glass | gyuricky

nine.

Gyuvin seemed to sober up just the slightest bit as he entered the room, though somehow managing to trip over his own feet and fall against the wall in the same step. Ricky watched him struggle with his shoes as he tumbled around like a teletubby. At least he still had enough sense to take off his shoes before going inside.

"Where am I?" he asked, as if he'd just now registered the change in surroundings. "Where's Gunwookie..."

"Gunwook is asleep," Ricky said, guiding him towards the couch, fearing he would fall and injure himself permanently if he was allowed to remain standing any longer. Really, it was a miracle Jiwon had gotten him back here in one intact piece. "You are in my room. Do you even know who's talking to you?"

"Of course I know!" Gyuvin looked up indignantly. "You're..."

"I'm...?"

He smiled suddenly, like the sun peeking out from behind a cluster of clouds. "I know who you are. But it's a secret, so I'm not telling you."

Ricky shook his head and sighed, still wondering if he should laugh or cry. "Your alcohol tolerance must be terrible. Why did you drink so much?"

"I didn't drink that much," Gyuvin retorted, frowning. His expressions were so much more unrestrained when he was drunk that Ricky had to smile. "I only..."

Ricky gave up hope entirely when Gyuvin started trying to count the number of shots he'd taken on his own two hands and somehow ended up counting to twenty-seven without repeating any fingers.

"Do you like me?" Gyuvin said after a long moment of silence, breaking out of his own reverie.

Ricky looked up at him for a second, to gauge his reaction. "Of course I do. Why do you ask?"

Gyuvin stood suddenly, wavering a little before recovering his balance, taking Ricky's face into his hands.

"Do you think I'm attractive?"

They were so close Ricky could smell the remnants of vodka and peach soju on him. Gyuvin's eyes were so wide they shone like dim stars in the muted light of the room, and Ricky laughed softly, partly from thinking about how embarrassed Gyuvin would be if he somehow ended up remembering this in the morning, and partly from struggling to find the right words to answer him with.

"I think you're too drunk to be asking me any questions," he said, smiling, coaxing Gyuvin's hands off his face. "You need to take a shower and go to sleep. You're going to have a really bad hangover tomorrow, you know that?"

"So you think I'm ugly?"

Gyuvin looked so heartbroken, standing forlornly with his hands by his sides in the middle of the empty room. Ricky had the passing desire to pat his head like a stray puppy, but he brushed it aside, sighing.

"That's not what I said, Gyuvin."

"Then answer the question."

For a drunk person, Ricky noted, Gyuvin was remarkably able to keep track of the flow of the conversation.

"I can't," he answered softly.

Gyuvin frowned. "Why can't you?"

"Go take a shower." He reached into the closet, taking out a fresh towel and a bathrobe. "We can have this conversation another time, if you really want to. I'm not going to take advantage of you being drunk."

"Okay."

Gyuvin took what Ricky offered him and for a second he looked so sad Ricky almost wanted to laugh. Seriously, Gyuvin was going to end it all if he remembered any of what he was saying now.

The shower was silent and uneventful, thankfully; Ricky was a little worried Gyuvin would lose his balance and slip on the wet floor and clock himself over the head or something along that line, but he reappeared in the doorway, a cloud of steam billowing out from behind him, his wet hair falling into his eyes.

"Sobered up?" Ricky asks, amused.

Gyuvin winces away from the overhead lights, rubbing a towel over his hair with one hand. "Kinda. My head hurts..."

Ricky stood up from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed, walking over to turn down the lights in the room. "Get some sleep. Take the bed."

"What? No, I couldn't do that," Gyuvin protests, rubbing his eyes, already looking half-unconscious where he was standing. "I'll...I'll sleep on the couch..."

"Don't be stubborn," Ricky said gently, heading past him to go brush his teeth, nudging him towards the bed. "Go and rest. We have to be up early tomorrow, so don't argue with me anymore."

When Ricky came back into the room after washing up, Gyuvin was already passed out, his body draped over the length of the couch, the towel still under his head, soaking up the water from his damp hair.

"He's going to have a terrible neckache tomorrow morning if he sleeps like that..." Ricky sighed, to no one in particular. Reaching under Gyuvin's body, he scooped the boy up as best as he could, which wasn't an easy task in any way considering Gyuvin was almost his height, but his years of sculpture work had granted him enough strength in his arms to set the boy down on the bed softly and pull the covers over him without him waking up.

He let his eyes linger for just a moment; Gyuvin's cheeks were still dusted with red from the heat of the shower, and his hair fell over his face in a way that made Ricky want to reach out and brush it back.

"You're beautiful, Gyuvin-ah," he said quietly. His voice was barely a whisper. Gyuvin didn't awaken, and his breathing was even. He was so sound asleep Ricky knew he wouldn't remember any of the events of tonight. 

I wish I had the courage to say it to you.

Taking the spare pillow from the bed, Ricky propped it up against the armrest of the couch and closed his eyes.