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It’s all Jay’s fault, really.
Sunghoon thought a cruise meant hot girls, getting drunk, and having a good time. When Jay gave them the tickets because he couldn’t make it anymore, he conveniently left out just how expensive everything would be. Also, Sunghoon thinks as he takes a look around, that there would mostly be old people and their kids, and decidedly not single women.
Instead of lounging near the pool, fingers always wrapped around a drink like they thought, Jake and him are now sitting in their room, fully clothed and fully sober. With the number of children that have been set free throughout the ship, Sunghoon doesn’t even want to think about the ratio of Water to Pee in the pool.
“This sucks,” Jake says, miming hitting his head against the wall. Unfortunately, Sunghoon relates. “Dude, I basically lived in the gym last week preparing for this.”
Sunghoon’s eyes drop to Jake’s stomach. It’s a reflex, honestly. He can’t see anything through the shirt, of course, but he’s sure Jake looks good. Toned, even. He’s pretty serious about staying in shape when he wants to be, so Sunghoon knows his muscles must look pretty defined right now. Good for him. Sunghoon’s been kind of lazy about hitting the gym lately. Maybe he can ask Jake to go with him once they’re back.
“We should take another look around,” Sunghoon suggests. “We can’t just stay cooped up in here for the entire week.”
Jake tilts his head. “Can’t we?”
“There’s nothing to do here. It’s not like we can afford the Wi-Fi.”
“I knew I should’ve brought my vape.”
Sunghoon rolls his eyes. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Jake groans but stands up to follow Sunghoon outside. They’re on one of the lower decks so it takes a while for them to reach the top. Sunghoon almost trips over a running kid when he steps out of the elevator. On second thought, maybe staying in their room wouldn’t be so bad.
“I think the daily itinerary is that way,” Jake says, pointing to his left.
Sunghoon nods. He has to watch his step as he walks to ensure that he doesn’t trip over anything else or accidentally get pushed into the giant pool. Jake notices his hesitation and wraps a hand around Sunghoon’s wrist to guide him to the board.
12:00 - Book Swap , Sunghoon reads. Boring. 14:00 - Charades. 15:00 - Acupuncture Seminar. God, Jake was right. He should’ve brought his vape. Sunghoon keeps reading anyway. 18:00 - Newlyweds Game Show , Odyssey Bar, Deck 6 . It says ‘WINNERS GET UNLIMITED ALCOHOL’ right below. Sunghoon doesn’t read any further.
He points it out. “We need to participate.”
“Sunghoon.” Jake turns to him. “It’s for couples.”
🛳️
“I think we can pull it off,” Jake says once they return to their room.
Sunghoon, sobered up from his alcohol tunnel vision, doesn’t really agree. “I don’t think anyone is going to buy it.”
On a good day, Jake can go 6 hours before saying something that makes Sunghoon kind of want to sock him in the face. On a bad one, Sunghoon only has to breathe for Jake to start acting like he’s committed a crime. The point is that no one is going to see them together and believe that there’s anything remotely romantic going on between them.
“It’s trivia,” Jake says. “We’ve known each other long enough to answer basic questions.”
Sunghoon starts wringing his hands, thinking.
“Think about all the booze,” Jake continues. He has both of his eyebrows raised, though, with the look in his eyes, he just seems like a puppy asking for treats.
“Fine,” Sunghoon relents. The pros outweigh the cons, he supposes. “If anything goes wrong, it’s on you.”
Jake beams at him. It makes Sunghoon feel better about his decision.
🛳️
They sign up for the game show. The person in charge of registrations eyes them warily but writes their names down nevertheless. Sunghoon’s sweating so much that his shirt sticks to his back like glue. He still puts on his best smile, trying not to let it falter even when Jake grabs his hand.
By the time they have to leave for the bar, Sunghoon makes himself so anxious that his hands start to shake. Jake notices immediately.
“Dude, even if they find out, they’re not going to kick us out,” Jake says. “At least, I don’t think they can do that.”
Reassuring, Sunghoon thinks. He sticks his hands in his pockets and takes a deep breath.
Jake nudges him. “Would it be so bad if we got kicked out, anyway? Maybe we should fuck up on purpose.”
“Very funny,” Sunghoon says, though Jake doesn’t look like he’s joking at all.
At the front of the bar, there are podiums arranged in a neat row. Each one has tags attached to it and it only takes Sunghoon five seconds to find their names. More people start filtering into the room, some heading up to the front, others settling down at the tables. Sunghoon and Jake move to their assigned podium when they’re called.
“Welcome to the Newlyweds Game Show,” the host says, looking up from his cue cards. “We’ve got six couples competing for the grand prize tonight. As you may know, the winners get free alcohol for the rest of the cruise.”
The crowd erupts into cheers. Sunghoon supposes this is the most entertained that they’ll be during their self-imposed imprisonment. Perhaps the Acupuncture Seminar wasn’t as fun as they’d expected.
“I’ll be quizzing you on each other,” the host addresses the contestants. “Both of you have to answer correctly to earn a point. You’ll also get a free shot for each point.”
Jake mouths ‘We’ve got this’. Sunghoon smiles at him, though he’s sure it looks forced.
The first couple gets asked about birthdays. The woman answers within a second, but even as two more minutes pass, the man remains silent. Sunghoon watches the smile slowly slip off the woman’s face and hopes that she dumps his ass. Three more questions later, it’s their turn.
“What is the other person’s favourite colour?” The host asks.
Sunghoon lifts the mic to his mouth. “His is red.”
Jake turns the whiteboard around to show he’s right. He then replaces it with his mic. “I know he has ‘white’ written down,” he says, “but he’s wrong. His actual favourite colour is brown. When torn, brown is always what he reaches for. I think it might turn into my favourite too because it’s also the colour of his eyes.”
The crowd collectively awws. Sunghoon’s mouth opens and closes a few times. He turns his board around. It does say white.
What the fuck is Jake’s problem, anyway? Sunghoon can’t believe he’s coming up with this shit on the spot.
“Well,” the host says, “I think we have to give them that one.”
Jake raises his hand for a high-five. Sunghoon returns it. He’s still floundering when the waiter brings over their shots. They clink their glasses together, Sunghoon’s throat burning as the alcohol settles in his stomach.
The next couple gets asked their question. Shaking his head, Sunghoon forces himself to focus. Jake shoots him a questioning look but softens when Sunghoon smiles at him. The couple gets a point, which concludes the first round.
“Before we move on,” the host says as he flips through his cue cards, “why don’t you guys introduce your pet names for each other?”
Sunghoon looks at Jake, panicked. The crowd, however, seems to love the idea. Think, he tells himself. There has to be something. The deadbeat husband says ‘Sweetcheeks’. Jake turns to him as if asking ‘Can you believe this?’. Sunghoon shakes his head.
“I call him princess,” Jake says when it’s their turn. “He’s high maintenance and sometimes, a damsel in distress,” he lists off. Sunghoon considers kneeing him in the balls in front of everyone. “He’s also really pretty, and gentle with everyone he knows.”
It’s easy to see the way people eat it up. Sunghoon’s ears burn against his will. “I call him puppy,” he forces himself to answer. “Because he always acts like one.”
The word he’s actually thinking of is ‘bitch’ but they’re more or less synonyms. Jake leans in to bark in Sunghoon’s ear. Sunghoon pushes him away, but he’s laughing all the same. They go through another round, after which the host announces that the questions will be rapid-fire.
“What was the other person wearing when you first met?” The host asks.
Sunghoon doesn’t even realise that he’s raised his hand until the spotlight lands on him. He picks up the mic. “Pokemon pajamas,” he answers.
Jake turns to him, looking betrayed. Sunghoon shrugs. The real answer is Pokemon boxers, so at least Sunghoon is sparing him some amount of embarrassment.
For a bit of context: They met during their freshman year, when Sunghoon was drunk off his mind. It was 3 am, he desperately needed to pee, and accidentally knocked on Jake’s door instead of Jay’s. To this day, Sunghoon is still convinced that Jay gave him the wrong room number on purpose.
“He was wearing skinny jeans and a leather jacket,” Jake says. “He also smelled like cheap beer.”
Their points go up. So does the amount of alcohol in their systems. Sunghoon feels sticky but he also feels loose. He trips over his own feet when he goes to place his mic down. Jake wraps an arm around his waist for support. It stays there for the rest of the night as their points rack up.
“Last question,” the host announces.
Sunghoon and Jake are in a deadlock with another couple. The stakes are high. There’s unlimited booze on the line, Sunghoon reminds himself. Jake catches his eye and nods. Sunghoon nods back.
“What is your favourite thing about the other person?”
Before Sunghoon can even process the question, the women next to them raise their hands. He deflates. Jake squeezes his waist in sympathy. As the couple starts answering, Sunghoon, disappointed and also tipsy, decides to dissociate from the world. He snaps out of his reverie when he feels Jake pull him closer.
“Since it was a subjective question,” the host is saying. “I think it’s only fair that we hear from both of our finalists.”
Everyone cheers. Even the other couple nods encouragingly. If it were Sunghoon, he would’ve started protesting. Well, actually, he doesn’t have the courage or the social skills for that. He would’ve made Jake protest. Then they would’ve taken the W and walked away. Some people are just nice, he guesses.
“He’s the most diligent person I know,” Jake says. He looks at Sunghoon. He looks like he means it. “I’ve never met anyone who works as hard as he does. He’s always there when I need him. Even before I know it myself.”
Jake places the mic down and kisses Sunghoon’s temple. Sunghoon feels his entire body freeze. This. This was not a part of the plan. He turns towards Jake but Jake is looking at the crowd, most of whom are cooing at them. Well, fuck. Right. He should answer now.
“He always makes me laugh,” Sunghoon starts, “He’ll drop everything to come help me if I called. Honestly, he’d do it for all of our friends because he’s just nice like that. I don’t know a life without him. I don’t want to.”
Sunghoon can feel Jake’s eyes boring into the side of his head. He keeps looking down. It’s the alcohol, he tells himself. Neither of them would be saying any of this otherwise.
“Love is beautiful, isn’t it?” The host says. “Well, it’s time to pick a winner. If you liked Mary and Summer’s answers better, scream.” There’s a fair amount of noise. Sunghoon clutches Jake’s hand where it’s still holding onto his waist. “If you liked Jake and Sunghoon’s answers better, scream.”
Most of, if not the entire audience starts cheering. There are whistles and claps, too. Sunghoon looks at Jake. They both smile knowingly.
“There you have it. The winners of the Newlyweds Game Show, congratulations Jake and Sunghoon.”
Jake pulls Sunghoon into a hug. Sunghoon wraps both arms around Jake’s back and lets his forehead rest on his shoulder. Behind them, the screams and clapping intensify.
“Free alcohol,” Jake whispers in Sunghoon’s ear.
Right, Sunghoon thinks. Free alcohol.
🛳️
Sunghoon wakes up to the taste of vodka in his mouth. He’s not exactly hungover, but he still feels kind of dead. Also, he’s so hungry, he could eat for an entire village right now. He grabs the water from his bedside table and downs the entire bottle in one go. It does nothing to make him feel better.
To his right, Jake is still passed out on his own bed, sheets kicked off and shirt bunched up near his chest. Sunghoon looks down at himself. They’re both still wearing their clothes from last night.
He rubs his eyes as he sits up, stretching his arms out before leaving the bed altogether. Kneeling before Jake, Sunghoon taps his shoulder. Jake stirs but doesn’t open his eyes. Yeah. Sunghoon almost forgot the guy could sleep through a fucking earthquake if he wanted to.
“Hey,” he says, not even trying to keep his voice low. “Get up. I think we only have half an hour before they stop serving breakfast.”
Jake makes a noise that’s somewhere between a hum and a groan. “5 minutes,” he mumbles.
“Dude, we don’t have 5 minutes,” Sunghoon says. “Get your ass up now. If you don’t eat, you’re going to throw up and I don’t want to be here for that.”
Sunghoon would so be here for that if it happened. He’s not going to let Jake get through that alone. He would, however, prefer it if their bathroom was not covered in Jake’s puke.
Jake finally opens his eyes, blinking a few times before pushing himself up so that he’s leaning against the wall. “I don’t feel too good.”
“Food,” Sunghoon reminds him. “Let’s go.”
Ten minutes later, they’re sitting in the dining room, jackets pulled on and a shit-ton of perfume sprayed over both of them. Jake’s hair still looks like a complete mess. Sunghoon moves on instinct, running his fingers through it so he looks presentable at the very least.
“Thanks,” Jake says once he’s done.
Sunghoon hums. He feels like he’s being watched so he turns to the table next to them, where, like he suspected, there’s a woman staring at them.
“Sorry,” she says when she realises she’s been caught. “You guys are just so cute. Congrats on your win last night.”
Right. Their win. On the Newlyweds Game Show.
Jake places his hand on top of Sunghoon’s. “He is, isn’t he? Thank you.”
Sunghoon whips his head around. He looks at Jake and hopes his eyes convey the ‘What the fuck are you doing?’ that he’s thinking right now.
The woman laughs and goes back to her food.
“What was that?” Sunghoon whispers.
“Listen, man, they think we’re dating. We need to act like it.”
“We already won. There’s no need to pretend anymore.”
“What if they take back the deal? Just put on a smile and act like you’re crazy in love with me.”
“Whatever,” Sunghoon says. He thinks the whole thing is a little unnecessary, honestly. But they’ve worked so hard for unlimited alcohol. He shouldn’t put the brakes on it now.
🛳️
Sunghoon should’ve put the brakes on it. He should’ve put the brakes on it so fucking hard. It’s not even 12 yet and six different people have come up to them to either congratulate them or say something along the lines of how they’re really cute. Apparently, as Sunghoon learnt from one of them, the game show is being played on screens throughout the whole ship. Isn’t that a fucking hoot?
When another person approaches them on their way to their room, Jake pulls Sunghoon closer and whispers, “Play it cool,” in his ear.
Fuck you, Sunghoon wants to say. I haven’t been able to ‘play it cool’ a day in my life.
A little girl peeks out from behind the woman’s legs. Her mother nods at her reassuringly. “I hope you stay together forever,” the girl says.
Jake lets go of Sunghoon to kneel in front of her. “I promise we will.” He sticks out his pinky finger. The girl checks with her mother before linking their fingers together.
Sunghoon cannot believe him. They’re not even really together and Jake is out here promising children that they’re never breaking up. Great. Now she’s going to grow up with a twisted perception of what love and relationships are. Good job, Jake. Way to mess with the next generation. Sunghoon contemplates butting in, letting her know that this is not what true love or whatever looks like. But then Jake looks up to smile at him, and Sunghoon being Sunghoon, decides to keep it to himself.
Once they’re back in their room, away from all the busy-bodies and children who don’t know any better, Sunghoon sits on his bed, thinking about just how bad it would be if he decided to jump off the ship.
“You are not going to jump off the ship,” Jake says.
“What the fuck?” Sunghoon whips his head around. “How did you know what I was thinking?”
“You were making your ‘I’m so embarrassed, I could die’ face.”
That’s not a thing. Jake is so into this whole shtick, he keeps making stuff up even when he doesn’t need to. Maybe this is the road to becoming a pathological liar. Sunghoon is about to respond, but a knock at their door cuts him off.
Jake opens the door. Sunghoon leans forward to check who it is. The woman who registered them for the game show last night walks in.
We’re done, is Sunghoon’s first thought. They’re onto us. He doesn’t have to worry about jumping because Jake and him are going to be thrown off the ship. They’ll be stranded in the middle of nowhere and no one will come to rescue them. This is the reputation Sunghoon will die with: The guy who faked a relationship for free booze.
“We were going to tell you this last night, but you didn’t seem to be in a condition to understand it,” the woman says, looking like she doesn’t get paid enough to deal with the likes of them. “You’re being bumped up to the fifth deck. It’s a part of the prize.”
Woah. They saw the rooms on the upper decks during their first day. They’re impressive, to say the very least. Jake grabs Sunghoon’s hand out of excitement. Sunghoon gives it a light squeeze.
“If you’re free now, I can show you to your new room. Your luggage will be moved later.”
Sunghoon nods and soon they’re being led up to the fifth deck, where they follow the woman to the end of the hallway. She pulls out a keycard from her pocket, unlocking the door and handing it over to Jake. Pushing the door open, she leans against it and motions to the inside with her hand like she’s presenting a magic trick.
“This is our honeymoon suite,” she says.
It’s pink. It’s pink and there’s one single bed in the centre of the room. Which is shaped like a heart. And is covered with rose petals. Fucking awesome. No, this is just great. Sunghoon didn’t think things could get any worse and now they have to share a fucking heart-shaped bed.
Jake recovers faster than him. “Thank you,” he says, smiling at the woman.
She nods and then she’s gone. Leaving them alone in their pink room with a heart-shaped bed covered with rose petals.
“You wanna get drunk?” Sunghoon asks.
“Yes please.”
🛳️
Their first mistake is going to the same bar where the game show was held. Their second mistake is thinking everyone will have moved on to something else by now. Which is probably stupid of them, given the fact that the most interesting thing on the itinerary today was a seminar on the dying salmon population. Talk about irony.
Sunghoon is on his third Tequila Sunrise when the host from last night walks in to help prepare for the—Sunghoon checks the itinerary on the table again—cereal trivia? What even is this cruise?
Unfortunately, before he and Jake can surreptitiously slip from the room, his eagle eye catches them. “Our favourite couple,” he announces for the whole bar to hear. “I see you’re enjoying your prize.”
Jake lifts his glass, Great Gatsby style. Sunghoon just wants the ground to swallow him whole. Everyone is looking at them now, pointing fingers and whispering to each other. It’s like having terrible flashbacks to his high school days. Does this group of grown-ass people really have nothing better to do?
“You should kiss,” someone shouts from the back.
Sunghoon’s eyes widen, his grip slackening around his glass. A bead of sweat drips down the side of his face. No way. No fucking way. He can feel his heart beating inside his chest. This is all too much already. There is no way in hell that he is actually going to kiss Jake. On the lips.
Nobody else, however, seems to share the sentiment.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” The entire bar starts chanting.
Sunghoon must look terrified because Jake places a hand on his thigh in an attempt to comfort him. The touch burns through the fabric of Sunghoon’s jeans. Maybe he should’ve drank a little less. More sweat coats his forehead and his thigh starts bouncing under Jake’s grip. His anxiety must not be visible because the chants only grow louder.
“Hey,” Jake whispers to him. “It’s okay. It’s just me.”
Yeah, Sunghoon thinks. It’s you. “I don’t–” he tries to say but doesn’t know how to finish it.
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
Sunghoon latches onto a part of the sentence. “Do you want to?”
Jake shrugs. What the fuck does that even mean? “I don’t mind. We’re bros, right?”
Bros don’t kiss, Sunghoon wants to yell. But bros don’t hold hands and wax poetic about each other either, and that’s a bridge they’ve already crossed. Fuck it. They’ve got an audience. Might as well give them a show.
“Okay,” Sunghoon says. “Let’s kiss.”
Jake blinks a few times, mouth falling open like he didn’t expect Sunghoon to agree. Well, too bad. Sunghoon’s committing to the bit. If there’s one thing about Sunghoon, it’s that he will never back down from a challenge. What exactly is the challenge here? He’s too drunk to figure that out.
The chants fade into the background as Jake leans closer to him. Sunghoon’s eyes close, tongue poking out to wet his lips. If he’s going to kiss Jake, he’ll make sure it’s really good. For the bit, of course. It can’t look like this is their first kiss.
When their lips first touch, Sunghoon stops breathing for a second. His instincts kick in then, hands cupping Jake’s face so they’re kissing properly. They’re sitting right next to each other so the angle is a little weird, but the potential crick in his neck is the last of Sunghoon’s worries when Jake is sucking on his tongue greedily. His mind becomes fuzzy, the alcohol and Jake’s hands on his neck acting like a unified hammer against Sunghoon’s sanity.
His eyes stay closed even when Jake pulls away. Sunghoon can’t get himself to let go of Jake when his grip on him seems to be the only thing keeping him from floating away right now.
“I think I need to lie down,” Sunghoon says. His voice doesn’t even reach his own ears.
Jake hears him anyway. “Okay. Let’s get you to bed.”
Sunghoon thinks Jake is saying something to the crowd. Or maybe not. His ears are buzzing and his brain feels like mush. He goes pliant in Jake’s arms, letting himself be led to their room and deposited onto the bed. Jake brushes his hair away from his eyes and Sunghoon can’t help but lean into the touch like he’s starved.
While Sunghoon pushes the petals that are prickling him off the bed, there are faint sounds of Jake puttering around the room before the bed dips next to Sunghoon. Using the last of his strength, Sunghoon lifts himself up and rests his head on Jake’s extended arm so that they’re facing each other.
“Hey,” Jake says when their eyes meet.
“Hi.”
Jake laughs. His breath hits the bridge of Sunghoon’s nose. Sunghoon shifts his leg to make himself more comfortable. His thigh bumps into Jake’s knee. When he looks up, Jake is right there.
“What are you thinking about?” Jake asks.
You, Sunghoon doesn’t say. He tilts his head up until their noses brush together.
“Sunghoon….”
“Please,” Sunghoon whispers.
And god, does Jake deliver. He rolls on top of Sunghoon, leaning down to slot their lips together. Sunghoon’s arms settle on Jake’s waist, thumbs slipping beneath his shirt to caress the skin above his waistband. Jake starts trailing kisses down the side of his neck, nipping at a particular spot that makes Sunghoon arch into him like he’s a puppet being pulled by its strings.
“Please,” he says again. He doesn’t even know what he’s asking for anymore.
The hand on Sunghoon’s cheek traces a path down his body until Jake is cupping him over his jeans. Sunghoon shivers in response, body running hot enough to be mistaken for a furnace.
“I’ve got you,” Jake whispers in his ear. Sunghoon believes him.
He pulls Jake closer so they can kiss again, letting his hands explore Jake’s body wantonly. Jake grinds down, pulling away to muffle a groan against Sunghoon’s cheek. Sunghoon can feel his patience run out. He tugs at the hem of Jake’s shirt until he gets the hint and leans back to pull it off. It ignites something in both of them, their movements growing hurried as they start tugging each other’s clothes off carelessly.
That’s the last thing Sunghoon remembers. When he wakes up the next morning, Jake is gone.
🛳️
“You fucking asshole,” Sunghoon says. He grabs the pillow next to him and chucks it towards where Jake has just entered through the door. “I thought you fucked me and fled.”
Jake dodges the pillow, then leans down to add it to the pile of clothes in his arms. “We’re in the middle of the ocean. Literally, where the fuck would I go?”
That’s a great point. One that Sunghoon would’ve taken into consideration if it didn’t feel like someone was drilling into his head. He lets himself fall back into the sheets, the silk as soft as clouds against his bare body. Closing his eyes, he tries to get himself to disappear out of sheer willpower. It doesn’t work.
“I was getting us a change of clothes from our old room, you idiot,” Jake says, dumping everything onto a chair. “They still haven’t moved our stuff.”
Sunghoon turns away from him because he doesn’t know how to respond to that. Honestly, he doesn’t know how to do anything right now. Where’s the manual on ‘appropriate behaviour after you’ve just fucked your best friend’ when you need it?
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” Jake adds as an afterthought.
That goads Sunghoon into action. “I know,” he says without missing a beat. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t really thinking.”
“You never are.”
Sunghoon grabs the pillow under his own head and turns to hurl it at Jake. This time, Jake catches it. He’s laughing as he presses a knee into the mattress, folding his legs so he’s sitting next to Sunghoon’s head. His fingers start carding through Sunghoon’s hair, occasionally scratching at his scalp.
It takes a herculean amount of effort to get himself to open his eyes. When he does, Jake’s gaze is fixed on his throat. Sunghoon flushes all the way down to his toes. If the red marks peeking out from under Jake’s collar are anything to go by, Sunghoon doesn’t even want to know what his own neck looks like. He pulls the sheets up to his chin self-consciously.
Jake smiles. It’s a tiny, furtive thing. He reaches behind himself to grab some water and hands it over to Sunghoon. Although Sunghoon has already emptied the bottle on his bedside, he obediently drinks this one as well.
“Get changed,” Jake says. “We need to eat. Then we can talk.”
Sunghoon wants to disagree. He wants to reach the shore, alight from the ship, and run away. More than anything, he wants to feel Jake’s body against his again. The realisation does nothing but dampen his mood further.
Only after they reach the dining room does Sunghoon realise that it’s actually lunchtime. He scarfs down a burger and a piece of apple pie, accepting Jake’s offer when he pushes half of his pizza in Sunghoon’s direction. Once he finishes it, he leans back in his chair and finally feels like a person again. Before he can reach for the tissues though, Jake is leaning over to wipe the crumbs near his mouth.
What are we? Sunghoon wants to ask. Why are you doing this? Where do we go from here?
“Let’s head up,” Jake says.
Sunghoon nods. Here goes nothing.
The trip to their room is silent. Sunghoon can’t really decide if it’s awkward or comfortable. His thoughts are moving a mile per minute, going through every scenario that could possibly happen. All Sunghoon hopes for is that this doesn’t ruin their friendship forever.
Jake opens the door and Sunghoon kicks his shoes off before sitting at the edge of the bed. He traces shapes into the carpet with his socked toes. A puppy. A heart. A shooting star flying across the sky.
“I don't really know what I’m feeling. I’ve never thought about us like this before,” Jake says. Sunghoon holds his breath. “But it would be a lie to say that last night meant nothing to me.”
Jake’s being honest, Sunghoon can tell. He decides to repay it in equal measure. “I have, once,” he says, heart lodged deep inside his throat. It’s something he’d forced himself to forget about by shoving it deep within the recesses of his mind. Freud would have a field day with him, Sunghoon thinks digressively. “I just didn’t think it would be worth risking years of friendship over.”
When he looks up, Jake’s eyes are blown wide, his entire body frozen as he processes Sunghoon’s words. It’s easy to see when they fully settle in. Jake blinks, the curve of his shoulders softening as he moves closer to Sunghoon.
“What about now?” Jake asks.
Sunghoon shrugs. He’s not exactly sure either. Things could still go south, but they’re not 20 anymore. Sunghoon would like to believe that going through post-graduation depression together has made their bond strong enough to deal with a potential breakup. Just to be safe, they would make Jay draw up a contract. Sunghoon already has a clause: No playing Justin Bieber when they’re fucking.
“I think we could make it work,” Sunghoon answers. “If you want to try.”
Jake smiles, soft, and takes another step forward until he’s standing between Sunghoon’s legs. “Yeah, I do.” He cups Sunghoon’s face. “My princess.”
This little shit. “I’ll cut your dick off,” Sunghoon threatens.
“But babe,” Jake says, squeezing Sunghoon’s cheeks, “Who’s going to rock your world then?”
God, Sunghoon thinks. He can’t believe he’s just signed up for this. Jake grins down at him like he knows exactly what Sunghoon is thinking. Fucking asshole.
Sunghoon comes up with another clause: Jake can only get away with three annoying jokes before Sunghoon does something about it.
“Do not call me that ever again,” Sunghoon says. “In fact, be quiet for several days.”
Jake rests a knee next to Sunghoon’s thigh, using it as leverage to fall onto the bed, and takes Sunghoon down with him. His hands dip lower, thumb pressing into a bruise from last night. Sunghoon hisses, hips bucking up on instinct. Jake’s smile grows increasingly smug. Sunghoon is so, so into it.
“Jay’s going to be so annoying about this,” Sunghoon says.
“Don’t bring him up.” Jake’s thumb presses in deeper. “Do you want me to go soft?”
Sunghoon can’t help but laugh, arms wrapping around Jake’s neck as he brings him closer for a kiss. They take their time with it, lips moving together languidly. It’s almost embarrassing how the bare minimum from Jake is enough to get Sunghoon hard. He’s definitely never going to admit it out loud, though. Jake’s ego is inflated enough as is.
“Hey,” Jake says when they pull away. “You wanna rub the magic lamp?”
Sunghoon doesn’t think twice before kicking him off the bed.