v e r a c r u z

Well, .

The club is almost always 50% people who really wanted to be there and 50% who were dragged along. Hyungwon was part of the latter half. He had been forced out of the comfort of his dorm by his roommate Minhyuk, who said that Hyungwon needed "a little fresh air" (though this air was anything but fresh). But now, his friend had disappeared somewhere and was probably making out (or worse) with his boyfriend, and Hyungwon was left stranded in the middle of the pulsing crowd.

Sweaty bodies pressed against his own. Disgusting, he thought, praying that the hand on his wasn't there intentionally. When it didn't make an effort to give him some space, the college student decided to pinch the mysterious wrist and maneuver his way to a safer area. However, the minute he moved away, something hit his head. Hard. A second later, he found water spilling down his arm. He looked around frantically to find a guy around his age looking at him in shock, and Hyungwon couldn't help but mirror his expression because damn, he's cute.

The guy was short, a lot shorter than Hyungwon, and had dyed brown hair and skin that changed colors under the dizzying lights. He had a straight nose and thin, delicate lips. The only odd thing about the guy was the intense dilation of his pupils and the open water bottle clutched in his hand.

The guy's thin lips moved frantically, probably saying "sorry" by the looks of it, but his words were all lost in the music. Hyungwon watched in amusement at how the guy chugged the rest of his water before crushing the bottle and chucking it into the middle of the crowd with the force of a pro-football player. Suddenly, the (slightly loopy) stranger tugged on Hyungwon until he had dropped to his level and placed a kiss on his head. Hyungwon supposed it was to make up for the smack he got, but it didn't make it any less weird. 

As if to apologize further, the guy started dancing with Hyungwon still in his grip. The student wouldn't have minded under normal circumstances, but the guy was a bit too confident in his thrashing movements. There really was nowhere to go, as bodies were pressed against him from all angles, and since the guy was cute, he decided to go with it.

Hyungwon didn't know how long it had been before the stranger pulled him in closer (or maybe more people had just gotten on the dance floor). He smelled like cheap cologne and sweat, but Hyungwon felt himself getting drunk off his aroma.

The guy yelled something in Hyungwon's ear, but it was barely audible. All of a sudden, the student found himself being dragged quite haphazardly through the crowd and to the bar. The music was no longer blasting in his ears as loud as it was before, so he took the time to ask the guy for his name.

"Who?" the stranger asked, looking around.

"What's your name?" Hyungwon asked a little louder.

The guy looked at Hyungwon for a few seconds before smiling and saying, "I'm Changkyun!" a little too loudly.

"Hyungwon," said the taller, holding his hand out for a handshake.

"No, Changkyun." The guy laughed hysterically, and Hyungwon couldn't tell if it was because he made a joke or just high off his mind.

"Ahh, right. Changkyun. My name is Hyungwon." He held his hand out again, and this time, Changkyun took it.

"I know that," he said, holding onto Hyungwon's hand a little too tightly. "You said it before, remember?"

Hyungwon stared at the guy in disbelief. Why am I even trying? "You're right, I did. Silly me."

Changkyun looked back at him, pupils wide and unfocused. "You look like an angel." He slowly extended a hand towards Hyungwon's face, but the latter pushed it away.

"Thanks," he said, trying to keep a smile on his face.

"Really though." Suddenly the guy launched forward with terrifying speed and almost missed Hyungwon's lips. It was slightly uncomfortable, kissing a stranger, that is. Hyungwon was not the most outgoing person, but he figured that he would never really see Changkyun again, so it didn't really matter if he embarrassed himself then. (Plus, Changkyun was most definitely high and probably did not care.)

When the shorter started to climb onto Hyungwon's lap, the student had to draw the line. "Sorry," said Changkyun, sitting back on his own stool. He sat in silence for a minute or two, then hopped up and waved frantically until the bartender came over. "Can I have two bottles of water? Wait, Hyungwon, do you want water, too? Make that three, no four. Right?" The bartender raised an eyebrow at Hyungwon.

"Uh, he only wants two bottles."

The bartender nodded and walked away, which sent Changkyun on a tangent about how Hyungwon needed to stay hydrated too, and isn't it really hot in here?

"Changkyun, your water's here."

The guy turned around and gasped dramatically. "Oh my god, yes!" He jumped excitedly and uncapped one bottle, only to down half of it in one gulp. "Let's go dance." Before Hyungwon could protest, Changkyun dragged him back onto the dance floor, his two water bottles tight to his body.

---

Hyungwon swore Changkyun danced for an hour straight. He wasn't sure what the guy had taken, but it sure gave him a lot of energy. The only thing that stopped him was a guy with whitish hair and small eyes, who grabbed onto Changkyun's waist the moment he emerged from the crowd. Hyungwon was about to tell the guy off until he saw the way Changkyun looked at the new stranger. (Then again, that didn't mean Changkyun knew him.)

The white haired guy smiled apologetically before leading Changkyun to the doorway. Hyungwon followed, just to make sure there wasn't anything suspicious going on.

When they reached the door, Changkyun turned around. "Hyungwon! I have to go home now, because Heony is tired of hoeing around after, like, twenty minutes, so I wanna give you my number. We could be friends!"

Hyungwon looked back and forth between Changkyun and the white haired guy (Heony?). "Alright." Changkyun proceeded in grabbing Hyungwon's arm and scribbling some numbers with a permanent marker. "Call me. I'll answer when I can actually see my phone." They guy laughed a little too loudly before being dragged off by his friend. "Love you! I'll miss you!" he screamed, waving his arm frantically.

That was ing weird.