Would You?

            When they returned to the dorm, Kyuhyun stopped Ryeowook before he opened the door.  “Eunhyuk and Donghae are inside, watching a movie in the living room.”

            Ryeowook thought this over a moment.  They hadn’t been very successful at acting normal in the morning with Sungmin, even if he had already known they’d slept together.  “If we want to keep this secret at all, we have to act normal.  If Donghae finds out, he’ll blab it to the others within two days!”

            Kyuhyun’s brows rose.  “You think it will take him two days?” 

            Ryeowook scrambled to think what was supposedly normal for them and took a couple steps away from Kyuhyun.  A little distance was probably best.  He couldn’t quite keep his head clear of the alpha at this proximity, but he didn’t need to stand right next to him either.

            Kyuhyun rolled his eyes, grabbed Ryeowook’s arm, and pulled him back over beside him.  “If you look like you’re avoiding me, they’ll think we’re fighting and that will really look suspicious.  Then they’ll be all into our business, trying to figure out why we’re mad at each other.”

            Ryeowook began to pout, frustrated at the situation.  “Why the hell do they have to watch television in our dorm?”

            “Apparently Heechul is monopolizing the one in the upstairs dorm, watching his daytime soap operas and talk shows,” Kyuhyun informed him.  “But if you’re complaining about trying to pull one over on EunHae, you just wait until we get to my parents’ house on Saturday.  My mother notices everything!  If we can’t fool them into thinking nothing’s wrong, we’re never going to fool her!”

            Ryeowook’s mouth dropped open as he recalled agreeing to go to Kyuhyun’s parents’ house with him on the weekend.  “There’s no way we can pull off normal in front of your mother!  We need to cancel.”

            Kyuhyun shook his head.  “I’m not making that call.  She’d kill me!  You call her.”

            “I’m not calling!  She’s your mother!”

            “Technically, she’s your mother now, too,” Kyuhyun pointed out.

            Ryeowook slapped him hard on the shoulder.  “It is not my responsibility to break plans with your family.”

            “Again, our family,” Kyuhyun argued.  “But whether it’s mine or ours, I’m still not calling her up and telling her I’m not coming.  She’ll disown me.  You can choose to stay home if you want.  We’ll see how that turns out for you.”

            Ryeowook smacked him again.  “You’re forcing me into this!”

            “You originally agreed to go!” Kyuhyun shouted.

            Ryeowook slapped his hand over Kyuhyun’s mouth and eyed the door warily.  He did not feel like explaining anything to Eunhyuk and Donghae.  When he heard no noise on the other side of the door, he whispered loudly to Kyuhyun, “And that got me into all sorts of trouble with my boyfriend.  Thanks a lot!”

            Kyuhyun stared intently at Ryeowook, batting Ryeowook’s hand away from his mouth.  Ryeowook could feel his mate’s curiosity through the bond.  “He was mad you were going to my parents’ house with me?”

            “He accused me of arranging to go on a date with you while out at dinner with him,” Ryeowook informed his mate.  “I think he was angry I’d agreed to do something with you on a Saturday night without asking him for permission first or something.”

            “You know, even I have to admit that he has a point.  Who goes over to their best friend’s parents’ house for dinner on a Saturday night when they have a boyfriend?” Kyuhyun questioned, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared down at his mate.  “Were you trying to make him mad?”

            “No!  Why should my world revolve around him just because we’re dating?” Ryeowook shot back, feeling angry at having to defend himself.

            Kyuhyun thought for a moment and then asked, “Did Yesung accuse you of revolving your world around me instead of him, is that what the fight was about?  You told me, when you were drunk, that he accused you of having feelings for me.  What did you tell him?”

            “I told him we were just friends,” Ryeowook answered.  It was the truth.

            Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes at the little omega.  “You do understand why he has a hard time swallowing that, don’t you?  It’s not just because you wanted to have dinner at my parents’ house.  You do confusing daily that makes it look like you care more about me than anyone else.”

            “Such as?”

            “You make breakfast and dinner for me,” he began.

            “You aren’t the only one in the dorm I cook for.”

            “You help me practice my lines.”

            “Well, somebody has to and that falls under best friend duties, as far as I’m concerned,” Ryeowook said, waving his hand dismissively.  “Sometimes Sungmin helps you.”

            “Sungmin is also a stage actor, like me.  We help each other out,” Kyuhyun argued.  “You often do my laundry.”

            “I don’t always have enough for a full load.”

            Kyuhyun smiled.  “You’re such a liar, but I have more.  You pick my clothes out for me when we’re going to events.”

            Ryeowook’s brows furrowed.  “Of course, I do!  What you pick out is hideous!”

            “Why do you care?”

            The little omega rolled his eyes. 

            “You take care of me whenever I’m sick, hound me to take my vitamins and to get enough sleep instead of playing video games, and make sure I’m eating healthy,” he said.

            Ryeowook said nothing.

            “And even before last night, you still had a habit of sleeping in bed with me.  Even when you were dating people.  I’m sure they would have flipped out if they knew about it.  Yesung probably wondered if it was happening sometimes, after you two started dating, which is probably why he stopped by the dorm at the crack of dawn so early with coffee for you when he didn’t have to open the café.”

            Ryeowook looked down at his feet.

            “You’re just lucky he never caught you in bed with me.  Things could have gotten really interesting between the three of us then,” Kyuhyun said, leaning back against the wall and staring at him.  “Since we’re on the topic, I’m going to just say this once, so don’t claim I didn’t warn you.  If I ever catch you sleeping with someone else—even if you don’t have with them—I’m going to rip them to shreds.”

            “We are not real mates!” Ryeowook argued.  “I never agreed to that.  Technically, I’m still dating Yesung!”

            Kyuhyun advanced on him so fast, his movement was a blur.  Suddenly, he was standing right in front of Ryeowook, grasping his shoulders hard.  “After the way we kissed downstairs, you’re still going to deny the fact that we’re real mates?  The whole thing didn’t come about as it usually does, I know, but now that we’re together—”

            “We never agreed to be mates!  This all happened because we were drunk!” Ryeowook argued.  “If it wasn’t for that, we would never be in this situation!”

            Kyuhyun flinched at the words.  His eyes glazed over with tears, but they never fell.  “Never?” Kyuhyun questioned, releasing Ryeowook and letting his arms fall to his sides.  “You’ve really never thought of me like that at all, even in passing?”

            The omega could feel the utter pain he’d inflicted on the alpha and immediately regretted the way he’d reacted.  He’d only said it out of anger because the alpha was acting so possessive.  But before he could say anything, the door opened and Eunhyuk looked at them both.  He leaned into the doorframe and asked, “Lovers’ quarrel?”

            Kyuhyun stared at Ryeowook another second before turning away and storming through the doorway, smacking against Eunhyuk’s shoulder.  “Don’t you have to be in love to have a lovers’ quarrel?” Kyuhyun questioned gruffly, heading down the hallway to the bedrooms.  As Ryeowook walked into the dorm, he heard the loud slam of the alpha’s bedroom door. 

            The little omega shuffled into the dorm, the guilt of hurting Kyuhyun weighing heavily on him.  Since waking up together that morning, everything had become so complicated between them.  It never had been before.  In fact, for the most part, everything between them had always been so easy. 

Eunhyuk closed the door and looked over at the little omega.  “He usually doesn’t get this mad at you.  What the hell did you do?”

            “I hurt his feelings,” Ryeowook simply said.  It was the truth and probably the only thing believable enough to make Kyuhyun that pissed off at him which Eunhyuk would believe. 

            Eunhyuk was silent a moment, thinking, then he spoke again.  “Yesung stopped by earlier to see you.  I didn’t know where you were, but he said you weren’t answering your phone.  He looked really agitated.  Did you two fight or something?”

            Ryeowook nodded. 

            “Don’t you think it’s time to talk things over?” he urged.

            “It’s more complicated than that, hyung,” Ryeowook simply said, heading for his own room.  Eunhyuk was asking too many prying questions for his comfort. 

            Before he could get very far, Eunhyuk grabbed onto Ryeowook’s arm and leaned in to speak quietly to him.  “I think it’s time you make a choice.”

            Ryeowook was completely confused.  “A choice about what?”

            “Who you want to be with.  Yesung or Kyuhyun?  You keep leading them both on and that just isn’t right.”

            “I’ve never led Kyuhyun on!” Ryeowook insisted.

            “If that’s the case, then maybe it’s time one of you moved out of here so you’re not around each other all the time.  He’s never going to give up hope if you’re constantly pampering him and in his business.  Cut him loose if you don’t want him.”

            Eunhyuk let go of Ryeowook and walked away.  He headed back into the living room and plopped down on the couch beside Donghae, who was still absorbed in the movie. 

            Once again, Ryeowook began to feel unsettled.  It wasn’t nearly as bad as before.  He could still feel Kyuhyun’s emotions.  The alpha wasn’t very far away.  Even without the benefit of the bond, he could have probably guessed Kyuhyun’s emotions accurately enough.  Kyuhyun was both angry and hurt.  And still, despite upsetting the alpha so much, he could still feel the affection and longing as well. 

            Part of Ryeowook felt guilty for what he’d said.  Was it even true?  If they hadn’t mated by accident, was there no possibility he’d ever want Kyuhyun?  Because if he was being completely honest with himself, there had been times that he’d wondered what it would be like, if they were lovers instead of friends.  He almost always cut himself off from thinking on it too long, for fear that he’d mess up his strong relationship with his best friend.  But occasionally, he’d thought of it a little longer—or even dreamed of them being together—and wished he could try it out just to see if it was better than the relationship they already had.

            Once Ryeowook reached the privacy of his room, he laid down on the bed and allowed himself to cry a while.  Since he’d woken up in the morning, everything had been a mess.  How could he do so much damage in one night? 

            As his misery increased, so did his mate’s.  It was as if they were feeding off each other’s negative emotions.  After a long reflection, which did nothing to calm him down or make anything better, Ryeowook decided to get a few things done.  He called up Leeteuk to ask him to take over his radio show for the next couple nights, claiming he was sick.  Their former leader was happy to help.  The little omega was thankful that at least one thing was going his way.

            Then he text Yesung, claiming that he didn’t feel well and wasn’t ready to talk yet.  He would let him know when he was.  Honestly, he wasn’t sure when that would be.  He currently had to stay within a short range of Kyuhyun or he’d get fidgety and nervous.  That wasn’t going to help him handle the situation with Yesung.  And he certainly didn’t want Kyuhyun to be around when they met. 

            When Ryeowook made dinner later in the night, Kyuhyun never came out to eat.  By then, Eunhyuk had told Donghae about the maknaes’ fight and the two of them decided to head back upstairs to do some song writing, having an inkling it might be a more peaceful atmosphere to work, especially since Leeteuk was leaving to host Kiss the Radio. 

            Sungmin had been gone since the afternoon, having a performance that night.  Once again, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun were alone, but both stayed closed up in their own rooms, clearly aware of how unhappy the other was.  Finally, late in the evening, Ryeowook heard the door to Kyuhyun’s bedroom open and then jumped when he heard a knock at his own door, having not expected it.

            “Come in,” Ryeowook called out, sitting on his bed where he’d been trying to read a magazine.  He’d read the current page three times already without retaining a word.

            Kyuhyun opened the door and walked in, looking around the room.  “I just wanted to grab my comforter.  You stole it this morning and I don’t have any other blankets on my bed that are warm.”

            Ryeowook jumped up, having forgotten all about it, and found it on the floor, in the corner of the room.  “I forgot I had it.”  He picked it up and walked over towards the alpha.

            “That’s fine,” Kyuhyun said, grabbing it from him.

            “You shouldn’t sleep with it until it’s been washed,” Ryeowook warned.  “It’s stained up from last night.”

            Kyuhyun looked over the large comforter with a number of questionable stains on it.  Oh, they had been very busy the night before!  Even if neither of them could recall all the details, there was still ample proof.  Ryeowook felt his cheeks heat as the alpha examined it, his brows rising at the sheer number of stains.

            “It will have to do,” Kyuhyun muttered, heading for the door and dragging the dirty comforter with him.  “I’m too tired to wait for it to wash and dry.”

            “Kyu,” Ryeowook said, his voice fragile.

            Kyuhyun looked back over his shoulder.

            “Stay with me,” the little omega pleaded.

            Kyuhyun turned back for the door, grasping the doorknob, but then stilled.  He softly cursed under his breath.  “Why?”

            “I’m agitated that you’ve been so distant today.”

            “We’ve been in the same apartment all afternoon and evening.”

            “That’s not what I meant,” Ryeowook said, walking over to Kyuhyun and wrapping his arms around the alpha from behind, resting his head on his shoulder.  Although Kyuhyun tried to keep up his cold treatment of the omega, Ryeowook could feel the alpha thawing towards him.  “I’m not used to you being like this.  I don’t like it when you ignore me.”

            Kyuhyun sighed heavily.  “I’m just frustrated with this situation.  It’s clear that I want something that…that I’m never going to have…and it’s a little discouraging.”

            Ryeowook rested his chin on Kyuhyun’s shoulder.  “What do you mean?”

            Kyuhyun shook his head.  “Nothing.  Never mind.”

            Ryeowook tightened his grip around the alpha.  “Kyu, please…don’t go.”

            The alpha rested his forehead against the door.  “It’s not a good idea, Ryeong.  Now that we’re mated, I’m worried about how I’ll react if we’re lying in bed together.  You know what newly bonded mates are like.  What if one of us accidentally releases mating pheromones in our sleep or something?”

            “You’re suddenly worried about sleeping with me now?” Ryeowook questioned.  “Isn’t it a little late for that?”

            The alpha flung his comforter off to the side.  Then he turned around and grasped his little mate under the arms and carried him over to the bed, tossing him onto it.  He climbed onto the bed and over his little mate, who watched him with interest, groaning as Kyuhyun’s weight settled on him. 

            “I won’t do anything unless you ask me to,” Kyuhyun promised, his breath ghostling over the omega’s lips as he spoke.  “But if you release your mating pheromones, it’s game over.  I won’t be able to control myself.  Understand?”

            Ryeowook nodded.  At the moment, he was tempted.  He’d been drunk the night before and only remembered bits and pieces of their night together.  He wanted to know what it really felt like to be ed by the alpha.  But he also knew how complicated their situation already was and that sleeping together again wasn’t going to do much to solve their problems. 

            Right?

            Kyuhyun’s nose rubbed against Ryeowook’s a moment and he glanced down at the omega’s lips.  Just as Ryeowook was about to lean in, Kyuhyun rolled off him. 

            The alpha stood up and turned off the lamp on the nightstand.  Then he pulled back the blankets on Ryeowook’s bed.  The little omega stared at his mate, a mix of surprise and disappointment.  Despite Kyuhyun’s calm exterior and his urging of the omega to get under the covers, he could feel a range of emotions coming from his mate.  Anxiousness, attraction, regret, excitement, and still an overwhelming amount of hurt, probably lingering from their earlier discussion, coursed through him.

            Ryeowook got under the covers.  Kyuhyun did the same but kept his distance from the little omega.  Even when they just considered themselves friends, they never slept apart.  Ryeowook moved closer.  And then, after a stretch of time, a little closer.  Finally, a couple minutes went by and he closed the gap between them entirely, wrapping his hands around Kyuhyun’s arm and pressing his forehead against his shoulder.  The clinginess probably would have made most alphas feel suffocated, but Kyuhyun just chuckled and wrapped his arm around the little omega.  In truth, Kyuhyun was worse than him most of the time.

            “Would you kiss me good night?”  Whatever possessed the little omega to make such a request, he didn’t know, but he was still upset that Kyuhyun hadn’t kissed him.  Was it a response to being mated or was this his own desire to be kissed, just as it had been the night before, when he wanted the alpha to kiss him drunk?

            “I don’t think we should keep kissing each other.  It just complicates things more,” Kyuhyun coldly said.  “Especially if that’s not the type of relationship you want with me.”  Ryeowook could still feel the hurt and anger from before.

            Ryeowook felt tears sting his eyes, just as upset.  “Am I not allowed to feel conflicted about any of this without you getting mad at me?  We’ve been best friends for years!  I’ve always cared more for you than anyone else.  Is that what you wanted to hear?  You already know that!  Our argument earlier proved it.  All of my boyfriends have hated you!  Yesung certainly isn’t the first one to notice that I prioritize you over them!”  Ryeowook cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.  “I’m attracted to you!  That’s why I slept with you!  I have mixed feelings about the whole damn thing because we’re friends.  I did’t want to ruin our relationship, so I’ve never acted on the temptation before.  Obviously, I caved because I was drunk last night.  And I’m not sure how I feel about it.  Our whole relationship has changed overnight, not just because you marked me, but because we slept together.  I’m confused!  Aren’t I allowed to be confused without you getting pissed off at me about it?”

            Kyuhyun was completely silent, but his emotions were a jumble.  The little omega moved to roll away, but the alpha quickly wrapped his arms around Ryeowook and pulled him close.  Although the alpha seemed just as confused as Ryeowook felt, there was a new emotion emerging, eclipsing the others.  Hope. 

            “Does that mean there’s some possibility?”

            “Of what?” Ryeowook asked, using Kyuhyun’s shirt to dry his eyes.

            “Of staying mated together?”

            Ryeowook looked up at the alpha, brows knitted together in confusion.  “Isn’t that the only possibility?  You’ve marked me!”

            “You talked about trying to find someone to unmate us earlier this morning.”

            The little omega was so frustrated, he smacked his mate in the chest.  “Idiot!  That isn’t a thing!  There is no such thing as unmating!”

            Kyuhyun tightened his arms around Ryeowook and bent his head to peck his lips.  He was suddenly very happy.  “I hoped there wasn’t!”

            “Now you’ll kiss me?” Ryeowook questioned, feeling angry.  “Only when you’re getting your way?”

            The alpha reached up to cup his cheek.  “Don’t you understand why I’m upset with you in the first place?”

            Ryeowook thought about it a moment and then shook his head.

            Kyuhyun took a deep breath, rubbing Ryeowook’s wet cheek with his thumb.  Then Kyuhyun leaned in and rested his forehead against the omega’s, closing his eyes and sighing deeply.  “I’ve been in love with you since the day we met, Ryeonggu.”

          The little omega’s mouth parted in surprise.  He knew that the alpha could feel his shock at the words.  There’d always been an unacknowledged attraction between them.  That had always existed.  It was the reason they touched each other so much, why the alpha kissed him sometimes, and why Ryeowook so often needed to cuddle with the y alpha in bed.  He wasn’t oblivious to it.  But he didn’t realize that the alpha held deeper feelings for him.  Their roommates had hinted at it—recently even outright claimed the alpha loved him—but he’d always assumed they were just part of this attraction they felt for one another and their friendship. 

            Unless that’s what love was, this allure and friendship that he felt for the alpha.  He didn’t feel drawn to anyone else the same way, that was certain.  Perhaps he’d been misinterpreting his feelings for Kyuhyun for a long time.  Now that they were mated, was it possible to still figure it out without being influenced by the bond?

            Before Ryeowook could fathom how to respond to such a confession, Kyuhyun rolled him onto his back and kissed him.  They made out for a long time, until they were both breathless and dazed.  Ryeowook feel asleep in Kyuhyun’s arms, with thoughts and possibilities swirling in his head, without having discussed the situation further with his mate.  Words were not necessary when you could feel each other’s emotions so strongly and both of them felt less worried and more relieved about their situation than they had all day.

Finally the maknaes are being a little more honest with one another.  We'll see if that helps or hinders them in the long run.  Either way, it's hard to lie when your mate can feel your emotions, so there's hardly a point.  Comments?

Next up?  The return of Yesung...