Work Text:
Smallest Hyung: are you on break? Eat lunch with me at our café. 1:34 PM
Sungwoon entered the café and reread the text he had just sent. Since when had it become their café? He shook his head leaving a mental reminder to be more careful with his words. Daniel had already started acting funny and getting jealous over insignificant things. At first it was cute and Sungwoon didn’t pay any mind to it but then it started happening more often and his patience began running thin. He didn’t want to give Daniel any more reason to act that way. He set his book bag down on the cushion of the booth he’d chosen and walked to the counter to order a coffee and a peach tea. As he walked back to the table his text notification went off in his back pocket.
Daniel: be there in 30 seconds 1:36 PM
Sungwoon grinned. Although Daniel had been acting like a jealous boyfriend lately, he had to admit that his company never ceased to entertain him. (Non-promiscuous encounters and all.) He took a sip of his coffee remembering that day they had ran into each other here; the start of their friendship.
“Hey.” Daniel slid inside the booth, dropping his phone on the table. “For me? Oh, you shouldn’t have.” He grinned and took the straw of his peach tea between his teeth.
“How’d you get here so fast?”
“I was nearby. Woojin wanted to go over a choreography before class this afternoon.” Daniel ran his hand through his hair. “We were by the field. A bunch of people stopped to watch us.” He smirked. “I’m a bit of a hot commodity around here.”
Sungwoon snorted and drank more coffee. “Congrats.”
Daniel watched Sungwoon as his gaze wandered outside the window.
“You know, I’ve had a few people ask me out. Girls and boys.” Daniel grasped his cup and traced the condensation droplets with his index fingers. “Yesterday it was that guy from art history.”
Sungwoon dragged his eyes to Daniel searching his face for the point he was trying to make in bringing this up.
“Okay.”
“I always say no, though. Even if I kind of want to.”
Sungwoon started tapping his foot under the table. “Okay.” He repeated.
Daniel’s gaze locked on Sungwoon. “Okay.” He challenged back.
Honestly, Sungwoon did not ask to see the other that afternoon to start a fight. For once, he wanted to enjoy a light conversation sans arguments or misunderstandings unlike the past few weeks. Unfortunately, he sensed the younger was feeling just the opposite. So, instead of waving it away, Sungwoon addressed what he had been holding back for weeks.
“Daniel, I’m not telling you to say no to them. Don’t act like it’s my fault you can’t go out with these people. Do whatever you want. We’re not exclusive.” He said that last part making sure to pin Daniel down with his stare. This jealousy act had gone on way too long and he had to set them straight.
“What are you saying?”
Sungwoon sighed, annoyed. “I’m saying you can see other people if you want. You don’t need to ask for permission.”
Daniel stared at him and he could almost see the next question forming in his brain.
“Do you want to see other people?”
Sungwoon opened his mouth to answer but was cut off.
“Have you been seeing other people? Is that who that girl was from the other day?” Daniel’s voice was slowly rising and the louder it got the faster Sungwoon’s foot tapped.
“What does it matter if I am? Or even if I want to?”
“It does matter, hyung. It matters to me! Answer me.”
“No! Why are you getting so possessive? There were no rules about seeing other people. We agreed that this was just for fun. Nothing serious. Is this why you’ve been so bitchy lately?” Daniel’s head jolted. “You have no right to be acting this way because once again let me remind you. We are not exclusive.” This was not a conversation to be had in a café or in public at all for that matter but if this is what Daniel wanted this was what he was going to get.
“Are you kidding me?” Daniel practically yelled. A few heads turned in their direction.
“Lower your voice.” Sungwoon said dangerously.
“No!” The sharp movement of Daniel’s hand almost caused his cup to spill.
They both were openly glaring at each other, but for different reasons. Whereas Daniel was looking for a way in, Sungwoon was looking for a way out.
“We’re pretty much exclusive! We have been for weeks. Everyone knows. It’s only you who doesn’t want to admit it. Only you still hiding under this ‘just friends’ pretense. It’s not like everyone doesn’t know we’re fucking!”
If Sungwoon were a man of violence, he would have punched Daniel right in the mouth.
“Well if they didn’t know before, they fucking know now!”
“What are you so afraid of?” Daniel pushed on.
“I’m not afraid, Daniel! I’ve been in relationships before.” And it’s true. He has been. “But you and I are just…”
“Just friends with benefits?”
Sungwoon shrugged. “It wasn’t a problem before.”
“Before I just followed along with everything you wanted. Before I didn’t care about a relationship. But now I do. Why is that so hard for you to accept? Everyone else sees it. Why can’t you?”
“I just didn’t care about labeling whatever this was we had going on. I have other things to worry about. I’m graduating. Real life is approaching. Why does this have to change? Let’s just keep it the way it is. You know I didn’t come looking for a relationship.”
“I can’t do that anymore. I changed my mind.” Daniel said putting his foot down on the subject.
“Yeah, well I didn’t. I thought we both got what we wanted out of it.”
Daniel scoffed in bewilderment.
“What we wanted out of it? I didn’t get what I wanted. I was too busy caring for what you selfishly wanted! All the time we spent together and all the things we did?” Daniel shook his head desperately. “That wasn’t enough to change your mind?”
“Daniel, it was… fun but I guess we’re just seeing things differently now.”
“What are you- what does that mean?” Daniel’s voice dropped in volume but his persistence was ever present.
“You shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up. If a relationship was what you were after you made a big mistake agreeing with me from the start. I didn’t want a relationship then and I still don’t want one now. Sorry, but I didn’t sign up for that.” Sungwoon answered bluntly, shrugging his shoulders.
“You don’t sign up for that! Do you even hear what you’re saying?” It was clear as day what Daniel was trying to fight for but attempting to barrel passed Sungwoon’s thick skull was an endless feat. “You mean I wasted all this time with you and you don’t want to be with me?”
Sungwoon watched as Daniel’s rage simmered into something else.
“You knew what this was when you walked into it. If that’s not good enough for you then I guess this is it. That’s the best I can offer you.” Sungwoon said with a tone of finality as if this was a business offer instead of the end of a romantic affair.
Daniel stared at him; hurt and deceit written all over his face so much that Sungwoon had to look away uncomfortably. Feeling like the world’s biggest idiot, Daniel lowered his gaze, took his phone and walked out the café.
Sungwoon stayed in the booth staring into the distance with his half empty coffee cup sitting before him. He could not concentrate on a single thought from the many that whirled around his brain. He faced the window and people were going on with their day as usual, but he wondered why he felt so odd. He took a drink from his coffee hoping the caffeine would bring him back to normal. Minutes passed and he lost his appetite; deeming the warm liquid insufficient enough to bring back the warmth within him. He left the café, pushing his unfinished drink into the garbage.
Daniel left the café without looking back. Never in his life had he felt this humiliated. In elementary school he had been bullied and embarrassed but he was able to build back his confidence and emerge a new, stronger man. But this?
His chest felt heavy, like someone dropped twenty-pound weights on him. Had he been the star of his own music video, the sky would have opened and he would have walked through the rain like the heartbroken man he was.
But this was real life.
And in real life he had a dance class to attend so he wiped his face with his bare hand, squeezing his eyes shut together, willing the strain behind his eyes to go away before he faced his friends in class.
He reached for the metal handle on the door to the studio and noticed how shaky his hand was. He pulled back and inhaled deeply which did nothing to stop his heart rate from accelerating; instead, triggering the memory of Sungwoon’s words.
You knew what this was when you walked into it.
Yeah, he knew. Yet he still let his hopes get the best of him.
What a foolish mistake.
“Hyung! What are you doing? Let’s go inside!” Woojin’s voice pulled Daniel out of his somber thoughts.
“There’s are center!” Taehyun said, smiling as Daniel walked closer.
He tried to slap a smile on but it came out more like a grimace. “Hey guys.”
“Where’ve you been? Oh, I know,” Samuel smirked. “You were with Sungwoonie hyung.”
Daniel fake laughed along with the others, lowering his head to hide his watery eyes, not able to hold them back at the mention of the other.
“You alright, hyung?” Jihoon whispered hesitantly, catching Seongwoo’s attention.
Daniel licked his lips, rubbed his eyes and wiped away the stray tears that had leaked out. He felt his face heating up.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing.” He assured them. Jihoon looked at him unsurely and Seongwoo gave him a “let’s talk about this later” look.
Class started and Daniel, model student he was, dove right into the routine. Being center for his team was nothing to be taken lightly so he shook off his troubles and gave it his all. He executed a perfect routine in lieu of erasing a less than perfect relationship.