Dark Night [Sequel to 'White Night']

Chapter 6

Hwanhee woke up with a throbbing headache. How many drinks did he have last night? He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and looked around. Well, he must have made it home somehow. At least, he didn't end up in a stranger's bed.

A stir from beside him caught his attention. He stifled a scream and scrambled out of bed, only now realizing that he wasn't wearing anything. There, in his bed, was that Hyunwoo guy he'd met yesterday and who had bought him way too many drinks. Hwanhee rubbed his temples and tiptoed to his closet where he picked out some clothes before disappearing to the bathroom, hoping that when he got out of the shower, the guy would be gone.

Hwanhee couldn't believe that he'd really gone home with a random stranger. He scoured through his brain to find memories of last night while the hot water ran over his body. He remembered crying about his tragic situation with Dongyeol – how embarrassing – he also remembered Hyunwoo comfortably patting his shoulder and helping him out of the bar and into a taxi. Hyunwoo had accompanied him all the way back home and had tried to end the night with a kiss.

Hwanhee blushed at the memory. It had gotten heated too quickly and after fumbling with his keys for quite some time he and Hyunwoo had stumbled inside and straight towards the bedroom. Hwanhee was glad that he'd decided to move out from home two months ago because he didn't think his drunken mind would have considered the possibility of his parents hearing him and Hyunwoo.

He turned off the water and got out of the shower, drying himself off and putting on some clothes. After brushing his teeth and taking an Aspirin, he made his way back to his room to check if his guest was still here. When he entered his room, Hyunwoo was just tying his shoelace and getting up. He grinned when he saw Hwanhee enter.

"Morning", Hyunwoo said. Hwanhee blushed. He still couldn't believe that he'd had sex with this guy. He still wasn't bad looking, even in broad daylight, but Hwanhee always thought that his sexual attraction towards males only applied to Dongyeol.

"Morning", he finally replied. Hyunwoo grinned. "I figured you might want me out of here...so, I'll leave. You should too, though. It's already past noon. Don't you have ice hockey practice?" he asked. Hwanhee's eyes widened and he rushed over to his nightstand where his phone was. Hyunwoo was right. He only had 40 minutes to get to practice.

"How did you know that?" Hwanhee asked. Hyunwoo grinned. "You told me yesterday, remember? You said how you were glad that your friend's boyfriend wouldn't be at practice and how you should get home soon because it starts at 1pm", he explained. Hwanhee didn't remember saying that, but then again his memory was still a little blurry. He was almost glad that he didn't remember all of last night's dirty details...

"Well, I'll get going, then. I left my number in your phone...just in case you ever want to...you know, hang out again", Hyunwoo said. Hwanhee was too embarrassed to answer so the other male just grinned again and took off with a "See you around."

~

"You're late", Kogyeol stated when Hwanhee joined the rest of the team, minus Wooseok, on the rink. "I know, I'm sorry...I overslept", he replied. Kogyeol didn't scold him any further (like Wooseok would have) and proceeded to talk about their upcoming game against the Busan Bats. (A/N: y'all istg, I'm running out of crappy ice hockey team names).

"I figured that if we win against them-" "When we win against them!" Gyujin interrupted, earning himself approving mumbles. Kogyeol grinned. "Fine, when we win against them, we could go check out the game next Thursday that'll determine our final opponents. It's the Barons against the Steels", he said. The team cheered. "Let's win this game on Wednesday!" Kogyeol announced before training began.

~

"Alright, good training today, guys...I want you to rest until our last training before the game. Don't get injured! And remember, no drinking on Tuesday evening!" Kogyeol warned them once they'd all gathered in the changing room after practice. "Is Wooseok coming on Wednesday?" Yein asked. "He wouldn't miss out on a game for the world", Dongyeol said with a grin.

"I hope he's resting like he's supposed to", Jinwook said sternly. Dongyeol's grin widened. "Of course, he is", he said. Kogyeol just shook his head and placed an arm around Jinwook's shoulders. "You guys should go home and rest...", he told the team which was met with general agreement. Kogyeol didn't fail to notice how quick Hwanhee was to leave without a word of goodbye, not even to Dongyeol whose face had fallen upon the hasty exit of his best friend.

"Dongyeol, do you need a ride home?" Jinwook asked their youngest team member. Usually, he'd get a ride from Wooseok but since their team captain wasn't here right now he was either forced to take the subway or drive with one of his members. Dongyeol nodded and followed Jinwook and Kogyeol outside along with Gyujin who'd also be getting a ride from Jinwook.

"Is something wrong with Hwanhee? He was quiet all afternoon...and Hwanhee is never quiet", Gyujin asked Dongyeol who shrugged. "I don't really know what's going on with him these days...", he admitted. That caught Kogyeol's attention. "But you two are inseparable", he spoke up. Dongyeol sighed. "Were...lately, we haven't been spending much time with each other. We practiced together yesterday but that was it..."

"I saw him yesterday...", Gyujin suddenly said. Dongyeol looked at him. "He was in my neighborhood, pacing around in front of a bar but I was running late to my date so I didn't stay to find out if he actually went inside or not..." "Which bar?" Jinwook questioned. Gyujin seemed a little hesitant with his answer.

"Um...do you know that American bar at the intersection close to my house? The, uh...the Sore Eagle...", he stammered. Jinwook and Kogyeol exchanged a look. Dongyeol looked confused. "What's the Sore Eagle?" he asked. Gyujin looked like he regretted bringing it up. Kogyeol could understand that he might feel like he was invading Hwanhee's privacy, talking about things he might not want others to know.

"It's a gay bar...", he finally answered. Dongyeol looked even more confused now. "Why would he go there? Are you sure it was Hwanhee you saw?" he asked. Gyujin nodded but luckily Jinwook spoke up again: "Let's not jump to conclusions! Hwanhee pacing around in front of a gay bar doesn't have to mean anything; besides straight guys go there too...and even if Hwanhee had other reasons it's one: none of our business, and two: not a big deal..."

Gyujin still looked uncomfortable with the whole situation and Dongyeol couldn't seem to get rid of his confused expression. "Let's not talk about it anymore. In fact, forget that I said anything...", Gyujin said as the four of them reached the car.

"Good idea...let's get you two home."