rewrite the stars - jaywon

chapter 15

Sunoo stepped out of his car already wearing his swimsuit. His eyes were rimmed with red, and Jungwon felt a pang in his chest upon catching sight of them. Sunoo had to have been crying awfully hard.

"C'mon, the hot tub's already warm," Jake said, suddenly moving forward and grasping Sunoo's hand.

Jungwon noticed the reassuring squeeze Jake gave him, once he had Sunoo's hand in his hold.

Jungwon followed behind them, shooting a nervous look up the street. He was afraid Ni-ki's Jeep would already be driving up. Sunoo had taken longer than they'd been expecting.

Sunoo sniffed, a pitiful sound that drove home how broken up he was over having to share that poem he'd written.

Jungwon felt something climb up and lodge itself in his throat. Before he knew it, he was reaching out for Sunoo. He wanted to pat Sunoo's back, to offer some sense of support, but he held back just before he would have made contact. Something made him hesitate.

"I only came because Jake promised there'd be no sign of Ni-ki," Sunoo said suddenly. His voice sounded different, thinner, with his stuffy nose.

"Oh," Jungwon recovered, quickly withdrawing his hand and righting himself, "Yup. Jake's right."

Jake giggled, his nerves making themselves known. Jungwon shot him a censuring look that quickly faded when Sunoo peered over his shoulder at Jungwon.

"That means no talking about him either, okay, Jungwon? Or the poem," Sunoo turned away from Jungwon and pushed through the back door onto the patio.

"I want this to be a Ni-ki-free night," Sunoo declared.

Thankfully, Sunoo chose that moment to pull his shirt over his head, obscuring his hearing just enough that Sunghoon's ironic snort was lost to him. After Sunoo emerged from the hem of shirt, he looked at Sunghoon with curiosity.

"Did you say something, Sunghoon?"

Sunghoon hummed, "Me? Oh no, of course not. What would I say? What is there to say about Ni-ki, and tonight, and Ni-ki and tonight--"

"Wow! Would you look at that?" Jungwon interrupted Sunghoon before he could foil their plan, pointing at an imaginary watch on his wrist, "It's hot tub time!"

Jake nodded over eagerly, and repeated Jungwon's words, "Hot tub time!"

"You guys are acting weird," Sunoo frowned, as he wrung his hands, twisting his t-shirt up, "Like, really weird."

Jake opened his mouth, probably to issue an unbelievable denial, but he closed his mouth immediately shut again. His eyes widened as he looked at a point beyond Sunoo's shoulder.

Jungwon was in the midst of following Jake's gaze, wondering what had made him stop talking before he'd even started, when the back door clicked open.

"Sunoo?" Ni-ki asked. His voice was breathless, like he'd been running, "I saw your car in the driveway but I-- I didn't want to get my hopes up."

"...Ni-ki."

Sunoo's eyes went wide. He scrambled to untangle his t-shirt and attempt to cover himself with it. The situation was so absurd. If it didn't feel like such a fragile moment, Jungwon would have laughed. They'd all been best friends since grade school, Ni-ki had seen Sunoo shirtless countless times before.

Though Jungwon supposed it was different now that Sunoo's feelings for Ni-ki had changed into something new. The difference made Jungwon sober up enough not to burst out into laughter.

Ni-ki straightened, pulling himself up with his hold on the back door.

"Can we talk?" he asked.