Seven Days

For kheart43

Pairing: Myungyeol

Prompt: Myung and Yeollie are childhood friends and Yeollie moves to Japan during middle school. When they are 20 years old, they meet again...

 

Summary: Myungsoo and Sungyeol are joined at the hip since grade school, but in reality Sungyeol doesn't like Myungsoo very much because he's moody and dark and has a bird's nest for hair, but he follows Sungyeol around like a puppy and he can't leave the guy alone because, hey, their moms are like BFFs. So, he's sort of relieved to move to Japan even if Myungsoo's crying as he goes. Then , he comes back years later and almost doesn't recognize Myungsoo because, damn, he looks good and actually has a sense of humor (no matter how weird it may be). Though, in the end, Myungsoo still gives him those puppy eyes and it's like nothing has changed at all.

---

"You have seven days."

 

Sungyeol stares.

Blinks.

Wipes his eyes.

Stares again.

And still, he doesn't really understand (rather doesn't believe) what's happening.

He takes in the obnoxious smirk, the condescending eyes, and the way that perfect face is propped so haughtily on one hand even though Sungyeol is the one looking down on him because he's standing up and the other male is just sitting on a desk while still managing a taunting air as if daring Sungyeol to do something about it.

He takes it in and doubts reality and everything he has ever known in life for about the billionth time that month.

Can someone really change so quickly?

 

 

He still remembers like it was yesterday...

Way back in maybe second grade when his mother introduced him to her new best friend (gossiping partner) and the son that was just a year younger than him, but should get along with, too.

Now, Sungyeol was a pretty popular second grader. He got dibs on the playground, he was the tallest and the smartest kid in class, and the teacher always gave him the most golden star stickers by the end of the day. So, being blessed like that, making friends was like second nature for Sungyeol.

That is if it wasn't for the fact that the kid he had to play with was as interesting as a stick of wood.

An ugly stick of wood.

He was scrawny and short and had hair that was way too long and poofy to be natural. Plus, all the kid did, even when the two women left them to their own devices, was glare at him, pout, or occasionally whine to himself.

He even ignored him when Sungyeol offered up his toy race cars. So Sungyeol merely shrugged, deciding that he had done everything in his power and left the kid to his... constipation symptoms or whatever, and amused himself with his own toys as if the dark blob in the corner was just a giant fly on the wall (though in reality that would probably be very, very frightening).

That is until he pulled back one car a little too far and it sped away, bumping into a sliver of some black plastic object protruding from under his bed.

Sungyeol crawled over to it, curious as to what his car had hit.

When he picked the object up in his hands, it took a little while to register that it was a camera. Not a real one of course but one of those cameras that you looked in and could see vivid cartoon pictures that switched with every hard click of the shutter button.

It was the type of toy that fascinated Sungyeol for all of two minutes after being purchased before he got bored and abruptly forgot about once he got home to his pile of other play things.

The same pattern happened as Sungyeol nonchalantly clicked around the repetitive five pictures over and over again at a fast pace until the images eventually seemed to blur together.

"What's that?"

"Gah!"

Sungyeol tossed the camera in his surprise, the object hitting the other boy's face which was now way too close for comfort and Sungyeol can't believe he hadn't noticed him edging forward earlier.

"Ouch!"

The scrawny kid rubbed his reddening forehead, pouting again, and Sungyeol was still too shocked, hand over his racing heart, to laugh at the situation.

"Uh... sorry?"

The younger glared at him unconvincingly, lower lip jutting out and eyebrows knit in a way that could never be close to menacing. Sungyeol was about to turn away, not wanting to sit through one of those awkward silences of single sided glaring again, when the kid abruptly pointed at the toy that had bounced off half a foot away.

"What's that?"

He repeated, though his voice was considerably lower, a murmur even.

Sungyeol felt the corners of his lips tug up, amused that the child still wanted to play with the offending object that had whacked him on the head still.

"It's a camera. You haven't seen one before?"

Sungyeol watches him shake his head and dubs the child beyond sheltered before he scoots over to the boy and teaches him how to use it. (Who knew looking through a hole and pressing a button could be so hard to get?)

It's when he sees the kid, even more enraptured by the simple toy than he had been when he first touched it, with eyes that sparkle and actually seem alive now, and wearing an expression all too gleeful and amazed (He actually knows how to smile. Wow.) that Sungyeol decides he might not be all that bad.

"You can have it if you want."

The younger of the two snaps his attention back to Sungyeol, his eyes peeking through his long bangs and looking at him with such reverence that one would think Sungyeol was his god.

"Really?!"

Sungyeol shrugs, feeling something swell in his chest, and finally cracks a smile.

"Sure."

The kid bites his lip, a high pitched squeal still forcing its way out, as he looks back and forth between Sungyeol and the camera at breakneck speed before decidedly glomping Sungyeol to the ground.

Later the little one introduces himself as Kim Myungsoo and proceeds to attach himself to Sungyeol's side for the entirety of grade school.

Sungyeol doesn't mind it at first.

In fact, it was sort of nice to have this little someone, almost acting like a loyal dog, worshipping him with puppy eyes and answering his every beck and call just because he had given the guy a toy camera he didn't even want.

That is if he still wasn't moody and dark in every other situation that didn't have Sungyeol in it and actually got a proper hair cut since that bird's nest he substitutes for hair is most likely illegal in every country in the world. Because Sungyeol, even as they grow older, is the tallest, smartest, most popular guy in school and having something like that, who isn't even good at anything, independently become like a part of his shadow, wasn't really great for his image.

But he can't leave Myungsoo alone because, hey, their moms are still, like, the closest of friends so they naturally have to be best buds too, right?

So when his parents divorce, he's sort of relieved to move to Japan with his father even if Myungsoo's crying at the airport because 'Why didn't you tell me earlier, Yeollie hyung?'

Half of him at that moment is mortified that a middle school boy is actually crying and the other half is embarrassed at the use of his grade school nickname Myungsoo had given him but he never actually liked. (Who would want to be called Yeollie?)

He doesn't say anything in return. Doesn't inspect the damage. Doesn't feel the guilt.

Nor does he look back before he walks through the terminal to catch the whispered words spoken by a broken looking boy.

 

 

Now, Sungyeol comes back from Japan to attend university. It's not like he wasn't the top of his class in that foreign land, he just had a set plan to go to the best college in Korea and a few years in another country wasn't going to deter him from his long time goals.

He was easily accepted, moving into an apartment near campus, and feeling expectant for the praise and awe he was sure to get due to his superior intellect, amazing personality, and did he really even need to mention his appearance?

He took the bus to school (so that more people could admire his perfection) with a smirk plastered on his face.

The sun was out. The birds were chirping. And he looked hot.

All was well in the universe.

So, could you imagine the shock he experienced when he stepped onto campus in his best outfit, piercings on full display, his dark auburn hair tied back in a stylishly short ponytail and only half the girls in the entire school turned to stare at him? Half.

This can't be real...

It was completely unacceptable.

Absolutely unheard of.

He had never felt more shame in his entire life than he did in that one moment.

(Except maybe that one time he broke a girl's nose in dodge ball and his parents made him bow in apology. But it was her fault for just standing there. She literally had it coming for her.)

Sungyeol's mood was officially ruined.

 

 

It turns out that he didn't need to wait long to find the cause of disruption in his plans for complete social domination of the university.

The evidence was everywhere.

The whispering girls, the random squeals throughout the day, and the large 'Join the Kim Myungsoo Appreciation (Fan)Club' banner slung over a table during club week (It had the longest line out of every other table that day).

The next month was a nightmare.

Sure he had a following, but it never compared to the likes of some guy named 'Kim Myungsoo' whom he had never even met, or seen for that matter, as of yet.

Not to mention that during the first two weeks, he couldn't help a giant nagging feeling that there was something missing. Some piece of information that was ebbing away at him, buried deep in his subconscious as an important thing he used to know but couldn't remember.

Then, the day he remembered, it came like an epiphany.

A smack to the face.

Quite literally (No, not literally. Are you crazy?) a brick to the head.

Maybe something had triggered it.

Maybe he had heard that distinctive laugh. Maybe he had caught a piece of conversation, some dialogue giving the perfect clue he needed to be reminded.

Maybe it was just that name. Maybe hearing that name repeated enough just made something... click.

But even when Sungyeol knew he knew, he still had a hard time connecting the images fluttering in his head.

Because this Kim Myungsoo was that Kim Myungsoo.

And no matter how many times he told himself it could just be a coincidence, someone with the same name, same age, same hometown since there was no way in any parallel universe that the little, moody, shrimp of half his childhood would ever become popular. Let alone more popular than Lee Sungyeol himself.

Though he knew that wasn't possible. It really was Myungsoo.

Don't ask him how he was sure. He just was.

And that is how he proceeded to spend the following two weeks wallowing in self reflection (self pity) and depression over his minimal popularity (actually his fan club was growing fast, just not fast enough).

Sungyeol shuffled into the lecture hall with a frown marring his features. Setting down his shoulder bag in a huff, Sungyeol resisted the urge to prop his legs on the desk and heave a large sigh if only for the sake of proper appearances.

It wasn't until after the lecture, with everyone packing and leaving, did he realize that there was something different. Something that just wasn't right.

Once he started paying attention, it didn't take long for his ears to register various high pitched frequencies that when deciphered would spell out "girls" and "flirting" and "getting laid." He immediately looked around because, no, those frequencies were not getting closer to him, but they were moving farther away.

Sungyeol zeroed in on an annoying mass of female entities at the other side of the hall that didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon.

He narrowed his eyes.

That should be his annoying horde of fangirls.

Stalking over at a brisk pace, Sungyeol made sure he still looked amazing and proceeded to slow back down into his runway worthy stroll once he had reached the vicinity of the offending, ignorant blob of people.

Sungyeol wanted to take vengeance on the man who had stolen his spotlight. Disrupted the very essence of nature.

"Hey."

Sungyeol placed his hands in his pockets, making his presence known.

The crowd of girls immediately parted for him, staring in silence and in awe (as they should) at the appearance of another godly figure.

Sungyeol was prepared to laugh.

There's no way the guy could even be close to as y as I am--

Holy .

Sungyeol's humorless laugh choked in his throat.

Well, what do you know...

This guy actually has a face...

That's--

He could feel his pride dying a little inside. He swallowed hard.

--good looking.

Sungyeol cringed inwardly. He was probably going to start coughing blood for how painful that was to admit.

But it was true. So evidently true that he had no choice but to come to terms with it.

The guy had a light smile tugging on pale pink lips. His dark hair was styled perfectly carelessly. Giving off the image of a total badass. Or an . The label depended on if Sungyeol approved of him or not.

Then there was his skin; seemingly going against any law of nature as it was free of blemishes and was somehow ing glowing in the crappy lighting of this university hall. (Like, how. That should be illegal. No one's skin should be able to look better than Sungyeol's.)

But what stood out the most were his eyes.

They were the deepest shade of glittering brown, almost black, and while Sungyeol felt like he could be into them and drown forever, they glimmered like obsidian in a way that revealed nothing. Remaining detached. Impersonal.

It only made the man more mysterious.

And mysterious meant attractive in girl language.

And Sungyeol surely wasn't mysterious.

(No way in hell could this be Myungsoo. Coming to terms with an idea in his head was a lot easier without the actual person in front of him. He was just too different.)

So now that he no longer had the right to laugh, Sungyeol did the next best thing an honest person would do:

"I hate you."

He stated, his best smile plastered over his face.

Dramatic gasps.

Amused eyes glanced over him. The light smile making a smooth transition to a smirk.

"Well, then, I hate you too."

A vein twitched in Sungyeol's forehead.

"I'm going to make you grovel at my feet."

A raised eyebrow.

"How so?"

Sungyeol is egged on by the condensing tone seeping through every little word Myungsoo speaks. He took full advantage of his height, standing over the male still leisurely resting on the seat, smile betraying the venom dripping through his words.

"Just watch, by the end of the week, you will be nothing. I'll reveal all your dirty little secrets to the rest of the world and let's see if anyone, let alone a girl, would want to come within a fifty mile radius of you."

A flash of realization through obsidian eyes.

A scoff.

Sungyeol felt his blood start to boil at the dry look he was receiving, as if he was being judged and classified as nothing but a immature grade schooler.

"That's what this is about?"

Myungsoo rested his cheek on one of his hands, angling his head to eye Sungyeol.

"Popularity?"

The way that single word is said sounds like an insult and Sungyeol is left more miffed than when he originally stalked over here.

The man finally turns in his seat, fully facing Sungyeol and leaning sideways against his propped arm.

"Then how about this, Mr. --?"

His inquiring tone and pressuring stare force Sungyeol to reluctantly bite out a response.

"Lee Sungyeol."

"--Mr. Lee Sungyeol: I bet that in seven days nothing is going to change."

He reclines back a little.

"Actually, if anything, you will probably be the one groveling for my attention."

"Me?!"

Sungyeol squawked. His perfect disposition cracking.

Where did this kid come from, saying like that?

His ego's bigger than mine.

And that was a truly terrifying thing.

For a faltering moment, Sungyeol frowned.

Did Myungsoo not even recognize him? Did his name not ring any bells?

The difference in treatment from when they were children to now was too cruel. He couldn't believe this was the little kid that hid behind his back and worshipped him and respected him like a pet to his master.

The contrast only made him more irritated.

More determined.

"Fine."

Sungyeol huffed. His patience strung thin.

"We'll see who wins by the end of this week."

"Oh. I know I'm going to win."

And it said so abruptly, cutting off his sentence with such indifference that Sungyeol is left speechless.

"You just have seven days to prove me wrong."

"...What?"

The man doesn't respond. Instead, he gets up, the girls dispersing as the (Sungyeol decides that he doesn't like the guy, for completely new reasons now than when they were younger. Therefore he has no right to be called a 'badass'. At all.) slings his satchel over his shoulder and makes to leave.

Myungsoo doesn't even pause in his steps as he glances back, throws another smirk, and offers a halfhearted back wave. (Like, do people really think that makes them look cool? No. It looks retarded.)

"Good luck."

And as the heavy doors close with a resounding boom! ('cause heavy doors don't click they rumble like ing thunder) Sungyeol wants to punch the wall. Or Myungsoo's annoying face.

Or his annoying everything.

Because that would be very stress relieving.

Instead, he lets the feelings ferment in his gut for a little bit before screaming in complete, utter frustration and feels better for only a second because a piece of chalk hits him like a bullet to the head and the professor tells him to shut up and get the hell out of his classroom.

Sungyeol leaves with a string of curses assigned for a certain Kim Myungsoo falling from his lips.

 

 

Day 1

Sungyeol steps onto campus with a fire in his eyes and determination in every move he makes.

He doesn’t have classes until hours later but he arrives early anyway because he knows Myungsoo does. He had asked a girl for Myungsoo’s schedule before he went home since he knew she would give it to him (He’s hot. ‘Nuff said.) and that she would have it (Because fangirls are creepy like that).

(Little did he know that one hot guy asking for another hot guy’s schedule was enough valid material for said girl to speed home, write three pages of , tell the whole female population, and therefore create a new ‘fellowship’ growing larger by the minute. Yes, because girls are creepy like that.)

Sungyeol follows Myungsoo to his first seminar, taking out his own notebook and pen to jot down any nasty habits the guy might do when he thinks no one is looking.

It isn’t hard to find out where Myungsoo is sitting because he’s the only guy in a mass of surrounding girls. Sungyeol kicks a girl out of a seat a couple rows back from where Myungsoo is sitting because that has the best vantage point and he’s not settling for anything less.

Halfway through the seminar he wonders if Myungsoo is a brick.

The guy doesn’t move, doesn’t breathe, doesn’t blink.

(Okay, he does. But he might as well not because he doesn’t even take out a pencil for notes or a recorder for playback.)

Sungyeol expects him to have the worst grades in class.

He writes “Stupid” as a possibility for blackmail.

Turns out he has to cross that out because by his next class, the professor asks a question that leaves everyone stumped so he just calls Myungsoo who gives a perfectly detailed response, with statistics and political theory to back it up, while sporting the most nonchalant expression only capable of technologically advanced androids from outer space. Or Spock. Same difference. (Of course, Sungyeol knew the answer too. There was no way the guy was smarter than him.)

He belatedly realizes that Myungsoo must have skipped a grade in order to be on the same level as Sungyeol in the first place. It only irritates him more.

The whole day is practically filled with the same pattern and Sungyeol is left frustrated beyond belief that he hasn’t found a single thing about Myungsoo that could be used against him.

He even skipped his lessons in hopes of getting something!

The girls obviously adore him. The males admire him. The teachers had absolutely nothing negative to say about him. Sungyeol was grasping at air and he already felt like giving up on the first day of his quest.

The only thing he noticed was that the guy never went to the bathroom. Ever.

Maybe Myungsoo really was an android from space.

He wrote down “Doesn’t poop” in his notebook. He stared at it for a second before scribbling it out furiously because that was probably an attribute if anything.

 

Day 2

Sungyeol tries a different tactic: Talking to him.

Trailing the guy hadn’t worked (Sungyeol refuses to think of his actions as stalking. There was no way Lee Sungyeol would ever be reduced to such a derogatory of a position as a stalker.) so this was the next best thing to see Myungsoo with his shields down.

You know what they say, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

Therefore, in the only lecture they share, Sungyeol deliberately seats himself beside the boy and suavely takes out his class materials before settling into the back achingly uncomfortable rigidness of manufactured plastic and right angles.

“Hey.”

Sungyeol gives a perfect business smile. Myungsoo looks unimpressed. He rests his head on a hand.

Sungyeol is then ignored.

Sungyeol is now offended.

He resigns himself to glaring daggers at the disconcerted male next to him for the remainder of the period.

But through the course of the lecture, glaring turns into mild gazing which gives way to half lidded looking which leads up to blatant staring.

He really does have a pretty face…

Sungyeol finds himself admiring Myungsoo once again; the milky skin and seemingly silken hair fitting well with sharp features and a long nose. He notices a black speck on the corner of Myungsoo’s right eyelid.

What a weird place to have a mole…

He blinks himself back to a normal state of mind. Maybe it was because he had known the guy before he looked like this that his appearance now called for Sungyeol’s attention when he usually wouldn’t bat an eyelash even if a runway model passed him by.

He pauses.

Before… That’s it!

Sungyeol almost jumps up in his seat at the revelation. Almost yells out in triumph.

But that would be inappropriate in such a setting so he merely smirks mischievously at Myungsoo’s profile, mentally patting himself on the back while he was at it.

He misses the sideways glance Myungsoo sends him as he reclines himself back into his seat, finally facing the old, ranting professor who was pacing near the podium and almost tangled himself in the microphone cord with the number of circles he made around the thing.

whatever ‘they’ say.

Who needs that kind of bull when you have embarrassing childhood pasts to expose?

 

Day 3

Sungyeol had high hopes for the reactions he expected to garner.

He had posted copies of a dozen different photos of Myungsoo from elementary to middle school all over every bulletin board on campus.

Sungyeol remembered how his mother had sent him frequent letters during the years that he was away, which were full of cheesy words and accompanied by humiliating old photos of him and Myungsoo or anyone else that he would rather not see. He doesn’t remember when he stopped opening them; opting to throw them all in a singular box once they arrived in his hands.

He had spent two hours looking for the dusty box and through all the envelopes. Sungyeol made sure to use the most degrading images he could find; like eight year old Myungsoo crying over candy, or dorky Myungsoo with his crazy, frizzy, bird’s nest of hair, or Myungsoo as Juliet for the school play in eighth grade because Sungyeol thought it would be funny and made the rest of the class vote for the eternally awkward boy.

However, as he strolled through campus, nothing was as he had expected.

Oh, there was a response alright. Just not the kind that he wanted.

Girls were cooing over cross dressed Myungsoo and the dorkier geeks now saw him as an inspiration because if he was like them before, why couldn’t they be like him now? Guys didn’t see him as unapproachable and now he seemed more normal.

The cherry on top was the fact that Myungsoo took no less than a glance at the photos before he shrugged and walked away, an animated crowd of companions chattering behind him.

“…The hell…”

Sungyeol stood, flabbergasted.

Is the whole university just programmed to love Kim Myungsoo no matter what?!

He went up to a girl and asked her about this unnatural phenomenon.

He walks away disturbed.

Apparently some creepy guy stalker (President of the L Kim Appreciation club, brother branch of the Kim Myungsoo Fan Club) had snuck into Myungsoo’s house and stole an entire photo album of baby pictures ( ones too) and posted them on the home page of the school website.

It was a hit.

In the end, all Sungyeol accomplished was the growing number of male members in Myungsoo’s following and the question of ‘Which stalker did it this time so we can thank them with hugs and kisses and other Myungsoo photo collections?’

Sungyeol loses all faith in humanity that day.

 

Day 4

Sungyeol apologizes to whoever ‘they’ are for his earlier rudeness and decides to go back to befriending his enemies.

He walks up to Myungsoo during lunch (It’s strangely the only time he’s alone as everyone else socializes) and stands at the foot of the table until Myungsoo brings his head up to acknowledge his presence.

Sungyeol almost laughs at how childish he looks drinking mineral water with a McDonald’s straw. (Those yellow and red stripes belong to no one else, okay?)

He remembers to write that down.

“Yes?”

Sungyeol feels a vein in his forehead throb at the rude form of address.

He rolls his eyes and plops down on the bench positioned across from Myungsoo. His shoulders finally slump as he rests his cheek on a hand lazily.

“Hash tag done.”

Myungsoo spits out some mineral water from his nose. When he sees Sungyeol smirking, he immediately regains his composure and wipes his nose with the sleeve of his sweater. (Gross.)

“Did you really just say that?”

Sungyeol nods, unabashed.

“Yup.”

Myungsoo raises an eyebrow. A few moments pass before a grin spreads across his thin lips and he leans back in his seat, a fist hovering over his mouth, voice lowering two octaves.

“Gaaaaaaay~”

Sungyeol smirks again and throws a wink at him.

“Only for you, babe.”

There’s a pause.

It’s only after the words are spoken that they realize how unusual it was considering the conditions of their relationship. Their eyes widen simultaneously and Sungyeol realizes this is the first time he’s seen any other expression on the male’s face besides smugness or indifference since they met again. It makes him laugh and it’s not long before Myungsoo joins in.

With how different Myungsoo was, he had almost forgotten that they had used to spend basically every waking moment together, courtesy of Myungsoo’s clinginess.

They ease into a light chatter for the rest of lunch.

“I thought you didn’t recognize me.”

Myungsoo gives him a sly look, mock accusation in his voice.

Sungyeol feigns hurt, unwilling to admit that, yes, at first he really didn’t recognize Myungsoo.

“Oh, I did. From the moment I saw you. But, I just thought you had caught a case of the douche bug and never recovered, what, with your titude and everything, so I didn’t bother mentioning it.”

Myungsoo laughs.

It’s almost like old times. Except now, Sungyeol doesn’t think of Myungsoo as an inconvenience. The conversation is filled with them bantering like friends; equals, not like Sungyeol being set on a high pedestal with Myungsoo hanging off his every word.

They end up cussing each other out and agreeing to meet up the next day before they part for their respective classes.

Sungyeol thinks it may be the unexpected start to a beautiful relationship.

 

Day 5

It’s Saturday and that meant no classes.

That also meant that Sungyeol had the whole day to discover any dirty secrets Myungsoo had.

He recalled that he used to chide Myungsoo for always being disgustingly messy. His room was a constant trash heap of liter and old underwear mixed with new clothes heaped onto a growing mountain that took up half his bed.

I just need evidence…

He arrived in the afternoon and Sungyeol cradled his phone in anticipation as he rang the doorbell of a house that brought him so much nostalgia just being near. It reminded him that he still hasn’t visited his own mother once since returning from Japan. He doesn’t even remember her voice.

Sungyeol resolves to call her by the day’s end.

“Hey. Come in.”

Sungyeol blinks at Myungsoo. Feels his brain circuits fry and smoke detectors go off as all coherent thought shuts down in reckless abandon.

All he could think was;

This guy is .

This guy has a six pack.

I don’t even have a six pack.

Okay, so maybe Myungsoo wasn’t . He was just half . Wearing nothing but low hanging black sweat pants; the waistband of Calvin Klein briefs poking out. His hair was damp and darkened with water, a towel slung around his neck and rivulets of precipitation cascading down a toned chest.

Sungyeol swallowed hard.

His voice came out breathy and hoarse.

“Hey.”

Myungsoo smiled. Sungyeol was still brain dead.

They walked up the stairs to Myungsoo’s bedroom, Sungyeol almost forgetting why he came here in the first place.

“ that my mom’s not home. She would have loved to see you again.”

“She isn’t? Darn. And here I thought I’d actually be getting some good food.”

Myungsoo looked back at him, hand on the knob of his bedroom door.

“I can cook, y’know.”

Sungyeol raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“No way.”

No way was clumsy Myungsoo that cut himself every time he tried peeling an apple good at cooking.

Myungsoo smirked.

“Better than my mom.”

Sungyeol scoffed.

“Now that’s definitely a lie.”

Though if it was true, that was one less thing Sungyeol could use against Myungsoo.

Myungsoo merely shrugged, sing songing a “you’ll see~” as he steps into the room.

Sungyeol takes a look around and feels like he’s in a totally different world than what was created in his memories.

There are no tacky posters or weird mishmashes of neon decorations or piles of smelly clothes disguised as the carpet.

Instead, they’ve been replaced with clean walls and simple photos of landscapes and city stills, black and white furniture and mahogany wood floors. It’s a small room but the neatness of it keeps it spacious. There’s even a desk and a bookshelf, a small plasma screen resting on top of it.

“So, what do you want to do?”

Sungyeol shrugs, making his way towards the TV.

“Any movies you want to watch?”

He misses the mischievous glint in Myungsoo’s eyes and his reply of going to pick one out because he’s fascinated by the contents of the bookshelf supporting the television. It’s not full of novels like it typically would be used for, but it’s a collection of evenly spaced out cameras.

They seem to follow a certain order because the first one is an impressive DSLR Nikon camera and even though Sungyeol doesn’t know much about camera bodies, it looks just like what professionals use and Sungyeol starts to wonder if the pictures on the wall are Myungsoo’s; and as he goes down the rows the next one always seems smaller, more compact, and older.

The last of six cameras puzzles him.

It’s a toy.

“Why’s this here?”

Myungsoo looks up from his laptop, most likely searching for free movies on illegal websites that everyone uses anyway. He looks at the object Sungyeol holds gingerly in his hands. It’s a small black piece of plastic that has long since faded in some areas, scratched in others, but it’s taken care of and Sungyeol is just surprised someone can keep a toy for so long without losing it.

“You don’t remember that?”

Sungyeol tilts his head.

“Should I?”

Myungsoo’s expectant expression falls a bit. Then he smiles. The kind that says ‘I should have known’.

“You gave that to me when we first met.”

Sungyeol blinks rapidly. The words trigger something in his head and it’s like an old file has been dusted and opened because he suddenly remembers a small Myungsoo with glittering eyes as he holds some toy Sungyeol could have cared less about. It was the start of everything.

“You kept it this long?!”

There’s an emotion in Myungsoo’s eyes that he can’t decipher. But it sends a shiver down Sungyeol’s spine and he’s not sure if it’s an unpleasant feeling.

“So, what movie are we watching?”

Sungyeol can’t take the suddenly heavy air any longer and plops down beside Myungsoo who moves to connect his laptop to the TV.

“The Conjuring.”

Sungyeol stiffens.

“Um, yeah. No. Sorry. I’m more of a romcom kind of guy. I don’t do horror movies.”

Myungsoo gives him a set of innocent, glistening eyes.

“But it’ll be fun.”

Sungyeol glares at him.

“ that.”

Myungsoo snorts and gives him a coy look.

“You scared?”

Sungyeol purses his lips. Myungsoo takes it as a victory.

“You’ll love it.”

Halfway through the movie, the lights are turned off, the two of them leaning their backs against Myungsoo’s bed, sitting side by side, and Sungyeol is completely nonchalant.

Actually, it’s more like he has his leg sprawled over Myungsoo’s, arms around him in a koala’s grip, head buried in the crook of Myungsoo’s neck as he peeks at the screen and curses Myungsoo to hell and back with the most sincerity he’s shown in his life.

“You know… Cussing me out in Japanese like that is kind of hot.”

Sungyeol chokes on spit.

His heart skips a beat.

Sungyeol blames it on the jump scare.

“ert.”

“Only for you, babe.”

Myungsoo mocks him, tossing an arm around his shoulder and squeezing it to emphasize his point.

Sungyeol doesn’t know how many times his heart stopped that day. Nor does he know what’s wrong with him.

All he knows is that Kim Myungsoo is going to be the cause of his early death.

With his stupid face and stupid hair and stupid eyes that look into the deepest depths of his soul.

He can’t, for the life of him, remember why he was there in the first place.

And, needless to say, he definitely doesn’t remember to call his mother.

 

Day 6

“You want to go to a party?”

Sungyeol groans, rolling around on his bed until he’s on his stomach, rubbing his eyes.

“What kind?”

Myungsoo’s voice is huskier over the phone. Sungyeol likes it, and then he frowns because he must sound like .

“The good kind. Nice house, expensive booze, and plenty of chicks. Don’t worry. I wouldn’t ask you to go to one of those crappy frat parties.”

Sungyeol sits up and yawns, glancing at the time to find that it’s already past noon.

“Mm. What time?”

He could imagine Myungsoo smirking on the other end.

“I’ll pick you up at six.”

“Kay.”

Sungyeol’s too lazy to hang up first so he just waits for the dial tone, stretching his arms out when it finally goes off.

Let’s see what kind of drunk he is…

It’s nearly six and Sungyeol is dressed casually; light crocheted cardigan, deep scoop neck top underneath and white jeans. He stands outside of his apartment complex fiddling with his phone until the loud blaring of a honk! disrupts him.

His jaw drops.

He has a Mercedes…

“This is yours?!”

Sungyeol exclaims as he slides in the car, questioning if there really was anything bad about this guy especially when he gave a once over of Myungsoo’s outfit. (Black leather jacket, dark v-neck, ripped jeans, and combat boots. In case you were wondering.)

“Nope, it’s my dad’s. Mine is at the repair shop.”

Sungyeol nodded, buckling in.

“I was about to say…”

“I like my Tesla better.”

“…You have a Tesla?!”

They arrive at the party and all eyes immediately fall on them. They just look that good.

Sungyeol basks in the attention, feeling the confidence seep into his pores. It always feels good.

He decides to let loose for the night, turning to glance at Myungsoo with a new spark of resolution in his eyes.

Who knew that Myungsoo would be such a heavy drinker?

Sungyeol, confident in his alcohol tolerance, challenged Myungsoo to a shot duel, anticipation running high to get the other pissed drunk.

Only, six shots later (no chasers) Sungyeol is the one pissed drunk and Myungsoo is still upright and smirking condescendingly in a way that makes Sungyeol want to punch him in the face.

He tries.

But, he can’t tell the difference between Myungsoo’s face and the floor so he falls face first on hard tile and Myungsoo’s laughing but Sungyeol can’t give two s because the marble is so pleasantly cool against his cheek.

“C’mon, let’s get you out.”

‘Get you out’ translates into occupying an empty bedroom on the second floor.

Myungsoo heaves Sungyeol onto the bed and collapses after him when his legs give out from the strain.

“You’re an elephant.”

Sungyeol flails around in defiance as an attempt to mutilate him.

“Okay, okay. God... Hm… I guess with those cheeks, you’d be a frog.”

“As long as I’m the prince.”

Myungsoo stares at him.

“It was supposed to be an insult.”

Sungyeol stares back.

“Don’t speak to me, lowly peasant-pole.”

Myungsoo snorts and then gags because apparently snorting too hard can hurt like a .

Sungyeol finds his pain hilarious.

And perhaps Myungsoo is a little buzzed because they end up laughing at everything because everything seems funny when you’re drunk off your and if he was sober Sungyeol would probably hang himself from the amount of disgustingly, jokes they make about animals and things animals do that shouldn’t be ual but they make it so.

But despite that, he’s enjoying it all.

Suddenly, Sungyeol can’t help thinking that Myungsoo’s eyes crinkle in the most adorable way when he smiles.

“You’re cute.”

He whisper-slurs because he can’t control anything he says at this point.

He half expects an indignant response since Myungsoo is still so much more articulate than he is at the moment, but then he blinks and notices that there’s something soft on his lips and, wow, he can count Myungsoo’s eyelashes now.

He feels the warmth, sparks spreading and a tingle shooting down his spine, and his eyes flutter closed as he lets himself be pulled deeper into Myungsoo’s embrace.

The dim room and countless sparks of electricity cast a spell on him that makes it all just feel so right.

Myungsoo hooks and arm around his waist and tugs him ever closer. Sungyeol threads a hand through Myungsoo’s hair and takes a nip out of sinful lips, earning a moan when he runs his tongue over the little wound he’s made.

The kiss is sloppy, wet, and reeks of something like adolescence and all things reckless.

They fall deeper into the cushions and crisply scented blankets.

All that registers is heat and lust and the hard lines and sharp angles of Myungsoo’s body that, through the thick haze in his mind, Sungyeol finds oddly exhilarating compared to the supple curves and fragile bones of a girl.

It’s only when he feels something hard pressing against his leg as their bodies mesh together in aggressive passion, that his eyes snap open, finally regaining his senses.

Sungyeol abruptly pushes Myungsoo away, shivering as the intoxicating heat is stripped away by his own hands.

He’s completely sober now.

What the was I just doing...

Sungyeol’s surprise quickly transforms into unsightly anger.

“What the do you think you’re doing?!”

Myungsoo has pieced together a face that betrayed no emotions. Each second that passes by only enrages Sungyeol further.

…With Myungsoo no less! I- I--

“I love you.”

“Bull!”

Sungyeol punches Myungsoo across the cheek, the impact leaving his own hand throbbing and he sees the shock and hurt spread clearly on Myungsoo’s face but his vision is red and guilt doesn’t touch him yet.

I’m straight.

“ing .”

Sungyeol storms over to the door, his heart beating too loudly in his ears for him to hear what Myungsoo says as he rips it open.

“You’re leaving me again?”

He doesn’t bother to think about the depth of what those words mean because he’s already slamming the door, racing down the stairs, and running back home.

In his drunken rage, Sungyeol bursts through his apartment door and grabs for his notebook, biting off the cap of a pen with his mouth.

He proceeds to scribble every little bad thing he could think of about Myungsoo to ruin his image, muttering each bullet aloud as he went along.

“…Laughs like a deranged clapping seal… Eyes wrinkle like an old lady…Weird sense of humor… Wears too much black… Gay ing …”

And when he’s done, his chest is heaving and his breath is ragged, but his anger’s seeping away and something else boils up and explodes because he’s crossing out every single thing he’s just wrote and when that’s not enough, he rips the paper from the spirals and tears it to shreds, because half of it is what he loves about Myungsoo and the other half is a lie.

What have I done…

Sungyeol sits in the midst of shredded paper, hot tears spilling over for no good reason, and curls against the wall with his face in his hands.

There’s a cold, gaping void where his heart is supposed to be.

He can only imagine how Myungsoo feels.

‘Are you leaving me again?’

 

Day 7

Sungyeol sits next to Myungsoo the following day at lunch and almost allows a tug to the corners of his mouth at all the mortified girls whispering to each other because, boy, do the two of them look like .

“We match.”

Sungyeol faces Myungsoo, trying for a smile of some sort, as he points to their red eyes, deep bags, and even their sloppy attire of monotone jackets and loose sweats.

When his attempt at humor awards him no reaction, he sighs.

“Myungsoo…”

He’s barely given a glance. But at least it’s something.

“Myungsoo, I’m sorry.”

That catches some interest. Sungyeol ploughs on, regardless of their audience.

“I’m sorry for a lot of things… For everything, actually.”

He runs a slender hand through knotted hair. It’s gross and oily but he doesn’t care for once.

“I’m sorry for being an insensitive bastard and never considering how you feel, or how anyone feels for that matter, except for me. I’m sorry for being a materialistic, self-centered prick that hasn’t changed since grade school.”

Sungyeol starts chewing on his bottom lip nervously when Myungsoo finally looks at him.

“I’m sorry for treating you like crap all the time. I dragged you along when it was convenient and I still have no ing clue why you even admired me, but I took advantage of that and you probably would’ve been better off just socking me in the face.”

That earns a scoff from Myungsoo. Sungyeol feels a smile creeping onto his lips.

“I’m sorry for judging you—I judged everything—on appearance. You were that awkward dork and now you’re like on legs (Myungsoo actually laughs at this) and I got jealous and made some stupid bet when I should’ve just gotten to know you better and act like a real friend for once in my life.”

He’s unconsciously scooted closer to the younger male, fighting the urge to smother him in his arms and give the whole university an R rated show.

“There’s probably so many more reasons why I’m a ty person, but I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me, Oh Gracious One.”

Myungsoo grins.

“I forgive you.”

Sungyeol gapes at him, like he didn’t actually expect to be forgiven, and whoops loudly before glomping Myungsoo.

“I’ve always loved you, you know.”

(Insert dramatic gasps and squeals from every deranged fangirl/boy on campus and the promise of an endless supply of gay fiction. Because feels.)

“I knew you didn’t like me. I know you’re selfish and obnoxious and immature, (Hey, I am no—okay I am…) but you were what made me feel like life was… exciting. Worth it.”

He broke away from Sungyeol to stare into his eyes, letting him drown in the pools.

“I couldn’t imagine living life without you. So I waited.”

His smile is bittersweet.

“I’m glad you’re back, Yeollie.”

There’s a warmth spreading in his chest and Sungyeol hopes it’s not cancer because life just got perfect and he never wanted it to change.

“I’ve always hated that nickname.”

Myungsoo smirks devilishly.

“Great. Then it’s staying.”

 

Maybe seven days was supposed to be enough to find out who won.

But for Sungyeol;

Seven days was enough to fall in love.

So after classes, when they take a walk to the park, he confesses.

(Because he’s not the type of person to hide his feelings and bury them deep especially when Myungsoo has already made it clear how he feels. Who cares about being straight. Sungyeol is officially Myungsoo-ual.)

It was nothing short of abrupt and direct. He was straight to the point, no lowered eyes or shuffling feet (Because he still had his pride and, no, that blush on his cheeks was not real. It was a trick of the light.)

“I love you, Kim Myungsoo. Will you go out with me?”

It’s simple, plain, and bare.

But it makes Myungsoo smile more radiantly than Sungyeol has ever seen and knows no one else has ever witnessed, and that is all that matters.

He melts a little.

They kiss.

And it’s so unlike their first.

It’s chaste and innocent, lingering but fleeting and full of sweet longing.

And the click! of dozens of shutter sounds accompany the scenery of colored skies and shimmering fountain waters.

They freeze for a moment.

Abruptly, they pull away, mortified at first, but then laughing because, hey, they’re in a public place probably scarring innocent children belonging to perfect heteroual coupled families so they were asking for it. Besides, having their pictures plastered on every bulletin board on campus wouldn’t be that bad.

“At least everyone knows we’re exclusive, now.”

Sungyeol smirks.

Myungsoo guffaws.

“Yeah. Now the hard part: Parents.”

Sungyeol rolls his eyes.

“You mean ‘easy’. We’ve been joined at the hip since when? They practically arranged this wedding.”

Myungsoo’s laugh is like a clapping seal high on weed. But it’s cute so Sungyeol just laughs along with him.

And in the end, it feels like nothing has changed. Myungsoo, with his weird quirks and perfect smiles, looks at him with those adoring puppy eyes straight from ten years ago.

But then again, something has changed. Because this time, Sungyeol looks just as pathetically in love as Myungsoo does.

 

 

“I totally won that bet, by the way.”

“Of course, you did. My reputation is in tatters because I’m dating you now.”

“Exactly. You should be honored. You’re great-great-grandchildren will brag that their ancestor was degraded by Lee Sungyeol.”

"God, you are such a narcissist."

"Oh, I know."

"You're an ."

"I know."

"You're really hot."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Myungie-poo."

---

A/N Sorry if this isn’t what you were looking for! I know it turned out ridiculously long… I don’t even... I usually don’t do fluff or kiss scenes or party scenes so excuse my ugly attempt LOL.

Thank you so much for reading this and a BIGGGGGGGGhumungooooooo thanks to StarlightSpirit for being such an amazing person and organizing this event in the first place!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holidays and are enjoying the new year!

 

StarlightSpirit: *blushes* It's really nothing, I loved running this! This has to be one of my alltime favorite oneshots of Myungyeol ever and one of my alltime favorite fics of this Secret Santa! I adore Myungyeol too much and this fic is just so amazing and cute and funny and the banter was just beyond hilarious! Thank you for writing this <3