“What’s wrong with him?”

“Who?”

“That new kid.”

“What do you mean what’s wrong with him?”

“Why’s he always smiling?”

“Maybe he’s just happy. Let him be Sunggyu.”

“Somebody can’t be that happy all the time. Can they?”

“Yes, they can. You’re just bitter about life so you can’t understand happiness if it doesn’t involve food and sleep.”

“True.”

Dongwoo’s parent’s had moved into the city in hopes of Dongwoo succeeding in his dreams of being a dancer. They’d sacrificed a lot for their son but they didn’t mind as long as he was happy. He paid them back with all of his love and that was enough for them.

When Dongwoo first started high school he made friends quickly with his bubbly personality and loud laughter. Dongwoo became the center of attention for becoming the top of the class and being so good at dancing and also his near perfect personality. However, there were times when Dongwoo would just disappear for a few days and then come back like nothing happened.

Sunggyu lived in the city his whole life and took an interest in Dongwoo much like everyone else in his grade. The only difference was that he didn’t try and get close to him. He’d just watch him from afar on occasion. Sunggyu didn’t have many friends because he wasn’t interested in getting involved with so many people when he was only in high school. He wanted to wait and make all his lifelong friends when he was actually living his life instead of being trapped in the hell whole society decided to call school. 

It’s not that Sunggyu was bitter or anything, he was just tired of pretending. He’d had a boyfriend during his sophomore year. He was a year younger than him and the relationship lasted almost a full year before Sungjong ended it 2 months before their one year anniversary. It’s wasn’t anything personal and Sunggyu had been nothing but sweet to him but he just felt that they didn’t fit well anymore, that they’d both grown up and really only stayed together for the sake of being together. They were still friends and they didn’t let their past relationship get in the way of their friendship.

“Gyu?”

“Hmm?”

“When’s the teacher giving us the project for science?”

“Next week I think.”

“Who do you think will be your partner?”

“Hopefully not Dongwoo.”

“Why not? He seems like a great partner, you know him loving animals and all. He’s practically the epitome of perfection for this project.”

“That’s exactly why. You know how Mr. Lee always pairs up the smart people with the stupid people and right now Dongwoo is top of the class and I’m at the bottom, there’s a very high chance of him becoming my partner.”

“That’s a good thing. Your grade will skyrocket if you get a good grade.”

“I know but the fact that I’d have to spend time with him outside of school is what I don’t want.”

“Come on he’s not a bad guy.”

“Uhhh, can we stop talking about him already?”

“Fine.”

                As the week rolled on Sunggyu slowly began to overlook his chances of getting Dongwoo as a partner. Mostly because the top students always got to choose the people they wanted to work with. The teacher never said it directly but he’d always ask to talk to them after class regarding their “grades”, everyone knew already that it was so that they’d pick their partner.  He’d never actually talked to Dongwoo, even if his group of friends had become quite close friends with him.

                The day that partners were assigned Dongwoo wasn’t in class and Sunggyu fell asleep not hearing who his partner was. When the bell rang for the day he still had no idea who he had gotten to be partners with but he figured the other person wasn’t at school or didn’t want to approach him yet.  He walked over to the teachers office when school was let out to ask for his partner, he was probably going to get scolded for sleeping in class but he needed to know who his partner was.

“Mr. Lee? Umm I wanted to know who my partner was, I umm… I fell asleep during class and didn’t get to hear.”

“Well, that’s what you get for falling asleep in class. I guess you’ll just have to wait and see who your partner is when they approach you.”

“But, Mr. Lee I want to start on the project as soon as possible.”

“Don’t lie to me, I know you’re not actually going to do it until the week its due.”

“Okay, fine sure I’m not going to do it until later on but I still want to know who my partner is.”

“Fine, Dongwoo. Jang Dongwoo is your partner.”

“But he’s at the top of the class. Didn’t he get to pick his partner like he usually does? Wait did he pick me?”

“Yes he did, and he picked you. The reasoning behind it though I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him yourself.”

“Okay, thank you.”

                On his way home Sunggyu ran into Sungjong and started talking to him as they walked. 

“So Dongwoo’s your partner?”

“Yea. Why would he pick me though? It’s not like we’re friends or anything. It’s not like we’ve even talked before.”

“Maybe he likes you.”

“Ha ha very funny. Why don’t you ask him, you are friends with him?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself? I mean you guys live in the same complex.”

“No we don’t.”

“Yea you do. I’ve been to his house a couple of times. It’s the same complex; he’s just a couple floors about you.”

“Wow. Wait a couple floors above? But those are the condos.”

“He doesn’t like to flaunt his money at school, but he’s what you might call extremely rich.”

“Oh,”

“What? Is him having money another reason for you to dislike him? I really don’t understand why you don’t like him? He’s honestly such a great person to be around, sometimes I like him more than you.”

“You like everyone more than me.”

“True, but he’s honestly so great, if I had a chance with him I’d go for it, but I don’t so there’s no point.”

“Why wouldn’t you have a chance with him?”

“He’s already interested in someone.”

“Who?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t have to.”

“Fine, but I will get it out of you.”

                As they approached Sunggyu’s complex Sungjong bid him farewell and continued on his way home. Sunggyu was curious as to where Dongwoo lived so he went to the mailboxes and looked for Dongwoo’s last name. He found it and decided to pay him a visit since he wanted to know when Dongwoo wanted to start the project, and he didn’t actually have his number or anything. As he took the elevator up to Dongwoo’s floor he contemplated if he really wanted to pay him a visit or not when the elevator opened up he stepped out not wanting to have wasted his time looking up Dongwoo’s apartment number and actually going up there for no reason. In the condo floors there were only three condos on each floor all being extremely big. When he reached the door he knocked on the door waiting for the door to open. He heard someone shuffling around inside slowly getting to the door. When the door opened it wasn’t Dongwoo who opened it was a middle aged women who was most likely Dongwoo’s mom.

“Hi. How can I help you?”

“Umm I was wondering if Dongwoo was home.”

“Oh yes he is. Are you one of his friends from school?”

“I’m his partner for a science project, Sunggyu I also live in the building.”

“Come in, I’ll go get him for you. He must still be sleeping.”

“Sleeping?”

“He wasn’t feeling well earlier so he didn’t go to school today and then the medicine knocked him out.”

“Oh, is he alright?”

“Yea, it’s just a small cold.”

                She left in the direction of the hallway before he heard a knock on what he assumed was Dongwoo’s door. It opened and he could hear Dongwoo’s voice only this time it wasn’t cheery and joy filled, it was raspy and lower than it usually was.  When his mom appeared again she ushered him towards Dongwoo’s room. When he was in front of the door he knocked and heard a small “come in” before opening the door. Dongwoo’s mom left to do what she was doing previously and left them alone.

“Hey.”

“Hi. How are you feeling?”

“I’m better than I was this morning.”

“That’s good.”

“Umm, how did you know I live here?”

“Sungjong mentioned that you lived in the same building as me and then I just checked for your mailbox. I’m sorry, now that I think about it; it’s really kind of creepy.”

“Oh, no it’s fine. What did you come for?”

“I wanted to know when you wanted to start on the project.”

“Oh, umm whenever you want really. It’s pretty easy so it won’t take long to finish.”

“Yea, about that, what exactly is the project? I feel asleep in class and I had to go afterschool to ask the teacher for my partner I didn’t want him to get even angrier and me for not knowing what the project is about.”

                Dongwoo let out a small laugh and leaned over to grab his backpack from the floor and rummaged through it before taking out a paper.

“I picked aquatic animals for us, I hope you don’t mind. I kind of picked it before even asking you first.”

“No, that’s fine. But what about aquatic animals are we doing?”

“Research on how they interact with each other amongst their own species and different species around them.”

“Exactly how are we going to do that?”

“The aquarium is pretty close. We can take the train. My family has season passes so we can go as often as we need.”

“Oh okay. That sounds great.”

“Do you want to stay for dinner?”

“Are you sure, I wouldn’t want to be intruding.”

“It’s fine, really. My mom’s probably gonna ask anyways.”

“Oh. Okay then.”

                Dongwoo sat there talking to Sunggyu about the project and some small details that he’d probably forget to tell Sunggyu any other time. Much to what Dongwoo said, his mom came in asking if Sunggyu was staying for diner to which Dongwoo just nodded. After that they just talked about each other and what they liked and disliked. Once they were called for dinner Sunggyu was met with Dongwoo’s dad getting home and Dongwoo’s sister in the living room. They all sat around the table talking over dinner. Sunggyu got a sense of warmth from Dongwoo’s family. He couldn’t even really remember why he disliked Dongwoo so much to begin with, they’d never talked before and that day being the first day of them officially talking made Sunggyu feel like a jerk for not liking Dongwoo.

“Do you want me to walk you home?”

“I live two floors down, besides you’re sick.”

“Mom, I’m taking Sunggyu home. I’ll be back in a bit.”

                Dongwoo didn’t listen to Sunggyu as he grabbed his coat and walked out waiting for Sunggyu to lead the way.

“You really don’t have to. I don’t want you to blame me for staying sick longer than you need to.”

“I don’t mind. Besides I need some air, I’ve been home all day. And I was only slightly sick, not full on sick.”

“Okay.”

`               Sunggyu saw Dongwoo shiver as they entered the elevator he looked over at him but Dongwoo just smiled.  He looked back towards the doors and waited for them to open at his floor. When they reached his floor he stepped out and Dongwoo followed, they walked in silence only the sound of Dongwoo dragging his feet was heard. When they got to Sunggyu’s door he stopped and turned towards Dongwoo.

“Thanks for walking me home.”

“It’s no problem. Oh, can I get your number so we can txt and agree on the day we go to the aquarium.”

“Sure.”

                They exchanged numbers but afterwards they still stood in front of Sunggyu’s door not really wanting to leave one another.

“Sunggyu?”

“Hmm.”

“Thanks for coming today. I know that we’ve never talked before but I picked you to be my partner because I wanted to get to know you better. I’ve gotten close to all of your friends pretty much, but I never managed to talk to you, you always seemed to disappear.  And also… never mind.”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing really.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yea see you tomorrow.”

                 Dongwoo walked back towards the elevator as Sunggyu walked into his apartment. His mom was inside watching TV.  She looked over at him and smiled and motioned for him to sit on the couch with her. He did as he was told and  laid down on the couch with his head resting on his mom’s lap.

“Mom?”

“Yea?”

“Can you dislike someone for a long time without knowing them at all?”

“I don’t see why you would. Why?”

“Because I’ve disliked Dongwoo ever since he got to school but then he picked me as a partner for science and I went to his house today and I don’t even remember why I didn’t like him before.”

“Maybe you just needed to give him a chance.”

“But he was so different at home than he is at school; he seems a little more approachable and even a little sad. I don’t know. He’s almost the same but he seemed different.”

“Maybe he just puts up a front at school. You don’t know him; maybe what you see at school isn’t actually what he’s showing you just see him differently.”

“But even at school he never looks dejected, no matter what. Maybe it’s just because he was sick.”

“Maybe.”

                He just laid there having his mom run her fingers through his hair; they watched mindless TV until they were both tired and decided to go to bed. As the week progressed Dongwoo would txt Sunggyu in between class or afterschool trying to get to know him better. At the end of the week Dongwoo asked if Sunggyu wanted to make their first trip to the aquarium that weekend. Sunggyu didn’t have anything planned so he agreed.

                Once Saturday morning arrived Sunggyu was awaken by knocking on his bedroom door. He knew it wasn’t his mom, she never knocked. He stood up to open his door and was met with a smiling Dongwoo.  He stood there and looked at Dongwoo, dressed and ready to go and he looked down at himself and he was still in his pajamas. He let out a small groan.

“I thought we agreed on 11am?”

“It is 11.”

“Oh, umm I… I’ll go shower then. You can hang out here or whatever.”

                Dongwoo let out a small laugh and walked into Sunggyu’s room. He walked around looking at all the little trinkets in his room. He sat down in front of Sunggyu’s computer and began to spin around. He looked at the bed and saw that it was still unmade so he decided to be nice and make his bed for him. When he was done Sunggyu walked in and looked at the already made bed and then at Dongwoo and then he pointed at the bed and then back at Dongwoo, to which Dongwoo just nodded and Sunggyu nodded in thanks. He finished getting ready and sat on his bed with his back pack on his lap taking some stuff out while putting in other things for the day.

“How long are we going to be there?”

“Until you want to leave.”

“Okay. “

                Sunggyu said goodbye to his mom before leaving and then they headed out. They took the train to the aquarium. On the train Dongwoo took out his tablet and began showing Sunggyu all of the different exhibits that the aquarium had, he asked him which ones he wanted to see first. Sunggyu not really knowing anything said he’d just go along with what Dongwoo wanted.

“Have you ever been to an aquarium?”

“I went once when I was in elementary school.”

“Wow.”

“What?”

“It’s just that an aquarium to me is so much fun, I love going when I have free time. It’s all so peaceful and the animals are just there and you can watch them swim around and be so free.”

“But they’re in tanks?”

“I know but they still look content with what they have. I mean they’re just there and they don’t really have to do anything in order for people to see how beautiful they are. And they’re never lonely because the trainers are there and so are the other animals.”

“I guess you really like animals.”

“I love them. If dancing fails for me I want to be a veterinarian.”

“I’m sure dancing will take off for you though. I saw you with Hoya, you’re pretty good.”

“Thanks, but I’m not sure. I love dancing and I know I’m good but I don’t know how good. I’ve auditioned to 4 different companies and none of them called me. Sometimes I just feel like giving up and just focusing on school, but then I remember that my family moved here because of me. We were fine in our town but I was so persistent that I wanted to dance and we packed everything up and came here.”

                Sunggyu didn’t know how to respond so he just placed his hand on Dongwoo’s thigh and gave it a slight squeeze in a way reassuring him that he was good enough.  Dongwoo looked up at him and smiled. When they reached their stop they got off and Dongwoo led the way with his hand occasionally brushing Sunggyu’s making sure he was next to him and he hadn’t gotten lost.  When they finally reached the aquarium entrance Dongwoo pulled out two passes and handed one to Sunggyu. They went in and got one of the aquarium maps to see where all of the habitats were even if Dongwoo already knew where they were.  They walked around aimlessly at first just looking at the smaller tanks with things like small crabs and sea horses. When they walked by the jelly fish Sunggyu stopped to look at one of the tanks. It was filled what seemed to be hundreds of tiny jelly fish. Dongwoo realized that Sunggyu had stopped and looked back to find him standing in front of the blue jellyfish.

“They’re cute aren’t they?”

“They look like they’re cramped in there.”

“The tank is so much bigger than what we see. It goes back really far so they have plenty of room.”

“Is this what you usually do when you come here? Do you just walk around and look at them?”

“I actually like to sit in the room with the biggest tank. It’s like a wall and the fish are huge and you can even see some of the smaller sharks swimming in there. It’s like you’re under the sea but you’re really just sitting there looking at them; it’s so clear and bright in there. I also like going into the tunnel. It’s almost the same but it’s a tunnel within the tank and you’re just surrounded by water it’s so amazing.”

                Sunggyu looked over at Dongwoo and saw how happy he was talking about the different habitats and he wondered why he even continued dancing when it was obvious he loved animals so much. Without really meaning too he held onto Dongwoo’s hand. He pulled him away from the jellyfish and down the hall to look at the other habitats. After 2 hours of just walking around aimlessly Sunggyu pulled out his tablet and pulled up a blank document and trying to remember all of the different animals they had seen but the only ones that stood out were the jelly fish and some fish. They still hadn’t gone to the rooms that Dongwoo talked about. He said that they were always crowded up until around 5 or so, that’s when people started leaving and the aquarium became a little bit deserted.  They stayed around until then and that’s when Dongwoo finally took him to the wall. They took a seat at one of the benched towards the top. They leaned against the wall behind them and they just looked at the different fish and sharks swim around. They didn’t talk they just sat there watching. Sunggyu felt Dongwoo’s head fall on his shoulder; he looked down at him and saw a smile on his face. Usually he would push away anyone that would lean against him but Dongwoo seemed so happy and content with just watching that he just let him. He went back to watching to animals and let out a sigh because he really did feel relaxed.  After about an hour Dongwoo lifter his head from Sunggyu’s shoulder and asked him if he wanted to walk through the tunnel.

                They walked towards the tunnel and the closer they got the colder it got. Sunggyu shivered from only wearing a thin cardigan.  Dongwoo saw it and held onto his hand as if passing him his warmth. He intertwined their hands and pulled Sunggyu closer to him before wrapping his arm around Sunggyu to give him warmth. When they began walking into the tunnel Sunggyu was aww struck. He could see the sharks swimming above and saw all different kinds of fish swimming around as well.  They hadn’t really done anything productive towards their project all day and for some reason Sunggyu didn’t see it as a wasted day. He liked being with Dongwoo for the day. He usually wasn’t so touchy but if Dongwoo held onto him or held his hand he didn’t mind, he felt a certain warmth from him that wasn’t just physical.

                They walked through the tunnel slowly taking almost a full hour walking through it when most just take 15 minutes. The entire time Dongwoo had his arm around Sunggyu’s waist in hopes that he was giving him some sort of warmth.  Dongwoo like Sunggyu, he liked being around him because he didn’t treat him like everyone else did. He didn’t act like he was some sort of god; he acted like Dongwoo was a person, a person with feelings that weren’t just happy.

                When they finished walking through the tunnel Dongwoo pulled Sunggyu towards the entrance once the announcement of the aquarium closing within half an hour. He held his hand the entire time until they got to the train. While on the ride home Dongwoo let himself get close to Sunggyu and snuggle up to him, he felt Sunggyu’s hand reach over him and held him protectively.  He looked towards Sunggyu’s face but only saw Sunggyu looking away towards the door they had entered through. He however felt Sunggyu’s hand travel up and down his arm in a soothing manner. When they reached their stop Dongwoo got up and held onto Sunggyu’s hand again.  They walked hand in hand until they passed a small café. Dongwoo pulled Sunggyu back and into the shop.

“My treat.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Pick whatever, price doesn’t matter.”

                Sunggyu let a smile slip because it was almost as if Dongwoo read his mind because he was thinking of getting the cheapest thing they had. Once they placed their orders they went to one of the tables and sat down to wait. The table was small barely big enough for the two of them, the café in general was small, it was intimate to say the least, and everything was very warm and inviting.  Sunggyu looked around at the decorations while Dongwoo looked at Sunggyu.  Sunggyu felt Dongwoo staring at him and then turned to him expecting him to start talking.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just you’re so different than what all of your friends say.”

“Well, what do they say? Maybe I am all those things I’m just not showing them to you.”

“Hoya always says that you’re no fun and that you don’t like to leave your house. Sungjong says that you’re bitter about life or something. And Myungsoo just says that you’re quiet, all the time. Like you only ever listen you never really talk about yourself.”

“They’re all pretty much right.”

“From what I’ve seen, you seem like the exact opposite.”

“You’re different. I haven’t known you for years. They’ve seen me go through life.”

“Entice me. I’m not planning on leaving until I know everything about you.”

“I think they’ll kick us out before I can finish.”

“Okay, then tell me about the last 4 years of high school.”

“Well, as a freshman I was completely different, I used to go out a lot with my friends at the time, like any other kid. I was pretty normal actually. Then Sophomore year I dated Sungjong, we dated for almost a year before we “mutually” broke up. I said I was fine with the break up and that it would be mutual but the moment he brought it up I was devastated. I know it sounds stupid but at the time I really thought that Sungjong and I could stick it out. I acted like I was fine afterwards and he didn’t seem to catch on that I was really hurt. I guess that’s when I started to change. I stopped going out as much with my friends, and I started making excuses to not leave my house. Even my mom started joking around with me that was secretly an old man because I would sit on the window sill with a cup of tea and read. I slowly started getting over him and by then Sungjong was completely oblivious to my heart ache and had moved on to someone else. We remained friends as you can see. And then the last year of my life has been pretty silent, nothings really happened.”

                Sunggyu didn’t know why he felt so comfortable telling everything to Dongwoo. It felt almost elevating to him of how he had actually felt about Sungjong. When he looked up to look at Dongwoo he saw Dongwoo nodding with his face slightly scrunched up.

“I would’ve never imagined you and Sungjong would ever date. You two are so different.”

“I know. But at the time it seemed too good to be true.”

“What about now? Are you still holding on to Sungjong?”

“No, I just see him as a friend now. In a way I’m happy that we broke up because I now have a best friend that knows everything about me.”

“Aside from the fact that he broke your heart.”

“Yea, I guess you could say that.”

“So, what’s your ideal type now?”

“I don’t have one. Right now I feel like relationships are pointless. Like you don’t know if you two are going to work out or if you’re going to break up. Are we going to be high school sweethearts that get married later on or am I going to look back on the relationship and feel like it was a waste of my time.”

“I understand why your mom says you’re and old man.”

“Ha ha, not funny. But really how much can you get out of a high school relationship.”

“True. How about me then? If we were to meet in, let’s say, 5 or so years from now, would you date me if I asked you out?”

“I don’t know. Five years is a long time. People change; no one ever stays the same no matter how persistent they are about not changing who they are.”

“Then how about me, now. Would you date me now?”

“Probably. But the you that I’m sitting here with, not the Dongwoo at school.”

“Why not?”

“Because the Dongwoo at school has no flaws, but you, you’re a person with feelings. You feel things that aren’t just happiness. I’ve known you what? A week. And I feel like I know more than anyone else in the school. How many people you talk to and open up to, I don’t know. But, I feel like I’m at an advantage right now.”

“You’re the first.”

“First?”

“The first person I’ve opened up too. You’re also the only one I’ve spent a day with outside of school. I mean everyone is nice and all but I don’t actually have friends that I can hang out with or go see a movie with. You’re the first person to see me in my comfort zone.”

“I’m honored then.”

“You know, you didn’t answer my question directly.”

“What question?”

“Would you date me… now?”

                Sunggyu didn’t realize that Dongwoo had meant it when he asked him. He thought it was just a joke but this time his face was so serious. He didn’t know how to respond, sure he felt comfortable with Dongwoo around and he didn’t have to be someone he wasn’t. he saw who he really was. After Sungjong he’d told himself that high school relationships were pointless but in that moment he wanted to say yes so badly. He wanted to say no and stick to his belief but then Dongwoo began to fidget and he seemed nervous and he didn’t like that look. Also Dongwoo’s eyes began to downcast and he saw sadness in them and he didn’t like that look on Dongwoo’s face.

                Without really knowing Sunggyu stretched his arm out across the small table and took Dongwoo’s hand in his.  He leaned across and planted a small kiss on Dongwoo’s cheek. He looked up at him and he smiled at him with a smile he’d never seen before. He held so much hope and joy in his eyes that they overpowered his smile and it was so beautiful. He didn’t know what he had just gotten himself into and he didn’t really mind. He just saw happiness in Dongwoo and he wanted it to stay. He had read a book saying “Sometimes, the saddest person is the one who laughs the most” and maybe Dongwoo was that person. He left so much behind but he hid it with all of his smiles and laughs at school.

“So would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow?”

“It depends.”

“On what?”

“Are you going to wake me up early?”

“Yep.”  

                Sunggyu laughed as he shook his head but still said yes. His sleep was precious but he was willing to give some of it up to get to know Dongwoo even more. At this point he’s give anything to find out more about Dongwoo.

                The project went undone for almost a month until they were reminded about it by the teacher saying they only had about a week before it was to be presented. Dongwoo and Sunggyu looked at each other with horror on their faces having completely forgotten about it.  Dongwoo hastily scribbled on a piece of paper before passing it to Sunggyu.

“Aquarium after school?”

                Sunggyu just nodded. And then went back to paying attention.  Dongwoo was ahead of everyone having read the material ahead of time so he just leaned against Sunggyu’s shoulder his head bouncing slightly with the movement of Sunggyu writing. The class went on and once it was finished Dongwoo had managed to fall asleep. The teacher was about to announce the homework when his eyes landed on Dongwoo’s sleeping face.

“Sunggyu would you mind waking up your boyfriend? He might want to know what the homework is.”

                Sunggyu turned slightly red before nodding and shaking Dongwoo awake. The teacher then addressed the homework and let everyone leave. When they walked out from school Sunggyu heard his name being called. He turned and saw Sungjong running towards him.

“Hyung, where are you guys going?”

“Aquarium.”

“Again? I expected you guys to be finished with the project already.”

“Well, we actually haven’t even started.”

“But you guys go to the aquarium all the time.”

“Well, we do go, but we kind of just hang out there and forget about the project.”

“Can I go then? I want to go, I haven’t gone in so long and I can make sure you guys are doing research.”

                Sunggyu looked over at Dongwoo and he just nodded.

“Great. Wait… I don’t want to be a third wheel. Can I invite someone?”

“Do whatever, you’re paying for your own entrance.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, we’re going to go home first though, to change and get some stuff that we need.”

“Okay. I guess I’ll go home and change too.”

“Meet us at the entrance of the train station and we’ll go from there. I’ll text you when were done.”

“Okay.”

                They all headed home while Sungjong was calling everyone he knew in order for someone to go with him to the aquarium. He finally got a hold of Myungsoo and he said he was free. They all agreed on where to meet and then parted when Dongwoo and Sunggyu reached their complex. They went to Sunggyu’s apartment first in order for him to change. Then they went up to Dongwoo’s. Both families had become quite close. Dongwoo’s mom and Sunggyu’s mom would constantly talk and have the other family over for dinner.  When they were ready to go Sunggyu called Sungjong to let him know.

                All four met up at the station and headed to the aquarium. The entire time Sungjong rambled on about all the different exhibits he wanted to see. Myungsoo just stood there quietly listening to him while Dongwoo and Sunggyu had long ago tuned him out.  When they arrived at the stop Sungjong couldn’t help but squeal in excitement. He grabbed onto Myungsoo and pulled him all the way to the ticket booth in order for them to pay for their entrance.  Dongwoo and Sunggyu walked slowly looking at how Sungjong was so excited and Myungsoo was being dragged around like a doll. They laughed at the site and continued towards the entrance Dongwoo showing his pass’.  They all walked in and Sungjong just sped off into one of the exhibits leaving Myungsoo, Sunggyu and Dongwoo at the entrance. Soon after Sungjong came back dragging his feet.

“Why didn’t you guys follow me?”

                The three looked at him in amazement.

“You left us behind Jonggie.” Myungsoo responded.

“I’m sorry. I was just really excited.”

                Myungsoo walked towards Sungjong taking hold of his hand and walking with him back to the exhibit. He turned around and waved back towards Sunggyu and Dongwoo. They waved back at him and then walked around actually taking notes for their project. After a couple of hours of taking notes and actually researching the animals they were focusing on they went into the tunnel and just looked at all of the sharks and fish swimming around them.

                They were holding hands the entire time because Sunggyu had gotten cold. They saw Myungsoo and Sungjong walking towards them from the opposite side holding hands as well. Sungjong was holding a cup with one hand while his other hand was intertwined with Myungsoo’s hand.  While Sungjong looked at the fish Myungsoo just looked and Sungjong. They met somewhere in the middle and talked for a bit, Sungjong making sure that Sunggyu and Dongwoo had actually been taking notes.  Afterwards separating after having confirmed that they’d each leave when they were done and there was no need to wait for the others.

                Sunggyu and Dongwoo stayed until the aquarium closed like all the other times that they’d gone. On the way home they walked close together talking about how they should present their information for the project. When they reached Sunggyu’s apartment they stood in front of the door not wanting to leave each other. It was cold in the hallway with the window cut outs. Their breathes were visible but they both new that if Dongwoo went inside they’d end up not doing anything productive and from the looks of it Sunggyu’s mom wasn’t home to keep them on track.  They huddled together trying to keep warm, their breathes mingling.

“I should go.”

“Yea?”

                Dongwoo began fidgeting, and his eyes held nervousness within them.

“Baby? What’s wrong?”

“I-I –I ….”

                Instead of finishing his sentence Dongwoo just cupped Sunggyu’s face and kissed him. It wasn’t their first kiss but they also only had kissed a numerous amount of times. Sunggyu at first was slightly stunned but then got into it and kiss Dongwoo back. When they pulled away Dongwoo enveloped Sunggyu in his arms.

“I love you.”

                At first Sunggyu thought that he’d imagined it but when he heard it again he smiled and buried his face into Dongwoo’s shoulder. He muttered the words back and kissed Dongwoo’s neck as a form of affection. Dongwoo pulled back with a smile brighter than the sun. The nervousness in his eyes was gone.

“You love me?”

“Yea, I guess I do. I think I’ve loved you since our first day at the aquarium.”

“I can’t say I started loving you then, because secretly I’ve been in love with you for so long.”

                Sunggyu’s eyes widened with amazement. Then he remembered what the teacher had said to him about Dongwoo picking him because he had a crush on him. He laughed and Dongwoo sent him a curious look.

“What?”

“When I first asked Mr. Lee about who my partner was he said that you picked me because you had a secret crush on me.”

“Guess he was right. Or he might’ve noticed the little hearts with our names in them on my homework.”

                Sunggyu let out a small laugh before kissing Dongwoo again. When he pulled away Dongwoo looked astonished.

“What?”

“That’s the first time that you’ve kissed me.”

“I can do it again. I can do it as often as I want.”

                He leaned in to kiss Dongwoo again and then again and again. Dongwoo let out a small laugh before kissing Sunggyu. They pulled away when they heard someone clearing their throat. They turned to find Sunggyu’s mom standing a little too close for comfort. They both slowly pulled away from each other and sent Sunggyu’s mom a nervous smile.

“If you two are going to do that, be a little bit more discreet about it. I mean you almost made it inside; you just had to open the door and walk inside. It’s what like 3 steps more?”

                They both smiled but still pink tinted their cheeks and ears in embarrassment over having been caught. Sunggyu’s mom opened the door and ushered them in.

“Dongwoo, I’ll tell your mom that you’re spending the night.”

                Dongwoo only nodded before seeing Sunggyu’s mom turn around and head towards her bedroom.

“So… I guess we’re having a sleep over?”

“What are you like five? You’re my boyfriend. Sleepovers require staying up late, but with you I’m sleeping when I get tired no matter what. You’ll eventually have to get used to me being an old man and sleeping early.”

“I love my grumpy old man of a boyfriend. And just so you know I’m a cuddler when I sleep.”

“Good. Because so am I.”

                They both walked toward Sunggyu’s room and began getting into pajamas so they’d be more comfortable.  They worked on their project for a while before getting tired and just going to sleep, cuddling one another.

                In the end they finished their project on time and passed, but the grade wasn’t as important to either of them. They main point of the project was for them to get something out of it, they didn’t really get anything out of it knowledge wise but they did get together so in a way they did get something out if it. 

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I hope you enjoyed this. I remember writing this and loving the idea of aquarium dates because they're so simple but so creative as well