Chapter 4

On the contrary, for the entire week Kyuhyun seemed anxious, as though the weekend could not come fast enough. Normal enough behaviour for one so young, but Ryeowook was not used to seeing it. Usually what day it was meant little if anything to Kyuhyun. He never gave any indication he even noticed weekends existed before, except for the fact he always remembered to stay home and play his laptop or do homework for his tutorial classes.

By the time Friday rolled around, he couldn't sit still all day, seemingly checking and rechecking everything would be perfect. It was as though Kyuhyun was desperate to make a good impression with Ryeowook's friends. Ryeowook couldn't help but laugh at that, knowing that his friends already thought very highly of him, from all the times he'd told them about Kyuhyun since they'd started living together.

It wasn't until they were due to arrive at any moment, that Ryeowook remembered the one bit of information he'd forgotten to clarify with Kyuhyun about the party. "Kyuhyun?" he queried, attracting the attention of the man pacing before the door before he continued, "There's just one thing, I hope you don't mind but... my friends are a bit older than us, and they're bringing alcohol to the party, do you mind the idea of us drinking?" he queried nervously, worried that his question might kill all Kyuhyun's excitement for the party.

But Kyuhyun shrugged the words off, as unimportant, "No problem, if nobody minds, I'd like it if I could join you." he added on, his tone sounding more worried that he would be rejected than his words would indicate. Ryeowook nodded, but cocked his head slightly in curiosity, "You mean you drink?" "I've been known to." Kyuhyun agreed, and Ryeowook breathed a sigh of relief.

He'd been hoping that Kyuhyun wouldn't mind. But he had known people before who were very fussy about such things. People who believed alcohol was only good for causing problems and should be avoided. The sorts of people who would complain and lecture all evening at parties where there was alcohol, or even break up friendships over it. Heechul had once known someone who had stopped being his friend because he found out Heechul drank, not that Heechul was the type who would really care though.

He'd only hoped that if Kyuhyun had been that sort of person he'd be more tolerant about it, than that person had been.

At that moment the loud shouts of several people could be heard from the hallway, along with many thuds on the front door. Kyuhyun had been hovering near the thing for around a half hour now, so Ryeowook had assumed he'd intended on opening it for Ryeowook's friends when they arrived. But suddenly, he looked very shy, and he scurried away from the door closer to the dining room table.

Ryeowook laughed at the cute look of worry on Kyuhyun's face, "Don't worry they'll love you. Whether or not I can say the reverse however, remains to be seen." he reassured him, as he stepped forward opening the door for his friends.

They all tried to cram themselves through the doorway at the same time, hollering at one another to get out of the way in their eager scramble to get inside the fancy apartment. There would be seven of them in all, as Kangin had not been able to make it. He'd gotten pretty busy as of late what with his work as an actor starting to take off.

But the party carried on in his absence, everyone having already promised to tell him all about the guy Ryeowook was living with. Even had Kangin asked them to call off the party until he would be able to come, he knew it would have been useless. They were all too curious to find out about him, so it was probably better that most of them would get their curiosity sated now, rather than all of them having to wait until later.

Donghae was the first to pull himself through the doorway, hugging Ryeowook the moment he got inside, before making his way over to Kyuhyun further back inside the apartment. He circled him curiously for a second, but smiled at him, clearly a very friendly sort. Whatever he was hoping to see in Kyuhyun he apparently found it, as when his eyes locked with Kyuhyun's own, he saw the way they melted warmly at him, "Hi, it's nice to meet you I'm Donghae." he told him nicely, before he grinned, hugging Kyuhyun quickly before dashing off, as the next person charged over to the startled boy.

The second member of their little group was Heechul. He glanced at Kyuhyun critically, as though he were sizing him up. He seemed almost arrogant the way he did that, but apparently satisfied, he smirked at him, "I'm Heechul." before he focused his attention on the table and getting rid of all of the alcohol that he had been carrying.

The next member to come up to him was Sungmin. Sungmin came across as very confident but looked almost as though he was wary of Kyuhyun, not that the younger boy knew this. That was simply because Sungmin was not comfortable around strangers. "Hi, I'm Sungmin." he told him softly, but apparently having decided Kyuhyun was okay, he gave him a hug, before he ran over to join Donghae on one of the lounges.

The next one to make it inside was Yesung, who despite all his tireless efforts to get in earlier had somehow managed to be pushed towards the back. He gave a quick hug to Ryeowook as he made his way in, before setting his intense stare on Kyuhyun as he approached him. He stood about a metre away from him, and Kyuhyun wasn't too sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn't Yesung's hand coming up and stroking his philtrum.

He sputtered and ducked backwards, away from the movement, in his surprise, but the damage had been done; everyone else had found it hysterical, apparently having expected it, if the way Ryeowook just shook his head was any indicator. Kyuhyun decided Yesung was just weird. But then the older man smiled at him, commenting, "Okay, I like this guy, you're all right, Kyuhyun." nodding his approval.

The last one to come through the door, was the one who had politely hung towards the back, to make sure none of his precious cargo would be damaged in their struggle through the doorway, Siwon. Heechul had apparently left him to carry the remaining bags of alcohol, which he gently placed down on to the table. He hugged Ryeowook as he entered, enabling Ryeowook to shut the front door, before he went and shook Kyuhyun's hand as he introduced himself.

Now that Kyuhyun had been introduced to everyone, he wasn't sure what would happen next.. He had no experience with parties or even small get togethers such as this, and so he wasn't sure what to expect, apart from awkwardness. However, that expectation was not met, these boys not allowing the stranger in the room to detract from their comfortable, friendly atmosphere.

Within minutes they had started drinking, and were conversing, everyone seating themselves comfortably around the lounge room, so they could talk together. Clearly it had been a while since everyone had met up, and so, this was used not only as an opportunity to get to know Kyuhyun but also, to find out what had been happening with each other as well.

Ryeowook had taken up a seat on the floor, the lounges having been claimed by Yesung, Sungmin and Donghae, and Siwon, Heechul and Kyuhyun respectively. But he didn't mind. The drinks had been fetched from the table, within minutes, everyone cracking open their favourite beverages, apart from Siwon.

Despite his religious attitudes, he was surprisingly open minded about a lot of things. He was deeply pious and yet he had no trouble with skin ship between guys, sex outside of marriage, atheism, drinking, pretty much anything went with him. If he hadn't been like that there was no way he could ever have become such good friends with Heechul, with whom he was extremely close. But, this wasn't the reason he chose not to drink this evening; he had been elected the driver, responsible for getting everyone home safely.

"So, what's been going on between you and Jinki?" Sungmin queried Heechul, as the group started talking amongst themselves, not wanting to jump straight into questioning Kyuhyun for fear of frightening him off. From what Ryeowook had said, he had been looking forward to their arrival with great interest, and they didn't want to frighten away a potential friend. All of them knowing how hard it could be to find someone open minded enough to be able to accept themselves as their friends, given their professions.

Heechul scoffed lightly at the question, apparently displeased with the boy in question for some reason, no one else would probably be able to understand. "Nothing's going on. Maybe if it were we'd be on speaking terms right now. Besides you know I don't settle for one person." he rolled his eyes derisively, but the affection was clearly evident in his eyes.

"Did you get that promotion you were hoping for?" queried Ryeowook, question clearly directed towards Siwon. No one else in the room was capable of receiving a promotion, given their jobs and the fact that Kyuhyun was unemployed.

Siwon smiled joyfully at the mention of it, which was answer enough in itself, but he still made sure to answer him verbally. "Indeed I did, Wookie. When I found out I had been planning on using some of the bonus money to help fund one of these parties of yours, but someone insisted on waiting to host it." he told him, playfully pointing to Ryeowook's reluctance to ask Kyuhyun if he would agree to the party.

Ryeowook blushed at the playful accusation, taking a big gulp of his drink in place of a response. The others laughed, Kyuhyun even being spotted snickering into his drink at Ryeowook's reaction, already being lulled by the warm atmosphere of the gathering.

After a few hours everyone present, excluding Siwon had already had a lot to drink. It was social drinking; designed to heighten their moods and the ambiance of the get together, to make them feel more familiar and comfortable around one another, but nothing more. They may be used to alcohol, but none of them found the idea of a hangover and no memory of the evening the next day entertaining.

Instead they'd only had enough alcohol to make everything a little bit funnier. For things to slip out of their mouths before they really had the chance to consider what they were saying. For personal questions to be asked, and answered without any thoughts on the decorum of doing so.

But even so, this amount of alcohol had taken its toll on most of the people around the room, much to the amusement of those remaining. Siwon of course had had nothing to drink, and was delighting in the actions of those who had. However, both Heechul and Kyuhyun who did have a fair amount to drink seemed relatively unaffected by it.

The alcohol serving to loosen their tongues to talk to one another, rather than affecting their balance or their actions like the others. Sungmin and Yesung were both almost insanely cackling with Donghae over the smallest things. Getting up, twirling round, laughing and skipping around the rooms, breaking the others out in laughter whenever they slipped, smashed into walls or fell.

Ryeowook had been joining in with them but he seemed to become quite fickle, despite his high alcohol tolerance, unable to decide how he felt or what he wanted to do for any long period of time. Sometimes he'd be off with them, other times with the more sober people, laughing at the others actions as well. But he seemed to always be in contact with someone and telling them he loved them, Kyuhyun included, or falling over.

Heechul had seemingly taken this distraction as the perfect opportunity to truly question Kyuhyun. As arrogant and uncaring as others may perceive him to be, Heechul was the leader of the boys. He was the eldest, and the one they went to for advice, or when they needed help. He never claimed to be the best person for the job, but he fulfilled it all the same.

And as the responsible leader of the boys, he could never say he was fulfilling his duties if he didn't take the time to question Kyuhyun properly. Every one of his boys deserved special treatment, and in his mind, Ryeowook was perhaps more fragile than most. He knew what the boy had been through, having been there to support him through as much of it as he could. Knowing him as he did, he felt he couldn't be comfortable with the whole arrangement, unless he had a good idea of what Kyuhyun was like. Hopefully he was a better judge of character than Ryeowook.

"So, you're living with my Wookie." Heechul stated, making sure to convey to Kyuhyun that he was initiating a serious conversation between the two of them with those words. Kyuhyun met his gaze, feeling much more comfortable around the older man after these last few hours, which enabled him to comfortably reply, "So I am."

Heechul gazed at him warily as though trying to size him up once again, but Kyuhyun was no longer afraid of that gaze. He knew from the way he acted and what he'd heard in those hours that the man felt responsible for the other boys who worked at the agency, and that he had nothing to fear from him as long as he wasn't doing anything mean. He returned the gaze evenly, determined not to fail, feeling a strange compulsion to gain this man's approval.

Heechul sighed, seemingly unable to find any hint of fear or any cause for mistrust in Kyuhyun's boyish features. "I won't beat around the bush. I have some idea of what's going on here. Between the two of you. My only concern is just what you think you're entitled to get out of Ryeowook as a result." he told him plainly.

Kyuhyun blinked not having expected that to be the cause for the man's uncertainty about him. "I'm entitled to a fiance, nothing more, nothing less." he answered him soberly, the puzzle of the specific nature of Heechul's concerns driving his brain into action. "And what does that mean?" Heechul queried, seemingly concerned by Kyuhyun's answer.

Kyuhyun shrugged, "Someone to attend social functions with me, live with me, that's all. His friendship and that of his friends is something I can assure I never would dream of having received, let alone felt entitled to, for anything."

He could tell something about the way he'd said the end bit had intrigued the boy before him, but his momentary concern gave way to his relief. "I'm glad. He's experienced more than enough unpleasantness for a lifetime, I should very much have hated for one who seems as kind as you to add to that."

Kyuhyun wanted to press him to explain what he meant, but there was something closed off in Heechul's expression telling him that he would get no where by asking him anyway. A look that wasn't so much 'it's not my story to tell' as 'it pains me to think of it, and so I refuse to tell anyone about it'. So instead Kyuhyun shifted where their conversation was headed, deciding that maybe it would be best for him to ask Ryeowook about that comment.

He'd assumed it had only been him who had come into their friendship with scars, and so although he felt comfortable enough with Ryeowook to talk about it all, he had felt embarrassed about the idea of doing so. The boy seemed so bright and happy that telling him seemed as though it would amount to poisoning him; by introducing him to a harsh reality he'd never known existed.

He'd known that as an idea that probably sounded foolish, given that his friend was an escort, but the way he'd described his job, he could very well have remained as innocent as he seemed. And it would have been embarrassing as well as painful to spoil him. If he had been that innocent prior to hearing Kyuhyun's tale of woe.

However, from the way Heechul spoke it seemed as though Ryeowook had his own scars to bear, and Kyuhyun had to wonder if the reason for the seeming stagnation in the progress of their friendship as of late had been because of it. Maybe Ryeowook was not as comfortable with the idea of telling Kyuhyun, as he was with telling Ryeowook?

But all of this was too much to think about, and needed to be pushed aside for later contemplation. It was for when there was quiet in the house once more, and their guests had returned home. Instead of what he'd wanted to ask, Kyuhyun opted for "Yes I imagine it isn't exactly pleasant being an escort." Heechul shook his head, "No I disagree. Being an escort is a good job. Good pay for what it is. But it certainly does have its disadvantages."

Kyuhyun nodded amicably, "All jobs have those. I imagine, were I one, it'd be the assumptions about my sexuality that would annoy me the most." Heechul smirked at the comment, "And what assumptions would those be?" he queried, seemingly finding Kyuhyun's complaint with the job very amusing.

"You know, everyone assuming that you're gay and available, just because you're an escort." Kyuhyun stated, unable to mince his words, though whether from his blunt personality or the alcohol he was unsure. Heechul chuckled at the comment, amicably responding, "Well, as annoying as it is, in my experience, it is most certainly true."

Kyuhyun was slightly bemused to find the comment didn't bother him as much as Heechul seemed to have expected it to. "So what you're saying is, you're all gay?" he inquired, to see if he'd gotten the gist of what Heechul had been hinting at. Heechul rolled his eyes at the comment, pointing to Siwon nearby and hissing, "Well he isn't." to which Kyuhyun rolled his eyes, " And I'd never restrict my beauty to just one sex, but the others are."

"Including Wookie?" he found himself asking before he could stop himself, finding himself intensely interested in the answer. "Of course including Wookie." Heechul spat indignantly, as though frustrated by Kyuhyun's continued questioning. Maybe the alcohol was getting to the elder male more than he first thought.

Kyuhyun nodded at this information, considering it momentarily before dismissing it again. Seemingly his response had met Heechul's approval, as had something else he couldn't identify which, had added a small shimmer to Heechul's eyes when he looked at him; a warmth, a familiarity. "Won't they be annoyed you told me?" he found himself asking, realising that as juicy as the information might be, he may end up paying dearly for it.

But Heechul simply shook off his concern, "They won't care. They like you, and it's better it's all out in the open anyway." Kyuhyun was puzzled by this statement, "Why do you say it's better to get it all out in the open?" to which Heechul answered, simply, "So you're hit with all the negatives at once; friendship with us means accepting all of this, and if you can't then we'd prefer to know sooner rather than later."

Before Kyuhyun was given an opportunity to respond that he wasn't going anywhere though, someone else spoke. "Kyuhyun wouldn't leave like that. He loves me like I love him." Ryeowook stated proudly, as he latched himself onto Kyuhyun, squeezing him tightly, to try and convey the meaning in his words to him.

Both of the boys observed Ryeowook and smiled at this action, "I think you might have had enough to drink" Kyuhyun pronounced sagely, despite the fact he was enjoying the hug he was receiving.

Despite the fact his comment had not been directed at him, Heechul answered him as he surveyed the room and the state of chaos Donghae, Yesung and Sungmin had managed to create over by the table, "I think you're right. It is getting pretty late. We should probably get going."

Indeed it was after midnight, by the time the boys had said their goodbyes, each receiving a hug from everyone and a promise that the two were invited to all of their meetings from now on. Neither of the boys could be bothered to do anything apart from go to bed after their friends left, each dozing for several hours later than usual, even though both were prone to sleeping in on Saturdays.