Broken but not Forgotten

Bully for You

"Hey Shieun, when did we get married? I feel bad I didn't get you a ring." Sooho smart-mouthed while putting their freshly washed clothes up. 

Shieun didn't even bother looking up, "I will settle for you shutting up so that I can study." 

He was aware of the incredulous expression Sooho was displaying without needing to look. Part smile and part sneer, as though his expression was unable to discern a suitable response to Shieun. He had been giving him the look since the first time they actually spoke. 

"Always talking back. Even when I did your clothes too. If I were you, I'd just submit." Sooho's rebuttals.

During this announcement, Shieun promptly inserted his Bluetooth earpieces back into his ears. Occasionally, he was uncertain of how to respond to the statements made by Sooho. He frequently left Shieun feeling too much, so it was safer to retreat. Sooho seemed to understand this, knowing when to push or let it go, sometimes a combination of the two. This time, Sooho came up behind him and trailed his fingers on Shieun's shoulders, tugging gently on Shieun's hair to pull his head back. Dropping a quick kiss on Shieun's lips, he then retreats out the door with a victorious smirk.

The kisses began shortly after their Friday night date, though he was unaware it was a date at the time. He had emerged from his cram school to discover Sooho sitting on his delivery vehicle, eagerly anticipating his arrival. He had experienced both surprise and apprehension, emotions that prompted him to want to withdraw. However, he was forced to comply by Sooho because he needed help with his deliveries. Shieun recalls not being thrilled. At the time, he wanted to be home studying, but he was unable to stop his body from responding to Sooho. Shieun was moving towards the bike and letting Sooho put a helmet on him before he realized it. 

The soft thrill teasing his senses came from Sooho patting his helmet and telling him he was cute. He had tried to avoid these feelings for Sooho, but he had failed. He had fought against them, as they were not in his plans, and being attracted to another boy would certainly not align with being the ideal son. However, Sooho's gravitational pull was too strong to be denied, and it only strengthened with every little touch from Sooho. The casual drape of his arm over his shoulders, the playful and effortless manner in which he would repeatedly touch him. Something so simple for Sooho, but created a craving in the touch starved Shieun. 

Still, he had thought that all these feelings belonged exclusively to him, that Sooho was just a natural flirt to everyone. Until that evening, upon his arrival at his apartment, Sooho leaned over and exchanged a brief kiss, which Shieun was unable to comprehend, before Sooho proceeded to throw heart fingers and depart. Leaving Sooho standing there, asking himself what had just happened. Though neither of them spoke about it, Sooho would continue to sneak kisses whenever the opportunity arose. His kisses were short and sneaky, but never demanding. They were gentle and easy, as if easing Shieun into the idea of them. Then Sooho got hurt. 

For Shieun, the days after Sooho was beaten and sent to the hospital were hazy. It entailed days of agony. He barely recalls attacking those who hurt Sooho, much less actually attending the first day of his new high school. He remembers Sooho's soft, dimply, sunshine smile, which had vanished, and his excessive stillness on the hospital bed. Sooho was never still, not even during his sleep. His world had deviated from its axes and ceased to center until Sooho regained consciousness. When Sooho finally woke up, the relief he felt was overwhelming. To his surprise, it became apparent that, even though Sooho's memory was slow to come back, he had not forgotten Shieun. Sooho continued where he left off with stolen kisses. Shieun was no longer concerned with what anyone would think, especially his parents. He almost lost the only person he had ever connected with, and he would never take that for granted again. In the absence of Sooho, his world was devoid of color. 

When Sooho woke up, it felt as if he had a solid foundation again, and that he was capable of moving forward with life. That's when he agreed to attend Eunjang High School. He soon established a reputation at his new school for his fighting skills, not only for the abilities he was taught by Sooho, but also for his willingness to fight dirty. Whatever he had in his possession turned into a weapon, and he fought with a desperateness that the other students and staff had never seen before. He was only concerned with staying alive in order to get to Sooho after school.

The initial few months at Eunjang High School in Yeongdeungpo were rough at first. As his reputation grew, an increasing number of individuals sought to challenge him. He found it increasingly difficult to conceal how bad it was from Sooho, and he knew he had to. Because he had to survive for Sooho, he realized that he would need help from others. He went searching for people like him who didn't want to fight, but would. They had their reasons, just like he had his, but they became a group of people who looked out for each other. They weren't Sooho, but who else could be Sooho than the man himself? Sooho was a charming rascal who could make him feel and saw him, even though he had kept himself hidden. Despite the fact that his new acquaintances were not Sooho, they served to alleviate some of the isolation he experienced during his time at school. Although the disputes would continue, they were less severe, and he was able to return home and sleep in Sooho's arms. That was the most important thing to him.

Under the cover of night, stolen kisses turned into passionate ones. Passionate kisses soon turned into sneaky hands sliding down stomach muscles in an attempt to reach for each other. Pulling on each other's dicks until each were moaning into each other's mouths as they came. Waking up to a tangled mess of each other's arms and legs. Some might find it monotonous, but for him, it rejuvenated him for the endless grind of high school life. 

Following one of these intense nights, Shieun reaches for the nightstand and accesses the drawer, obtaining a box and dropping it onto Sooho stomach abdomen. 

"What's this? Did I miss our anniversary? No, I know I didn't. Wait, when is our anniversary?" Sooho spoke with both cheekiness and a sense of dread. 

Shieun shrugs his shoulders and wonders how he could answer a question that he didn't know the answer to. Shieun just opens the box to reveal a simple silver ring and lifts his hand to show it matches his. 

"I solved the issue of no rings." He informs him hesitantly, uncertain of the response he might receive. Sooho stared at him with incredulity, and then proceeded to label him as cheesy, while simultaneously smiling and putting on the ring.

Sooho worked hard while Shieun went to school to build his stamina, fine motor skills, and reflexes. By the nine-month mark, he was caught back up in school and able to walk, though it was with the help of a cane. The medical professionals were astonished by the speedy recovery; however, they suggested that a significant portion of it was attributed to Sooho's age and pre-existing good health. Sooho winked at the doctors and said it was all the physical therapy.