to kiss it like he normally would but he just lets his head rest on the other’s shoulder, close enough that his blush is hidden from hyunki’s eyes. “yule ball.” he finally speaks out — or more like mumbles. “you’re not going to ask me to go with you to the yule ball. you didn’t— you— are you going with someone else?” 

“oh?” hyunki slowly lowers the chips back into his lap, and doesn’t say a word. 

maybe this is it. maybe this is soohwa deciding that he’s done with the other, no longer wants to put up with the mess he’s created for the two of them. maybe he’s finally decided that hyunki isn’t worth it, isn’t as great of a prize now that he’s almost got him. 

which is silly because he knows soohwa would never think like that and even as much as he’s still scared to admit it, knows that he’s it for soohwa. 

then he considers that must not be it, it can’t be it, not with how he buries his face in the other’s shoulder and holds him closer. 

and all that build up, all that confusion and worry that soohwa was actually upset with him for some reason, some real reason, vanishes. it just poofs into thin air and leaving him laughing because once he catches what he’s grumbling about-- well, it’s absurd. 

hyunki sits back, forces the other to let go of him just so he can turn to face him. the movie is long forgotten in the background, just like usual, and he almost spills the chips all over the blanket, but it’s just so silly. 

“park soohwa.” hyunki starts, amusement bright in his eyes even if he’s trying to hold back his giggles. the thought of him attending the ball with anyone else is so outlandish that he’s surprised the toseong student has even come up with it. and it’s not like he even cares if he goes. 

sure, once upon a time he would be in a tizzy if he didn’t have a date by this time, and one well planned hook up, but now it’s no big deal. at least, not to him. hyunki had even played with the idea of not attending at all. 

[///]

making his way back over to his bed, plugging his phone in before getting back onto his bed, he listens to her speak and instantly shakes his head. “damn it elodie….. what do you mean she was ‘dressed like a slut’? and don’t sit there and tell me she was wearing something revealing because you do the same shit sometimes.”

“i regret being  your sister everyday.” she quips back, even if that is so very far from the truth. 

and elodie levels him right back with a stare, arms crossed over her chest and says, “i think it does matter if he is your boyfriend or not, because we tell each other these kind of things.” even if he’s turning around and calling her out in the exact same breath. still, she doesn’t let herself flinch or even show a hint of emotion. 

“because it’s fun. it’s a way to pass the time and because i know you will love to hear this-- he’s great in bed.” he has just made snide comments about elodie nosing into his private life, so she could return the favor no problem. “besides you should relax. i’m just trying to make friends with him.” if that was the right word. 

“so then, she’s wearing these like... black panties and... oh, god.” spencer sighs. there’s nothing new happening here. it’s their routine. spencer goes on and on about his hook ups and hang ups (read: ahri and babette respectively) and haneul does the same. they trade off. it’s a nice friendship, equal. 

and just because they’re all dressed up, spiffy and ready for a nice night out at the yule ball, doesn’t mean anything is going to be different. 

haneul is more than familiar with spencer’s nights with ahri (and babette, even if he doesn’t always know that she’s the subject of the story) so really, there’s nothing out of the ordinary here. except maybe the fact that his story is going in one ear and out the other. 

which, isn’t surprising seeing the grip he has on the other’s arm is to keep him upright, stop him from tipping over because he seemed to be a little... on the tipsier side at this point in the night. spencer’s a little jealous if he’s being honest. “haneul, hey. are you even listen’ to me?” 

[...]

“spencer?” she asks, as if to confirm. her happiness is woven clearly through her words, forcing her deep southern accent out of her - like reopening an old wound. “what are you doin’ here! i didn’t think you’d come?”

it wasn’t like he meant to stand up esme. he really didn’t mean to, but when he had found out that ahri had no plans to attend the yule ball with anyone, well, he just couldn’t let that stand. he was being a good friend. 

that was it. 

there was nothing, but good intentions as he lugged his things over to her dorm well into the afternoon-- mostly because if he knew anything about girls it was that they take forever to get ready. 

and of course, it takes even longer when they have to get ready twice. which, they wouldn’t have had to do if ahri wasn’t so familiar with him, so comfortable with him and didn’t walk around in such pretty panties-- but he digresses. 

he’s here and he knows he’s late and he’s awfully sorry to esme. spencer has all intentions to find her, probably looking no less than beautiful. and apologize, beg for forgiveness. that’s what he intends to do, rushing through empty halls towards the fireworks. the night is almost over and he’s probably done and ruined it for the poor girl. he hopes she at least found someone to dance with. 

that was his intention, but she’s almost like a vision, the way she brushes down the hallway, says his name so sweetly it makes his mind go blank. 

“hey-- babs.” he’s stepping towards her before he can stop himself. she’s more than a vision, looks like a dream the way she almost sparkles in place. his brain almost has to reboot, reconnect his thoughts to his mouth and keep his hands to himself. “yeah, no. i was... um. wow, you look--” he shakes his head, like he’s trying to rattle something to start. 

[...]

he looks around the both of them to make sure that no one was around to hear him say something more private. with everyone looking distracted, he lowers his voice. “how have you been holding up with everything?” he asks curiously. “i know it’s been a while, so we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but i just wanted to ask. i’ve been worried about you, dude.”

it was awkward. the whole ball was a lot and there were so many people and while hyunki would have relished in that once upon a time, he can’t help, but feel like everyone is looking at him, staring straight at him. 

realistically, he knows that nearly no one is looking at him, talking about him, thinking about they’ve probably seen his-- no one is doing that. but the shame is burned into his memory and hyunki doesn’t think it’s going to go away any time soon, really. 

he’s been keeping to himself, which is a very un-hyunki like thing for him to do, so he’s a little surprised that when he’s left alone for what only seems like half a minute cal has absolutely no trouble in finding him at all. not that he minds. he never minds when it comes to one of his best friends-- out of touch or not. 

the relief on his face is obvious. “hey.” and a bit of the tension seeps out of his shoulders. it’s easy to smile around him. “thanks, but you look much better than i do.” he gives his friend an up and down. “really, amazing. i’m a little jealous honestly.” 

hyunki’s hands find the other’s with no problem and when cal leans in, he does the same, honestly curious as to what the other has to say before the little bit of excitement he had was gone. and just when he had forgotten for just a moment. 

“o-oh... ah, well...” he wasn’t crying every night anymore. he bites his tongue on that one. “thanks, cal. i’ve been... you know, as well as you expect. me and soohwa though-- we’re uh... not dating, but... like... kinda serious?” which was a step in the right direction. “everyone just keeps saying to wait for the next big gossip to drop, but... i’m honestly still kind of waiting.” he still sees a post or two talking about him on buzzard, the rare moments he scrolls throuh these days. 

[...]

ah, soohwa. anais highly doubts his boyfriend hates him. she’s ready with a quip how soohwa definitely couldn’t hate him if he’s fucking him like that but she knows it’s ill-timed. the elder was head boy. he was possibly thoroughly pissed with the situation at hand. “did they take away his head boy status?”

a status like that meant so much to sojin. she’d definitely be pissed in that situation. but hate? not if she loved the person. “i don’t think he hates you, hyunki. probably just embarrassed. not everyone wants everyone seeing them be intimate.”

he nods, sinks his teeth into his bottom lip to stop himself from doing something stupid, like crying, and nods. “y-yeah... they said that i wasn’t living up to the prefect standard which--” he laughs, bitter and a bit weak. “no fucking duh, right?” while he believes he deserves every bit of punishment that he got, it still hurt. it was still embarrassing. it is never fun to get in trouble, to get demoted and benched-- speaking of...

“they benched me too. no quidditch for the rest of december.” no, prefect stripping, he could live with that. he didn’t do his duties anyway, rarely enforced the rules, but quidditch. every knew he lived and breathed for the team, had ever since he was a hogwarts player. “which, fucking sucks. i think i’m the most pissed about that.” well, that was the safest thing for him to admit. 

taking a deep breath, he drops his bags again. it’s obvious he’s going to be here a minute and maybe he needed to talk it out-- with someone who wasn’t also in the video. it would probably be a good thing for him to do. 

“oh, no. they didn’t take his head boy stuff away. i... uh, i took all the blame so i got the most punishments.” which, he was okay with, felt he deserved. “i-- that’s the thing, anais. he doesn’t hate me.” the tears come before he even has a chance to stop them, just gathering in the corners of his eyes, threatening. “he doesn’t hate me. he was comforting me. me! i’m the one who posted his-- christ, i really fucked it up.” 

“so you’re not going to ask me.” soohwa finally says something, tone clearly annoyed and his lips pressed in a thin line. 

he was tentative, letting himself get so close to soohwa again, but hyunki presumed it was inevitable. not only did he lie to the school board and say that they were dating, but he was then forced to out himself of the fact that, as much as he pushed and pushed in the beginning, dating soohwa didn’t seem as scary and terrifying as it once used to be. 

of course, he still not stupid, past actions aside, he knows jumping into a shotgun relationship like this would have been stupid, reckless and that’s why he comes semi clean, as clean as he needs to. he admitted to soohwa that no, he hadn’t been sleeping with anyone in the past month or so, alec aside. 

as friendly as they were, even their usual nights spend together have dwindled down to none. 

but it gets comfortable, well-- as comfortable as it can with the other. he’s not as secretive about it either, doesn’t feel like he has to be now, in the least pleasing of ways. so he even brings his cat over to the head boy’s dorm (because he’s still head boy. hyunki made sure that would not be taken away, at the sacrifice of his own status, of course.) and more or less, they fall back into their routine, maybe with a little less sex, but it’s something he can live with. 

and soohwa has been less picky with him, less huffy and puffy now that he isn’t so worried about his jealousy and hyunki making his way into other people’s beds. no, he was very comfortable curled up in the other’s covers, bag of chips carefully cradled in his arms as he gives the movie his full attention. 

8. discreetly

“maybe--” he presses her against the wall. “maybe we should...” it’s late, no one is really out and about anyways. “i think we should go inside.” although his actions don’t exactly mirror his words. 

they should go inside, his dorm is just down the hall and it’s late and they’re bound to wake someone up, but spencer just can’t let go of her long enough for them to get that far. not when he’s missed her taste, the feel of her in his hands and how perfectly she’s pressed against him. 

it’s a lot easier said than done. 

and it’s a little exhilarating, the high stakes game they’re playing. it’s no secret where this is going, it’s just the fact that this is happening in the first place-- that’s what they’re trying to keep quiet. 

which again, is a lot easier said than done. 

especially when spencer seems so keen as to press searing kisses to her neck, teeth scraping against soft skin to leave evidence. no one ever said they were going about this in the smartest of ways. 

“i wanna fuck you so bad.” he whispers against her pulse, leg slotted between hers and he hopes she can feel just how hard he is against her hip. it never takes much for babette to rile spencer up. it never has. 

one door away, that’s as far as his dorm is. it would take them less than a minute for them to get inside and have all the privacy they would need-- well, most of the privacy they would need. then again, spencer never really cared what his roommate overheard. 

he’s just about to get his hands dirty, let himself get a little bolder and play a little bit of grab ass, when the sound of a door opening at the end of the hall startles him out of his babette focused thoughts. 

[...]

a lot, her brain smartly reminds her. not everyone can take their dick, ass and moans on the internet in stride. maybe hyunki was thoroughly embarrassed by the situation. judging by how quickly the school buzzed, the school was embarrassed as well.

“did you get expelled for what happened?”

he’s wary in the way he looks at her, like her concern isn’t real. personally, hyunki has never had a problem with the other geumseong, but they’ve never been the closest of friends, more often than not getting into little tiffs that never meant much. 

it was off to see that she actually seemed to care how he felt in that moment. 

“no...” hyunki sighs, tension dropping out of his shoulders. he was still cautious, still on guard that she could grab what he says and turn it back on him or worse... laugh at him. “i’m not expelled. that’s one small mercy, i guess.” 

he knew that the meeting with the school board was going to be the most painful thing he’s ever had the misfortune of going through. “but judging by their email... i can probably kiss-- uh, say goodbye to my prefect status.” kiss, poor timing. 

“i just--” hyunki takes a deep breath and looks anywhere, but at the other. he feels like he wants to cry again, but he’s pretty sure he doesn’t have any tears left in him. “i just feel so stupid.” which, of course he was. no one would say it was smart to post your dirty laundry for everyone to see, especially when that was the last thing he intended to post.