Note: It's been so long since I updated this, so here's an overly long story. It took me a while to figure out how to spin the prompt and which pairing to use, but that's not why I'm only updating this now. I don't know when I'll update this again. I'm planning on updating Vignettes soon and then I don't really have anything else after that so maybe I'll come back to this. We'll see (I always say that). I wrote most of this yesterday and I kind of thought it would turn out longer (and thankfully it didn't). But anyway, I like how it turned out and I hope someone else does, too.

P.S. I Love You

Pairing: Dongwoo/Sungyeol

Prompt: Pen Pals

Sometimes Sungyeol is grateful to have a roommate like Woohyun. This isn't one of those times.

"I still don't understand why I have to leave," Woohyun is saying. He has a hand on the doorframe and his feet planted firmly on the ground as Sungyeol tries to push him out of their shared dorm room. "I won't embarrass you in front of your boyfriend."

Sungyeol gives up trying to move Woohyun (his arms were tired anyway) and leans against the wall next to the door instead. "One, he's not my boyfriend. And two, yeah, you totally would." Woohyun joins him against the wall and they both slide down until they're sitting on the floor.

"Yeah, I would," Woohyun laughs. It's already a regular occurrence for him to answer Sungyeol's phone and give some outlandish excuse as to why Sungyeol didn't pick up. And he always manages to photograph Sungyeol in his most embarrassing moments. Sungyeol is still trying to get him to delete all of the pictures he has saved on his phone. "But how are you guys not dating when you talk to each other every day?"

There's a beat of silence before Sungyeol responds. He's thought the same thing, but never had the courage to say it out loud. He and Dongwoo have known each other practically their whole lives. Despite their slight age-gap, Sungyeol has always felt like they both get each other. Dongwoo is fun-loving and kind-hearted and wiser than he lets on. While Sungyeol is more grounded and serious, but also in need of someone to care and watch out for him. (A role which Dongwoo had gladly assumed that has now been mostly taken over by Woohyun.) They've been through good and bad together and somewhere along the way Sungyeol fell in love with Dongwoo. He hadn't realized it until Dongwoo left for college on the other side of the country and it felt like he'd taken Sungyeol's heart with him. Loneliness and longing had been expected following the departure of his best friend, but the ache in his chest wasn't. Then Dongwoo came back for winter vacation and Sungyeol felt the light returning to his life. And that's how he knew that he had feelings for Dongwoo; that he loved him. But Dongwoo doesn't feel the same way. Sungyeol is sure of it. He's just a friend, a little brother even, to Dongwoo and that's it. "Because that's what best friends do when they live far away from each other."

Woohyun snorts. "No, that's what people in long-distance relationships do."

Sungyeol is saved from having to come up with another poor excuse when his computer makes a noise alerting him to an incoming call from his long-distance friend. With his mood lifted at the prospect of seeing Dongwoo's face, Sungyeol goes back to shooing Woohyun out of the room. The older boy allows himself to be ushered out of the room (shoved, really), stopping at the threshold to give Sungyeol his unsolicited advice. "If you really like him, it's worth taking a shot. Maybe he's waiting for you, too."

Despite his track record of disregarding every supposedly helpful thing that comes out of Woohyun's mouth, Sungyeol finds himself considering confessing to Dongwoo. Aside from having his heart crushed into a million pieces what does he have to lose? At least he'll have someone to blame if it doesn't work out. "I'll think about it," he tells Woohyun, who gives him a cheesy thumbs-up. He shuts the door in his face and rushes over to his desk. Thankfully, Dongwoo is still waiting for him and Sungyeol doesn't waste any time answering the call. He runs a hand through his hair to tame it in the second it takes for the video to connect even though Dongwoo has seen him in worse shape.

"Sungyeollie!" Dongwoo's cheery voice booms through the laptop's speakers. He's wiggling in his seat from excitement with a smile stretched across his face. "What took you so long," he whines, bringing his face unnecessarily close to his webcam.

Just seeing his best friend's smiling face warms Sungyeol's heart in the most melodramatic way. Dongwoo has a way of cheering him up without doing anything (or even knowing that Sungyeol needed cheering up). Ironically in this case, Dongwoo is actually the cause of Sungyeol's gloominess as well as the cure. Sungyeol tries not to let it show as he smiles back at Dongwoo. He wouldn't want him to worry. "Hey, Dongwoo. Yeah, sorry about that. Woohyun was being annoying."

Dongwoo's laugh is as loud as his voice, making Sungyeol laugh along with him. "You're so mean to him," he scolds. "You shouldn't make him leave whenever we talk."

Sungyeol's only half-joking when he says, "Maybe I want you all to myself." He's rewarded with another one of Dongwoo's bright laughs. He squeezes his legs onto his chair with the rest of him and tucks his knees under his chin. "And now that I do, tell me about your day. I want to hear everything." So Dongwoo proceeds to tell Sungyeol all about his day, not leaving out a single detail. He starts with when he woke up (late, as usual) and ends with calling Sungyeol for their daily video chat. Sungyeol listens attentively to every word. There's never a dull moment in Dongwoo's life as he's always full of energy and moving around like a ball of sunshine. It makes for interesting conversations and stories.

"What's up with you," Dongwoo asks once he's done. He's leaning close to the camera again, his chin resting on both of his fists. Even through the computer screen his eyes seem to pierce through Sungyeol. "You look sad."

So he'd noticed. Of course he noticed. Dongwoo notices every change in Sungyeol's mood; he can practically read him like a book. Sungyeol looks away from Dongwoo for the first time since they started talking. This is a perfect opportunity for him to tell Dongwoo how he feels. If anything, the other will be extremely nice about turning him down.

Dropping his legs back down to the floor, Sungyeol finally looks back at Dongwoo. He's staring at Sungyeol like he's trying to read his mind to figure out what's wrong. "I'm not sad," Sungyeol starts. He continues over Dongwoo as he tries to argue otherwise. "I'm not. There's just...there's something that's been on my mind for a while. I wish we could talk about this face-to-face, but I don't suppose you'd want to wait until then, would you?" He's a little hopeful that Dongwoo will say yes; he might be having second thoughts about confessing. Dongwoo shakes his head instead, a small smile on his lips that doesn't reach his eyes. Sungyeol takes a moment to choose his next words. His fingers nervously slide along the edge of his laptop and wipe away specks of dust.

"Do you remember the first time you left for school," he asks. He doesn't realize how quiet it had gotten until his voice is filling up the room. "How I cried so much and hugged you so long that you started joking about how you'd have to take me with you?" Dongwoo nods slowly, recalling the incident, but unsure of its relevance. "At the time, I didn't really understand why I didn't want you to go. I mean, yeah, my best friend was going far away and that , but it also meant I couldn't see you or talk to you whenever I wanted to. I felt like I was all alone and like there wasn't anything that could make me happy again. And then you came back and everything was okay. Because my favorite person was back. And that's when I realized that I loved you—that I was in love with you. Hearing your voice and seeing your smile is the best part of my day. You mean so much to me; more than I've ever shown or told you. Because I was too scared to let you know how I felt. But I guess not so much now—well, maybe a little."

With his speech finished, Sungyeol watches Dongwoo for his reaction. He hasn't stopped looking at Sungyeol since he started talking. There's a mixture of emotions on his face that Sungyeol tries to discern. He sees surprise and confusion and what he hopes is happiness. It takes a couple minutes before Dongwoo finds any words.

"What are you trying to say?"

They both know what Sungyeol is trying to say, but it wouldn't hurt to say it again. Sungyeol makes sure his eyes are locked with Dongwoo's as he says the words he's been longing to say to him. "I love you."

Dongwoo's smile is the brightest Sungyeol has ever seen in all his years of knowing him. He's back to wriggling in his seat. "I love you, too," he says, giggling at the disbelieving look on Sungyeol's face. "I didn't say anything before because I wasn't sure if you felt the same, but, yeah... I kinda wish you were here so we could do that whole slow-motion first kiss thing they do in dramas."

"Would there be background music?" Sungyeol can't help but play along. It hasn't quite sunk in just yet that Dongwoo loves him back, that he's in love with him. He doesn't know what he'll do when it does.

"Of course," Dongwoo laughs, "And maybe we could arrange for some flower petals or rain."

Sungyeol is about to list another drama cliché when the door to his room bursts open. Woohyun stalks in, eyes alight and fixed on Sungyeol. "What the hell are you waiting for," he nearly shouts. Both Sungyeol and Dongwoo stare at him in shock.

"What—were you eavesdropping on me?"

Woohyun waves off Sungyeol's anger like it's a fly buzzing around his head. That's not what's important right now. "Obviously. And I promise not to make fun of you for, like, maybe the rest of the week if we leave right now."

"Where—what are you—why—" At a loss for words, Sungyeol glances at Dongwoo to see how he's handling things. There's a bemused smile on his face as he watches the two men on the screen in front of him. Sungyeol thinks that might be a good sign. "You want us to drive four hours for a kiss?" That's not a question Sungyeol ever thought he'd ask.

Woohyun rolls his eyes. "I've gone further for a lot less."

Sungyeol looks back at Dongwoo one more time to make sure that they've all agreed to such a crazy plan. "If you don't go, I will," Dongwoo vows and Sungyeol doesn't doubt that he will.

"Don't move," Sungyeol says, pointing a finger at his laptop. He stands up and immediately sits back down again. "I mean, you could move a little," he amends. "Like, you could meet me outside or whatever." He gets up a second time only to sit down a second time. "But don't go right now. It's pretty chilly and I don't want you to catch a cold because of me." If Sungyeol had been about to add something else Dongwoo would never know. Woohyun grabs onto Sungyeol's ear and lifts him out of his seat by it.

"Will you come on? We don't have all day." Sungyeol bats away Woohyun's hand and goes around the room in search of shoes and a jacket, all the while grumbling about his jerk of a roommate and rubbing his sore ear. In the meantime, Woohyun takes a seat in Sungyeol's recently vacated chair and starts to question Dongwoo on the hotness of the girls at his school and how well he knows them.

They get to Dongwoo's school in three and a half hours (there might have been some speeding involved) and even though there's no rain or shower of flower petals, Sungyeol thinks their first kiss is perfect.