![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
[FIC]: made to measure: 2 (a bad day).
made to measure: 2 (a bad day), pg, woohyun/dongwoo.
i'll never let go, won't let you down.
whisper, you can save me, i am listening
i am waiting for your best to come alive
and help me understand the reasons why
i'm here now living a feeling unlike my fear
outside of this life i am here now for you
gavin mikhail, "brave"
MADE TO MEASURE: 2 (A BAD DAY)
woohyun/dongwoo
They’re eating from Chinese takeout containers in the back room when the chime over the door sounds. Dongwoo expects Sungyeol to say something, but there’s only silence—Sungyeol must have stepped out. “...Can we pretend we’re not here and maybe they’ll go away?” Woohyun asks, shoving a mushroom in Dongwoo’s mouth.
“Mmph,” Dongwoo says, frowning at Woohyun even as he tries not to laugh. He swallows, then says, “that’s irresponsible. Just hang on, I’ll be right back.” He puts his box down and wipes his hands before he steps through the doorway—
And stops dead.
“...Hey,” Hoya says, looking awkward in the middle of the shop with his hands in his pockets. It’s stupidly familiar—Hoya had always looked out of place in Dongwoo’s shop.
“Hoya,” Dongwoo says, because he doesn’t know what else there is to say. After months—more than a year—Dongwoo had been over it. He’d been fine, he’d been happy—he is happy, and he doesn’t need this. What right does Hoya have to come in here now and complicate things all over again?
“Dongwoo?” Woohyun’s voice as he comes through the door, maybe alerted by the conspicuous silence from the shop’s frontroom. “Is everything okay?”
Hoya had never been the most observant, but maybe even he can read the way that Woohyun looks at Dongwoo, or the way that Woohyun’s presence makes Dongwoo relax. “Sorry, this must be a mad time,” he says, taking a couple steps. “I’ll come back later, or... see you around or something.”
“Hoya, wait,” Dongwoo says. He’d said that before, too. Hoya, wait. It hadn’t stopped him from going then, but it does now—Hoya pauses, almost to the door, and watches Dongwoo with an unreadable gaze. “Why are you here? What—”
What do you want, he almost says.
“I thought... we should talk,” Hoya says. “I owe you a lot. An explanation, definitely.” Dongwoo’s not sure he needs an explanation; things had seemed pretty clear when Hoya walked out. “I assumed—no. Sorry. I shouldn’t.”
“Dongwoo,” Woohyun says, very quietly.
“It’s okay,” Dongwoo says. It’s not, really, but he wants it to be, so he crosses the shop to the desk and scribbles his phone number down on a scrap of paper. “Here. I changed my number. I close at six, we can get coffee or something.”
Hoya nods and takes the paper, careful not to let his fingers brush Dongwoo’s. “Okay,” he says. “Thanks.”
When he’s gone, Woohyun leans against the counter and crosses his arms. “You’re just going to go meet him?” he asks. It’s not quite a demand, but his voice is not forgiving. “After everything he did to you?”
Dongwoo shrugs, trying to seem calmer than he feels. “He wants to talk,” he says, his fingers clenching against the fabric of his pants. Dongwoo forces his hands to relax, and then forces them to stop shaking. “That’s it. It’ll be fine.”
“It’s not fine,” Woohyun says. He’s not quite looking at Dongwoo—rather, he’s looking at a place next to Dongwoo’s left shoulder, all defensive posture. “I just—”
“What do you want me to do?” Dongwoo demands. He’s picking a fight and he knows it, but he’s all nervous energy and it has no place to go. “Never speak to him again? Pretend nothing ever happened?”
“Yes!” Woohyun slams his hand flat on the surface of a cutting counter, and Dongwoo jumps at the sound. “You don’t owe him anything, Dongwoo! You don’t owe him coffee or a conversaion or the fucking time of day so I don’t understand why you’re so keen on giving him all of that!”
Stalemate.
Dongwoo takes a deep breath, exhales. If this were any other time, he’d wonder at how hard it is for him to stay angry at Woohyun. “I know,” he says. “But he owes me an explanation. And he owes me closure. Did you think about that? I need him to explain things and I need to cut him off.”
When he manages to look back up at Woohyun, all the fight has gone out of them both. “I just don’t want him to hurt you,” Woohyun says. Of all the things he’s said today, that’s the one that cuts through Dongwoo like a shard of glass. “As far as I’m concerned he’s used more than his fair share of the boyfriend fuck-up quota.”
The laugh that Dongwoo produces isn’t exactly cheerful, but anything’s better than shouting. “I don’t want to be with him,” he says, in case Woohyun’s worried. “I don’t want to be his friend. I just want an explanation, and then I want to leave.”
“I want to come with you.”
“Fine,” Dongwoo says, too tired to argue. “Just don’t do anything like punch him.”
“No promises,” Woohyun says grimly. Dongwoo doesn’t really blame him.
They meet that evening at a coffee place near Dongwoo’s shop, Woohyun sitting protectively close to Dongwoo across the table from Hoya. To his credit, Hoya looks appropriately unnerved by Woohyun’s intensity—Dongwoo would probably find it funny if it wasn’t so totally not.
When their coffees arrive, Dongwoo is not that surprised to find that Hoya still takes his exactly the way he had when they were together—more milk than coffee, and whipped cream on top. “So talk,” Dongwoo says, though his voice isn’t as strong as he wishes it were.
Hoya looks down at his coffee/milk concoction. “I don’t know where to start,” he says, then shakes his head. “No, I do. I’m sorry, Dongwoo-yah—uh, Dongwoo-ssi.” The suffix seems awkward in his mouth, but Dongwoo doesn’t correct him. “I was a coward. You know, you were the first guy I was ever serious about.”
“Serious?” Woohyun says, disbelieving. Dongwoo rests a hand on Woohyun’s thigh, quieting him.
“I know,” he says. “And that turned out to be a mistake, didn’t it?”
So maybe he’s a little bitter.
“No,” Hoya says. “I—well, yeah, but not for the reasons you’re thinking. You just scared the shit out of me, Dongwoo. You were so... you just knew who you were, you know? You knew everything and you didn’t have any reservations, and I had no idea how to make myself be as brave as you.”
“I’m not really that brave,” Dongwoo says, but Hoya shakes his head.
“You were always really good at that,” he says. “Talking yourself down. But you were great—you are great. I was just insecure and confused and a dumbass.”
“That sounds right,” Dongwoo says. It’s not very charitable; he doesn’t think he really owes Hoya charity at this point. Still, his voice isn’t chiding, more like... just tiredly amused. “I thought you told me you were sure that it had been a phase.”
Hoya huffs a bitter laugh and takes a sip of his coffee. “I’ve never been very good at not being good at things,” he says. Dongwoo rolls his eyes and nods. “And I wasn’t very good at—men. Or at you, for that matter. I never knew what I was doing with you, so I wanted to go back to something where I could be confident and safe.” He stirs his coffee a little, then glances up at Dongwoo. “I was lying to myself, obviously.”
Woohyun snorts, and Dongwoo pinches his leg. “Hush,” he says, smoothing his fingers over the place in silent apology.
When he turns his attention back to Hoya, Hoya is looking between the two of them, nodding slightly. “You look good,” he tells Dongwoo. “Happy. I’m glad. You deserve it.”
Dongwoo nods. “I am happy,” he says, smiling a little at the way he feels Woohyun shift next to him. “And I’m glad we talked. I mean—I have to admit I still don’t really like you all that much. But I know you were always bad at apologies, too.”
“I’m being trained out of that,” Hoya admits, finally letting himself smile just a little. “He’s... well. I’m learning a lot about stubbornness, that’s for sure.”
“Good,” Dongwoo says, relaxing. “You need it.”
When Woohyun drapes an arm casually over Dongwoo’s shoulders, Hoya accurately interprets that as his cue to leave. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” he says, though Dongwoo knows instinctively that neither of them will be going out of their ways to see each other. “Double date, or something.”
Dongwoo snorts. Hoya smiles. “And—I know I didn’t set a very high bar,” he says, addressing Woohyun now, “but I’m glad you two are happy. I meant it when I said he deserves it.”
“Trust me,” Woohyun says, “I know.”
“You’re so embarrassing,” Dongwoo says, reaching up and linking his fingers with Woohyun’s. “Bye, Hoya.”
“See ya.”
Dongwoo and Woohyun sit in the cafe for a few more minutes, silent except for their breathing. Dongwoo leans against Woohyun and Woohyun takes his weight, their fingers twined together—it’s a nice sense of security, of closure that Dongwoo never had before. “You didn’t punch him in the face,” he eventually murmurs, and feels rather than hears Woohyun’s laugh. “I’m impressed.”
“It was a close thing a couple of times,” Woohyun says, pressing his lips briefly against Dongwoo’s temple. “Dongwoo.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s go home.”
i'll never let go, won't let you down.
whisper, you can save me, i am listening
i am waiting for your best to come alive
and help me understand the reasons why
i'm here now living a feeling unlike my fear
outside of this life i am here now for you
gavin mikhail, "brave"
MADE TO MEASURE: 2 (A BAD DAY)
woohyun/dongwoo
They’re eating from Chinese takeout containers in the back room when the chime over the door sounds. Dongwoo expects Sungyeol to say something, but there’s only silence—Sungyeol must have stepped out. “...Can we pretend we’re not here and maybe they’ll go away?” Woohyun asks, shoving a mushroom in Dongwoo’s mouth.
“Mmph,” Dongwoo says, frowning at Woohyun even as he tries not to laugh. He swallows, then says, “that’s irresponsible. Just hang on, I’ll be right back.” He puts his box down and wipes his hands before he steps through the doorway—
And stops dead.
“...Hey,” Hoya says, looking awkward in the middle of the shop with his hands in his pockets. It’s stupidly familiar—Hoya had always looked out of place in Dongwoo’s shop.
“Hoya,” Dongwoo says, because he doesn’t know what else there is to say. After months—more than a year—Dongwoo had been over it. He’d been fine, he’d been happy—he is happy, and he doesn’t need this. What right does Hoya have to come in here now and complicate things all over again?
“Dongwoo?” Woohyun’s voice as he comes through the door, maybe alerted by the conspicuous silence from the shop’s frontroom. “Is everything okay?”
Hoya had never been the most observant, but maybe even he can read the way that Woohyun looks at Dongwoo, or the way that Woohyun’s presence makes Dongwoo relax. “Sorry, this must be a mad time,” he says, taking a couple steps. “I’ll come back later, or... see you around or something.”
“Hoya, wait,” Dongwoo says. He’d said that before, too. Hoya, wait. It hadn’t stopped him from going then, but it does now—Hoya pauses, almost to the door, and watches Dongwoo with an unreadable gaze. “Why are you here? What—”
What do you want, he almost says.
“I thought... we should talk,” Hoya says. “I owe you a lot. An explanation, definitely.” Dongwoo’s not sure he needs an explanation; things had seemed pretty clear when Hoya walked out. “I assumed—no. Sorry. I shouldn’t.”
“Dongwoo,” Woohyun says, very quietly.
“It’s okay,” Dongwoo says. It’s not, really, but he wants it to be, so he crosses the shop to the desk and scribbles his phone number down on a scrap of paper. “Here. I changed my number. I close at six, we can get coffee or something.”
Hoya nods and takes the paper, careful not to let his fingers brush Dongwoo’s. “Okay,” he says. “Thanks.”
When he’s gone, Woohyun leans against the counter and crosses his arms. “You’re just going to go meet him?” he asks. It’s not quite a demand, but his voice is not forgiving. “After everything he did to you?”
Dongwoo shrugs, trying to seem calmer than he feels. “He wants to talk,” he says, his fingers clenching against the fabric of his pants. Dongwoo forces his hands to relax, and then forces them to stop shaking. “That’s it. It’ll be fine.”
“It’s not fine,” Woohyun says. He’s not quite looking at Dongwoo—rather, he’s looking at a place next to Dongwoo’s left shoulder, all defensive posture. “I just—”
“What do you want me to do?” Dongwoo demands. He’s picking a fight and he knows it, but he’s all nervous energy and it has no place to go. “Never speak to him again? Pretend nothing ever happened?”
“Yes!” Woohyun slams his hand flat on the surface of a cutting counter, and Dongwoo jumps at the sound. “You don’t owe him anything, Dongwoo! You don’t owe him coffee or a conversaion or the fucking time of day so I don’t understand why you’re so keen on giving him all of that!”
Stalemate.
Dongwoo takes a deep breath, exhales. If this were any other time, he’d wonder at how hard it is for him to stay angry at Woohyun. “I know,” he says. “But he owes me an explanation. And he owes me closure. Did you think about that? I need him to explain things and I need to cut him off.”
When he manages to look back up at Woohyun, all the fight has gone out of them both. “I just don’t want him to hurt you,” Woohyun says. Of all the things he’s said today, that’s the one that cuts through Dongwoo like a shard of glass. “As far as I’m concerned he’s used more than his fair share of the boyfriend fuck-up quota.”
The laugh that Dongwoo produces isn’t exactly cheerful, but anything’s better than shouting. “I don’t want to be with him,” he says, in case Woohyun’s worried. “I don’t want to be his friend. I just want an explanation, and then I want to leave.”
“I want to come with you.”
“Fine,” Dongwoo says, too tired to argue. “Just don’t do anything like punch him.”
“No promises,” Woohyun says grimly. Dongwoo doesn’t really blame him.
They meet that evening at a coffee place near Dongwoo’s shop, Woohyun sitting protectively close to Dongwoo across the table from Hoya. To his credit, Hoya looks appropriately unnerved by Woohyun’s intensity—Dongwoo would probably find it funny if it wasn’t so totally not.
When their coffees arrive, Dongwoo is not that surprised to find that Hoya still takes his exactly the way he had when they were together—more milk than coffee, and whipped cream on top. “So talk,” Dongwoo says, though his voice isn’t as strong as he wishes it were.
Hoya looks down at his coffee/milk concoction. “I don’t know where to start,” he says, then shakes his head. “No, I do. I’m sorry, Dongwoo-yah—uh, Dongwoo-ssi.” The suffix seems awkward in his mouth, but Dongwoo doesn’t correct him. “I was a coward. You know, you were the first guy I was ever serious about.”
“Serious?” Woohyun says, disbelieving. Dongwoo rests a hand on Woohyun’s thigh, quieting him.
“I know,” he says. “And that turned out to be a mistake, didn’t it?”
So maybe he’s a little bitter.
“No,” Hoya says. “I—well, yeah, but not for the reasons you’re thinking. You just scared the shit out of me, Dongwoo. You were so... you just knew who you were, you know? You knew everything and you didn’t have any reservations, and I had no idea how to make myself be as brave as you.”
“I’m not really that brave,” Dongwoo says, but Hoya shakes his head.
“You were always really good at that,” he says. “Talking yourself down. But you were great—you are great. I was just insecure and confused and a dumbass.”
“That sounds right,” Dongwoo says. It’s not very charitable; he doesn’t think he really owes Hoya charity at this point. Still, his voice isn’t chiding, more like... just tiredly amused. “I thought you told me you were sure that it had been a phase.”
Hoya huffs a bitter laugh and takes a sip of his coffee. “I’ve never been very good at not being good at things,” he says. Dongwoo rolls his eyes and nods. “And I wasn’t very good at—men. Or at you, for that matter. I never knew what I was doing with you, so I wanted to go back to something where I could be confident and safe.” He stirs his coffee a little, then glances up at Dongwoo. “I was lying to myself, obviously.”
Woohyun snorts, and Dongwoo pinches his leg. “Hush,” he says, smoothing his fingers over the place in silent apology.
When he turns his attention back to Hoya, Hoya is looking between the two of them, nodding slightly. “You look good,” he tells Dongwoo. “Happy. I’m glad. You deserve it.”
Dongwoo nods. “I am happy,” he says, smiling a little at the way he feels Woohyun shift next to him. “And I’m glad we talked. I mean—I have to admit I still don’t really like you all that much. But I know you were always bad at apologies, too.”
“I’m being trained out of that,” Hoya admits, finally letting himself smile just a little. “He’s... well. I’m learning a lot about stubbornness, that’s for sure.”
“Good,” Dongwoo says, relaxing. “You need it.”
When Woohyun drapes an arm casually over Dongwoo’s shoulders, Hoya accurately interprets that as his cue to leave. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” he says, though Dongwoo knows instinctively that neither of them will be going out of their ways to see each other. “Double date, or something.”
Dongwoo snorts. Hoya smiles. “And—I know I didn’t set a very high bar,” he says, addressing Woohyun now, “but I’m glad you two are happy. I meant it when I said he deserves it.”
“Trust me,” Woohyun says, “I know.”
“You’re so embarrassing,” Dongwoo says, reaching up and linking his fingers with Woohyun’s. “Bye, Hoya.”
“See ya.”
Dongwoo and Woohyun sit in the cafe for a few more minutes, silent except for their breathing. Dongwoo leans against Woohyun and Woohyun takes his weight, their fingers twined together—it’s a nice sense of security, of closure that Dongwoo never had before. “You didn’t punch him in the face,” he eventually murmurs, and feels rather than hears Woohyun’s laugh. “I’m impressed.”
“It was a close thing a couple of times,” Woohyun says, pressing his lips briefly against Dongwoo’s temple. “Dongwoo.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s go home.”
no subject
this entire verse is just the best thing EVER and o m g more words of this flawless verse is actually all that i need in my life. WHY DO I GET ALL THE LUCK???? odg this is so fantastic and so natural and so qt and so GAY and you know i love gay fic the best ;;;;;;
so i already died when woohyun stuffed a mushroom in dongwoo's mouth - also i love that they're eating chinese takeout at the back of dongwoo's shop. just. so domestic idk - and then HOYA comes in and it's horrible thick tension and i am like NOOOOOOOO GET OUT HOYA >:( and all your little details again like how woohyun notices the quiet, his very soft "dongwoo", the defensive postures, URGH EMILY JUST.
and in the cafe /all/ the little gestures - dongwoo's warning hand on woohyun's thigh, pinching woohyun (but still soothes it after), woohyun slinging his arm over dongwoo's shoulders LIKE HE ALWAYS DOES, and dongwoo reaching up to grab his hand (WHICH HE ALSO ALWAYS DOES), and i'm really glad dongwoo wasn't too nice to hoya :/
i'm glad i didn't promise coherence because i have NONE. masldfewlrwieru just chews on various things and throws the rest before flipping tables then flinging myself out the window because this 2woo is basically just the most domestic, sweetest, qtest ever and O M G I LOVE YOU EMILY ;~~~~~;
no subject
i know you love gay fic the best kehe ♥ i like charming little every day things like making coffee and putting food in each other's mouths sobs lmfao i'm such a sap ;__; THEY'RE JUST GR8 TOGETHER OK.
chews on you ok well there's one more part so we'll see what happens...!! but i'm glad you liked it ♥