Life imitating art: 2Moons2 fanfic

Nine days: part 5

In bed that night, all Joong could think about was Nine's hurt face in the scene where Kit is watching Ming leave after Beam kissed his cheek. It was too close a match to what Joong had seen on Nine's face that awful morning. What had Joong said that had upset Nine so badly?

On the seventh day, a full week of misery behind him, Joong had nowhere to go. He lay on his bed, scrolling through social media, re-watching clips he had made with Nine, both of them laughing, flirting, teasing the fans. He could remember how much fun they had had, until he had gone and ruined it all. At the end of the day he knew two things. His life was empty without Nine. And he would do anything to get his best friend back.

So on the eighth day without Nine, Joong went looking for help.

"Pavel, you have to help me! I don't know what I did wrong. Now everybody hates me. And Nine won't even let me see him. I know I'm not your junior for real, but you have always been a friend when I needed you. And you helped me about Nine before. Help me!"

"Well, that was super dumb to say, Joong," Pavel said, handing him a beer. He leaned back on the sofa and pulled Dome under his arm. Joong had barely even registered Dome was in the room, he was so deep in his misery.

"I didn't know! That's what everyone thinks and says in Turkey."

"That gays are not real men?"

"Yeah, and I'm not gay," Joong repeated stubbornly. "I'm the top, and only the bottoms are gay."

"That is the stupidest fucking thing I have ever heard."

"Thanks, Pavel, great help," Joong muttered and took another swig of the beer.

"Listen carefully, idiot. Sexuality isn't about who does what with whom, and what goes in where. It is about who you're attracted to. Who you want to be with. And gay men aren't any less real men for who they love, or who tops or bottoms. Love is not about labels, or gender. " Pavel said, and tapped Joong's forehead with each word of the last sentence.

"Yeah, do you think I'm less of a man because Pavel tops me?" Dome asked.

Joong spluttered.

"Do you think I'm less of a man because sometimes Dome tops me?" Pavel added, daring Joong to say anything that stupid to his face.

Joong's mouth fell open. His mouth opened and closed. "You... and... Dome...? You both...?" 

In BL the couples always had their established roles, and Joong had never even thought about switching roles with Nine. His mind reeled. What if Nine wanted to? Was that what this was about?

Dome watched him and snickered. "Tell him about bisexuals next, Pavel."

Pavel glanced at Dome and grinned. "Before I met Dome, I dated girls, like Dome did. And I had a crush on a guy earlier, too. And should this one day end," Pavel said, then turned to Dome and murmured, "it won't, baby, ever," and then turned back to Joong, "but if it should, I might be with a girl again. That's what bisexual means. It isn't black and white, Joong, there's more to sexuality to that. You can be anything you are, to hell with labels."

"Men... And women...? Both...?" Joong stared, his eyes going from Pavel to Dome.

"I think we broke him," Dome snickered. They watched in fascination as Joong tried to process it all.

"Joong... Joong!"

Joong started when Pavel shouted his name. "You think I'm gay," he blurted out.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Joong. What does it matter what I think?" Pavel exclaimed. "Besides, didn't you just hear what I said about bisexuals? And labels? What does it matter what you are? It only matters that you want to be with Nine. The sooner you realise that, the sooner you can crawl to Nine and beg his forgiveness."