heyah! thanks for dropping those comments on your wait out :) here's the second/last part of this one-shot. i'll put my notes at the end of the page, so i don't spoil anything. but let's say ahead of time: this is purely fictional (and far away from their real personalities, in case you're not aware of that anyways lol. it's just a story)

small disclaimer (contains spoiler /cough/: infidelity is a bad thing and i don't support it (just saying bc people like to accuse others of the wildest things nowadays lol). if you're uncomfortable with the topic (heck, who isn't?), don't read it!

STAY part. 2

He slipped down to the floor and cried. Sunggyu was scared his selfish behavior had just destroyed what little they had. Woohyun was never going to let them be more if Sunggyu could not even follow one rule. The thought of losing Woohyun forever made his chest tighten and it felt like he wasn’t able to breathe without the other man. Am I being overly possessive? Sunggyu gnawed on his lower lip. He stood back up with shaky legs and walked to the living room to get his phone. He messaged Sungjong, asking if he could come over. His friend replied after ten minutes, saying he was on the way.

About half an hour later, Sungjong knocked on his door and Sunggyu let him in. His friend immediately noticed the puffy, red eyes and huffed. “What did he do?”

Sunggyu sighed and shuffled towards the couch. “He didn’t do anything. It was all my fault.”

Sungjong lifted a brow in doubt. He sat down next to Sunggyu and put an arm around him. “Tell me what happened.”

“Woohyun told me to not leave any hickeys on him. It was a rule and I broke it. I tried leaving a hickey on his neck and he got mad. He pushed me away and left, saying he needed some air to think about things.” He sniffled and wiped his eyes.

His friend looked at him in disbelief. “He freaked out because of a ing hickey?”

Sunggyu pursed his lips. “He said his boss doesn’t like seeing his workers run around with love bites and stuff... I broke his trust, Sungjong! What if he doesn’t come back?”

Sungjong shook his head firmly. “The heck! You didn’t do anything wrong. If you ask me, that guy of yours is weird! He’s acting suspiciously. Are you allowed to leave hickeys in other places where no one can see when Woohyun’s wearing clothes?”

“No... None at all.”

Sungjong’s expression darkened. “That’s just weird, Sunggyu! I’m starting to believe he is seeing someone else.”

His heart stopped for a second. Sunggyu stared at his friend. “What? No! Woohyun told me I’m the only one! He likes me.”

“Did he tell you so?” Sungjong asked dryly.

He swallowed thickly. “No...but I just know! I know he likes me too. I can see it in his eyes. I can feel it in the way he holds me.”

“Sunggyu...” His friend seemed worried now.

“You don’t understand, Sungjong. You haven’t met him.”

“Yeah? Why is that? Oh right, because he refuses to meet your friends.” Sungjong rolled his eyes. “And neither have you met his.”

Sunggyu gnawed on his lower lip again. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t think I can live without him anymore. He’s like a drug, Sungjong, a drug I need to survive.”

Sungjong grabbed his arms firmly. “Don’t you think you’re exaggerating? You’ve lived just fine before he entered your life. You can’t let yourself get too dependent on someone like that. What if he really leaves you? What if he turns out to be a liar?”

The questions gnawed at his mind. Sungjong’s doubts made Sunggyu’s beliefs waver. He didn’t think Woohyun was lying to him or seeing someone else, but the sheer possibility was enough to make his eyes water. He loved Woohyun so much. It just couldn’t be true. Sungjong heaved a sigh. “I’m sorry. I know you just want someone to comfort you and here I am making you feel worse. I’m just worried about you. That guy is starting to look real shady with his behavior. If you meet up again, you definitely have to push him a little. Be brave, Sunggyu. Ask him to meet his friends or to see his apartment. Tell him you want to go on a real date during daytime. Don’t be afraid of him leaving you for asking these kinds of things. They are normal things every couple should do. This relationship you guys have isn’t real or healthy. It won’t change if you don’t step up and say something. You deserve to be shown off by your boyfriend. He should consider himself ing lucky to get a chance to date you!”

Sunggyu smiled at the end. He hugged his friend tightly. “Thank you, Sungjong. Y-You’re right. I’ll be more forward. Woohyun will come back because he loves me. I know it.”

He didn’t know where Woohyun got his number, but Sunggyu received a message from him a few days later. “I’m sorry for overreacting like that last time. I hope you can forgive me. I know you like surprises and you want a date, so I’ll pick you up on Wednesday at 10 am in front of your apartment. Pack a pair of swimming trunks and sleepwear. PS: I won’t mind if you pack neither.” He was overjoyed by the message but then Sunggyu remembered he had an important exam on Wednesday. He checked his schedule again and saw the two appointments colliding. Sunggyu didn’t want to reject Woohyun’s attempt to mend the crack in their relationship. Woohyun finally asked him out on a real date. How could he possibly say no to that? He could always repeat an exam, but a date with Woohyun might not happen again if he said no now. Sunggyu told him he’d be there. Sungjong was fuming of course. He gave Sunggyu a lecture on how it was a ‘ing stupid’ idea and how he should definitely take the exam instead. Sunggyu didn’t listen.

On Wednesday, Sunggyu was waiting in front of his apartment with a small bag. It was 9:50 am, the sun was up and shining, a warm breeze ghosted over his skin and Sunggyu felt like today was going to be the best day in his life. Finally he’d be able to walk under the sun with Woohyun. He’d be able to show off this handsome man as his. He smiled to himself and hugged the bag closer to his chest. Sunggyu wondered if staying somewhere else over night meant staying at Woohyun’s apartment. His heart raced inside of his chest. Maybe this time he’d be able to enjoy a morning with Woohyun.

While he was smiling to himself, a car pulled over and Woohyun smiled at him through the open window. “Hey, Angel. Come on in.”

The nickname made Sunggyu’s smile widen. He had gotten used to the affectionate nickname by now and Woohyun only used it when he was in a good mood. Everything seemed fine again. Sunggyu got into the car and put his bag on the backseat. Woohyun closed the distance between them in that moment and kissed him. He smiled against the other man’s lips and eagerly parted his lips for Woohyun’s tongue. A hand cupped his cheek and held him place. When they parted again, Sunggyu hummed contently. Woohyun gave him another peck and then leaned back into his seat.

“I’ve missed you, Angel.”

Sunggyu leaned back as well and fastened his seatbelt. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, silly. I’m not going to tell you.” Woohyun said teasingly.

As they drove towards their destination, Sunggyu kept thinking about the things Sungjong told him. He didn’t know how to start the conversation, especially since he was afraid of ruining the day. “Woohyun...”

The other man looked at him shortly before concentrating back on the street. “Hm?”

“You remember my best friend I talked to you about? Sungjong?”

Woohyun hummed in reply. Sunggyu’s fingers fumbled with his shirt. “He wants to meet you. I know we’ve talked about this before and you said no, but it would mean a lot to me and I want you to be a part of my life. I don’t want to hide you.”

“Of course I can meet him.”

Sunggyu’s eyes widened and he stared at his lover. He smiled. “Really?”

“If it makes you happy, of course. I’m sorry if I made you sad, Angel.” Woohyun gave him an apologetic smile and reached over to hold his hand.

He shook his head. “I’m happy. Thank you.”

After a moment of hesitation, Sunggyu said: “I love you.”

Silence engulfed them. Woohyun squeezed his hand tightly. Sunggyu felt a heavy weight on his chest. He wanted to say a squeeze was not enough of a reply. He wanted to ask why Woohyun never said those words out loud. Sunggyu wasn’t delusional. He knew Woohyun loved him back but for some reason he couldn’t say the words. Maybe Sungjong was right and Woohyun wasn’t fully out of the closet yet. Maybe he was afraid of letting the whole world know he was homoual.

‘Maybe’ was starting to become Sunggyu’s favorite word.

The drive took them to a small town with a forest and a big lake. They left their stuff in a hotel room and then Woohyun took him out for a walk. They talked about different things; what they had done the previous days and Woohyun even shared a few anecdotes from his youth. Like how he’d always wanted a puppy as a kid, so one day when he found an abandoned, injured puppy at a roadside, he ran over to pick it up and bring it home. The end of the story was that the puppy nearly bit his hand off and Woohyun had been scared of approaching dogs ever since. He even showed Sunggyu the scars on his wrist where the dog had bitten him. Sunggyu had noticed them before but never asked. Now he was happy that Woohyun had shared a part of his past with him. They exchanged stories like that, wandering through the nature hand in hand without a care, simply enjoying the other’s presence and sharing a kiss every now and then. Sunggyu felt like he was floating.

For lunch, they went back to town and ate at a Korean restaurant. Afterwards, they got their swimming trunks from the hotel and headed over to the lake. It was hidden inside the forest and Sunggyu saw no other soul around, probably because it wasn’t summer yet and the water was surely cold. He was reluctant to take off his clothes and enter it, but Woohyun knew how to persuade him. The other man cornered him against a tree, pushing his hands under Sunggyu’s shirt and kissing him passionately. Before he knew it, Sunggyu was and Woohyun threw him into the lake like he weighed nothing. He screamed in shock when the cold water engulfed him and quickly struggled to get back to the surface, spitting the cold water out. He trembled from the low temperature and hugged himself.

“Woohyun!” He shouted at his lover.

Said man just laughed and jumped into the water as well. Woohyun swam over to him and hugged him close. The only source of warmth in that lake was Woohyun’s firm body but Woohyun was shaking as well. Neither of them was wearing the swimming trunks they had brought, but Sunggyu couldn’t care less. Woohyun cursed. “F-, i-it’s really cold.”

“I-I told you!” Sunggyu’s teeth rattled.

Woohyun breathed against his neck. “Maybe w-we should g-get out again.”

“I d-definitely approve of that i-idea.”

They swam towards the shore again. In their foresight, neither had brought a towel to dry their bodies after the planned bath. They laughed at each other’s forgetfulness and snuggled up in the grass with only their swimming trunks on, using each other’s body warmth and the sun to get some feeling into their limbs again. Sunggyu rested his head on Woohyun’s bare chest, listening to the strong heartbeat of the man he loved. His fingers played with his belly button.

“Woohyun, can I ask you something?”  Sunggyu asked after a while.

“Go ahead.” The other man muttered tiredly. Woohyun had his eyes closed, seemingly enjoying the warmth of the sun on their skin.

“Have there been other men? Before me, I mean.”

“No.”

Sunggyu hit his chest half-heartedly. “Liar! The first time we had , you knew exactly what you were doing!”

He glanced at Woohyun and caught the other blushing. His lover looked away. “I’ve only ever watched os, to be honest. I guess the alcohol made me brave enough to act out my fantasies. Besides, the ‘how to’ is not much different from normal , at least when you’re the one on top.”

Now Woohyun was smirking at him and it was Sunggyu’s turn to blush. He averted his gaze again and watched the surface of the water glittering in the light. “So you’ve only ever slept with women? Does anyone know you like men?”

His lover sighed shortly. A hand came to rest on his back and rubbed it in gentle circles. “Sunggyu...”

“Is that why we never go out on dates like normal couples? Why I can’t meet your friends?” He dared to ask. “Are you scared they’ll judge you for being gay?”

“No...I mean, partly, yes. That’s not the only reason though.”

“Is it me? Are you ashamed of me?” Sunggyu asked tentatively, afraid of the answer.

Woohyun suddenly made them roll over and straddled Sunggyu. The older man’s heart skipped a beat at the sudden action. Woohyun looked down at him with a firm gaze, fingers holding Sunggyu down by his shoulders. “Don’t say that. You’re...you’re wonderful. Patient, understanding, kind...so much more than I deserve. It’s all me.”

Sunggyu was about to reply when Woohyun suddenly embraced him again. The younger man hugged him tightly and hid his face against Sunggyu’s chest. He could feel Woohyun’s arms shaking and it scared him a bit. Woohyun was so strong and confident usually. “I’m a selfish man. I haven’t been completely honest with you because I was afraid of losing you. I’m still scared you might leave me if you know the truth. I...I need you, Sunggyu.”

His heart throbbed loudly and he wondered if Woohyun could hear it. Sunggyu was shocked by the revelation of the lie, scared to know the truth, and for a second he wanted to tell Woohyun to shut up and let the illusion live on, but he stayed quiet and waited instead. “Like you guessed, my parents are pretty...traditional. If they knew I like men, they’d probably call an exorcist or send me to some camp in the US to get me cleansed. But they love me, that’s why they would go to such lengths to protect my soul.”

Sunggyu hummed in understanding, though he was still confused and scared as to where this was heading. Whatever it was, Woohyun was afraid of it. Suddenly, Sunggyu was scared this was going to be their last time together. Maybe the trip was only supposed to be a goodbye gift? But the other man had asked him to not leave, which made that possibility seem low. Woohyun didn’t continue on his own, so Sunggyu had to prompt him. “Is that the truth you wanted to tell me? I won’t back out because your parents are against this. We can work on convincing them together and if they don-“

“It’s not that easy, Sunggyu!” Woohyun interrupted him. The older man shut up immediately and bit down on his lower lip. “I’m not done with my confession. My parents aren’t the only problem. As traditional as they are, they’ve always had my life planned out for me. They decided where I’d study and that I’d work at my dad’s company afterwards. And they...they also promised me to their friend’s daughter when we were still small.”

He took the words in and tried to process them. “So...you have a fiancé?”

Woohyun sat up again and looked at him. “Our parents made us marry as soon as we were old enough. I’m married, Sunggyu.”

His heart stopped. Sunggyu in a breath that he was afraid of letting go again. Woohyun was married. He had been sleeping with a married man. He remembered Sungjong’s many warnings about Woohyun seeing someone else and how he had completely turned a deaf ear on them. Tears filled his eyes. Their secret late night meetings weren’t just there to hide the fact that Woohyun liked guys, but also to hide his dirty affair. Was Sunggyu even the only one Woohyun used to cheat on his wife? How many lies had Sunggyu swallowed over time and not doubted even once?

“Sunggyu-“

He pushed the younger man off him and scrambled to pick up his clothes. Sunggyu quickly slipped into his pants. As he wanted to put on his shirt, Woohyun grabbed his elbow. Sunggyu shook the hand off and gave Woohyun an angry glare, though it probably looked pretty weak with the tears filling his eyes. “You’ve used me to cheat on your wife? You told me I was the only one! How could you do this?!”

Woohyun grabbed him again and didn’t let him escape this time. “Please, let me explain.”

“What is there to explain? I’m such a fool! All the time I was falling deeper for you, hoping we’d one day be more, hoping you’d stay with me forever. But you never told me you like me. Sungjong warned me something was wrong about you but I didn’t listen. I’m so stupid! You must’ve been laughing at me inside! Why me? Because I was an easy hole to ?” Tears streamed down his face. Sunggyu wanted to stop them but it hurt too much. No wonder his love had never been enough to make Woohyun stay.

The other man pulled him closer and embraced him fully. Sunggyu tried to break free but Woohyun was much stronger. “Please stop struggling! And stop saying those words! You’re not stupid or just a hole for me to . I’ve never laughed at you. I know I’ve failed you and I don’t deserve your love, but believe me that I wasn’t using you.”

“Then what? I can excuse the first time because you were drunk, but you kept coming back to me afterwards. You shouldn’t have given me hope just to crush it!”

 “BECAUSE I LIKE YOU!” Woohyun suddenly shouted.

The hold around him loosened and Sunggyu took a shaky step backwards