Mu Gyul tucked one leg up as he accepted a glass of water from Mary, watching Jung In move around, neatly hanging and tucking away the couple of suits he had brought. My Gyul was happy to see his lover, but. . .
He sighed, eyes wandering away. No qualification, he was very happy to see his lover home again, he was only . . . uncertain. It wasn't that they had to be in each others' pockets all the time - in fact, all three of them were at times busy enough to mean they saw each other rarely - but Jung In had been truly gone for . . . a while. And he'd gone back-
"Did you enjoy your trip?" Mu Gyul asked, tilting his head back to look up at his lover as Jung In came closer to the bed.
Jung In smiled and nodded. "I missed you both," he glanced at Mary as he spoke, offering a softer smile for her, "but . . . it was home for a long time. It was good to be back. For a while, at least. I'd like to take you with me sometime." he added in a lower tone, reaching for Mu Gyul's hand.
"Did you talk to your father?" Mu Gyul asked stiffly, though he didn't pull his hand free of his lover's clasp.
Mary came closer, one hand drifting over Mu Gyul's shoulder in a light caress. "Mu Gyul?" she questioned quietly.
"My father doesn't want to see me unless I'm coming to beg him to forgive me." Jung In said, fingers trembling for a moment against My Gyul's palm, though his voice was steady. "And likely even then; not if I didn't bring news that Mary and I were getting married." And news that Mu Gyul was no longer a factor in either of their lives, he was sure.
Mu Gyul bowed his head, sorry that he'd brought up a topic that so grieved his lover - and he knew it did - but- He pressed his lips together, pressing his free hand to his cheek.
". . .Mu Gyul. . ." Jung In began, but didn't follow it up with anything else, only let one hand trail along Mu Gyul's jaw, then settled onto the bed beside him. Mu Gyul's breath hitched.
"Mu Gyul, darling." Jung In pressed a kiss to his cheek, clasping his hand and drawing it down and away from his face. "I needed to break away from my father. It . . . pains me, how disappointed - how angry - he was, and is, with me, but I would never undo those steps. And I would never give up either of you, not for anything." he promised.
Mu Gyul eyed his lover sideways, clutching hard at Jung In's hand without thinking. Jung In only returned the clasp tightly, his free arm wrapping around Mu Gyul, warm and solid. His eyes were wide and sincere. Mary moved to snuggle against Mu Gyul's other side, her legs tucking across his lap as she wrapped her arms around him.
"It will be all right, honey." Mary soothed, as Jung In kissed him, just at the corner of his mouth. As soon as he'd drawn back, Mary took his place and twined her arms around Mu Gyul's shoulders, drawing herself up to kiss him as well. She stroked his face as their kiss broke, her warm, bright eyes meeting his. "We always come back together." she promised knowingly.
Mu Gyul folded in on himself a little, regretting his . . . slip. "I," he paused, "I know. I'm sorry." he said, looking up at Jung In again. Jung In gave him an open smile, clearly not upset at what had verged perilously close to an accusation. He swallowed. "So, you want to take us to Japan?" he asked, weakly attempting to divert his lovers' attention from his moment of distress.
Jung In pursed his lips, eyes narrowing slightly as he examined Mu Gyul. "I would like that. It was my home." He cupped Mu Gyul's jaw in one slim hand. "You are my home. Both of you. Mu Gyul, saranghae." he murmured, leaning close.
"Nado saranghae." Mu Gyul returned, lips curling, winding his arm around Jung In's shoulders. He hadn't forgotten, and it might not be the most important facet of their relationship - he glanced at Mary with a smile, hugging her close as well; loyalty, he remembered, threaded through from the beginning with both of them - but it was a sweet reminder.
Jung In certainly felt it no less deeply, but he seemed to have more trouble voicing the emotion than Mu Gyul himself, or Mary. No surprise there, Mu Gyul thought darkly, with his father.
Mary returned Mu Gyul's embrace, giving him another lingering kiss, then slid away, nudging him further towards Jung In instead. Mu Gyul followed the gentle suggestion, then shifted to straddle Jung In's lap and wrap his arms around his lover, meeting his eyes squarely.
Jung In raised an eyebrow, his arms sliding around Mu Gyul's waist in return, and he smiled, letting himself lean in against his lover's chest, head resting on one broad shoulder. Jung In stroked his back, murmuring affectionate nonsense, and a moment later Mary settled almost against his back, her fingers beginning to comb through his hair.
I'm sorry, Mu Gyul thought, closing his eyes, and I do trust you, both of you.
It was only . . . hard, sometimes, to convince himself, to remember that . . . that he came first, with both of his lovers, as he never had for anyone else.
First drafted as part of a music-inspired challenge, for the song 'Just Might (Make Me Believe)' by Sugarland.