Work Text:
Sunggyu hates going to the doctor.
Not just hates, utterly despises. There's nothing worse than being poked and prodded with gloved hands and cold instruments just for the doctor to pass judgement on him. Doctors don't know shit.
"Well, Sunggyu," his doctor says, flipping through her clipboard as she looks as the results of his tests, "I think we should try to work on an exercise schedule like we discussed a few months ago, hm? Your blood tests show your cholesterol and blood sugar levels are fine, meaning you're eating relatively well. Moreover, your weight is perfect, so we don't have to worry about that for now either. But I think a regular workout schedule will help with the tiredness you've been experiencing."
It's not his fault he needs a lot of sleep. He always has, ever since he was a baby. His mom has a whole album of pictures of him sleeping, face down in cake on his first birthday, laying in front of the table at Chuseok when he's three while his sister poses neatly next to him, on a park bench during Arbor Day when he was 8. He's just tired, all of the damn time, and he can't help that.
His boss isn't so thrilled though.
Okay, so many he fell asleep at the piano a few times. Slept through an early morning meeting or two. Drooled on the sheet music the producer had given him. He understands how frustrating it must be, but he basically only naps during his breaks, and he doesn't see a problem with catching a few minutes (or hours) of shut eye here and there. Besides, he writes. He can do that any time of the day. He churns out music day and night, and they haven't been displeased with his work so far. He even had a song hit #3 last month (which is probably the only reason he keeps his job).
And he really doesn't understand the policy of working out for more energy. It sounds counterintuitive. Isn't working out going to make him more tired? They checked his iron levels, listened to his heart, even did a sleep test, just to ensure nothing else was going wrong. He's rearranged his bedroom, bought blackout curtains, played white noise and cut out caffeine and done yoga before bed. He sleeps just fine apparently.
It's just not enough.
So the doctor has him on this exercise plan, saying his inactivity is probably the main reason he's so tired, and now she's all up his ass about him working out for at least forty minutes four times a week. Like, shit, he barely finds time to cook meals for himself or wash his socks or whatever, and now she wants him to spend an hour round trip four times a week, going to the gym, getting all sweaty and gross? Just thinking about it makes him tired.
But the worst part is, is he actually agrees to it. Of course, it takes three months and two doctor visits after the idea is brought up, but like everything else in his life, such decisions are made at a sloth-like pace.
Also, his boss Jungyeop bet he couldn't do it.
It's not like he's a terribly competitive person. He's not, at all. He doesn't care about beating people at games, being the fastest runner, having the most defined body. But when someone tells him he can't do something...oh boy, does he put his all in. Does he ever. So he decides to prove everyone, his doctor, his boss, anyone else with their smarmy comments, all of them are going to be wrong.
It had started when Jungyeop had walked in on him sleeping on the floor in one of the recording studios, toeing him until he woken up.
"Hey, you're on the clock, and don't tell me your using your break time to sleep again."
It took him a moment to come back to Earth and understand that he was unfortunately awake, eyes puffy and unwilling to open, before he finally realized it wasn't just a bad dream that Jungyeop was looming over him, looking unpleased.
"But I am. I don't need to eat lunch anyways."
"That's nice and all," Jungyeop had responded, mouth twitching at the corner, "but it's 10 at night. You were supposed to go home three hours ago. When did you lay down for your nap?"
Okay yeah so maybe he overslept by 5 hours. Even he can't deny how bad that looks.
"Well, uhm, my doctor suggested this new workout program, I'm totally going to do it, she said it'll help my energy levels-"
And that's about as far as he got before Jungyeop had started guffawing, slapping his hand against his knee as he doubled over. Which, really, frankly, was just terribly rude, and Sunggyu had been exceedingly less than pleased to have to sit through Jungyeop choking out "good one!" and "I'd pay a lot of money to see that" in between wiping tears of laughter away. Sunggyu knew he was a bit...out of shape, but seriously? That was unwarranted.
And so he had fumed silently all the way home, while he cooked himself ramen (ignoring his tired arm after stirring the pot for a minute, willing the ache to go away and not make him feel like a wimp), as he climbed into bed. It would be one thing if it were just Jungyeop; that's just how Jungyeop treats him, all the time. And maybe, maybe if just his sister had snorted when he told her, before quickly clearing her throat and apologizing, that'd be a whole 'nother deal. She's an older sister, and older sisters are mean sometimes (even if they know their siblings better than almost anyone in the world). No, it was the ahjummas who live in his building, pointing and laughing at him on his first (and quickly aborted) attempt at jogging at the park across the street from his building. He made it about 30 seconds straight before stopping to catch his breath, and they had blazed right by him, asking over their shoulders if he was alright as they left him in their trail.
That was the last straw. He wasn't just going to exercise because of his tiredness. He was going to prove everyone wrong, even if it killed him.
He made it halfway through some workout video he found on the internet before giving up for another two months.
"I don't mind working out," he explains to his doctor, "I just don't like getting sweaty. Or being hot at all, really. Or exercising in the proximity of other people. Like, if they can see me, no thanks. Is there anything you can suggest where I can avoid all of that?"
It's a serious question, but she looks at him like she's trying to decide if he's an asshole or just dim. "Well, Mr. Kim, the only thing I can think of that really fits all your...specifications...is swimming. It is an excellent exercise, promoting use of most of your muscles and increasing blood flow to your extremities. Beyond that, you're options are essentially non-existent."
Okay. Swimming. He won't get sweaty, that's true. And everyone has their own lane thing, so he doesn't really have to worry about someone seeing him, he guesses. Swimming. Swimming. It's his only option.
Of course, he can't swim, but he's bound and determined not to sweat and get hot and all the crap. So he goes and buys a swim suit the next day.
Naturally, being unused to how usage hours are regulated for the city swimming pool, Sunggyu shows up a the complete wrong time. Instead of straight lanes with focused swimmers, the pool is overrun by babies and toddlers and other small children that are somewhat taller than what he would categorize as 'babies'. Apparently, according to the schedule on the changing room door, the 1 to 4 year old swimming lesson is held at this time. Joy.
He could go back home. It's like 30 minutes by bus, and he already called to say he'd be late for work. And he put on sunscreen. And he paid his way in already. Screw it. He'll go swimming.
Getting into the pool itself is enough of a workout. The kids occupy one section of the pool, but they're running around everywhere, followed by begging parents attempting to curb their antics, and he has to sashay past more than one little demon and not get knocked over himself. He questions the safety of all of this, until a lifeguard in the tower on the other side of the pool blows his whistle, calling out to the parents to stop their kids from terrorizing the rest of the innocent bystanders here (or, as the lifeguard called out, stop running around the pool's edge, but same difference in Sunggyu's mind).
He enters the shallow end of the pool, hand of the edge as he walks around. He's been in pools before, but he's still not comfortable, at least not completely. He looks back at the lifeguard, all tall and gangly and goldenly tan (not like he notices that, no way), and he feels a bit reassured. Sure, the guy looks like a giant freak, eyes all intent and hawkish, and Sunggyu's pretty sure he wouldn't even have to get off his tower with those things; he could probably pull some out with those arms all the way from over there. He does look very buff actually, Sunggyu ponders to himself, in a slim way though, he almost certainly works out, so maybe it does end up with nice results-
Anyways.
He tries to follow what the people on this side are doing, swimming free half-lengths of the pool, but it's too complicated to him, so he ends up eavesdropping on the baby class from a distance, listening to the instructor give simple directions in baby speak. Maybe coming at this time wasn't so bad, minus the kids' incessant squawking.
He ends up with some half-hearted doggy paddle/freestyle hybrid. It's a bit noisy, splashing water in every which way, and the other swimmers on his side of the pool give him strange looks as he flails his arms while trying to keep his head above the water. It's one of his cardinal rules, being seen while exercising (damn those old ladies), and he swims out to deeper water, intent on getting his own little space.
The water goes from his waist to his neck, and he finds he has to stretch on his toes so that his head stays comfortably above water. It's not like he's afraid to go under the water, no no, it's just a new thing he's not quite ready for. He stays with his doggy paddle, swimming across the narrow length of the pool, and he feels tired after a few minutes. They say exercise is supposed to make you feel great, release endorphins and all that, but he honestly just feels like dying.
He finally works up the courage to go all in (not all motivated by the four year old that swims circles around him before the teacher calls her back), and he takes a deep breath, throwing himself headfirst into the water.
And then it all goes wrong.
The deep breath he tries to take before diving in doesn't quite end before his head hits the water, and he sucks in a good deal of water quite painfully through nose. His eyes fly open, burning in the chlorinated water, and he flaps erratically, trying to find the surface. It seems to go on forever, his eternal upward grasps, when suddenly two pairs of hands are under his body, pulling him up.
The first thing he realizes is that he can breath again, and he coughs up quite a bit of water on whoever's holding him. Once his eyes open, he secondly notices everything has gone eerily quite, no screeching children, no splashing water, nothing. Even the hands (or, that is, the body attached to the hands) are quiet, pulling him to the edge and pushing him to lay down. There's a curious crowd inching closer, peeking over the lifeguard's shoulder, and he starts to panic. This is breaking all his rules. He's sweating, growing ever hotter under the stare of everyone within a 200 meter vicinity, and no no no, this is not what's supposed to happen.
He finally looks up at his savior, whose hands are running up and down his body, checking vitals, and he can't take it anymore. The walls are closing in. This is a disaster. There's only one thing left to do.
He pretends to faint.
It lasts for about three seconds.
Or, at least, the lifeguard reacts quickly, trying to turn him on his side, and he giggles quietly (he's very ticklish). He feels the lifeguard freeze for a moment, as if he's trying to discern if he just heard that or not, and Sunggyu can feel him stand up.
"Alright everyone, nothing to see, everything's fine, this ahjussi has just worn himself out a bit, he's going to be okay."
Ahjussi?
His eyes fly open for a moment, just enough to see the lifeguard smiling down at him with one raised eyebrow, and they slam shut again, squinching tightly as he refrains from showing this kid just how young and sprite he is. Or at least young! He still has that going for him.
He debates how long he should stay like this, if he should just sit up now and crawl off to the changing room in utter embarrassment, but the lifeguard apparently decides for him, and before he knows it, he's being hoisted up, thrown over his shoulder with a heavy groan (from the both of them, particularly the lifeguard), and he cracks his lids open. Everyone's still staring, and he doesn't want to make a scene, but later, yes, later, someone's getting bitched at. Maybe over the phone. He doesn't want to come back here again.
They head off to wherever, the onlookers staring in a mix of interest and confusion, and someone, one concerned mother, manages to ask "is this the right policy for injured visitors?" as they go by. The lifeguard doesn't even stop, mumbling a gruff "uh, yeah" before heading in what Sunggyu assumes is the direction of the changing room. The lifeguard kicks open the hinged door with one foot, wobbling a bit under the weight, but he doesn't put Sunggyu down, even when he starts to push at the guy's back.
"Hey, uh, I'm awake, you can put me down. Hey, put me down! I'm awake!" he grunts, fighting against the guy, but the guy heads over to the showers, dumping him unceremoniously on the tile before leaning over and turning on the water. The water is freezing cold, making him jump, and he sputters as he tries to slide out the spray. The lifeguard's blocking his way out of the stall, and he sidles up against the wall, shooting daggers at the guy.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" he half-shouts, shivering in the cold, and the lifeguard just shrugs, reaching over to turn off the shower.
"Reviving you. You passed out."
He says it so matter-of-factly, like it's the most obvious thing in the world, and Sunggyu grits his teeth in frustration. They both know good and damn well he didn't pass out, and Sunggyu wonders what game this guy is playing at right now.
"I should sue you. This is...harassment! Or abuse. Something," Sunggyu threatens, finger jabbing in the direction of the guy. "Don't think I won't call your manager. Your ass is getting fired, so you might want to go back out there and enjoy your last moments of being employed, asshole."
"Ok-"
"Also, I'm not an ahjussi. I'm 26 years young, thank you very much. And...can you get me a towel? I'm quite cold."
The lifeguard smiles, but it's not condescending or anything like that, and Sunggyu's skin crawls in a ticklish way that has nothing to do with him being cold; it's almost like the lifeguard can see right through him, and it makes him uncomfortable in a dreadful sort of way. He's almost waiting for this guy to prank him or something.
The lifeguard holds out a hand to him, and he takes it (mostly because he's afraid he might slip if he tries to get up himself). The lifeguard is radiating heat, and Sunggyu tries to ignore it when the lifeguard pushes him down on a bench, big hands lingering on his shoulders, when he returns with a towel, wrapping it around his body and rubbing his arms up and down through the material, when he wraps the corner of the towel around his head, soaking up the water in his hair. It doesn't take long before he's comfortably warm again.
"You know," the lifeguard practically hums, hands rubbing up Sunggyu's back, "it's illegal to pretend to be hurt, or more gravely hurt, than one actually is. Faking an injury here is a threat to public safety, since, you know, while I was attempting to help you during your little...act...one of the children might have gone under water. Drowning is often silent, and I need to be as vigil as possible at all times. I am a certified first aid responder and CPR administrator, and using the services of any medical interventionist under false pretenses is a serious crime."
Sunggyu's mouth pulls down in a pout. "Oh. Yeah, I knew that, I think. But I wasn't faking in the water! I-"
"I know, I know," the lifeguard says, holding up a hand to calm him. "That's why I did my precursory checks when I got you out of the water. But everything after that was all fiction, right?"
"Uh...yeah. Kinda." He feels like a kid that's been caught, and it makes his nose scrunch in response; he was supposed to have a good time today, and now he's sitting here being scolded by some shirtless, modelesque beefcake with tan, muscular arms and warm hands (not that he noticed) like he's in time-out. Like, of all the things that could happen, he has to be cornered by this dude with the perfect, in-shape body just to rub in how much of a failure he is. Great.
"Okay. Now, I'm supposed to report incidents I think are fake to the authorities-"
"What?" Sunggyu squeaks, kicking himself as his voice nearly breaks.
"-but I'm not going to do that today. Consider this a warning. A very serious warning."
The lifeguard resumes his efforts to dry Sunggyu off, and he barely even notices as he gets lost in thought. Everything's going wrong, embarrassingly wrong, and this plan is never going to work. He's so deep in pondering his existential crisis he barely even notices what the lifeguard says.
"Wha- I'm sorry?"
"I said, you're really cute, you know that?"
He almost looks around for cameras hidden somewhere. This has to be a joke. Or this guy is just a dick. There's no way this near walking Greek god is looking at him like that. It pisses him off. That's just rude, to tease him about.
"Excuse me. Aren't you supposed to be working right now? Why don't you go, I think I'm fine now," Sunggyu says, trying to pull away from the lifeguard's reach.
The lifeguard lets his hands drop, but he stays crouched right in front of him. "Nope. My shift ended just as I was helping you. There's someone else out there now. I'm free all day."
There's no way. There's absolutely no way, no fucking way, that this guy is hitting on him right now. He doesn't even know his name. The guy doesn't know his name. There's no way.
"Do you often hit on unsuspecting visitors to the pool?"
The guy at least has enough shame to look a little embarrassed, but he brushes it off. "Not really. Only the ones that I save."
This is too much. He needs to get out of here. Like, ASAP. Before he does something he regrets. Like give this douche his number.
"Uhm, well," he starts, clearing his throat, "I gotta go. To work. But, uhm, thanks for saving me. And being understanding, I guess. Uhm...yeah."
The lifeguard doesn't stop him when he stands up, watching him as he walks around the room in circles, flustered and totally unaware of which one of the lockers is his, and he tries to avoid eye contact. The lifeguard sits on the bench in his place, stupid smirk still on his face, and he finally finds his locker, throwing it open and hurriedly digging inside.
"What are you doing after work? It's Friday. You should go out, relax maybe. You seem...tense."
Sunggyu pulls out his bag too quickly in response, hand hitting the locker door, and he sucks on a finger while debating just how exactly he should respond to that.
"Uhm...nothing, I guess. I don't need to go out. I hate going out."
He can see the lifeguard nod out of the corner of his eye, thinking this over. "So, do you like to cook at home then? Or, maybe, you have a roommate that does..."
This guy is good. And persistent.
"No, I live alone. I do everything alone."
"Everything? You can't do everything alone."
Sunggyu whips around, shocked by what he thinks he's hearing, but the lifeguard looks at him innocently. "Like learning to swim, you know. You can't teach yourself to swim. But I can teach you."
Oh. Very clever. Very clever indeed.
Sunggyu turns back around without responding to that, ripping off his swim shirt and donning his sweater in record-time, and he awkwardly yanks his trunks off underneath the towel, shimmying up his jeans sticking to his damp skin. He has to go. This guy is impossible.
"So you're single then?"
He could lie. He could lie so easily. His life would be so much better, if he just lied. Just smudged the truth. Just played pretend for a moment.
"Uh, yeah."
Dumb. Totally, completely stupid. Dammit Kim Sunggyu.
"Me too."
Yeah, wonder why, Sunggyu thinks uncharitably to himself. Sure, pretty boy could grace the cover of a magazine here...but what he makes up for in good looks he obviously lacks in social etiquette.
Neither of them say anything while Sunggyu stuffs his wet clothes into his bag, running his hands through his bangs to straighten them out. Sunggyu knows the guy is still, still sitting there, like a statue, waiting for him to give in, but that's simply not going to happen. No way.
"So are you going to go out with me? I'm Sungyeol, by the way."
This guy is crazy. Asking him out before even greeting him. Did this guy grow up in a barn?
"Uhm, Sunggyu."
Wait, no. Why did he do that?
"Sunggyu...I like it. Sungyeol and Sunggyu, it sounds good together, no?" Sungyeol looks pleased with himself, fair vibrating in his seat, and Sunggyu wants to vomit.
"So, now that I have your name, when do I get your number?"
Sunggyu can't take it anymore, and he fair slams his locker shut, spinning around to face Sungyeol. "Look, I have to go. Uhm...yeah. Bye."
He bows quickly, but when he looks up again, Sungyeol is staring at him with hooded eyes, all good-natured flirting turned into stoic nothingness. It almost pains Sunggyu (no it doesn't, he doesn't care), and he sighs deeply, pulling out his cell phone.
"What's your number? I'll text you." It's a lie, but he figures he should make this guy feel better so he can make his escape.
He's never, ever going to call him.
Eight hours later, Sunggyu's standing on some corner in Gangnam, pulling at his shirt and checking his phone again and again. This is so stupid; he hasn't gone on a date in months, hasn't even thought about dating in forever, and here he is, awaiting his adonis (ew, that's so gross to think), near sweating even though the night is cool and balmy. What the hell is he doing?
Two hands grab his waist, pinching slightly, and he yelps, turning quickly and slapping at Sungyeol, who had snuck up behind him. Sungyeol looks good, sleeves rolled up his forearms to expose tan skin, and Sunggyu tries desperately to remind himself that he should really hate this guy.
Of course, he hadn't intended to be here. No, he was never going to contact this guy ever again, besides the precursory 'hi' text he sent him on his way back to work. It's just when he meant to text his friend Heechul, usually the first person in his text inbox, he had forgotten Sungyeol was at the top of his inbox, and had sent him a long, detailed message about how cute and terrible he was. Which had led to Sungyeol jumping on that stupid word, the word he should have never even said to anyone, not even Heechul, and the two of them had had an hour long text battle over Sunggyu finding him cute.
Just looking at him, Sunggyu would almost think Sungyeol would be dense or dim or something, but he's surprising good at word sparring (something Sunggyu begrudgingly finds attractive.) He's certainly not dumb. Which is working against Sunggyu.
"You ready? The restaurant's right over there," Sungyeol points, other hand resting on the small of his back, and Sunggyu scoots ahead, trying to get away. This is a pity date, pure and simple, and he just has to get in and out and be done. A reward of sorts, for saving his life (only because Sungyeol's been holding over his head for the last six hours, the bastard).
The name seems familiar, and he realizes Goraebul isn't just a restaurant name, but also a beach on the East Sea. He wonders if it's intentional, as he walks down the steps and passes the tank filled with octopus and giant shrimp, that this guy insisted on bringing him to a seafood restaurant. Maybe he's an asshole. Maybe he's a sadist. Either way, Sunggyu's not amused.
"Really," he says as they sit down, word more statement than question. Sungyeol obviously knows exactly what he's talking about, and he smiles serenely, picking up a menu and looking it over.
"What? I really like seafood. Well, anything with the water really. I used to be on a swim team when I was a kid."
Sunggyu should be frustrated, but he's entranced listening to Sungyeol go on about his interests and hobbies. He's no joke, studying bio at Seoul U, and Sunggyu almost regrets not giving him enough credit.
"Yeah, so I decided early on I wanted to be a marine biologist. I actually went on a cool trip to Jeju-do with my class last year; we were studying sea urchins, which is probably really lame to most people, but it was really interesting actually..."
Sunggyu sees his chance for some payback. "Marine biologist, huh? So you guys still do relevant stuff?"
And thus, Sunggyu learns the hard way that despite earlier misgivings, Sungyeol isn't all calm and cool and collected. In fact, he's anything but that. He gets unnecessarily angry when teased, then takes a deep breath and acts like nothing happened (Sunggyu learns down the road he stores these moments to bring up in later arguments). He seems all tough, but he cries when Sunggyu sings 'Baby Baby' by 4Men at the noraebang after dinner. He then proceeds to grab a mic and challenge Sunggyu to a battle to see who can win, and beats Sunggyu by one point through screaming into the microphone, a fact he gloats about. For an hour. He squirms when touched, especially when he doesn't expect it, but he can't keep his hands off Sunggyu, tickling him and hitting his butt and pulling down his shirt all night. Some moments he's a little kid, and then, sitting in a 24 hour cafe at 3 am, he's all mature, talking to Sunggyu about their dreams for the future.
Sunggyu is drawn to him. They're so different, in so many ways, and yet, Sunggyu's never felt more alive than when he's with him. He should hate everything about him, but he doesn't. He doesn't at all.
Sungyeol makes all their plans, liking to surprise Sunggyu when possible, but Sunggyu appreciates it; he's not much for planning things, never one for big gestures or shit like that, so he's perfectly okay with sitting back and letting Sungyeol drag him around.
Sungyeol asks him to take a day off of work, and they fight about for a week before Sunggyu finally caves; he hasn't missed a day of work in 4 years, hasn't even taken a single vacation day besides those when the building is closed, and Jungyeop shoots him obnoxious eyebrow wiggles on the day before his three day weekend. Everyone around him, his boss, his family, Heechul, they're all reading too much into this (even if he is spending all his free time with Sungyeol) and he hates every last one of them. This is just for fun.
Or so he tries to tell himself, as he writes five mushy love songs in a row.
Sunggyu comes over to his apartment bright and early, before the sun's even up, and Sunggyu can tell he's already had one coffee or five on the way over. Sungyeol doesn't necessarily like to get up early, but he can, and he fights for a good 15 minutes before finally threatening him.
"If you don't get up and take a shower, I'm going to drag you in there. Cold water, just like at the pool."
By the time he drags himself in the shower and back out to get dressed, Sungyeol's already packed his day bag, made his bed, washed the dishes in the sink, and made him breakfast. He's restless with boundless energy, running circles around Sunggyu's morning lethargy, and he whines like a kid, pulling at Sunggyu's arm.
"Let's gooooooo," he complains, stuffing bits of muffin into Sunggyu's mouth, and Sunggyu finally gives up, letting Sungyeol drag him to the door.
When they're out in public, that's when Sunggyu notices their differences the most. When they're alone, it's the same, but it's so much easier to miss when it's just the two of them, arguing over what to eat or watch on TV. When they're out in public, Sungyeol makes polite conversation with the cashier at the train station and the attendant who checks their seat tickets onboard while he stands quietly to the side. He makes the economical decisions of what they should eat from the dining cart, and Sungyeol reasons (aka argues) over buying sweets. He sits quietly, reading his book, while Sungyeol dances in his seat, wanting the trip to be over already.
The train station they end up at is right near the water (Sunggyu should have guessed), and the breeze brings the smell of salt rolling in. Sunggyu has to grab Sungyeol by the collar to keep him from rushing off, and not for the first time, he debates buying him a leash.
"Cool your jets there, we need to look at this map," he says, dragging Sungyeol over to the big wall map at the entrance, and Sungyeol argues the whole way, saying they can just walk around and find the way on their own. No way in hell is he walking around unnecessarily. The April sun is beating down, and even if they're on the coast, it's still going to be hot. Sungyeol can deal.
The beach is nearly empty, with class in session and everyone else at work, and only retirees mill around on the sand, leaving the water open for the two of them. Sunggyu has to almost hold down Sungyeol and slap sunscreen on him before letting him run off into the water, and he follows at a slower pace, standing just at the edge of the water and letting the waves run over his toes. He's not afraid of the water (not at all), he's just...apprehensive, even with Sungyeol here. If Sungyeol notices, he leaves off teasing for once, and he approaches him slowly.
"You ready to learn how to swim?" he sing-songs, holding a hand out, and Sunggyu follows him in. There's a lot of things he doesn't necessarily trust Sungyeol with (like driving, or wise financial decisions), but he knows Sungyeol will protect him as best as possible out here, and that waylays his fear a bit.
Sungyeol teaches him how to float, how to correctly hold his breath under the water, and how to tread water without his head going under the water. It's tiring, but he finds more energy than he thought existed within himself; making Sungyeol proud hits him on some psychological level, and he keeps pushing, even when his legs and arms start burning.
Freestyle is a bit harder, and it takes him a while to get his arms and legs moving in sync. Sungyeol is surprisingly patient, righting him and explaining it again when he starts to flounder, and they spend a good part of the afternoon working on him getting it down.
"Hey," Sungyeol motions to him, moving deeper into the water away from him, "if you can swim all the way out here by yourself, I'll give you a surprise."
God knows what Sungyeol has planned (sometimes it's better just not to ask), but Sunggyu wants to keep the good times rolling, and drops his usual cynical act for a moment. Maybe Sungyeol will buy them sushi or something; that'd be nice.
Sunggyu splashes on over, feeling like a pro, and Sungyeol's there to greet him, pulling him up by his shirt and hugging him tight.
"You did it! All by yourself! Good job, Gyugyu!"
Even though Sungyeol is basically baby talking him, he still feels himself grow a bit red, feeling proud. No one would have believed a month and a half ago that he'd be on the beach, skipping work, learning to swim and generally being carefree with someone he enjoyed spending time with. Hell, he wouldn't believe it himself. It all hits him at once, just how much Sungyeol makes him get out of his comfort zone, and how healthy and happy he feels. It's gross (but he likes it).
"So, what's my surprise?" he pushes, looking up at Sungyeol, and Sungyeol rolls his eyes a bit. Like Sungyeol can judge, he's all about instant gratification as is, and Sunggyu pokes him in the stomach for being rude towards an elder (something else he's also severely lacking in). On the outside, it may look like they hate each other, but this is exactly how they show affection to one another.
Sungyeol looms over him, all mischievous smile and twinkling eyes, and Sunggyu realizes only about a millisecond before it happens what's about to go down, and by then, Sungyeol's already tipping his head back, one hand firmly in his hair. Sungyeol tastes like sea salt and something he can't place, something that's distinctly him, and of course it's fitting that their first kiss isn't just at the beach, but waist deep in the middle of the ocean, feeling the currents rock against their body.
The kiss in innocent enough, and on some level, Sunggyu appreciates that. It's (as much as he doesn't want to admit to himself) romantic, an appropriate first kiss, and it's affectionate and warm and comfortable. They might be like oil and water, refusing to mix most of the time, but they find ways to meet with each other, and it all works out. Sungyeol pulls away, pushing Sunggyu's head into the hollow at his throat and laying his chin on the crown of his head, and they stand in comfortable silence, letting the water move around them.
"I hope that wasn't my surprise," Sunggyu teases after a while, "or I'll be really disappointed."
He's almost not mad when Sungyeol holds his head under the water in response. Almost.
Sunggyu goes for a walk on his break, and Jungyeop's sitting at his desk when he gets back.
"You know, I half-expected you to be snoozing away at your desk right now, but I guess you're a changed man."
It's true, he hasn't been napping as much recently. In fact, he's been sleeping great at night, feeling more energetic when he wakes up in the morning (now it only take 20 minutes for his eyes to fully open and for his legs to start working again), and even his doctor is happy with his progress. He doesn't know how it happened, but he fully congratulates his success by taking Sungyeol out to a nice dinner and getting completely shit-faced and hating himself the next day. He's still young enough to bounce back (even if he threatened to murder Sungyeol twice as he recovered from the hangover).
"Yeah yeah, okay, well I'm not, so what do you want? Or did you just come here to tease me?"
"Actually," Jungyeop starts, sitting up a bit straighter, "one of your songs has been tapped to go on the new album for Gravi-T. Well, not just the album; they want to promote with your song."
It's a huge breakthrough for him, and he sits down in shock. Gravi-T have a huge fanbase (despite their stupid name), and if they're promoting with his song, that means a huge, huge commission for him, especially if it does well on the charts. He runs through a quick list in his head, wondering if it's this song or that, and he can't think of anything that really fits their style.
"What song do they want to use?" he asks.
"Ocean of Love."
He has to laugh to himself about that one. It's the song he wrote on the train ride back from the East Sea, done in about 30 minutes with a drooling Sungyeol asleep on his shoulder, and he had thrown it on a pile of other useless works, not thinking about it for weeks. He knows Jungyeop reads everything he writes when he has the time, but that song in general was a straight reaction to the day, and he barely put any effort into it.
"You really think it's promotion worthy? If anything, I'd put it as the last track of a repackage or something."
"I liked it, and the CEO loves it. I have a contract if you want to sign it."
And so that's how he reaches his first number one, some overly sappy summer-esque ballad with terrible puns about waves of emotion or some shit. Either way, it's still his crowning achievement, and he couldn't be happier about the success of it. Well, minus one little thing...
It's early on a Saturday morning when he learns it's hit number one, message delivered by a screeching Sungyeol, who dive bombs on to his bed (and partially on to him), yelling at the top of his lungs.
"It's an all-kill! It's a daebak all-kill. You aren't worthless!"
Sungyeol's shaking him by the shoulders, and they slap at each other for a moment, Sungyeol trying to get closer and Sunggyu trying to get away.
"Did you write this song for me? I bet you didddddddd," Sungyeol titters, battle won and a struggling Sunggyu pressed face-first into his chest, mostly unable to breath.
"Go to hell," he says, voiced muffled, and Sungyeol squeezes him even tighter.
"You first," Sungyeol replies sweetly. "You're such a good boyfriend!"
"Ew, don't say that."
"Ugh, stop being a baby. You love me and I love you."
Sunggyu puts up a fight when Sungyeol starts showering his face with kisses, but it's all an act. Sungyeol has definitely made his life better (if more stressful), and he's happy. Even his cynical, asshole self can admit he's really, really happy.
"Is something...burning?" he asks a moment later, sniffing the air.
Sungyeol leaps off the bed like a gazelle, hitting the door at full speed, and a loud "shiiiiiitttttt" follows him down the hall toward the kitchen. That can't be good.
It's not the celebration he expected, sitting in the ER with one very slightly burnt boyfriend and kitchen back at home covered from top to bottom in extinguisher foam, but he'll take it. Sungyeol might very well kill him (or both of them) in the process, but he plans on spending the rest of his life with him. He'll take it happily.