Chapter 14
Can You Smile?
“Sungjong,” Hoya gasped out. “What are you doing here?”
The boy jumped up and down restlessly. “I'm pretty sure you haven't heard anything I've said in the last couple of weeks, so I figured that if I came here, I'd be able to talk to you.” He looked up hopefully.
Hoya groaned, starting to close the door. “Well, you'd be wrong. I'm really busy right now.” Behind him, something fell and Myungsoo let out a long string of swears.
“What was that?” Sungjong tried to look around the taller man.
“Nothing.”
“Oh.” Sungjong stood back down.
“Look, I'll be at work in a little bit, and don't you have school?”
Sungjong gave him a look. “It's...Saturday. And my grandfather said he'd be closing the shop for today, if you had been listening at all this week.”
“Oh.”
“So, I'll start from the beginning. I got a B on my physics test, which is amazing. These two guys faught over me during lunch this one day, and school's just been awesome lately because that Sungyeol kid hasn't been there to bring it down.”
Hoya's head snapped up. “Sungyeol?”
“Yeah, that kid that ran into you that one day.”
“Why do you hate him so much?”
Sungjong shrugged. “I don't even know. I think it's because we have the same family name.”
“We have the same name too.”
“Yeah, but you don't go to my school.” Sungjong sighed. “Plus, he brings a little dark cloud with him wherever he goes. It's been a lot happier without him around.”
Hoya frowned. “I think you should go now.”
“You can't just kick me out!”
“I'm sorry. I'm in the middle of something right now.”
The boy's eyes narrowed. “What are you hidng from me?”
Hoya made the mistake of freezing when the question was asked. Sungjong pushed him aside and walked right into his room. Hoya fell hard, hitting the table beside the couch. He merely watched as the bedroom door opened and the three came out.
“Are you okay?” Sungyeol stared at Hoya, not noticing Sungjong.
“We need to talk.” Sungjong stated, pulling the still dazed Hoya up and walking down the hall to Woohyun's room. Sungjong apologized briefly for hurting him, but it sounded forced. The boy knocked on the door and waited a second before an excited Woohyun opened the door.
“Sunggy–oh, Sungjong. What are you doing here?”
Sungjong pushed his way in, seating Hoya down on the day bed which was no longer used, and paced back and forth in front of the man. “Where's Sunggyu?”
“He left for work already.” Woohyun stretched and walked over, sitting beside Hoya. He suddenly saw the tense stares passing between the two. “Hey, what's going on?”
“Hoya, why can't you talk to me?” Sungjong asked, eyes tearing up. “I know you don't talk. Believe me, I've learned. But, if you have any problems, just tell me. Please.” He leaned forward onto Hoya's shoulder. “Why won't you talk to me?”
The door burst open.
Hoya stared at his three roommates entered, and furrowed his eyebrows when Dongwoo sent an angry glare at Sungjong. “What's going on?”
“Hoya, did you get kidnapped?” Sungyeol asked, tilting his head to the side.
Sungjong abruptly stiffened and stared at the boy. “You.”
Sungyeol jumped and hid behind Myungsoo.
“Hey.” Woohyun frowned. “Who are these guys and why are they in my home?”
Hoya sighed, pulling Sungjong back, hoping a fight wouldn't start. “That's Myungsoo, Sungyeol and Dongwoo.”
Woohyun's eyebrows rose. “You know them?”
Hoya sighed. “Yeah. These are my new roommates.” It got silent.
“You had three people living with you?” Sungjong sat on the only chair in the room, beside the newly added queen mattress. “I think I need a drink.”
Woohyun jumped up. “No, Sungjong, you're too young. Hoya is going to explain all of this. Right, Hoya?”
Hoya wrung his hands and stared right at Sungjong. Everything that had happened to him in the last month came pouring out, starting with the almost-car crash and ending with his decision to file a petition for Sungyeol.
Sungjong nodded slowly, taking everything in. He frowned. “Wait, why would you involve yourself in something like that? Wouldn't you need to hire a lawyer?”
“I am a lawyer.” Hoya said slowly.
“Great!” Sungjong threw his arms in the air. “Any other important facts you'd like to reveal two years after meeting me?”
“He's a cuddler.” Dongwoo interjected.
Hoya grinned and rolled his eyes at the man. He heard a sharp intake of air and a thud from his left. He stared at Woohyun, who was on the floor for some reason.
“Sungjong, did you see that?”
“I'm not sure if I did.” Sungjong replied, a mystified expression on his face. “Did Hoya just smile?”
Sungyeol frowned. “He does that all the time.”
“All the time?” Sungjong stared at Hoya. “Who are you?”
“I'll admit, he's changed from when we first met.” Dongwoo defended the seated man. “He wouldn't even talk to me.”
Sungjong walked over and stuck out a hand. “Well done, sir. You've broken the statue.”
Woohyun frowned. “Does that mean that he isn't a robot?”
They talked for hours, getting to know one another. Sungyeol and Sungjong found out that they had a lot in common, and sat beside each other after awhile. Dongwoo told every little detail of his stay at Hoya's home, much to the latter's distaste. Woohyun and Myungsoo found it very amusing and urged the man to continue every time he stopped.
There was a long pause when the door clicked open and an older-looking man walked in. “Honey, I'm home.”
Woohyun was up before the statement was finished, pulling the formally-dressed man into his arms. They shared a quick kiss, and then Woohyun leaned over to whisper something in the other's ear.
“We have guests?” The other inhiabitant of the apartment looked around, noticing the crowd. He gave a small smile and waved to the three seated beside the wall. “Hi, I'm Sunggyu.” He rested a hand on Woohyun's back. “I'm going to put my stuff away. I'll be back in a second.”
“Who was that?”
Woohyun turned to Sungyeol with a wide grin. “That was the most amazing man on Earth, Kim Sunggyu. Also, my boyfriend.”
Dongwoo smiled. “I remember when I saw you guys in the hall that one time.”
“Right! That was you!” Woohyun exclaimed. “Back when Hoya was mean and cranky all the time.”
“He still is.” Sungyeol chirped.
Hoya laughed, trying and failing to glare at the boy.
Sunggyu returned in jeans and a tee, throwing his arms over Woohyun's shoulders. “I'm hungry.”
“I could make dinner.” Dongwoo volunteered, standing up. “That is, if it's okay with Hoya.”
The chestnut-haired man shrugged. “It seems like I can't stop people from coming inside my apartment anymore.”
“Let's go!” Sungjong stood and raced down the hall and into the open room.
Dongwoo went straight for the fridge and took out everything he needed to make a recipe for chicken soup he had found earlier in the week
Hoya joined Sunggyu and Woohyun at the table as they discussed their day.
Myungsoo excused himself to the bathroom, so the two teens sat beside each other on the couch.
“So, is Myungsoo your brother or something? You two seem really close.”
Sungyeol laughed, leaning into the back of the couch. “Brother? No, he's my boyfriend.”
Sungjong made a face and pouted. “Everyone has a person. I need one too.”
Sungyeol laughed again. “Hoya doesn't.”
“Yeah, but it's only a matter of time.” Sungjong stated, rolling his eyes. He and the other dissolved into laughter.
Dongwoo finished everything, and they all ate on the floor. He cleaned up with the help of Hoya and Sunggyu while the others talked. The chubby-cheeked man noticed Woohyun's carefully concealed yawn with hawk-like eyes.
“I suppose we should be going.” He murmured, staring at the clock. He walked over to his other half and pulled him up, repeating his statement. The dyed-brown haired man nodded and they waved goodbye.
“Wait!” Sungjong stood. “Can I crash at your place? I don't think Hoya has room for any more people.”
Sunggyu grinned, eyes turning into two lines. “Of course.”
The boy grinned, running over to the door. “I suppose I'll be seeing you all again. Oh, and welcome to the family!” He jumped and then left, closing the door behind him.
Not long after that, Sungyeol and Myungsoo retired to their shared room. Hoya and Dongwoo made their way out onto the balcony and sat still for a while, letting the wind run through their hair. Dongwoo broke the silence.
“Hey, you know how everyone had secrets?” He began, listening for a hum of affirmation. “Well, I have one that I'd like to let off my chest. “
Hoya opened his eyes and saw that the other was staring at him. “Go ahead.”
“Your father hired me to track you down and convince you to come back home.” Dongwoo breathed heavily, having spoken so fast. “There. I said it.”
“What?”
Dongwoo sighed, crossing his legs. “Well, you see, I'm a private investigator. The best. Self-employed, freelance, and all that. Your father came in and asked me to bring you home. Like all my clients, I had him bring in a picture of you.” He paused. “I can't even explain it. I saw it, and it just hit me! Bam! It's never happened before. I knew I had to find you.” He took a breath. “It was a high school picture. You were smiling. It was glorious. After a year, when I finally found you and you weren't smiling, it was upsetting. I decided that I would try my best to bring your smile back.” He grinned. “I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.”
Hoya turned to face the other completely.
“What I'm trying to say is this,” Dongwoo clasped his hands together. “Lee Howon, I've been hopelessly in love with you for a year, and every time you smile I remember why.”
Hoya could hear his heartbeat in his ears. He'd never really thought about Dongwoo that way. Well, that was a lie. He had. The man could cook, clean, and most importantly, he made him laugh. Without putting much thought into it, he pulled the other towards himself and crashed their lips together.
Dongwoo drew back, fighting for air. “I love you too.” He grinned.
Hoya smiled in return.
The blond raised a hand. “Just one thing. When I have to go back, I will. Even though I have to leave at some point, I will always love you, okay? Remember that.”
Hoya nodded, smiling as the other intertwined their fingers together. He felt...complete. This was it. This was what he'd been missing.
They retreated to the couch after staring at the stars for a good hour. Hoya lied down, but Dongwoo stayed standing.
“I'm cold.” He complained.
Hoya closed his eyes and hummed, encircling the other in his arms and pulling him down beside him. “Better?” He muttered, muffled by a thin shirt.
“Much.”
Hoya grinned, burying his nose in the other's back. It was true. He loved this man.
A/N: So, yes. I hope that wasn't too sudden or anything. If it was, then oh well. It needed to happen.
I'm currently undergoing research in civil court cases (via Google) so hopefully and I can get all this stuff right.
Again, I want to thank all the commenters who make me do a happy dance every time I see that little 'New Comment!' box in the corner, all the subscribers who make me feel like I actually know what I'm doing, and everyone who even just looks at this, because you have all made my week awesome.
THANK YOU! :D
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