~

The smell of the soup he was cooking was filling the room, it was a sweet smell of seaweed, he tasted it, salt and maybe some pepper.

The room was silent and it was starting to get dark outside, he forgot to switch on the lights when he started to cook and in that moment only the warm yellow light of the stove was there to help him see inside the pot in front of him.

A weird sound coming from the room on the other floor, just above the kitchen; they lived in a small apartment in the attic of a tall building, it had two semi-floors , in the first one there was the hall and the living room with a small open kitchen; linked to it, there was a bathroom and a small laundry , a nice big french window leaded to a spacious balcony with some flower pots and some herbs they used for cooking; on the side of the room there was a winding staircase in white concrete that gave the room a modern taste and linked the two bedrooms in the second floor, to the hall. He sighed, Hyukjae was having another argument with his girlfriend.

I wonder why they are still together, she is a ing witch and they don’t even love each other anymore. He and Hyukjae lived together for a while already, they were friends since high school and went to college together too; it was Hyukjae who asked him to go live with him in the apartment they were staying “it has two rooms anyway and we lived together before, and I really want to keep in touch with you, if we start to work we may not see each other anymore” he said, and he was right. Living with him was ok, they could chat after work, or go out clubbing, or confide the other their crushes. They were different, yes, because Donghae liked boys, but Hyukjae was always cool about that “love is love after all” he always said.

He was still thinking of the past and the soup started boiling, he reduced the heat and tasted it again. Not bad. Suddenly he felt two arms sliding from behind to grab his waist firmly; he froze, a shiver down his spine, then he  looked down and saw a pair of skinny, and slightly hairy, hands overlapped on his stomach. He released a breath he wasn’t even aware he was holding, at least he knew those hands. A pair of lips got closer to his ear “please...don’t get mad and play along” it was a whisper, a blow of hot breath and still it made him shudder.

“uh?” he tried to ask, but his answer never came.

“What are you doing Hyukjae?” an annoying voice filled the room; the grip on his waist got stronger for a second before the other let go grunting.

“Can’t you tell? I’m hugging my friend!” his voice was dry, but Donghae couldn’t tell which expression he had, and he had no intentions on turning around, he just kept stirring the soup that was almost ready.

“Oh...No Hyukjae, you aren’t really playing this game with me, we were talking and you leaved me in the room alone” she was sounding exceptionally threatening and her already high pitched voice was even louder than usual. So ing annoying.

“ No, you were the one talking, I have nothing more to say, I told you we are OVER!” Hyukjae’ voice wasn’t that loud, he was just answering her dryly, hoping she could just disappear.

“You can’t break up with me, I decide when to break up...and don’t find stupid excuses like you are gay and in love because I do perfectly know it’s a lie” she was shouting already, making the usual peace of their apartment vanish. Donghae wished she could just implode and leave his poor ears alone; he was still stirring the soup, fighting not to turn around to see the scene that was happening behind him, but that last sentence made him shiver. What was this thing? Of course it was a lie, he perfectly knew his friend, but then why was he feeling uncomfortable? It was like he was expecting something bad to happen but he didn’t know what.

“of course I can, you are only using me, up all my energy, you are annoying and fake, I’m wasting my life with you and besides I don’t even love you!” the girl grunted in disbelief, making Hyukjae even angrier “what? You don’t believe me? I  told you I’m in love with someone else!”

“Ah yes...” the girl was chanting “ and that would be a man? Oh please, and you met this person where? And when, since I’m always with you...”

Hyukjae closed his fists firmly before answering with a hoarse voice “ Are you retarded or what? You always tell me I’m too close with Donghae and that he is too touchy and that he may affect me with his homouality, and now you are surprised?” Donghae gaped, and stopped to stir, that questioned their friendship before? How dare she? Their friendship was always pure brotherhood, he never thought anything bad at all “I’m in love with him” what? A no...Hyuk don’t...

“prove it!” the girl voice filled the room again, this time what shook him was terror, pure terror.

“Then you’ll ing leave my keys here and vanish from my life? FINE!” his voice was more similar to a growl, he grabbed Donghae arm firmly to make him turn his head and face him. He got closer and few inches away from his lips he whispered, looking in his eyes with a sad look “I’m sorry” ; sparkles exploded in his stomach the moment their lips met. It was weird, they never kissed before, not in a sober state, he wasn’t sure about the times they got drunk, but anyway it happened so rarely because they both couldn’t handle alcohol well.

What happened next was something totally unexpected, but he couldn’t just back off, because his friend was somehow asking him for help. Hyukjae’s tongue flicked inside his mouth, he didn’t know what to do, he just let him do it, feeling a fire burning on his lips; his heart was exploding in his chest, his breath was caught half way, he felt his cheeks warming up a bit, and his eyes were close shut. He tried to seem as natural and relaxed as possible, but he wasn’t feeling his legs anymore.

“You are disgusting!” was the last thing they heard before parting their lips. The girl threw the key of the apartment on the floor, making  a crashing sound  and then run out of the room banging the front door.

Hyukjae sighed soundly looking at his feet, he wasn’t even able to say anything. Donghae turned off the heat and brought the soup on the table, he took two bowls and started to pour the hot liquid in them. His friend took the rice form the rice cooker and filled two bowls before putting them on the table. The atmosphere was tense, they didn’t say a word for few minutes, nor Donghae wanted to look in his friend eyes.

“I’m sorry Hae...”Hyukjae muttered, he was staring at his bowl of rice, not eating at all.

Donghae kept taking a sip of soup and a spoon of rice, same process he did for all the minutes of silence, like a machine, like he was under a weird spell. He wasn’t sure what to think, not what to say. Was he angry? He didn’t know. He felt used, it was painful to think it like that, but it was just what came in his mind. Is not like only because he was gay he could have been used like that “why should I forgive you?”

Hyukjae gaped and looked at him, his eyes were so sorry they looked less shiny than usual, even smaller than usual “I...Hae, you know how hard it was to get rid of her, I tried so much to be sincere but then she kept returning and she refused to gave my key back and...”

“Hyuk, even if I can hardly understand the fact you tried to lie...there is no way I can let go of the fact you actually kissed me” he was starting to feel unease in front of his old friend; still he felt his words were too harsh, because Hyukjae had just become a single, after kissing a male, with all the consequences, and he was his friend.

“I...” Hyukjae pressed his index and thumb on the bridge of his nose and closed his round eyes for a moment, knowing him he was trying to hide his feeling and to look stronger “I had to, she wasn’t believing me and the kiss was a prove...of course for a stupid person like her...Hae, we are friends it was just a kiss”

“Just a kiss? You used your tongue on me! On me your friend, being sorry and asking to play along is not enough, you should have asked it in a better way, we could have talked about it beforehand. Instead you just kissed me, and I stood there, I couldn’t push you but you can’t demand that I won’t be mad at you for at least another hour” he was being even too kind, if it was another person and not his dear friend, the result might have been disastrous for the other.

“But...Hae you are gay, you like men kissing you” ah Hyukjae sometimes you can be so silly; you are able to say the wrong word at the wrong time, and even able to make me mad at you, you squishy monkey.

“I do like to be kissed by men, but there is a small difference, we are friends not a couple and most important, you know how much I hate surprises like this. You made me feel...used” he said it, it sounded even more stupid once it came out, but his pride was talking for itself.

Hyukjae gaped, and then got closer  he looked really sorry “If I can do anything to be forgiven...just tell me. But used...you know is not like that I didn’t thought it was such a big deal being kissed I...” his monologue was cut off by Donghae lips.

He decided that the easy way to show his friend how annoying was to be kissed like that was to give him the same experience; but he was used to kiss men not girls, there was no kindness in his kiss. Their lips crashed together and as Hyukjae opened his mouth in disbelief he slipped his tongue inside; he started to the inside of his mouth, at first like the other did with him, but soon the kiss become deeper and hotter. He was keeping his head in place tugging him closer with his hands, one on his neck the other on his chin. Hyukjae hands were down he was totally immobile, his eyes shut his face all red, Donghae opened his eyes for a moment and after seeing the flushed face of his friend he twirled his tongue inside that hot mouth once more, subtly before freeing those lips. Hyukjae eyes were still shut, his lips slightly parted  were swollen from the kiss they shared, his face was all red and red marks were expanding on his neck too. He looked cute, especially the moment he opened one of his eyes, as to see what was happening, like to check if they were done or not. Donghae couldn’t help but smile softly at the sight.

Hyukjae opened both of his eyes wide and blushing even more ,and it was merely possible, he stood up, fists clenched, he made a weird sound before running over the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

Donghae didn’t’ know what to do, he touched his lips and felt they were wet. Maybe that kiss was a bit too much, it reflected his frustration, but maybe his friend now was mad at him instead. Oh well they were even, now he knew how it felt to be kissed that way...sorta. Ok, maybe his kiss was a bit, just a bit, deeper than the one they shared before, but he was the one mad, and the victim so he just did the right thing. A sense of guilt spread in his chest, thinking of the poor innocent lips he just few moment before. It was still different from what he experienced when the girl was there.

~

Why isn’t he coming out of the bathroom?  Is he throwing up? A shiver down his spine, that thought was even more scary than a punch in the middle of his delicate face. He looked at the  closed door, there was no sound behind it. Maybe he wasn’t throwing up at least.

It took him ten good minutes to decide to stand up and walk towards the bathroom, once he was close enough he called “Hyuk...are you ok?” no response “ you are in there for a bit now...I’m starting to worry...” still silence in the room. He couldn’t help it, he wanted to enter and see what was happening “I’m coming in...” silence.

The room was dark the moment he opened the door, he switched on the light and saw a, smaller than ever, Hyukjae curled up, his arms hugging his legs, his head  buried in between. He looked so fragile, and hurt, he didn’t’ know why, but his heart started to beat faster and faster in his chest. Donghae moved towards him but just before he could reach him he heard a whisper “ can you forgive me now?” Hyukjae’ voice sounded so delicate like a gentle caress.

“yes...I can” he said without even have to think about it twice “but why are you here all curled up?” he asked gently as he crouched near his friend. He wanted to touch him, but he didn’t, he was somehow afraid of it.

Hyukjae lifted his head and then released his legs, stretching them on the floor “that’s why” he said. Donghae gaped.

---------------------------

I hope you'll like this short weird story, yeah I don't know how I came up with this idea ;P

ah don't mind the strange sketches, I did them in class, but yet I like them so I wanted to put them inside the story :3