Hungry...
Rolling onto his back, Austin stretched his arms over his head, then yawned before opening his eyes.
Fuck, I want to eat that.
Roh-Ahn was standing in front of him by the dresser, his bare back to him. He absentmindedly noted that he had no scars on the smooth skin there.
"I approve of that look for dinner." He said with a lazy smile.
Roh-Ahn jumped slightly and turned around, a faint blush on his cheeks.
"How are you feeling?" Austin asked as he pushed himself up into a sitting position and yawned again.
"You're adorable when you first wake up." Roh-Ahn said in Korean, then quickly added. "Sorry, sometimes I forget to use English. I'm feeling much better, thank you."
Austin nodded and finally got himself out of bed, scratching a spot just under his shirt after he straightened up. "I'm glad."
Roh-Ahn was silent for a moment before taking a careful step forward. "Don't be too upset with my uncle, please. He knows... what happened before, so he doesn't trust anyone around me."
He wanted to argue that he should have known that stressing him would have caused a seizure, but Austin bit his tongue. Roh-Ahn knew that his uncle had made a mistake and gotten hot-headed, so he just sighed and walked forward, tugging the young man into his arms for a tight hug.
"Alright. I'll let him off the hook... this time. I won't be happy if he does that again, though."
"I love you."
Roh-Ahn stiffened in his arms after speaking, making Austin draw back enough to look at him. "Are you okay? What did you say?"
"I, uh, it was just a thought that slipped out. Nothing important, I promise." He said with a half-hearted smile. "We should get ready. We have to be at the restaurant Wan-Nu texted me in thirty minutes, and it says it's a twenty minute drive."
Austin's jaw dropped open. "Crap!"
He bolted from the room and headed straight for his own, and his dresser. He didn't have a large variation of pants, so he just went with a pair of grey slacks, but the shirt... I think I need to donate some stuff. I didn't think I had so many.
The problem was, he wanted to wear them all for some reason. Which would Roh-Ahn want me to wear? The question was absolutely illogical, but he couldn't help but keep picking up shirts, looking at them, then putting them back.
When he was about to reach for another, he was handed a shirt. Turning, he saw Roh-Ahn standing before him wearing a pair of black dress pants and a button down blue and white checkered shirt.
He's so handsome.
"I think this one would look good on you." Roh-Ahn said, ending his words on a whisper as he glanced down at the shirt.
Austin followed his gaze, smiling when he noticed that the shirt was the same one that Roh-Ahn had on, but instead of the blue color, his had red.
"Ah, yeah, this one would look perfect. Thanks, Roh." He said as he took the shirt and slid his arms through. He was about to start buttoning it up when Roh-Ahn's hands beat him to it.
Unsure of what to do with his own, since their task was currently being done, he hesitantly lowered them, then let them settle on Roh-Ahn's waist. He did his best not to move his hands his any further south, even though they kept inching that way every few seconds anyways.
He could have sworn that Roh-Ahn was taking twice as long as it normally would to simply button the shirt, and it was absolute torture until he finally stepped away with a quiet chuckle.
"What's funny?" Austin asked as he glanced down at his shirt, noting that the top button was undone, but the shirt looked perfectly fine.
"I gave you so much time. You must have an iron will." Roh-Ahn replied, making Austin sigh and shake his head.
"I swear I'm going to learn Korean just so I know what you slip into our conversations, you punk. I bet you commented on my non-existent six pack."
"You're very healthy and look perfect to me, you don't need that extra muscle."
"Probably poking fun at my messy hair, too, right?"
"I love its color and I want to run my fingers through it, especially when you're just waking up."
"That's it, you're gonna get your butt kicked." Austin said playfully, reaching forward to muss up Roh-Ahn's previously styled hair.
The guy didn't seem to mind in the slightest and just laughed, so Austin stepped closer and, using his foot, carefully knocked Roh-Ahn's good leg out from under him. He didn't let him hit the ground hard, though. Instead, he easily caught his weight and lowered him until his back settled softly against the carpet.
He was just opening his mouth to ask for a kiss when Roh-Ahn reached up and wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him down so that their mouths could meet. The kiss lasted far longer than intended, but neither of them complained, even when they stopped to catch their breath three separate times.
The sound of footsteps stopping by the open door had Austin sitting back on Roh-Ahn's waist to stare up at a smirking Ike.
"Damn, I like the positions, but I highly suggest not doing it on carpet. Even wearing clothing, that shit hurts."
This guy...
Thankfully, he got off Roh-Ahn just before Wan-Nu walked up to the door.
"Why is Roh-Ahn on the floor?" He asked as Austin quickly leaned over and helped him up. "You know what, I have other questions, mainly about your shirt being almost unbuttoned and his hair looking like he had just woken up, but I'm going to just back away from this subject right now and ask if you two can be ready to leave in five minutes? We were going to meet you at the restaurant, but it looks like you might have been late if we didn't decide to just come pick you up..."
Roh-Ahn quickly tried to fix his hair while nodding. "Yes, we'll be ready."
Instead of answering, Wan-Nu just sighed and started walking toward the sofa to sit, but then turned around and pointed at Austin.
"That door stays open."
Giving an awkward chuckle, Austin nodded, then turned to step into his bathroom in order to check himself in the mirror.
Holy crap, I didn't notice him give me a hickey at all.
There was an obvious bruising mark on his chest just low enough to be hidden if he buttoned up his shirt most of the way.
No wonder Wan-Nu looked like he did.
"Let me help." Roh-Ahn said, startling Austin a little as he limped in front of him and quickly buttoned up his shirt.
"Hm, that was much faster than before, Roh." Austin noted with a hint of teasing in his voice.
He loved the faint blush that painted Roh-Ahn's cheeks and would have taken full advantage of their close proximity, but with Wan-Nu in the living room? Not possible.
Grabbing some hair gel from the counter, he quickly added some to his hands, then ran it through Roh-Ahn's hair until it was somewhat tamed from their little bout on the carpet.
"I should probably do mine." He mumbled as he added more to his hand, only for Roh-Ahn to hop up on the counter and reach forward, rubbing the gel off of Austin's hand and into his own.
"Lean down."
After a quick raised eyebrow, Austin slowly lowered his head after putting his hands on the counter on either side of where Roh-Ahn sat in front of him.
The attention felt good, but he was confused when Roh-Ahn was done and he leaned back to look at his hair in the mirror.
"Why did you mess it up even more?" He asked, lifting a hand to start pressing it down, but it was caught and held by Roh-Ahn's.
"I like it like that. You look handsome." He said with a bright smile that made Austin's heart fidget.
"Alright, I'll leave it... but only for tonight." He said. The hairstyle made him feel younger but also less professional, and while he wasn't a stern professor by any means, it still felt odd.
Roh-Ahn slid off the counter after a quick nod, but unsurprisingly, his bad leg wasn't up to holding his weight so abruptly.
Austin caught him in a hug and carefully lifted him back up, a grin on both their faces because it had honestly felt like the most natural situation.
"My bad." Roh-Ahn said as he took Austin's proffered arm and carefully walked with him out of the bathroom, hitting the light on the way.
"Yeah, you are. You left a hickey on my chest." Austin taunted back, loving the shade of pink that colored Roh-Ahn's face at that realization.
"Everyone's waiting in the car... we should head out soon, if you two are ready?"
Austin and Roh-Ahn looked up at the same time, surprised to see Teller standing in the hallway, peaking hesitantly into the room.
"Ah, right. Let's get going." Roh-Ahn said as he let go of Austin's arm and, using the wall for balance, limped over to the entrance to the room and grabbed his cane he'd left leaning there.
"Are you sure you don't want to bring your wheelchair since we're probably going to the concert right afterward?" Austin asked as he grabbed his wallet and keys, then stopped by the door a few feet away.
When Roh-Ahn shook his head, Austin opened his mouth to try and talk him into it, but then clamped it shut with a shrug. It was Roh-Ahn's decision, and even though he thought that it would be smart to just have it in the car, he couldn't make him take it.
"Alright, I think we're ready then?" He asked, getting a nod from Roh-Ahn as he stopped beside him.
Instead of following Teller downstairs, Austin rode the elevator with Roh-Ahn. It surprisingly still worked, but barely. It rattled when it stopped on the bottom floor, but thankfully the doors proved functional and they both stepped off after waiting nearly a minute for them to open wide enough.
Teller was already by the doors, holding one open with a small smile. Austin returned it as he and Roh-Ahn walked over to him. He let Roh-Ahn go through first, then stepped past, only to see Teller's boyfriend staring at them from where he was leaning against the car.
"This is a car?" Austin mumbled as they followed Teller and his boyfriend into the limo.
Everyone else was already there and quickly made room for them both to sit before Wan-Nu told the driver where they needed to go. Thankfully, the ride was short, because Austin could have sworn that every pair of eyes were glued to him when he wasn't directly looking at them.
He turned his attention out the window, but since Roh-Ahn was sitting in the seat next to it, his focus shifted more than a few times.
"He likes you so much!" Teller said to his left, making Austin turn toward him with a confused look. He didn't understand him, but when Roh-Ahn leaned over to send Teller a scowl, he had a feeling that it had to do with at least one of them, if not both.
"Don't talk about him as if he's not here. And don't talk about that!" Roh-Ahn replied, sounding shockingly stern, as if he were scolding one of his students instead of talking to an acquaintance.
It was quiet for a few minutes before the limo found a parking spot at the restaurant. Right as they were going to get out, however, one of the other guys who Austin faintly remembered was named Sahn-Re, or something close to that, spoke up, and in Korean again, of course.
"Well, do you like him back? He hasn't been able to keep his eyes off of you."
Instead of replying, Roh-Ahn pushed the door open and got out, moving away quickly so that everyone else could do the same. Austin hurried over to him, taking a hold of his lower arm out of habit in case he tripped or lost his balance.
"Alright, let's get inside. Hopefully we aren't too late." Wan-Nu said as he checked his watch and headed for the entrance to the Korean restaurant.
You would think they'd want something besides what they eat all the time.
Granted, he wasn't sure what exactly they ate in Korea, but considering all of the dishes Roh-Ahn tended to cook, it seemed a bit odd to go somewhere that practically made the same things.
I bet Roh-Ahn's taste better, though.
That thought didn't leave his head no matter how much he tried to push it away as he looked over the menu. The names of the dishes were Korean, but thankfully the explanation was in English.
After looking for several minutes, Austin leaned over to whisper in Roh-Ahn's ear.
"What do you suggest?"
When Roh-Ahn grinned and turned his head to reply, Austin tilted his, giving him his ear so that he could hear him in the bustling restaurant.
"Going back home so that I can cook for you."
Blinking, Austin turned his head to stare at Roh-Ahn with a raised eyebrow. "Somehow, that doesn't sound like a dish."
Roh-Ahn grinned and leaned over, pointing to something on the menu. "This one. It's very hot, but if they make it right, it should be something you will like."
After thanking him for the suggestion, Austin ordered the dish. Their food came quite quickly, which he was happy about, considering everyone's eyes just seemed to keep finding him, even when almost everyone was holding conversations of their own.
It was definitely hot, and actually pretty tasty.
"What did you order?" Ike asked as he speared a piece of Austin's beef on his fork and took a bite.
Thanks for asking, Mr. Manners. Enjoy the fireball you just put in your mouth.
The look on Ike's face changed over the next several seconds as he began to realize how bad of a mistake he'd just made.
"Holy shit!" He half-shouted, his words muffled by Wan-Nu's hand.
Ike flailed his arms toward the table as tears streamed down his face until he managed to grab his glass of water. That won't help much, bud. Austin thought, but didn't voice, as he watched the guy down the entire thing while holding it up with shaking hands.
Wan-Nu, shaking his head, flagged down a waitress and got Ike a small glass of milk. It disappeared the moment it was handed to him. When the guy finally lowered the glass to the table and gave a shaky sigh, Austin spoke.
"It's a little hot."
Clearly biting back a smile, Wan-Nu reached over and began gently patting Ike's forehead and cheek with a cloth napkin.
"You should know better than anyone to be careful of Korean food. We like our heat." Wan-Nu chastised softly.
How is it that they actually look like a couple, even though they shouldn't? Austin thought as he continued eating, but kept his attention on them without really staring.
He may or may not have felt a few pangs of jealousy about their little PDA display, but Austin knew that he couldn't just lean over and pull Roh-Ahn into a hug, no matter how much he wanted to.
As dinner continued, he ended up mainly listening in to any brief English conversations he managed to catch. Of course, he was involved in several small ones, but he made sure to keep just enough food on his plate to keep his mouth full when the topic got too bothersome. The main one everyone seemed to want to poke at and around was sitting right next to him, blushing faintly as he picked at his own food.
He's so cute.
When he realized that he'd just been pushing around two tiny pieces of beef for more than five minutes, Austin fished out his wallet and set out enough money for his and Roh-Ahn's food, plus a tip, then pushed out his chair.
"Would you guys mind if we went back to the apartment for a few minutes? I think I forgot something. We'll meet you at the concert hall before it starts, though." He said, needing to get some fresh air... and maybe wanting a few minutes with Roh-Ahn before they were packed into such a dark, loud building like sardines.
Wan-Nu didn't look pleased, but Sahn-Re managed to answer before he could.
"Of course! We'll see you there!"
Austin nodded and gently took hold of Roh-Ahn's arm once he was standing. It seemed like his idea was appreciated, because Roh-Ahn was walking so quickly that he almost had to focus to keep up.
When they finally got outside, Austin called for a taxi. Before he could slip his phone back into his pocket, though, he felt arms gently wrap around his middle.
"Hey." He whispered as he settled his hands on Roh-Ahn's clasped ones.
"Did you enjoy dinner, Roh?" He asked as he looked up at the faint stars shining down on them from the fading night sky.
"No... I want to redo the date with just us."
Austin glanced over his shoulder but couldn't see Roh-Ahn's face because he had his head tucked against his back.
"Can I have the English translation? Or at least whatever you want to tell me in English?" He asked as he turned around, slipping his phone into his pocket before wrapping his arms around Roh-Ahn and tugging him closer.
When the young man looked up at him, he smiled reassuringly.
"I said... No, I want to redo the date with just us."