Chapter 53

"Kris? You're back."
Kyungsoo quickly moved away from the girl.
"No please. Don't stop because of me... I'll give you two some privacy. If you need me I'll be in my room..."
The giant almost ran for his bedroom as Kyungsoo put his shirt back on.
"Kyungsooooo. Kiss me, handsome."
The girl he had picked up at a local bar purred at him while grabbing his arm.
"You can go now."
"But we only just got to the good part."
"Get out."
Kyungsoo shrugged her off.
"I don't... understand?"
"You don't have to, Gina."
"It's Minjung."
"Who cares?"

After that, the girl quickly picked up her few belongings and ran out.
Finally.
He had thought Kris would've been home but unfortunately not. He had had  to stall the girl's advances on him for the last half an hour which hadn't been easy. Kyungsoo had planned for Kris to catch them making out. It seemed like the easier way to confess his lie of being gay. Only, Kyungsoo was terrified that it wasn't much of a lie anymore.
The symptoms were back. Sweaty palms, erratic beating heart, butterflies? But this time it felt scary different. It was as if the signs had increased tenfold. Ever since that stupid drama scene Kris wanted to act out, something had changed.  And it had only been, what, a day?
Kyungsoo wanted nothing more than for those unwelcome feelings to go away. It was too soon. Too soon to be falling in... to be liking someone and a guy none the less. A guy he had hardly known for more than a few months.
Maybe if Kyungsoo told Kris the truth about him not being gay and how it had all been a joke, Kris would back off and stop asking him to do all these confusing couple things with him. Then maybe whatever the hell Kyungsoo felt would back off and leave him alone.
Or perhaps... Just maybe, some small part of him, unconsciously didn't want Kris to see this version of him anymore. Maybe he just wanted for Kris to get to know the real him, the one hiding under a thick layer of sarcasm, destruction and hurt.

'Stop it. Stop it, stop it stop, stop it.' Kris was lying in his bed, willing away a few tears that inexplicably kept appearing very much against his will.
'It was just a kiss... without clothes on. Maybe Kyungsoo just had an impulsive set back... or something.' Kris clutched his chest as the memory of seeing Kim with his best friend emerged in his mind.
The conjured image soon dissolved as there was a knock on his door.
"Kris? Can I come in?"
He quickly dried his eyes in his blanket.
"One second."
He sniffed one last time before yelling out loud for Kyungsoo to enter.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Nah, I'm just relaxing. Not touching myself or anything."
"I didn't think you were." The small man shot him a shy smile.
"So. Who's the topless in my living room?" Kris tried to force a smile but his voice was very strained.
"Sorry about that. I thought we had the place to ourselves."
"Right.... I guess I didn't completely turn you, huh?"
"Yeah, funny you should mention that. You see, I'm not gay. Never were. I just said it as a joke which you happened to believe. And because I  thought  it was fun seeing you all awkward and flustered, I kept playing you."
"You. Lied to... For fun?
"Yes. I'm sorry."
"No. No... This. This clears up a lot."
"What do you mean?"
"It's silly. I thought..."
Kris wanted so much to  just tell Kyungsoo he might have feelings for him. How much it truly had hurt seeing him kissing someone else. How disappointed he had been. But now that Kyungsoo turned out not to be gay then... what he thought he might have felt for him, didn't really matter anymore.
"... I thought it was weird you hadn't come on to me more. I mean you said it yourself, I'm gorgeous."
The petit man deadpanned, right before slamming his head against Kris's mattress.
"I can't believe I said that."
"Well you did. I'm curious though. Why on earth did you keep wanting to kiss me if you weren't even into dudes?"
"Maybe you're just that irresistible."
Insert pregnant pause.
"... Okay it might take me a while to go back to normal."
Kris laughed. The hopeless expression on Kyungsoo's face was adorable. Erh... cute. No... it was platonically, very sweet.' Nailed it'.
"You... You're not mad at me or?"
"No. I suppose it was pretty naive to think that you had turned gay after kissing me once. Now that I think about it... How stupid am I?"
He really was stupid. 'Agreed.' At the cafe everyone else had started laughing when Kyungsoo had declared himself gay for Kris. Why hadn't he seen it before? Kris sighed. He really needed to put his life up for revision.
"You're not stupid. You're a romantic. And  as gullible as they come."
"Yah!"
Without thinking, Kris lunged for his roommate, tackling him to the floor.
After literally rofling, they lay back, catching their breaths.
"Kris?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm really sorry."
"It's okay. My own fault really."
"... So we're good?"
"We're good."
 It was as if a burden had been lifted from Kris's chest. Luhan had been right. The talk really had worked out in his favor. Now he could go back to caring for Kyungsoo, as a friend.
Friends... Yeah, he could do that.
They were friends before, nothing's changed. Right?

"Well... This was unexpected."
Jongdae and Luhan lay awkwardly side by side in Luhan's unexpectedly small bed. They had been  awake for almost an hour, just lying there. Jongdae silently wishing himself somewhere else.
"Yeah. I get pretty aggressive when I'm drunk... Sorry about that."

At first Jongdae had declined Luhan's offer of getting hammered but mulling it over once more he decided that it probably couldn't hurt. Boy had he been wrong.
It had started out nicely. Both a little tipsy, telling each other stories about Minseok. Both saying how crazy Minseok was for not being into either of them. Well, Luhan was rather outraged.

"I mean, what's not to like? I'm blonde, granted it's from a bottle but blondes really do have more fun! I'm smart, I'm bilingual not to mention freaking beautiful. I got the whole package!"
"You sure do. Not to mention a wiener?"
"That is just a set bonus he is never going to experience. Because I. Am one. Hell. Of a putter. Trust me. I have references."
"You're gross."
Jogndae took a swig of his 5th... 10th? Beer, looking around the bar.
"Being gay ."
"Don't go and tell me you're turning bi just because of Minseokie's off the market."
"Of course not. It's just so difficult finding someone who's also... gay and open about it... Not you!"
Luhan pouted at him.
"I'm not that bad Jongdae. I am just a guy very much in love with a straight man, who sadly also happens to be my best friend... Hey barkeep?! Can we get two bottles of soju? Thaaaaaank you."
Jongdae smiled at his previous rival.
"How did you fall in love with him anyway?"
A surprised look grazed Luhan's face before a smile took over.
"It's a sappy story but. What the heck." Luhan put his arm around Jongdae's shoulder while looking longingly into the distance. Or in this case into the bar mirror.
"He doesn't remember but... We met prior to the cooking class. I had just arrived to the country and... I was freaking scared. I had just run away from home, only left a note before taking off.  My Korean was awful but somehow I managed to make my way around. Then one day, on my way home from school, I'm knocked over by a messenger bike. No one helps me. Not until a small boy runs to my side. He picks me up and carries me to a nearby bench. I felt so tiny in his arms, all the while taken aback by the fact that a guy smaller than myself was carrying me. He stayed with me until my home-stay parents came to pick me up and that was it.
There are so few truly good people out there, Minseok is one of those few. So I looked for him, for almost two years. I had finished high school and I was slowly starting to lose hope of ever seeing him again. I really want to believe it was faith that led me to him. I saw him enter the cafe he works at now, I think he was in there with an application for a waiting position or something, so I followed him in. He didn't recognize me though. I don't blame him. After graduation I started dying my hair, wore street clothes and my whole personality and appearance had changed since then.
I was so nervous during the culinary class I couldn't exactly afford but when Minseok turned to me to help me, a stranger, I knew it was worth every won. I knew I loved him and had loved him ever since he had first... swept me off my feet."
Jongdae swallowed thickly.
"Wow. And here I thought you just wanted to bang him."
"Yah! You don't just bang Kim Minseok. You make sweet, sweet, sugar-crusted love to him."
"I hope she does."
Jongdae took another sip of his drink when a hand slowly moved up his leg. Puzzled he turned to Luhan who kept his gaze fixed at his. The hand continued its ascend, getting dangerously close to his crotch. It made his breath hitch.
"You gotta be kidding me. Luhan? Are you coming onto me?"
The blonde male leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"I think it's my 'Minseok Withdrawal' symptoms acting up. It could also be the alcohol. Or it could be the prospect of hooking up with the guy who also has the hots for the man I love. I want to hear you scream my name. I want to pretend you're him. You can pretend he is me as well."
The hand, excruciatingly slow, rubbed his growing , making Jongdae bite his lip. It was so wrong, but boy did it feel right.
"It would just be one night. After that we can go back to hating each other again. I just don't want to be alone tonight."
Luhan bit his ear, causing Jongdae to shiver.
"What do you say?"
Lips were tracing his cheek bone stopping right before touching the corner of his mouth.
He should have pushed him away. Jongdae should have had enough reason left to know what a bad idea this was. But whether it was the alcohol or his hurt state of mind, Jongdae gave in, catching Luhan's soft lips in a sweet kiss.

And that's how he ended up in the Chinese man's uncomfortably small bed. . And kind of soar.
"So what now? Do I just... Take my clothes and leave? What did they call it... Take the walk of shame?"
"That's usually what happens. What did you do the other times?"
"Other times?"
"You know. Hooking up with a one night stand?"
"Wouldn't know. Never tried this before."
"Going home with someone?"
"."
If things hadn't been awkward enough before, they certainly were now.
"On top of that, you are also the first kiss I've had in... 5, very long years. God, I'm messed up."
He covered his face with the blanket.
He had given himself away to Luhan of all people, a guy he couldn't stand and why? Because he was lonely? Hurt after realizing that Minseok would never like him back? This must have been the most stupid thing he had ever done. Why had he had to go all noble and tell Luhan about Minseok's girlfriend? Why had he pitied the man?!
Oh right. Because Jongdae knew exactly what Luhan was going through.
 "Tonight was your first time? You? What? No...What?"
The blanket was removed from his face, revealing a concerned Luhan. That he had never seen before.
"Stop staring at me like you care! It's freaking me out!"
"Oh! You're freaked out? I just took your... the big V? You are what, 21? What were you saving yourself for Minseok or something?"
"I'm just not the type to sleep around. And with who? I only know you and that Sehun kid you're humoring, are gay. I never exactly went looking for others."
"That's it! I am going to teach you my ways, young apprentice. When I am done with you, there won't be a single gay man in a radius of 5 miles that you won't be able to detect."  
"... Not happening."
"Together, we'll be... unstoppable!"
"Luhan. No. We do not like each other. Let's just go back to hating each other's guts because all I want, is to go home, cry in the shower and pretend this never happened."
"But... Unstoppable?"
Jongdae made to get out of the bed.
"I'm leaving... Could you close your eyes?"
"Prude. Fine."
The blonde man put his hands behind his head as he shut his eyes.
"At least you can say your first time was with a total stud. Nooo don't thank me or anything just happy to help."
Fully dressed, Jongdae stood in the doorway before turning around.
"Goodbye Luhan. And... Let's not mention this to anyone. Ever."
"Wouldn't dream of it."

A/N

I don't even ship Luchen (Ludae?) I don't even know their shipname but here you go.
Next update is all about Kris's birthday :D I needed to write a little fluff over the depressing Tao side story xD