31. He’s kind of short 0_0

Ryeowook was refilling the punch bowl when a warm weight encased his back, causing him to startle and splash the drink. He tried to turn around to reprimand the naughty back-hugger but stopped when he felt a familiar pressure on top of his head. Ryeowook sighed yet smiled all the same.   

With his arms draped over his boyfriend’s shoulders and his face settled into the shorter’s soft mushroom of hair, Kyuhyun finally allowed himself to relax. As he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, the outside commotion faded away.

Housewarming parties—even their own—could be so exhausting. Thankfully, his new roommate was a perfect resting stand.  

32. He loves giraffes

(understatement of the century)

“My boyfriend has a strange fascination.

You see: he’s into giraffes.

And that causes great many complications,

Which I’ll tell you, if you don’t laugh.

Whenever we go to a zoo,

I am forced to spend the whole day

Observing giraffes in plain view.

We wouldn’t do that, if I had a say!

But I guess that wouldn’t be so bad

If the obsession stayed at the zoo.

But my boyfriend says distance is sad

So now our house is a zoo too!

On every counter, there is a giraffe—

Be it doll, figurine, or clay mask

(We even have a framed photograph).

Is giraffe-free room too much to ask???

I guess so because on top of that

The kitchen has a giraffe-shaped cake mold,

In our closet hangs three giraffe hats

And a brown-spotted onesie for the cold.

The worst of them all are the giraffes by my bed;

They taunt me whenever I sleep,

Saying my boyfriend prefers to sleep with them instead

And I know they are right so I weep.

My boyfriend has a worrying…obsession,

And although no one else seems concerned,

I cannot quite shake the question

If due to them, I'll one day be spurned.”

Kyuhyun bowed to the polite smattering of applause. Returning to his table in the back, he was met with a far less enthusiastic Ryeowook.  

“I cannot believe you wrote a slam poem about my giraffe obsession.”

“Oh good, you realized it was about you."

33. He says it’s his job to listen...                                                                                           ...but he doesn’t like it when people talk too much.

“And the break room! You know how most break rooms are as cramped and crappy as possible so employees won’t want to go on break?” Kyuhyun’s words raced around the dinner table. “But this one, it’s amazing, like something out of Google except less trendy, more comfortable but still a little hipster. They even stocked with a microwave that doesn’t leak radiation!”

It was at that point Kyuhyun paused in his rapid-fire speech to breathe. It occurred to him he hadn’t done that for the last few minutes. “So, anyways, that was my day,” Kyuhyun said, suddenly sheepish. He poked his untouched pork chop. “How was yours?”

Ryeowook smirked at him while chewing on a piece of broccoli. Instead of answering, he playfully nudged his boyfriend’s foot. “What is this? Our first date?” Ryeowook asked. “You should talk about your new job if you’re excited about it. I like seeing you all cute and chatty.”

“Really?” Kyuhyun’s eyes flickered up. “I don’t want to break your ‘over-talking at the dinner table rule.’”

“Oh, come on now, you know that rule really only applies to people named Kim Heechul.” Ryeowook smiled, eyes crinkling. Kyuhyun chuckled. “And maybe it applies to most other people too, but it’s different for you.” Ryeowook gave Kyuhyun’s hand a quick squeeze. “It’s always different with you.”

Kyuhyun lost the breath he’d just collected. He has got to stop doing that.

34. He had a Twitter account but deleted it

*sobs into endless pit of darkness*

“It bothers me though.”

“Then follow someone else.”

“But I want to follow you.”

“We live together. You don’t need to follow me. Half my tweets were about you.”

“Well, for the sake of accuracy it was more like 60-70 percent if we’re counting photos…”

“You are such a geek.”

“A geek who likes his square numbers.”

“Kyuhyun, I am not rejoining Twitter just so you can follow 49 people again!”

35. He’s a silly drunk 

Ryeowook tripped over his own feet getting into the elevator. His hand shot out as he stumbled, grabbing the nearest thing it could which just happened to be a fistful of Kyuhyun’s shirt. He fell into his boyfriend’s chest, giggling.

“Careful,” Kyuhyun muttered as he pulled Ryeowook into the elevator. His arm was wound tightly around the latter’s waist, keeping the smaller close and frankly, upright. His boyfriend just giggled some more though, having barely stopped since they left the party.

“I’m diiizzzzy…” Ryeowook whined into his neck. Kyuhyun smiled but shook his head.

“That’s what you get for spinning around all night.”

“But I like spinning”

“Mmm, I know you do. You like spinning a lot.”

“I do. I really...do. Spinny-spin-spin…spin. Spin.” Suddenly, Ryeowook lifted up his head and looked Kyuhyun straight in the eye. Ryeowook’s hand still grasped Kyuhyun’s shirt—his body flopped against the taller like heavy overcoat—meaning there was barely an inch of space between their faces. “Kyuhyun,” he said, voice dead serious. “I think…I think I love spinning.”

“Really?” Kyuhyun widened his eyes.

“Yes.” Ryeowook nodded affirmatively. “I. Love. It. I love spinning.”

“Thank you for telling me. I bet spinning loves you too.”

Ryeowook stared at him like that was a complete given. Having made his declaration known to the world, the petite male resettled his head in the awkward crook between Kyuhyun’s chin and collarbone. His body went limp.

When the doors to their floor opened, Kyuhyun readjusted the man wrapped around him to carry him into their apartment. Ryeowook, who was barely conscious, moaned as Kyuhyun settled him onto their bed. Gently, the taller unfurled the slim hand which still lightly grasped his shirt.

“Kyukyu…” Ryeowook’s eyelids fluttered.

Kyuhyun kissed the tip of his nose. “I’m here.”

“I…love spinning…”—he sighed contentedly— “…but I love you more.” His eyes closed again as he settled into sleep.

Kyuhyun smiled.

36. The couple name is KYUWOOK.

It wasn’t a reunion, exactly. Just a couple of old high school friends getting back together for brunch after just a couple years apart. Donghae, Eunhyuk, Sungmin: while he’d always thought of them as friends, Kyuhyun had always been closest to Ryeowook and after graduation, hadn’t kept up a decent correspondence with the others. Apparently, Eunhyuk now went by Hyukjae (although they still called him Eunhyuk), Sungmin owned a pizza parlor, and Donghae was getting married. Much had changed. And yet, sitting at the patio table, talking, laughing over empty plates and half-drunken mimosas, it felt more familiar than the back of his hand. 

As the waiter cleared away the plates and took orders for refills, Sungmin spared a glance at Ryeowook and Kyuhyun’s entwined fingers hanging between their armrests of the chairs.

He chuckled and shook his head. “Never in a million years would I have guessed you two would stay together until now.”

Five years ago, Kyuhyun might have poured his juice on the elder’s lap. Today though, he just sipped his drink and rolled his eyes. “So, I have a great boyfriend and I get to prove a like you wrong? I just keep winning.” Ryeowook flicked him with his free hand.

“Minnie, that’s rude.” Ryeowook then pouted in that teasing way only friends from the crib could pull off at each other.

“I’m just saying, six years for a relationship that started in high school is nothing to sneeze at,” Sungmin said. “I’m twenty-four and I still haven’t had a relationship come close to lasting that long.”

“Gee, I wonder why,” Kyuhyun said. Ryeowook flicked him again. “And now we’re even,” Kyuhyun said to Sungmin.

“I still can’t believe I’m getting married before you guys,” Donghae said wistfully, having placed his order for five slices of pie at the counter, “I always thought that’d be the first thing you two would do after high school.”

“We were eighteen!” Ryeowook protested.

“So? I half-expected Kyuhyun to propose during graduation, the dude was so love-struck.” Eunhyuk snorted.

“If he were that lovestruck, we would have gone out to eat afterwards like I wanted, instead of spending an hour looking for his graduation cap,” Ryeowook said, sipping his coke.

“That cap was a rental!” Kyuhyun said. “You can’t lose rentals.”

“Well then you shouldn’t have thrown it so high.”

“I threw it a reasonable height. The wind just happened to carry it.”

“Right into the lake.”

The whole conversation carried the softened edges of an argument held dozens of times before yet no less banter-like now. The bickering was so cute the other three men couldn’t help but laugh at the domesticity of it.

“God, you two are sickening.” Sungmin downed half his drink.

“So, what’s your excuse now?” Eunhyuk asked. “Not 18 anymore, almost graduated, decent career prospects: what’s holding you back from tying that knot?”

The couple exchanged glances; their entwined fingers pulled apart just a hair.

“Well, to be honest, the last time it came up…” Ryeowook started.

“…we kind of had a ‘disagreement,”’ Kyuhyun finished, eyeing his boyfriend.

“Was is about the wedding colors? Because you should always go seasonal no matter what the wedding planner says,” Donghae asserted indignantly.

“…No.” Ryeowook shook his head. “It was actually more about who should propose—”

“Or who should not propose,” Kyuhyun corrected.

“Really, who got to propose first,” Ryeowook said. “And that kind of turned into a whole petty feud thing—”

“Involving three botched proposals.”

“—and ended in a pretty bad fight—”

“I lost an engagement ring.”

“—and basically, we decided to just put the marriage thing off for a while. I mean, neither of us are going anywhere and we both have university health insurance so what does an extra ring provide us, huh?” Ryeowook laughed grasping Kyuhyun’s hand tighter.

Their three high school friends just stared at them.

“Seriously, I cannot believe you are still with him,” Sungmin reiterated.

“Wait, wait,” Eunhyuk interrupted before the couple could finish their groan and attack Sungmin, “I don’t get the drama. Why shouldn’t Kyuhyun be the one to propose?”

Kyuhyun let out a bark of laughter while Ryeowook looked ready to murder his dual-named friend. “Because,” the smaller hissed, “it matters a great deal to me. The proposal is a very big romantic gesture and I have wanted to do one since I was twelve.”

“But your couple name has always been Kyuwook. Has been since high school,” Eunhyuk said. “Doesn’t his name coming first mean Kyu tops?”

“Not as often as you’d think,” Ryeowook said wryly.

“Hey, hey, hey, let’s not get into those technicalities here!” Kyuhyun said. “Just the fact that my name comes first in a couple’s name you agreed to gives me some priority on the proposal front.”

“The order of our antiquated couple’s name has no bearing on the proposal qualifications.”

“I get what Ryeowook’s saying,” Sungmin said (to the surprise of no one). “The proposal is a beautiful landmark for the relationship and very important to whoever gets to plan it. Kyuhyun would totally screw it up.”

“That's not what he was saying.”

“That’s kind of what I was saying.” Ryeowook looked at Kyuhyun. “You swallowed your own engagement ring.”

“That didn't…I wasn’t—The waiter screwed up the order!” Kyuhyun pushed his hair back with both hands, huffing. “Donghae, you’re the only one here who’s actually getting married. What do you think?”

The unsuspecting puppy blinked at him, faculties clearly having been somewhere else this conversation. “Uh…” he gaped. “Have you tried Rock, Paper, Scissors?”

The table was silent.

“Whelp, it’s official: you two are never getting married.” Sungmin slammed the rest of his drink. “Check please!”

>>>        >>>       >>>       >>>        >>>      >>>

Later in the car:

“Just to be clear, I only agreed to ‘Kyuwook’ because ‘Ryeohyun’ didn’t sound as cute.”

“I know.”

“It doesn’t mean you’re the top.”

“Oh, I know.”

“You’d better.”

….

….

“Doesn’t mean you get to propose first either.”

“Shut up.”

A/N: Slowly but surely...It's taken me a year to finish a collection of flippin' drabbles...Thanks for reading!

Edit: So several of you suggested Fact #32 He Loves Giraffes and rightfully so because it's the greatest Ryeowook fact of all time so you all deserve recognition for acknowledging that. The following contributors: Hanzo242, leunah23, and Jorgeegroj