One Plus One

            He was surprised by Sunggyu’s expression.  He knew that look; he’d seen it plenty of times before.  Lately, it kept appearing on Sunggyu’s face, and it kept being aimed at him.  “Do you like me?”

            Sunggyu jerked backward like the ground had suddenly fallen away under him.  “What?!”

            Dongwoo laughed.  His reaction was really cute, but he didn’t have to freak out about it!  “It seems like you’re in love with me.”

            Sunggyu’s jaw dropped and he squinched up his eyes like Dongwoo had just said something completely, offensively incomprehensible.  “What?!”

            Dongwoo didn’t know why Sunggyu was being weird.  He knew what he’d seen.  “Your eyes sparkle when you look at me.”

            “What?!”

            Dongwoo laughed.  “Is that all you’re going to say?  Over and over?  What, what, what, what-”

            “My eyes don’t sparkle!”

            “They do!  When you look at me.  All of the time, lately.”

            Sunggyu rubbed at his eyes and then looked at his fingers like he could scrub the sparkle off, like it was glitter or something.  Then he glared at Dongwoo accusingly.  “You can’t even see my eyes.”

            “Of course I can!  They’re right there.”  Taking a step closer, he reached out and tapped Sunggyu between the eyes.

            Sunggyu smacked his hand away, then pushed at his head and kicked his calf.

            Laughing, Dongwoo danced away, out of range and hung up another shirt.  “If you want to be lovers-”

            “Lovers!” Sunggyu repeated, interrupting him like he’d said something preposterous.

            Okay, he’d ask it another way.  “If you want to be boyfriends-”

            “Boyfriends!”

            Smiling, he eyed Sunggyu.  “Armadillos.”

            “Armadillos!”  Sunggyu gave him another squinch-eyed look.  “What the hell are you talking about?!”

            Tickled, Dongwoo laughed.  “I thought you were just repeating everything I said.”

            “Oh my god.”  Sunggyu was running out of “I can’t believe you, what the hell is wrong with you” looks and was starting to stare at him like he was an alien.  “You don’t take anything seriously.”

            Oh?  Dongwoo hung up another shirt, eyeing Sunggyu more solemnly now.  “Did you want to be romantic?”

            Sunggyu walked away.

            “Gyu hyung?”

            Sunggyu didn’t answer.

            Maybe Sunggyu needed more time to get used to being in love with him.  Shrugging, Dongwoo picked up another shirt.

            Sunggyu looked shocked and confused.  “What?  No!  What?!”

            “Not here,” Dongwoo clarified, laughing.  “Tonight, or whenever, in the dorm.  Do you want to have sex?”

            “What?  Why?  Why would you ask me something like that?”

            “You always overreact.  Why are you so excited?”

            “You’re asking for sex!”

            “Why shouldn’t I ask about it?  You’re staring at me like you want me.”

            “I’m not staring!” Sunggyu protested.  “I’m watching you dance!  You’re doing your job, dancing, and I’m doing my job, watching you dance.”

            “Now you’re babbling.”

            “Sungyeol!” Sunggyu said suddenly as Sungyeol walked into the room.

            “Uh.”  Sungyeol looked around, raising his eyebrows.  “Hi.  Am I late?”

            “Are you nervous?” Dongwoo asked Sunggyu.  “You don’t have to be nervous about it.”

            “Nervous about what?” Sungyeol asked.

            “Stop talking,” Sunggyu ordered.  He left the room.

            What, forever?

            One by one, the other members left, until only the two of them remained.  Dongwoo’s eyes were closing when Sunggyu suddenly said, “Ya!  Who’s going to clean?”

            Oh.  Dongwoo looked over the scattered plates.  Ugh.  “I’ll do it.”

            “Good,” Sunggyu said.  “As long as it’s not me.”

            Dongwoo laughed at that and kissed his cheek.  Kissed his jaw.  He smiled and shied away; Dongwoo grinned and kissed his jaw again, his neck.

            “Ya!”  Like it was retaliation, Sunggyu kissed Dongwoo’s cheek.

            Closing his eyes, Dongwoo kissed Sunggyu’s lips.  He’d never kissed Sunggyu on the mouth before, and it was so nice, so soft…

            “Ya!”  Sunggyu jerked away, staring at him, blushing and flustered and annoyed, scowling and then smiling and then scowling again.  “Why are you like this?”

            “Why are you like this?” Dongwoo retorted.  “Why don’t you take what you want when it’s being offered to you?”

            “Take what I want,” Sunggyu repeated.

            “Are we babies?  Don’t pretend to be innocent.  You want to have sex with me.”

            “Stop saying that!  Why do you say things like that?!”

            “Sunggyu hyung.”  Patiently, Dongwoo crawled onto him, kneeling astride his thigh.  “Am I stupid?  Even animals know when they’re loved.”

            Groaning, Sunggyu slumped back against the wall, arms lax at his sides.  “Shit.  I didn’t want you to know.”

            What?  “Why shouldn’t I know?”  Puzzled, he smiled, caressing Sunggyu’s chin.  “Isn’t it better this way?  We can be in love together.  We can have sex with each other.  I’m so tired of masturbating.”

            Sunggyu’s fists gripped the front of his shirt; Sunggyu’s stare was sharp.  “What do you mean, ‘be in love together?’”

            “Doesn’t one plus one make two?  I’m in love with you, and you’re in love with me.  Now we can be in love together.  Isn’t that better than loving each other separately?”

            “What are you saying, you asinine, frustrating fool?” Sunggyu demanded, shaking him.  He laughed, enjoying the dizzy feeling.  “Ya!  Jang Dongwoo!  Are you in love with me?”

            “Yes, yes.”  Smiling, he ran his fingertip over Sunggyu’s eyebrows, first the left, then the right.  Sunggyu looked so handsome tonight.  “You know that.  Don’t you know that?”

            “How could I know that?” Sunggyu exploded.  “How?  Why didn’t you say anything?!”

            “What should I say?  Don’t you know when someone’s in love with you?  Does your mother have to say it or do you know it when she hugs you?  Do Inspirits have to say it or do you hear it when they call your name?”

            Slumped against the wall, Sunggyu studied Dongwoo through narrowed eyes, slowly shaking his head.  “You’re in love with me.”

            “Maybe my eyes don’t sparkle,” Dongwoo realized.  He rubbed his eyes, wishing that he had a mirror.

            “Your eyes sparkle for everything.  You love me and dancing and food and Wednesdays and air.  There’s no meaning in that,” Sunggyu accused.

            “It’s good to love a lot of things,” Dongwoo said.  Smiling, he cupped Sunggyu’s face in both hands, feeling happiness shimmy all the way through him.  He was glad that Sunggyu had finally admitted it.  Now they could move forward.  “It’s even better when they love you back.”

Home  |  K-pop  |  tumblr  |  Twitter

Copyright October 2, 2013
by Matthew Haldeman-Time