April Fools

Wise men say only fools rush in

But I can’t help falling in love with you

Shall I stay, would it be a sin

If I can’t help falling in love with you

--Lyrics to Can’t Help Falling In Love

            Ryeowook leaned forward in his chair, propping his elbows up on the desk, and rubbed his forehead.  He had a splitting headache and it was only getting worse as the broadcast went on.  The music didn’t help matters when his head was already pounding.  What he really needed was to go home and go to bed.  Perhaps he ought to ask around for some pain relievers as well.  Certainly one of the girls would have some.

            Just as he was about to ask, his phone began to vibrate and he answered it without bothering to check who it was.  Few people called this late at night.  It was probably Heechul calling to see when he was coming home and if he was going to make him anything to eat. 

            “Hello?” he answered unenthusiastically, rubbing his tired eyes.

            “Ryeonggu, are you so unhappy to hear from me?”

            Ryeowook’s eyes opened wide at hearing Kyuhyun’s familiar deep voice teasing him.  Almost to spite him, his heart began to beat faster, betraying the excitement he felt just from hearing his voice on the other line. 

            “KyuKyu!  I didn’t look at who was calling,” he honestly admitted, smiling to himself.  “What’s up?”

            “I was wondering what your plans were after work?”

            “I don’t have any,” Ryeowook said.

            “Would you like to go out with me then?” Kyuhyun asked.

            Ryeowook bit his lip and rubbed his temple again.  He shouldn’t.  His headache would probably get worse.  But he could never say no to spending time with Kyuhyun, especially since they’d seen so little of each other lately.  He’d been hanging out more with Siwon which he hated to admit was starting to make him jealous since he loved all the members. 

            “Just the two of us?” Ryeowook asked.

            “I was going to see if Yesung wanted to come too, since he’s in the area.  And Donghae was complaining about being bored earlier, so I’ll probably see if he wants to come as well.  But I mostly wanted to see if you wanted to go out since we haven’t hung out in a while,” Kyuhyun said.

            That was the admission that Ryeowook had wanted to hear and couldn’t refuse.  “Sure, although you never ask in the middle of the week.  It’s so odd.”

            “I was stuck doing family stuff the last few weekends because of Ahra’s wedding, so I couldn’t get away.  If I want to spend time with you, it might have to be in the middle of the week.  But I don’t film or practice tomorrow.  I can sleep in,” he informed Ryeowook.

            “So can I,” Ryeowook said, more for his own frame of reference.

            “I’ll text you where we’re headed when I know,” Kyuhyun informed him.

            Ryeowook’s coworker started waving at him from the other side of the window and pointed at the clock, reminding him that the song playing was nearing an end. 

            “Sounds good.  I have to go,” Ryeowook told him.

            “Okay.  See you in a little while.”

            “Bye-bye.”

            “Bye.”

            Ryeowook smiled to himself and set down his phone.  During the next break, he asked his coworker if she had any painkillers for his headache and she walked in with some.

            “You should go to bed when you get home,” she urged.

            “Actually, Kyuhyun asked me out after work.”

            Her brows shot up.  They were good friends and she knew what Ryeowook felt for his bandmate.  “That’s a little out of the blue for him, isn’t it?”

            “A bit,” Ryeowook agreed.

            She thought for a moment.  “You won’t be meeting until after the program and that will be after midnight.  It will be April first then.  Are you sure that Kyuhyun’s not tricking you into an April Fool’s joke and he won’t be there when you arrive?”

            Ryeowook’s heart sank.  What if she were right?  This wouldn’t be the first time that Kyuhyun had played a joke on him for April Fool’s Day.  In fact, some years he was relentless and attempted multiple tricks throughout the day.  Would Kyuhyun really suggest they meet up for drinks and they not show up?  That seemed a little cruel, but sadly not too farfetched for his best friend.

            “I guess it’s possible,” Ryeowook said, frowning.

            “Perhaps you should just go home and rest,” she suggested.

            “Even if it might be a trick,” Ryeowook said, “I would rather go and be sure of it.  I’d hate to miss out on spending time with Kyuhyun if it’s not a trick.”

            “But would you even enjoy yourself if you already don’t feel well?” she questioned.

            Ryeowook gave her a weak smile.  “Sadly, I probably would.  Whenever Kyuhyun’s around, all my troubles and pains seem to fade away.  They may not completely vanish, but when he’s near, all I can think about is him.”

            His coworker shook her head.  “You’ve got it bad.”

            “I know,” he said, nodding.

            “Maybe you ought to do something about that,” she recommended.

            Ryeowook sat back in his chair and rested his head against the seat.  “It’s complicated.  We’re both famous and our lives affect everyone around us.  Kyuhyun knows how I feel, but when you’re watched like we are…it makes relationships difficult.”

            She stared at him a moment.  “Are you two in a relationship?”

            Ryeowook shrugged.  “No…we’re just friends.”

            She narrowed her eyes at him.  “Have all of your interactions together been strictly platonic?”

            Ryeowook sighed and glanced over at her.  “No,” he confessed.

            “Then it sounds more like you’re just scared,” she pointed out.  “Perhaps it’s time to quit acting like idiots and take the next step?”

            Ryeowook shook his head.  “He’ll never agree to it.”

            “Then you should cut him off and move on.”

            “I can’t,” Ryeowook told her.

            “Why not?” she questioned.

            “Because I’m in love.”

            “People fall in love and fail all the time.  Find someone else to love.”

            Ryeowook started playing Donghae and Eunhyuk’s song, Still You, and then looked back over at her.  “I can’t.”

            Thankfully when Ryeowook showed up at the bar, Kyuhyun’s car was sitting in the lot.  The man himself was still inside the car, waiting, and Ryeowook walked over to the driver’s side door as Kyuhyun got out.  “You made it,” Kyuhyun said, looking pleased.

            “Didn’t you think I’d come?” Ryeowook asked, wrapping his arms around himself to keep the chill at bay.  It was starting to warm up outside, but the nights were still cool and the wind was blowing a bit.

            Kyuhyun wrapped his arm around Ryeowook.  “You sounded a little moody on the phone.”

            “I had a headache when you called.”

            “Is it better?” he asked, gently squeezing Ryeowook’s arm.

            Ryeowook nodded.  “It’s starting to go away now.”

            “A couple drinks will take away some tension,” Kyuhyun said.  “And Yesung and Donghae should be here any moment.”

            Kyuhyun began leading him through the parking lot, around cars, and Ryeowook smiled to himself.

            “What?” Kyuhyun questioned.

            “My coworker thought you were teasing me—that this was an April Fool’s joke—and that no one would be here when I arrived,” Ryeowook informed him.

            Kyuhyun smirked.  “What would ever make her think I’d do something so evil?”

            Ryeowook just gave him a knowing look.

            “I have such an undeserved reputation,” he mockingly complained as they headed inside.

            Two hours later, as Ryeowook was searching for his keys, Kyuhyun paid their tab at the bar. 

            “Did you lock them in your car?” Donghae asked.

            “I don’t think so,” Ryeowook said, still double checking his pockets.  He had several that they could be in, but he couldn’t find them anywhere.  He’d already searched most of the bar. 

            “You can just ride back with me and I’ll drive you back here in the morning to get your car,” Kyuhyun said, lightly grasping his arm.  “You’re a little too tipsy to drive anyway.”

            “Am not,” Ryeowook mumbled, still digging in the pockets of his jacket.

            Kyuhyun said good-bye to Donghae and Yesung and began to drag Ryeowook out the door. 

            “Kyu…I really shouldn’t leave without tracking down my keys,” Ryeowook argued. 

            “You and Donghae already looked outside of your car and didn’t see anything.  Odds are they’re on the floor of your car or in between the seat.  They probably fell out of your pocket as you were getting out or something.  When we have your spare key in the morning, you can check the car for them then.  If someone had taken your keys, they probably would have stolen your car already,” Kyuhyun reasoned, unlocking his own car and opening the passenger door for Ryeowook. 

            Ryeowook sat down, unable to argue the point further, and buckled in.  Kyuhyun closed the door and then walked over to the driver’s side and got in. 

            “You shouldn’t be driving anyway.  You can’t even walk straight,” he pointed out.

            “That has nothing to do with the drinks I had.  I’m just a bit tired,” Ryeowook informed him.

            “I’m not going to let you drive if you’re so tired you can’t walk straight.  What if you fall asleep at the wheel and wreck the car?” he asked, turning on the ignition.  “That’s just as dangerous as driving drunk.”

            “My dorm keys are on there as well.  I should have ridden with Donghae.  What if we get back first?” Ryeowook asked.

            “Leeteuk will be there,” Kyuhyun said.

            “But he’ll be pissed if I wake him up at two-thirty in the morning,” Ryeowook said, stating the obvious. 

            “Then stay the night with me instead,” he suggested.

            Ryeowook hazarded a glance over at Kyuhyun, trying to gauge if he was serious.  One thing they never did was stay overnight at each other’s dorm room.  It was an unspoken rule between them.  What they did in hotel rooms on the road was another matter entirely.  It didn’t count if it wasn’t at home.  But if they ever messed around in Seoul, they at least woke up in separate rooms the next morning and could pretend that it was just some crazy dream if they wanted to.  Now Kyuhyun must be joking with him…but he didn’t appear to be teasing.

            Ryeowook thought it best to ignore it until they reached the dorms.  Perhaps Donghae would beat them there anyway.  The ride back was mostly silent between the friends.  Neither of them felt the need to speak just to avoid silence.  They’d been together for to long to feel awkward about such things.  Ryeowook was too buzzed from drinking and sleepy to care much about talking about insignificant topics anyway.  Instead he played with the radio until he found a song he liked.  Then he began to adjust the heat.  Finally, Kyuhyun grasped his hand and rested it on his thigh.

            “Your hand is cold.  You should be wearing mittens to the station still,” Kyuhyun said, squeezing his hand.  “It’s only the beginning of spring.”

            “You should talk.  You get sick more than I do,” Ryeowook said, smiling at Kyuhyun’s protectiveness of him.  There weren’t many people who acted a little overbearing about making sure that Ryeowook took care of himself, but Kyuhyun was one of them.  Most of the other members and their dongsaengs in the company looked to Ryeowook to take care of them.  And certainly Ryeowook also took care of Kyuhyun as well—perhaps even more than anyone else—but Kyuhyun never failed to take care of him in return and to keep his eye out for any problems.  It was one of the things that he liked best about his relationship with Kyuhyun, however it was defined, as best friends or occasional lovers. 

            “At least my car warms up faster than yours,” Kyuhyun pointed out.  “My bedroom is warmer than yours as well.”

            “Are we in some sort of competition that I didn’t know about?” Ryeowook asked, starting to laugh.

            “I’m just stating a fact,” Kyuhyun said.

            “Your room always seems warm if I’m lying beside you or cuddling up to you because you’re as warm as a furnace,” Ryeowook stated.  “I wouldn’t know if it has anything to do with your room or not.”

            “Is that a bad thing?”

            “Not when it’s cold outside,” Ryeowook said.

            They reached the dorms a few minutes later and got out of the car.  When they got into the elevator, Kyuhyun hit the button for his floor.  Ryeowook was about to do the same, but Kyuhyun grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him close. 

            “I meant what I said earlier,” Kyuhyun told him.  “Stay with me tonight.”

            “All night?” Ryeowook asked.

            Kyuhyun nodded.

            “Why?” Ryeowook asked.

            “Does there have to be a reason?” Kyuhyun questioned. 

            “You’ve never wanted me to spend the night before,” Ryeowook pointed out. 

            “I’ve always wanted you to,” Kyuhyun said, looking down at his feet.  “I just never thought it was a good idea.”

            “What’s changed your mind?” Ryeowook said, exasperated that he’d have to question Kyuhyun this hard for the elusive answer he wasn’t getting that would make this entire conversation suddenly make sense.

            The elevator stopped at Kyuhyun's floor and Kyuhyun walked off, still holding onto Ryeowook tight and dragging him down the hall with him.  Kyuhyun dug out his keys and unlocked the door to the dorm, bringing Ryeowook in with him.  He took off his coat and then helped Ryeowook off with his jacket. 

            “Answer my question or I’m not staying,” Ryeowook threatened.

            Kyuhyun hung up Ryeowook’s jacket and then took a deep breath.  “My sister just got married, so my parents will get their grandchildren eventually.  They’re not reliant on me.  I’m off the hook.  I can…I don’t have to get married.  I can be with whoever I want.”

            “You didn’t feel that way before?”

            Kyuhyun shook his head.  “I had mixed feelings about it.”

            “What if your parents find out about us and they disapprove?” Ryeowook asked.

            “I don’t care anymore,” Kyuhyun said, stepping closer to Ryeowook and wrapping his arms around him, pulling him close.  “I don’t want to be alone or pretend to be someone I’m not.  Besides, I think mom already suspects something.”

            “You cared all this time, but now you are willing to face your family potentially disowning you if they don’t approve?” Ryeowook questioned.

            “Can you see my parents disowning me?” Kyuhyun asked, his brows rising.  “I never thought they would.  I just felt guilty.”

            “No, I don’t, but you get what I mean,” Ryeowook said.

            “I’m willing to face whatever disapproval they may have,” he told Ryeowook.

            “Why?”

            “Because I’m unhappy,” he replied.  “Aren’t you?  Don’t you want…more than this?”

            Ryeowook hugged Kyuhyun, wrapping his arms around his neck and closed his eyes.  He’d always wanted more.  Every single day, to be exact.  How many nights had he laid in bed and cried, feeling alone, wanting Kyuhyun there with him.  The little that his lover was willing to give him up to that point had never been enough for him.  He never thought this moment would come.  All this time, he assumed that Kyuhyun’s reasons for not wanting to be any closer was because his feelings for him just weren’t that strong.  Nothing could make him happier than hearing that he was wrong.

            “Yes,” he simply replied.

            Ryeowook woke up practically overheating.  He was wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants of Kyuhyun’s under a pile of blankets and Kyuhyun was spooning him, his arm wrapped around Ryeowook securely.  Despite the fact that he was sweating from the heat, he couldn’t think of a time he’d ever woken in a happier mood.  It was morning.  The sun was shining into Kyuhyun’s room…and he was still there.  Nothing could ruin this morning. 

            He carefully turned around to face Kyuhyun and lightly kissed his lips.  Kyuhyun’s eyes just barely opened to look at him and then the corner of his mouth lifted and he kissed Ryeowook back.

            “Sorry,” Ryeowook apologized.  “I wasn’t trying to wake you.”

            “I’ve been awake for a while,” Kyuhyun said.  “I just didn’t want to get up yet because I was comfortable.  It’s not every day I get to wake up next to you.  Even when I do, we usually have to get up early to catch a flight or to meet up with the other members for a schedule.”

            “I like this better than being in a hotel,” Ryeowook agreed.

            Kyuhyun reached up and began to play with Ryeowook’s hair.  No doubt it was messy after their impassioned night together. 

            “Do you like it enough to wake up next to me every morning?” Kyuhyun asked.

            “I—why are you asking?” Ryeowook asked, taken off guard.

            “Would you like to room together again?”

            Ryeowook felt his eyes begin to sting with unshed tears.  “I would…but we both have so much stuff now.  Where would it all fit?”

            “I want to live with you again,” Kyuhyun said, tracing his finger over Ryeowook’s lips.  “I want to share a bed with you every night.  I’m tired of seeing you only when we have schedules together.  Would it really matter if our room was a little cramped?”

           “No,” Ryeowook said, shaking his head.

           “We could always get an apartment,” he suggested.  “We don’t have to stay here.”

            “Our managers would flip out.  It’s bad enough we always room together on the road…even when everyone else has separate rooms,” Ryeowook reminded him.  “We make them nervous that the hotel staff is going to notice and say something.”

            “I don’t care and they can’t do anything to us,” Kyuhyun reminded him.  “I can handle any objections if you tell me you want to be together.”

            Ryeowook nodded and hugged Kyuhyun tight, “I love you.”

            “So do I.”

            Ryeowook sighed.  “I want to hear you say it.”

            “I love you,” Kyuhyun softly said. 

            “When am I moving?” Ryeowook asked.

            “Today.”

            “Today?” he questioned, laughing.

            “I have the day off and you don’t have a schedule until you have to be at the radio station tonight.  We can at least move your clothes and giraffes down here.  Maybe even your keyboard,” Kyuhyun suggested, pulling back enough to look at him.  “Hyukjae would probably help.  He’ll be excited to have you back down here.”

            “Because I cook!  He’s been upset ever since Sungmin got married and left you all to fend for yourselves,” Ryeowook pointed out.

            “That maybe has a little to do with it, but he still missed having you here.  Should we go wake him up?”

            “First I have to get my spare key from upstairs and then we have to pick up my car.  Hopefully my real set of keys are in my car somewhere,” Ryeowook reminded him.

            Kyuhyun bit his lip and gave him a guilty look.  “Your keys aren’t in your car.”

            Ryeowook’s brows furrowed.  “They’re not?”

            Kyuhyun shook his head.  “They’re in my coat pocket.”

            “Cho Kyuhyun!  You brat!”

            “April fools,” Kyuhyun tentatively offered.

            Ryeowook smacked him in the arm.  “When did you take them?”

            “I snuck them out of your coat pocket when you got up to use the bathroom.”

            “Why?”

            “I didn’t want you driving home like that…and perhaps I wanted you to come back with me and I saw a good opportunity,” he confessed.  “So all we have to do is pick up your car before you head to work.”

            “From now on you won’t have to go to such great lengths,” Ryeowook informed him.  “I’ll be with you every night.”

            “This isn’t going to stay secret for long.  The members will tell their families and friends, at the very least.  I wonder if I should just call my mother and tell her straight out that we’re together—just get it over with—so she doesn’t have to wonder anymore,” Kyuhyun said.

            “I think so,” Ryeowook said.  “Ah, and I can tell the crew at the station that I have a boyfriend now instead of just a lover.”

            “Don’t call me your boyfriend,” Kyuhyun grumbled.

            “Why not?” Ryeowook asked, feeling a little agitated. 

            “That’s a term girls use for their high school romances.  We’re more than that.  How long have we been together, even if we haven’t put a title on it?  I haven’t been with anyone else but you since we first became involved.  That was several years ago now.  And I know you’ve never had a serious interest in anyone else either.  Even if you do like to flirt with other guys from time to time.”

            “I do not,” Ryeowook denied, hiding his face in Kyuhyun’s chest.

            “You probably do it to make me jealous,” Kyuhyun continued.

            Ryeowook shook his head.  “No!”

            “Liar.”

            “What am I supposed to call you then?”

            “Partner…significant other…I don’t know.  Anything but boyfriend.”

            “That sounds more like we’re married than dating,” Ryeowook pointed out.

            “You’ll have to give me a year or two on that.  My parents are going to go through enough shock when they find out I’m gay,” Kyuhyun told him.

            Ryeowook buried his face even more into Kyuhyun’s chest to hide his excited reaction.  Was this really happening?  He’d wanted this for so long and he never thought it would happen.  He figured that someday they would eventually drift apart and stop fooling around together on the side, not that Kyuhyun would want to make their relationship more official.  And now he was talking about things like marriage as if it might happen someday in the future.  This was too much to take in.

            “I wasn’t suggesting we do that…it’s just…I’m a little shocked that you want to move in together still.  I never viewed that as a possibility,” Ryeowook admitted, pulling away from Kyuhyun and scooting up until they were face to face. 

            “I’m sorry,” Kyuhyun said.  “I’ve acted like an idiot up until now.  I was more worried about what everyone else would think than what you or I felt about being apart.  It won’t happen anymore.  I promise.”

            “Please don’t tell me that this is some well thought out April Fool’s Day joke at the end of the day.  I’ll just die if it is,” Ryeowook told him.

            “It’s well thought out, but it isn’t a joke,” Kyuhyun said, cupping his face and bending his head forward to kiss him.  “But I know I act like a fool because of you sometimes…and I don’t think that will ever end.”

***Spring is finally here!  I still have tons of school work to do, but I wanted to write a story based off of the little blip I read about Ryeowook talking about Kyuhyun asking him to go out with him on April Fool's Day.  I've recently hit the 700 subscribers mark, which excited me!  I never thought I'd have so many!  Thanks to all my regular readers.  Please keep reading, commenting, and upvoting!  Thank you and have a wonderful Easter.***