For dinorino and Fishes.

Inside the empty office a man sits at his desk, staring blankly at the screen in front of him.  The lights had already been shut off, the business closed for the day, and yet he had stayed behind.  He had tried soothing himself with what used to be a warm cup of instant coffee, now tasting completely bitter under his tongue.  Sunggyu sighed, holding his head in between his hands, trying to think of what he could do.  He loosened the tie around neck, the fabric suffocating his mind, and rubbed his palms over his eyes.

With a deflated breath, he picks up his phone, calling his friend for a drink.

Twenty minutes later, he’s seated at the bar waiting for his friend, fingers already clamped around a glass, seeking that buzz that would numb his brain from thinking too much.  He watched his friend make his way inside, a miniature smile sent to him as he raised his glass, waving him over.

“This is unusual,” Myungsoo hums as he sits next to him, slowly removing his black coat and asking the bartender for a drink with that illuminating face of his.

He rests his elbows on the black granite, taking in the sight of Sunggyu next to him.  “You actually look troubled,” he says gently, staring at the rocks glass in Sunggyu’s hand.

Sunggyu heaves, the frustration evident in his voice, “I am troubled.  Why do you think I’m here talking to you this late in the night?”

Myungsoo wasn’t surprised.  This was probably the third time this month that Sunggyu had called him out for drinking over his troubles.  He could already figure out what must have happened, and, feeling helpless as usual, he becomes determined to yank it out of his friend this time.  “I’m guessing something happened with Dongwoo again,” he says, taking his own drink and thanking the bartender with a polite smile.

When Sunggyu doesn’t answer, he presses again, intent on truly helping out his friend this time.  “Well?”

“...”

Myungsoo sighs, “You know I can’t really do much if you don’t talk to me.  I only hear bits and pieces from you, and Dongwoo won’t even admit anything’s wrong.  You guys have been arguing a lot lately, but you never even told me why.”

“If I knew why, I would’ve told you,” it comes out exasperated, as if talking drains too much energy in itself.  It takes Myungsoo back by surprise, because now he can see just how severe the situation between his two friends had actually become.  He mentally reprimanded himself for being so easily deceived by their previous insistence that nothing major was wrong.  He takes a good look at the man next him, noticing the sunken skin underneath his eyes.  Compared to his usual crisp look, Sunggyu looked relatively disheveled tonight.

It only rekindles his determination to set things straight this time, and so he presses Sunggyu again.  “Are you going to talk then or are we just going to drink until you pass out?”

Myungsoo’s tone might have been a bit colder than usual, but he knew that Sunggyu wasn’t the type of person to burden others with his own troubles.  “I just--I don’t want to go back to my apartment.  Let me stay at your place tonight.  I need some place where I can think properly.”

If this was any other day, Myungsoo would have gladly welcomed him over with open arms.  However, the story did not seem complete to Myungsoo, and he had a gut feeling that Sunggyu was rather running away from whatever their problem was, rather than confronting it.  

That did not settle well with Myungsoo, simply for the fact that he knew this problem had been dragging on for far too long already.  So he keeps his stance, taking another gulp of his drink before turning to Sunggyu, his voice threateningly serious.  “Why am I always playing peacemaker between you two? Why don’t  you just talk to him Sunggyu.  Properly.  Not the ‘let’s-just-forget-it-now’ patch that you always do.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be comforting me right now?”

“I’m worried about you. And him.  This tip toeing around between you two has been going for a month now.  Dongwoo hides it and you run away from it.  What happened between you two?  And don’t give me some vague response, tell me what really happened.”

He watches his friend’s face contort into a painfully grimacing scowl, his voice raising slightly with a red flare coloring across his face.  “A lot has happened Myungsoo, okay?  I can’t even tell why, and it pisses me off that you actually think I’m not trying to fix this--”

“--I’m sorry Sunggyu,” Myungsoo cuts him off from his rant, his arm grasping tightly on his friend’s forearm, squeezing it in some attempt to calm him down.  “I know you love him.  I didn’t mean it in  that way.”

It seems to snap Sunggyu back into his surroundings, his hand automatically going up to cover his face as he sighs again.  The murmur from the surrounding customers ensues, while other customers took quick glances back at the two friends huddled in their conversation now.  It dawns on Myungsoo that this probably wasn’t the best place to make Sunggyu uncomfortable like this; a long talk at his own apartment would probably be better for the both of them.

Before Myungsoo could propose going to his apartment to continue their conversation, Sunggyu takes the initiative and gives in to his friend’s persistence. “Today…” He relaxes his shoulders, playing with the glass in his hands.  “You know what he told me today?”

Myungsoo eases back, taking another sip, his stare still focused on Sunggyu.  He gives a small shake of his head, indicating he’s still engaged in their conversation.

Sunggyu huddles his arms together, the look on his face making him seem older, weighed down with adversaries and age.  “He said I have ten days to give him a good reason why he should stay with me.  And if I don’t he’s going to leave.”