“Awww!! Look at you two! Look at them~!”

Myungsoo and Sungyeol have reached his and Sunggyu’s booth. Myungsoo might be a little distracted by the feeling of Sungyeol’s warm hand in his, because he’s almost on top of them before he realises that nine people are staring at him. The pretty pink hue on Sungyeol’s cheeks turns into a burning red. The one who’s still making indistinguishable cooing noises at them is Hyungdon, their editor in chief. There’s Sunggyu and Woohyun – who’s looking unreasonably pleased about having Sunggyu dozing on his shoulder. Squeezed next to them are Dongwoo and his noona friend in the golden dress. Dongwoo looks sweetly relieved to see Myungsoo and Sungyeol together. Myungsoo notices his friend squeeze Dongwoo’s hand sympathetically. Across from them there’s Eunji, the barmaid from earlier, with a pint glass in her hands, and Defconn, the club manager, waggling his magnificent eyebrows at them. There’s also a thin man with delicate features and black hair past his shoulders whom Myungsoo’s sure he recognises from a shoot months ago, a girl with a pixie smile and the same skimpy uniform as Eunji, and another woman in a slinky violet dress, with a head of black ringlets and a blinding smile that Myungsoo thinks he’s seen on some variety show.

They weren’t gone for long. Besides, Sunggyu’s glued to his seat. So where on earth did all these people come from?

“When…? Where did…? How?” Myungsoo asks Sunggyu, valiantly ignoring how his editor in chief is trying to pet his boyfriend Sungyeol that hottie he just kissed his boyfriend’s hair.

“Hm?” Sunggyu enquires, rousing himself very marginally from Woohyun’s shoulder, “Oh, that’s Bomi,” he mumbles, gesturing at the girl with the pixie smile, sipping a complicated looking cocktail through a curly straw, “She’s alright.”

Figuring that’s as helpful and informative as Sunggyu is planning on being, Myungsoo shuffles into a seat, pulling Sungyeol in behind him.

“So, are you guys together? For real?” the girl with ringlets asks before Myungsoo or Sungyeol have a chance to digest the awkwardness of the situation. She’s leaning forward in her seat, eyeing them up intensely.

“Oh course they are, Bora-sshi,” Defconn’s booming voice scolds, “You are, aren’t you?”

“They are and it’s good. It’s good, huhuhu~” Hyungdon cheers. He’s gotten to touch Sungyeol’s hair and is making full use of the opportunity. Sungyeol looks a little scared. Myungsoo reflexively pulls him to his side, even if he’s not quite prepared for telling his boss to keep his hands to himself.

“Is it certain? Gyu-oppa could have put them up to it,” Eunji remarks.

“Yeah!” Woohyun pipes up, “I wouldn’t trust this guy as far as I could throw him. Ouch!” He gets pinched for his efforts.

Myungsoo tries to get an answer out in between their chattering. However, the best he can seem to manage is,

“Well – Well, I – We – We’re… Well…”

That is until, with great finesse, Sungyeol yells,

“Yesweare!” The chattering ceases and they all peer with bemusement at the actor, “Well, what? We are,” he insists at a far more reasonable decibel level.

“But why are you all asking?” Myungsoo questions, finding his voice now that Sungyeol – who is twitching nervously at his side – has broken the ice, “I don’t even know some of you.”

“No, but we kind of had a pool going,” the long-haired man puts in. (Jae…jeung? Jaejoong? Myungsoo tries to recall, Jae-something). “If you’d got together in another couple of days, Bora here was going to win the lot.”

The woman in question leans back with a sigh, twirling a finger through her hair.

“Yeah. Feel free to break up till Friday.”

Bomi looks up from nibbling a lime wedge.

“I had Valentine’s Day. I’m a romantic.”

“Oh that would have been nice!” Dongwoo’s friend agrees.

“Amy…” Dongwoo shoots her a somewhat desperate look. She closes abruptly, sitting back apologetically.

Jae-something goes on, paying them no heed.

“As it is, Gyu’s sharing it.”

Myungsoo blinks as, at Hyungdon’s prompting, they all – bar Dongwoo and Amy – fish out their wallets and purses. He was bet upon? His dear hyung was playing games with his heart? Myungsoo’s not sure how he feels. The presence of the warm body beside him tells him not to be angry. Also, Sungyeol’s leg, shaking nervously, is rubbing against his thigh. The friction is making it hard to concentrate on how he ought to be indignant.

Gradually (very), it dawns on Myungsoo that Sungyeol too has retrieved his wallet. Unlike the others, he hasn’t taken anything out of it. Having pushed himself into an upright position and downed whatever he was drinking, Sunggyu is deftly sorting his winnings into two piles. One he slips into his overly large Rick Owens wallet, the other he slides across the table.

To Sungyeol.

Sungyeol pockets it sheepishly, eyes darting between Myungsoo and his lap the whole time. Myungsoo places a hand on the actor’s thin wrist to make him look up. Appearing trapped, Sungyeol takes a deep breath… and nothing comes out. Myungsoo’s gaze turns a little more urgent, because now he’s really super completely not sure how to feel.

“Gyu-hyung thought a monetary incentive might encourage me to tell you how much I like you,” Sungyeol blabbers, words tumbling out all together, “I didn’t think it’d work! I like you a lot. A lot is how much I like you.”

Myungsoo sniffs. He turns away from Sungyeol and resolutely pretends to be unconcerned of the 10 pairs of eyes on him. (Actually, nine pairs if he’s being precise. Sunggyu’s gone back to sleep). Sungyeol whimpers. Out of the corner of his eye, Myungsoo sees how Sungyeol reaches out to hold his arm then pulls back before touching him.

“I really didn’t think any of them would win. I thought you could barely tolerate me. Please. Can you barely tolerate me now? Oh ,” he hisses, voice falling to a whisper.

Myungsoo glares at the table top. Can he? He doesn’t think it’s like that. Should he? Myungsoo has a thought in his head. Sungyeol during their first shoot together. He’d just stepped out of the car and was jumping up and down, loosening his muscles after the cramped and hot van. He raised his face to the blue, spring sky laced with pure white clouds. The Sun reflected on his black hair and gentle sounds of the birds and the leaves and the water burbling in the fountain swept around them. When Myungsoo saw him, a strange feeling of excitement and nervousness clutched at his heart. He turned away on hearing Yein explaining something, before Sungyeol could notice him looking.

Back in the fog of the bar, there’s only the pounding of the pop music, the heavy smell of the alcohol, and almost a year of confusion battering him. Myungsoo growls lowly. He wraps an arm around Sungyeol’s waist and yanks him closer. Sungyeol squeaks, but relaxes in Myungsoo’s hold. The familiar, spicy scent of Sungyeol’s shampoo reaches Myungsoo’s nose.

“I like… er, Chivas Regal. And also, um, Pepsi. Those,” he announces, naming the most expensive thing he could think of off the top of his head and then something he actually wants.

“Oh. Ah, I get it. Let me get that for you,” Sungyeol says, a shy, gummy grin breaking out.

“I’ll go,” Bomi chuckles, “I am on duty after all.” She shoots Defconn a wink as she sashays away unsteadily – one which the middle-aged man shoots back with a fond smile. Myungsoo might take a moment to consider how that’s one helluva way to run a respectable establishment. He might if he weren’t so distracted. Sungyeol’s bright smile was always easier to deal with when it wasn’t being aimed directly at him. Myungsoo kisses him again to give his heart a moment to adjust.  

XXX

Finally an end to this silliness xD Thank you so much to everyone who subscribed and/or commented (and upvoted even D: ). I'm usually too shy to reply, but I appreciate it a lot ;; *throws hearts at you all*