After dinner, and right before Soonyoung typically attends study hall, Soonyoung’s phone rings. His Goose flutters her wings as if she’s about to take flight.
“I’m outside,” Wonwoo says. He hangs up before Soonyoung can reply.
More than anything in the world, Soonyoung wants to continue hiding under the covers. He wants to pretend he lives in a world where Goose Guides don’t exist, and that he isn’t trapped in some loveless and forlorn pining for his best friend who doesn’t love him back. It would be easy to ignore Wonwoo’s implicit request.
Despite his wishes, Soonyoung lives in this world. Even if he doesn’t want to, it hurts his heart more to imagine Wonwoo waiting outside for him to show up. He doesn’t bother to change out of his clothes—duck pajamas that were gifted to him by his cousin Hyein-noona when he was fifteen—and trods down the stairs, after winning a scuffle with his Goose, with a sullen expression.
Wonwoo is still wearing his school uniform. His tie is askew, though, and his shirt untucked from his pants. This time, he has his glasses on, and he pushes them up his nose with a nervous gesture when Soonyoung emerges from his house. And just like always, he has his stupid little bag slung over his shoulders.
Even looking a little unkempt, Soonyoung thinks there’s not really anyone in the world who’s more handsome than his Wonwoo.
“Shouldn’t you be at study hall?” Soonyoung says instead, licking his lips anxiously.
Wonwoo looks determined. “I need to say something.” His mouth is set in a grim line, and it reminds Soonyoung of the time Wonwoo stayed up all night trying to clear a dungeon in Final Fantasy XIV.
A wave of anxiety crashes over Soonyoung. This is when Wonwoo is going to end their friendship, he thinks despairingly. Wonwoo is going to tell him that he is uncomfortable with Soonyoung’s feelings for him, that Soonyoung sweats too much and has an annoying braying laugh and that he’s stupid for being bad at games. He inhales slowly and hides his tacky palms behind his back as if it’ll shield them from Wonwoo’s inevitable scorn. “What is it?”
Wonwoo continues to stare at him. “Soonyoung-ah, I haven’t been honest with you,” he says, and his voice wobbles a little. His hand drifts towards the front flap of his bag. Oh god, Soonyoung thinks, here it comes. “I think— no, I know that you’re my—”
A sudden honk from somewhere up above them cuts Wonwoo off mid-sentence. A horribly familiar honk. Their heads snap up toward the direction of the noise, and Soonyoung’s insides freeze up at once when the realization hits that the sound came from his room. Horror wells up inside of him, as they both watch as his Goose crashes out from his open bedroom window on the second floor, and swoops down upon them with a few powerful beats of her wings.
“No—!” Soonyoung cries out. His hand lashes out to stop her in her tracks, but his entire body feels weighed down, as if he’s moving underwater.
Before he can intercept, Wonwoo’s bag suddenly bursts open with a flutter of feathers and a shrill, staccato cry. An absolutely tiny bird emerges—the smallest Soonyoung has seen ever, even on television—and flutters into the air. Soonyoung thinks that it’ll take off, like his own Goose likes to do, except it only settles onto Wonwoo’s shoulder. It lets out another cry—ki-kui—once his Goose swirls down, circling around them, before she, too, lands on Wonwoo’s other shoulder.
Wonwoo’s jaw drops. Soonyoung sputters.
His head spins. He wants to throw up a little bit, his nerves getting the best of him. Soonyoung can’t believe his eyes. “Wha—”
To his credit, Wonwoo collects himself much more quickly than Soonyoung does. “I like you,” Wonwoo blurts out in a rush, like he can’t contain the words inside of him anymore. It’s so uncharacteristic of him—it’s something that Soonyoung would do—that it startles Soonyoung back into silence. Wonwoo exhales slowly, careful not to dislodge the Geese on his shoulders. “I— Soonyoung— I’ve always liked—”
“You’re my soulmate,” Soonyoung says, dumbfounded. He wonders if he’s dreaming. “You’re actually my soulmate.”
Wonwoo starts to look a little like he wants to throw up too. But maybe he’s braver than Soonyoung because he nods instead, just as careful with his movements as before. “I am,” he says, “if— if you want me to be.”
Soonyoung stares at him. He feels faint. “You don’t think I’m ugly and sweaty?”
“What,” Wonwoo says disbelievingly, and his small little Goose puffs up a little, as if she’s indignant too. “You’re—” And to Soonyoung’s awe, Wonwoo blushes. His entire face turns crimson. “You’re the cutest person in the world,” he grits out, “to me.”
And Soonyoung’s Goose, the little traitor, lets out a loud honk of agreement. She flutters to the ground, right by their feet, and shoves her small head underneath the leg of Wonwoo’s pants and pecks at his leg hair.
“Ow,” Wonwoo says, but does not dislodge Soonyoung’s Goose. He’s super hairy, Soonyoung remembers faintly, so there must be more for his Goose to attack.
He can’t tear his eyes away from Wonwoo. “Oh,” Soonyoung whimpers. He slides his gaze to Wonwoo’s goose, takes in her small round head and the unique crimson feathers at her breast. He’s never seen a Goose that looks quite like her. She’s perfect. “Since when?”
Wonwoo grimaces. Soonyoung can’t tell if it’s because his Goose must be attacking his leg hair—it must be a sign of affection or something—or if it’s because Wonwoo still sucks at talking about his feelings. Though, Soonyoung concedes, maybe he’s better than Soonyoung.
“Your birthday,” Wonwoo admits. “I woke up on your birthday, and there she was.” His voice is quiet, but it’s filled with a sincerity that makes Soonyoung want to cry again. “But I knew before. I knew— I hoped for a long time.”
Soonyoung’s Goose hops out from under Wonwoo’s pant leg, and takes flight to circle around them again in excitement.
“My birthday,” Soonyoung echoes. “My— me too. My Goose came that day too. Why didn’t you ever tell me?” His eyes drift down to Wonwoo’s bag. “Is that where she was the whole time? Is that why you started carrying that bag everywhere?”
Wonwoo nods, shyly. “You didn’t have your Goose. So, I just thought...”
He trails off, but Soonyoung understands.
“Me too,” Soonyoung says, and it feels urgent for Wonwoo to know how he feels, now that he knows about Wonwoo. “I’ve liked you since before.” This time, it’s his turn to flush. Soonyoung’s face pinkens. “I thought, maybe, you didn’t like me back, so I...I just hid her in my room.”
There’s a pause, and then Wonwoo laughs. He has a nice laugh. Soonyoung has always thought so. “You’d think having Geese would make it easier for us,” he says, shaking his head. He takes a step towards Soonyoung.
Soonyoung snorts. He takes the next step, meets Wonwoo right in the middle. “I guess we’re both a little dumb, aren’t we?”
“A little.” Wonwoo doesn’t seem to mind, though, and he takes one of Soonyoung’s hands in his and interlaces their fingers together. He doesn’t seem to mind how sweaty Soonyoung’s palms are either. “It was always going to be you, though. It couldn’t have been anyone else.”
Soonyoung wriggles closer. His heart beats impossibly fast. It feels like birds are swooping through his chest. “Me, too.”
Wonwoo strokes Soonyoung’s hand with his thumb. “Can I,” he begins, his voice breaking on the last word. Wonwoo clears his throat. “Can I kiss you?”
Dumbly, Soonyoung nods. His heart is a thunderous beat in his ears as Wonwoo inches closer, angling his head towards Soonyoung. Soonyoung’s eyes flutter shut, and he purses his lips like he’s seen in the movies, the metal scratch of his braces rubbing against his gums—
“Wait!” Soonyoung reels back, and his eyes blink open to catch Wonwoo frozen, nervous. “Are you sure?” he babbles, and he can’t believe this thought didn’t occur to him earlier. Soonyoung has never kissed anyone before, and he’s definitely never kissed anyone with braces on. Soonyoung knows he looks like a dork with them on, and—he thinks, panicked—can people even kiss with braces on? What if he scratches Wonwoo’s mouth? What if Wonwoo gets stuck on them? A self-consciousness settles in the pit of his stomach. He doesn’t want Wonwoo to kiss him and then hate it. “I don’t— my braces—”
This time, Wonwoo is the one to interrupt. “I like your braces,” Wonwoo says, simple and matter-of-fact. “I like everything about you.”
Then, Wonwoo kisses him. His lips are soft, dry, a little bit chapped—and utterly perfect.
Faintly, he can hear the tell-tale honk of his Goose, and the shriller trill of Wonwoo’s, but he pays them no attention. None of it is important. Not right now.
Re: [FILL] fowl play (3/3)
“I’m outside,” Wonwoo says. He hangs up before Soonyoung can reply.
More than anything in the world, Soonyoung wants to continue hiding under the covers. He wants to pretend he lives in a world where Goose Guides don’t exist, and that he isn’t trapped in some loveless and forlorn pining for his best friend who doesn’t love him back. It would be easy to ignore Wonwoo’s implicit request.
Despite his wishes, Soonyoung lives in this world. Even if he doesn’t want to, it hurts his heart more to imagine Wonwoo waiting outside for him to show up. He doesn’t bother to change out of his clothes—duck pajamas that were gifted to him by his cousin Hyein-noona when he was fifteen—and trods down the stairs, after winning a scuffle with his Goose, with a sullen expression.
Wonwoo is still wearing his school uniform. His tie is askew, though, and his shirt untucked from his pants. This time, he has his glasses on, and he pushes them up his nose with a nervous gesture when Soonyoung emerges from his house. And just like always, he has his stupid little bag slung over his shoulders.
Even looking a little unkempt, Soonyoung thinks there’s not really anyone in the world who’s more handsome than his Wonwoo.
“Shouldn’t you be at study hall?” Soonyoung says instead, licking his lips anxiously.
Wonwoo looks determined. “I need to say something.” His mouth is set in a grim line, and it reminds Soonyoung of the time Wonwoo stayed up all night trying to clear a dungeon in Final Fantasy XIV.
A wave of anxiety crashes over Soonyoung. This is when Wonwoo is going to end their friendship, he thinks despairingly. Wonwoo is going to tell him that he is uncomfortable with Soonyoung’s feelings for him, that Soonyoung sweats too much and has an annoying braying laugh and that he’s stupid for being bad at games. He inhales slowly and hides his tacky palms behind his back as if it’ll shield them from Wonwoo’s inevitable scorn. “What is it?”
Wonwoo continues to stare at him. “Soonyoung-ah, I haven’t been honest with you,” he says, and his voice wobbles a little. His hand drifts towards the front flap of his bag. Oh god, Soonyoung thinks, here it comes. “I think— no, I know that you’re my—”
A sudden honk from somewhere up above them cuts Wonwoo off mid-sentence. A horribly familiar honk. Their heads snap up toward the direction of the noise, and Soonyoung’s insides freeze up at once when the realization hits that the sound came from his room. Horror wells up inside of him, as they both watch as his Goose crashes out from his open bedroom window on the second floor, and swoops down upon them with a few powerful beats of her wings.
“No—!” Soonyoung cries out. His hand lashes out to stop her in her tracks, but his entire body feels weighed down, as if he’s moving underwater.
Before he can intercept, Wonwoo’s bag suddenly bursts open with a flutter of feathers and a shrill, staccato cry. An absolutely tiny bird emerges—the smallest Soonyoung has seen ever, even on television—and flutters into the air. Soonyoung thinks that it’ll take off, like his own Goose likes to do, except it only settles onto Wonwoo’s shoulder. It lets out another cry—ki-kui—once his Goose swirls down, circling around them, before she, too, lands on Wonwoo’s other shoulder.
Wonwoo’s jaw drops. Soonyoung sputters.
His head spins. He wants to throw up a little bit, his nerves getting the best of him. Soonyoung can’t believe his eyes. “Wha—”
To his credit, Wonwoo collects himself much more quickly than Soonyoung does. “I like you,” Wonwoo blurts out in a rush, like he can’t contain the words inside of him anymore. It’s so uncharacteristic of him—it’s something that Soonyoung would do—that it startles Soonyoung back into silence. Wonwoo exhales slowly, careful not to dislodge the Geese on his shoulders. “I— Soonyoung— I’ve always liked—”
“You’re my soulmate,” Soonyoung says, dumbfounded. He wonders if he’s dreaming. “You’re actually my soulmate.”
Wonwoo starts to look a little like he wants to throw up too. But maybe he’s braver than Soonyoung because he nods instead, just as careful with his movements as before. “I am,” he says, “if— if you want me to be.”
Soonyoung stares at him. He feels faint. “You don’t think I’m ugly and sweaty?”
“What,” Wonwoo says disbelievingly, and his small little Goose puffs up a little, as if she’s indignant too. “You’re—” And to Soonyoung’s awe, Wonwoo blushes. His entire face turns crimson. “You’re the cutest person in the world,” he grits out, “to me.”
And Soonyoung’s Goose, the little traitor, lets out a loud honk of agreement. She flutters to the ground, right by their feet, and shoves her small head underneath the leg of Wonwoo’s pants and pecks at his leg hair.
“Ow,” Wonwoo says, but does not dislodge Soonyoung’s Goose. He’s super hairy, Soonyoung remembers faintly, so there must be more for his Goose to attack.
He can’t tear his eyes away from Wonwoo. “Oh,” Soonyoung whimpers. He slides his gaze to Wonwoo’s goose, takes in her small round head and the unique crimson feathers at her breast. He’s never seen a Goose that looks quite like her. She’s perfect. “Since when?”
Wonwoo grimaces. Soonyoung can’t tell if it’s because his Goose must be attacking his leg hair—it must be a sign of affection or something—or if it’s because Wonwoo still sucks at talking about his feelings. Though, Soonyoung concedes, maybe he’s better than Soonyoung.
“Your birthday,” Wonwoo admits. “I woke up on your birthday, and there she was.” His voice is quiet, but it’s filled with a sincerity that makes Soonyoung want to cry again. “But I knew before. I knew— I hoped for a long time.”
Soonyoung’s Goose hops out from under Wonwoo’s pant leg, and takes flight to circle around them again in excitement.
“My birthday,” Soonyoung echoes. “My— me too. My Goose came that day too. Why didn’t you ever tell me?” His eyes drift down to Wonwoo’s bag. “Is that where she was the whole time? Is that why you started carrying that bag everywhere?”
Wonwoo nods, shyly. “You didn’t have your Goose. So, I just thought...”
He trails off, but Soonyoung understands.
“Me too,” Soonyoung says, and it feels urgent for Wonwoo to know how he feels, now that he knows about Wonwoo. “I’ve liked you since before.” This time, it’s his turn to flush. Soonyoung’s face pinkens. “I thought, maybe, you didn’t like me back, so I...I just hid her in my room.”
There’s a pause, and then Wonwoo laughs. He has a nice laugh. Soonyoung has always thought so. “You’d think having Geese would make it easier for us,” he says, shaking his head. He takes a step towards Soonyoung.
Soonyoung snorts. He takes the next step, meets Wonwoo right in the middle. “I guess we’re both a little dumb, aren’t we?”
“A little.” Wonwoo doesn’t seem to mind, though, and he takes one of Soonyoung’s hands in his and interlaces their fingers together. He doesn’t seem to mind how sweaty Soonyoung’s palms are either. “It was always going to be you, though. It couldn’t have been anyone else.”
Soonyoung wriggles closer. His heart beats impossibly fast. It feels like birds are swooping through his chest. “Me, too.”
Wonwoo strokes Soonyoung’s hand with his thumb. “Can I,” he begins, his voice breaking on the last word. Wonwoo clears his throat. “Can I kiss you?”
Dumbly, Soonyoung nods. His heart is a thunderous beat in his ears as Wonwoo inches closer, angling his head towards Soonyoung. Soonyoung’s eyes flutter shut, and he purses his lips like he’s seen in the movies, the metal scratch of his braces rubbing against his gums—
“Wait!” Soonyoung reels back, and his eyes blink open to catch Wonwoo frozen, nervous. “Are you sure?” he babbles, and he can’t believe this thought didn’t occur to him earlier. Soonyoung has never kissed anyone before, and he’s definitely never kissed anyone with braces on. Soonyoung knows he looks like a dork with them on, and—he thinks, panicked—can people even kiss with braces on? What if he scratches Wonwoo’s mouth? What if Wonwoo gets stuck on them? A self-consciousness settles in the pit of his stomach. He doesn’t want Wonwoo to kiss him and then hate it. “I don’t— my braces—”
This time, Wonwoo is the one to interrupt. “I like your braces,” Wonwoo says, simple and matter-of-fact. “I like everything about you.”
Then, Wonwoo kisses him. His lips are soft, dry, a little bit chapped—and utterly perfect.
Faintly, he can hear the tell-tale honk of his Goose, and the shriller trill of Wonwoo’s, but he pays them no attention. None of it is important. Not right now.
Soonyoung kisses back.
It turns out, people can kiss with braces on.