So Who's the Girl?
[from Life is Beautiful kdrama, Tae Sub x Kyung Soo - canon gay couple, to give a bit of context to the title] Ho Sub is curious and drunk enough to actually ask about it, much to Tae Sub's mortification.
Warnings: A drunken, possibly OOC Ho Sub, and mild pervertedness.
A quick disclaimer: Please keep in mind this fic is from Ho Sub's POV. I'm not trying to say at all that all girls in a relationship are 'weak' in that they always need to be taken care of (in fact I would be the last person to say that) but I can see Ho Sub having a little bit of this mentality, especially considering how hard he tries to take of Yeon Joo.
He really hadn't meant to blurt it out. But it had been the first time since Tae Sub's coming out that they'd happened to be alone together, and watching his older brother stare up at the night sky, the thought had inadvertently crept into his mind.
As Yeon Joo was quite fond of pointing out, he was too honest and didn't always think before saying what was on his mind. Of course the five(or was it six?) shots of soju sloshing around in his stomach didn't exactly help either.
"Wh-what?" Tae Sub managed to sputter out after several seconds of wide eyed gaping.
For a second, it hit Ho Sub that his question could probably be considered offensive. Even if it was though, he knew his brother wouldn't seriously chide him about it. He felt a mild spark of guilt, knowing he was probably taking advantage of Tae Sub's placid personality...but he was curious!
"I guess I'm a little confused how it works...like there's gotta be a difference somewhere, right? Otherwise, you guys are no different than just regular friends."
"A...difference?" Tae Sub repeated slowly.
Ho Sub flapped a hand awkwardly. "Well, the small things...like paying for the girl's food, carrying their shopping bags, stuff like that…" He trailed off, wondering if even his mild-mannered brother would kill him for bringing up the example he was REALLY wondering about.
But the moment of sobriety quickly passed. "And...you know. How do you do IT?" He giggled at the emphasis, not even caring how much like a grade schooler he sounded.
He laughed again as he watched the comprehension dawn on Tae Sub, cheeks flushing a deep red. It certainly was a rare moment for the normally cool and collected man to get so flustered.
"Y-you - !"
Ho Sub suddenly reevaluated whether he'd overestimated his brother's temperament and wondered mournfully if he was going to get a beating after all.
A sudden sigh made him glance back towards his brother, and he was startled to see the other man looking down with slightly slumped shoulders.
"H-hey, I wasn't trying to make fun or anything, honest…" Ho Sub started hastily, "I was just curious...Hyung?"
Tae Sub shook his head, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "No, it's okay. Kyung Soo has always been encouraging me to be honest with myself and others and...not be embarrassed about who I am. Maybe this is a good time to try that."
A sudden feeling of apprehension loomed over Ho Sub at his brother's sudden openness. "Oh, haha right...um, but I'm just curious for the sake of being curious, like I don't really need...details or anything like that...uh, just a general overview? I guess?" He wanted to hit himself in the head - his stupid, intoxicated brain hadn't considered his brother taking the conversation this seriously, and actually giving him an explanation.
Tae Sub chuckled at his sudden discomfort, though his face was still slightly red. "I wasn't going to, but since you say that...maybe I will." He teased, laughing again as Ho Sub groaned.
Tae Sub fell silent for a moment, serious demeanor taking over once more. "He takes care of me so much, you know." He began softly. "He's always coming after me, even though I'm a coward and kept trying to run away. And when it just...became too much, he said he would wait for as long as he had to until I was ready to come back."
Tae Sub looked back up at the night sky, a suspicious glimmer in his eyes. "He's so strong for me, even when he can't be strong for himself. But...maybe now that Mother and Father have forgiven me for what I am...I can be strong for him too."
Ho Sub didn't even realize he had been holding his breath until he let it all out. But even through the haze of his current intoxicated state, he was awed by the complete openness and peace on his brother's face - it was the first time he had ever seen him like that. And it made him feel something that radiated from his heart, spreading to warm his entire body despite the chilly night air.
Being drunk wasn't really conducive for serious moments, however. "So you were the girl...but now he's going to be?" was his oh so elegant response, followed by a drunken cackle.
Thankfully, Tae Sub didn't sock him in the head like he really should have done...instead the older man laughed before reaching over to ruffle his hair. "Get some sleep, you brat...and don't make a habit of all that drinking, unless you really do want to hear all the gory details about THAT."
Ho Sub grinned as they started heading back to their respective rooms. "Not the details...just an answer to my original question. Which I'm still waiting for, by the way."
Tae Sub didn't answer, only sped up to quickly disappear back into his room, face completely red once more.
Ho Sub grinned. Yeah, he was definitely the girl.
