Late [ImSangKyu]

[Im Yong Soo]

The morning started off slow, but surely and slowly entered into the 11AM hour as a casually dressed Im Yong Soo made his way to a seating area in the mall. He flopped onto one of the benches, making himself comfortable. He drew quite a few looks from passing by girls, which did not get him down any. But still… Picking up girls was not why the Korean was here.

He had a date of sorts with his brother! They’d promised to meet up at 11AM to do some shopping. It was already 11AM! Where was Im Sang Kyu?! Did that jerk cancel on him without telling him?! How could he?! They promised! Well, more like Yong Soo insisted and Sang Kyu kept telling him to go away… But still! It wouldn’t kill Sang Kyu.

This how-ever was killer. The oh so out-going and friendly Yong Soo was starting to get nervous. What was with foreign girls?! So bold! He was practically being surrounded, and touched! He was the one who did the touching! He loved the attention, true…. But he’d at least like to know their names first! And their faces were caked in make-up… He almost thought they were going to eat him.

He tried to keep calm and take the attention in stride. Keeping up his silly grin. But there was a small indication -that if you knew Yong Soo well enough, you’d know what it meant -that he was nervous. His eyes were twitching back and forth like he was expecting some one, who would never come, to save him. Even though Yong Soo always knew he wouldn’t be saved, his eyes still couldn’t stop themselves from searching around for salvation when nervous. It was something that had always been a habit. And as the saying goes, old habits die hard.

[Sang Kyu Im]

The worst thing about having a twin brother was that he always wanted to go out and do stuff. Stupid stuff. That Sang Kyu didn't have a care in the world about.

When Yong Soo had asked him if he wanted to go shopping, his first thought was that it was a stupid and girly activity. If Sang Kyu needed clothes, he could just go out and get them on his own. Doing it in a group was something girls did, because they felt the need to have other people comment on outfits they were contemplating and tell them how cute they looked in them. For Yong Soo, who always bragged about how 'manly' he was in front of Sang Kyu, to want to engage in such a girly habit was surprising.

However, for some reason he’d agreed. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t possibly imagine what it was that had possessed him to say yes. He hated Yong Soo. Couldn’t stand him. But he was in need of some new clothes. Probably because Yong Soo kept borrowing and forgetting to return them. Maybe he’d said yes because subconsciously, he’d known there was a chance he could get Yong Soo to pay for new clothes for him. It was a possibility anyway, however unlikely.

He dawdled for as long as possible before finally leaving for the mall. If he got there late and left early, that was way less time he’d have to spend with Yong Soo than if he’d gotten there on time. And anyway, Sang Kyu saw being late as his own personal way to punish Yong Soo for making him go in the first place. His brother had never had the longest attention span. It was Sang Kyu’s own form of torture to make him wait.

When he finally made his way to the place they’d agreed to meet, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Of course. There was Yong Soo, with a bunch of girls all lingering around him. Sang Kyu crossed his arms and stared through the crowd at him. “Yong Soo. Stop fooling around and let’s go.”

[Im Yong Soo]

He wouldn’t say this out-loud, but Yong Soo was happy to see Sang Kyu. Thanks to his scary face, the girls dispersed quickly! He stood from the bench and stretched his arms and legs out. He smooths back is hair -unsuccessful at smoothing his long curl back. Still, he gives a bright, goofy grin. He flails his arms in a double-wave at Kyu.

Then he wanders over to the other, amiably chattering, chattering, and chattering like a chirpy little bird. About what you might ask? Well of course he was scolding Kyu for being late! Like he himself was all responsible and whatnot, “Kyu! When you make a date with some one, you should show up on time! Jeez, I thought those girls were going to swallow me whole, da~ze.”

Yong Soo smacked his hand to his bro’s back, all comfortable like. He ambled on and on, speaking more and more, annoying words, “So, I was thinking, we could stop by the electronics, get some games and movies… Then we’ll go to the clothing…” Needs to replace some of the clothes of his bro’s he got too comfortable wearing and doesn’t want to give back, “And then we can stop and grab a bite to eat, da~ze!”

Laughs, rambunctiously happy. They’d already somehow, managed to sneak in a small tv and a gaming system into their room… But they needed games and movies for it! And he’d heard there were some totally killer games and horror movies on sale today. Which meant now was the time to get them! Surprisingly enough, Yong Soo could occasionally be a (un)thrifty spender. Of course, the fact he usually bought a shit-load reversed the affect he was getting them while on sale.

But that didn’t matter! At least they’d all have something fun to do together. It would be something all three, Al-buddy, Kyu, and him could actually do together that (probably) wouldn’t induce fighting.

[Sang Kyu Im]

The moment Yong Soo started talking, Sang Kyu immediately regretted agreeing to come along once more. His brother’s voice, if ringing in Sang Kyu’s head like nails on a chalkboard wasn’t bad enough, never stopped. Not once. Never. Once his brother got going on a topic, he could yammer on about it for ages, which was exactly what he was doing now.

“I showed up, didn’t I?” he hissed, Yong Soo’s scolding grating on his nerves almost as much as his voice did. “I didn’t have to come. I could have just stayed at home, and then you would have been eaten alive.”

That was another thing. Of all the things about Yong Soo that annoyed him, it had to be Yong Soo’s insistence that he was a manly-man that annoyed Sang Kyu the most. If Yong Soo was as much of a man as he said he was, he wouldn’t be afraid of every stupid little thing that jumped out at him. He wouldn’t he unnerved by a bunch of girls all crowding around him, and most importantly, he’d know how to stand up to Sang Kyu. Not that Sang Kyu was complaining about the last part. Since Yong Soo apparently had no backbone, it made torturing him that much easier.

“And anyway, you should have been able to tell those girls to go away on your own. You don’t need me to do that for you.”

As Yong Soo slapped his back in apparent physical affection, Sang Kyu glared at him from the corner of his eye. He couldn’t make a big scene over it in the store, but he at least was going to let Yong Soo know that he didn’t like it. “Sure. Fine. Whatever. Just remember, you owe me clothes,” he reminded Yong Soo, pushing his hand away. “Since you never return mine.”

He didn’t have any objections about buying horror movies though. He’d heard of a couple that he personally wanted to see, mostly because he wanted to scare Yong Soo and Alfred out of their skins. Sang Kyu was pretty sure he could handle just about anything a movie could throw at him, since none of it was real after all. Or even videogames, since those weren’t real either. For him, the real entertainment came from the horrified faces of his roommates. “Lead the way.”

[Im Yong Soo]

Despite all of Sang Kyu’s harsh responses, Yong Soo kept smiling, amiably, stupidly, goofily. Not that they didn’t hurt, but he was far too use to Kyu’s non too friendly words. His non too friendly personality. Honestly, they seemed like complete opposites, but it was more like they just made up for what the other seemed to lack. If Kyu wasn’t there, Soo would probably be a little more toned down. And if Soo wasn’t there, Kyu would probably be able to smile a little more.

A thought that Soo kept at bay no matter what. Even if it was the most logical, such a depressing theory did not suit him. He’d bend things to his own will. He’d smile, and smile, and laugh, and be as cheerful as possible until the day it made Kyu smile too! And precisely because of this, ‘my own little world’ preference of his…

He had missed a good portion of the little signs of irritation Kyu showed, only paying attention to the words. In other words, that glare, that gloomy disposition, all of it, was lost on Im Yong Soo. But once he’d heard the ‘lead the way’, he instantly started pulling on Kyu’s arm like a little kid in a candy store. Trying to drag him along.

He wore a big, sun-shiney bright grin. He jabbered aimlessly about all the fun they would have, and how he’d treat Kyu today. (Because as the oh so manly one, it was his obligation.) About how there had been some cool new horror movies, and cool games, and about a million and one things they’d never be able to get done in even one year. Which made it a good thing they had two more years after this one to get everything done.

Without a doubt, before they graduated, he’d get Kyu to smile and have fun at least once! Because for some reason -as unlikely as this sounded to his oh so logical head- he felt guilty. But that couldn’t be. He’d never done anything to make Kyu so grumpy. Kyu was naturally grumpy all on his own.

[Sang Kyu Im]

As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he’d made a huge mistake. By telling Yong Soo to lead the way, he must have said in Yong-Soo-ese: “Please take me and drag me wildly around the mall,” because that’s just what Yong Soo did, with Sang Kyu stumbling along clumsily before managing to catch up and walk closely behind him.

Then Yong Soo dissolved into all smiles and small talk. Never-ending small talk. On and on and on. How much fun they were going to have. How many games and movies they were going to get. What they were going to do later, and after that, and after that. As if spending time with Yong Soo now wasn’t bad enough. The idea of spending more time with him (by Yong Soo’s standards, all the time) was an absolute nightmare.

Suddenly, he felt he had to nip this building proposal in the bud before it could get too far off the ground. He put his foot down, quite literally, and stopped where he stood, refusing to be dragged farther.

“Look here,” he said firmly, pulling Yong Soo closer. “There’s no way we’re doing all that stuff today. Pick something and we can focus on that one thing. Got that?”

It was sort of harsh, but he didn’t want to be here now and certainly didn’t want to be here any more than he had to in the future. The whole idea of him even coming today at all had been to appease Yong Soo and get him off his back for a while, so that when this whole ordeal was over he could go home and hide in the library or some other place where Yong Soo was almost guaranteed not to go. If Yong Soo kept him here until the stores all closed, he was certain he’d have to strangle him.

“Now, pick a store, and let’s go.”

[Im Yong Soo]

Yong Soo’s eyes widened, as if Sang Kyu’s words set in. Which they did, but it may not have shown quite right. Because, instead of a silent nod, he gave a surprisingly sincere, if not a little bashfully silly smile, all while rubbing the back of his neck. Which showed his realization was leaning more towards something he’d ended up thinking of himself, rather than anything Kyu had said.

Not that it was necessarily a bad thing… But it could be a little annoying to see Yong Soo off in his own little world. Especially when you were trying to get something through his thick skull. His incredibly… Incredibly… Thick… Skull. Yong Soo mumbled out something, almost shyly, which was saying a lot if you knew him. And what it was, made it an even bigger shocker. To hear such things from Yong Soo was like… Like… Getting God to bow before you!

But even though it was a mumble, it was of reasonable volume, “Sorry, sorry. I got excited. Today, I actually wanted to come for you, da~ze. It’s my Kyu appreciation day. And despite being twins… I don’t really know what you like, Da~ze. So I was concocting a whole bunch of plans, to see what you do and don’t like. How about I just let you lead the way, da~ze?”

[Sang Kyu Im]

Yong Soo’s sudden tameness actually did surprise him a little. Mostly, Sang Kyu had expected his words to be ignored, perhaps brushed away with a big Yong Soo-ish grin and drowned out by more babble and laughter. But, to his pleasant surprise, Yong Soo actually seemed a bit embarrassed now. Sang Kyu snorted in amusement. Maybe it was possible to get through his brother’s thick skull after all!

However, as Yong Soo spoke, he did feel a little tug of guilt. ‘Kyu appreciation day?’ Well, being an obnoxious ball of energy was hardly a good way to appreciate him, Kyu thought, but it was Yong Soo’s own way of doing it, he supposed. He was only trying to be nice, even if – to Kyu – it was the worst possible method.

“Well…” Kyu muttered, scowling at the floor, of all things. Why did Yong Soo have to make this whole thing harder by guilt tripping him into feeling like a jerk? Was that further a part of some plan to make him spend time with him? “I don’t come to the mall much, so I don’t really know what’s out here.” He really didn’t, but wandering around having no idea where he was going seemed like a much better idea than letting Yong Soo lead him around to places he definitely did not want to be.

Well, he had come out here to go to clothing stores after all. Perhaps he could drag Yong Soo into one and dress him up in something stupid as his own form of revenge. He started walking towards the nearest one that he could see. “Let’s go look in here. You can help me find things that I’d look good in, and I’ll help you find things you’d look good in.”

[Im Yong Soo]

He listened to Kyu with surprisingly silence that wasn’t natural of him. At least for now. He nodded his head to everything Kyu said in place of his usual energetic jabbering. Although, his head was wandering off. He was picturing going and having a good time with kyu and then Kyu being so happy that he smiles and maybe even gives him a hug! With these delusional thoughts, there was also an obvious sign. His eyes tilted up toward the top and back of his head and he had a rather unhealthily euphoric grin on his face.

Yong Soo snapped out of it when he heard ‘Let’s go look in here.’ He quickly started to follow after, grinning brightly. He caught up and snagged a hold of Kyu’s hand like a little kid would his mother. Now, it was obvious they were siblings, but that didn’t stop a few of the foreigner girls from staring and giggling at Kyu’s unintended misfortune. To which, Soo was vapidly oblivious to the going ons around them.

He following Kyu into the store and looked around. These clothes looked so… Punk Rocker-ish… Kyu didn’t like black clothes like the---… Okay, so he did, but he some how doubted his brother cared for shredded jeans and black tee-shirts with skulls on them. But even more horrifying. Girls actually wore ripped plaided skirts that barely covered their ass?! And ripped black shirts that you’d have to wear an undershirt under if you didn’t want to show your chest!

Yong Soo was suddenly glad he wasn’t a girl. What kind of a store made such clothing? What happened to decency? And the cool and sweet styles? He silently yanked on Kyu’s hand, still glancing around the store, “Are you sure this place, Kyu…? If this is what you like, cool, but it looks kinda scary, da~ze.”

[Sang Kyu Im]

It was apparent almost as soon as he’d set foot in the store that this was not his thing. What greeted him was not something youthful and stylish but more…well, he couldn’t even think how to describe it. Weird and dark was about as accurate a description as he could get going in his head, because he was too distracted by what was actually in the store to do much thinking about how to describe it.

Most of the clothes were dark in color, some with random splashes of bright colors and company logos, some with skulls, some with… very inappropriate pictures. He suddenly felt very awkward and out of place. It would be obvious to anyone who frequented this store that Sang Kyu and Yong Soo did not belong here. It was at this point that Sang Kyu also noticed that Yong Soo had slipped his hand into his when he wasn’t looking. It was like he was trying to make them stick out even more.

Yong Soo tugged on his hand and, frowning, Kyu shook his brother’s hand off. Actually, he did want to get out of this place, because it definitely was not what he’d been looking for. But glancing around, he could have a little fun in here before heading out. He had said he was going to dress Yong Soo in something stupid, after all.

“Oh no,” he said, quirking an eyebrow at some of the shirts on the wall. “Not for me. For you.” Hopefully Yong Soo wouldn’t be stupid enough to actually think he was serious and buy something out of here, because then his plan to embarrass him wouldn’t really work.

Taking Yong Soo by the arm, Sang Kyu dragged him to the back of the store where some of the more…questionable…items were. No doubt everything back here would be against the school’s dress code, even after class hours. One of the store clerks glanced at the two of them, amused.

“There you go. That skirt would look nice on you.”

[Im Yong Soo]

The two words, which should be relieving, echoed with a sound of misfortune. Oh no? That should be good, meaning Kyu wanted to leave quickly. But no… The words to follow them were far too cruel for any normal person to bear. It was like kyu was picking on him! But that couldn’t be. They were having KAD, so Kyu must be feeling so happy that he wants to be incredibly nice all day! … So why was he doing this? If this was a prank, it was a bit much…

Yong Soo’s face flushed to an incredibly pale coloring when he was grabbed and dragged. He looked around like he was about to be murdered, gripping at the hand Kyu had on him as if to make the other let go from disgust at the contact. He obviously did not win this though. The failure had ended with him being in the back of the store, where on the walls hung clothes that couldn’t even be considered clothes.

Yong Soo’s face went red as a tomato when Kyu suggested a skirt to him. Sure, it had the plaid pattern their school used, but… He sincerely doubted that the practically non-existent length would be acceptable in the dress code. And he was a boy! Yong Soo’s head ducked down when the Sale’s Clerk smirked at them and his head raced through ideas. He finally decided, grabbing the skirt and the ripped black top that went with it, and then grabbing another outfit, if it could be called as such.

Leather cowboy pants that seemed tight enough they’d break the wearer’s hips that had a cowboy hat with it and then a shirt that said ‘Ride Me‘. Face still red, he glanced around to see how many people saw him before dragging Kyu up to the cashier. He stuffed the clothes onto the counter, looking around jittering, like he wished the cashier would hurry and shove the clothes in the bag. He glanced over at his brother discretely as he paid and snatched the bag up, “Fine, but you have to wear the cowboy one, da~ze. Now lets go to the next store!”

This was all for the sake of making Kyu happy. And of course Yong Soo was so wrapped up in not looking at anyone that he missed the Sales Clerk’s questioning look and pointing at boxes within the glass counter that practically screamed: Are you sure you have everything?

[]

[Sang Kyu Im]

Sang Kyu sputtered in horror when Yong Soo suggested he wear some erotic cowboy outfit. Oh, this ws not what he had been thinking at all. He’d meant to suggest the skirt to Yong Soo as a joke! He wasn’t supposed to be serious about actually buying it! Let alone find one for Sang Kyu too! The blood rushed to Kyu’s cheeks as he struggled to form a coherent sentence, all the words getting jumbled up in his head in a big mess of anger and fear and embarrassment.

Eventually he managed to stutter out a “Yong Soo, no! I wasn’t—” But it was too late. The cashier had already stuffed both outfits into a bag, and before Sang Kyu could protest further, Yong Soo had snatched up his bag and was on his way out. Still half frozen in disbelief, Sang Kyu was slow to follow, and caught the clerks questioning look and gesture towards the glass case.

If it was possible for Kyu to get any more red, he certainly did. “No! That will not be necessary!” Then he swept out of the store after Yong Soo.

When he caught up to him, he grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around, still flushed in the cheeks. “You idiot, I was joking. I didn’t mean you should actually buy something like that!” He pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand, groaning softly. But then, looking back up, he tried to make the best of the situation. “At least the look on your face was priceless…”

Now he realized, if he hadn’t been so embarrassed himself, he might’ve had a mind to pull out his phone and snap a couple of pictures. They would’ve made great blackmail material. On the other hand, if he could actually get Yong Soo to dress up in one of the outfits they’d bought, that would be far better.

“Well…whatever," he said, giving a sigh. "You can choose the next store.”

[Im Yong Soo]

For once, Yong Soo wasn’t jabbering on or defending himself from Kyu’s words. He was obviously shell-shocked. He could almost cry in relief when he’d heard Kyu say he could pick the next place. If he had to go in another place like that again, his heart would jump out of his chest. He glanced up at the sign over the store they just exited: Spencers.

He would definitely remember that name, and never again step foot in that store, if he could help it. Although… He forced a crooked, still slightly frightened smile, “Too bad we didn’t grab that anime girl blow up doll for Al, huh?”

He was trying his hardest to see it in a funny light. He scratched the back of his neck and looked around, snatching Kyu’s hand once more to lead him into a store that looked somewhat punk-ish, but at least it didn’t look like it belonged to some dirty old man. He preened at his brother, “Hot Topic! Encouraging name, right? I bet they’ll have clothes you like, you always have liked darker clothes, right?”

Needless to say, Yong Soo’s impression of this place was also wary. Some of the guys were dressed like girls! With Mohawks! And some of the girls were dressed like guys… Maybe this was a homo-place? In which case, maybe he should get the hell out before his brother killed him. Maybe now would be the best time to finally release Kyu’s hand and make a run for it… yeah, that sounded like a good idea. He was oh so inconspicuous when he looked off to the side and tried sneakily shaking his previously tight gripped hand free from his brother’s probably already fighting to be free grip.

He didn’t want this place to be his tomb! It had too many people, there wasn‘t any walking space. His body would be stepped on!

[[I’m sorry, this seems so stereotyped. XD But I rarely go into HT, und the few times I have, they workers were boys and girls all dressed the same with Mohawks, and lots of little teenies trying to be badass.]]

[Sang Kyu Im]

Yong Soo’s comment about a blow-up anime girl got him an elbow in the ribs from Sang Kyu. Even if it was something stupid like that, Kyu would never buy anything for Alfred. Ever. Even if he’d bought something completely weird and outlandish from that store for no other purpose than to embarrass Alfred, he was sure it would have gotten him some sort of teasing from the American. “So are you into that kind of stuff?” Was something he was sure the American would be asking him, and then he’d never hear the end of it even if he said no.

But the thought was left behind as Yong Soo grabbed his hand once more and led him to the next place, which turned out to be some store called Hot Topic. While it was true that Kyu tended to wear darker clothes, he could see as soon as they set foot in the shop that it was not the same sort of dark. Sang Kyu’s clothing choices tended to be dark, but earthy colors. What was in this store was mostly bright neon set against a dark background, or metal band shirts, neither of which Sang Kyu was into.

“Not this sort of dark,” he said flatly, letting Yong Soo free his hand since he was eager for his own to be free as well. This was yet another store where both of them stuck out because they were…well…almost too normal. Maybe Kyu could pass because he could give any onlooker a stare that said he was not to be questioned, but Yong Soo would have less of a chance of looking like he belonged.

Either way, Sang Kyu didn’t want to be in this store for long. It reminded him of the last one, only less strange, if that were even possible. “Yong Soo, pick another store,” Kyu said, turning to him. “I don’t think either of us will find anything in here.”

((No, it's fine. I've never actually been in Hot Topic because every time I walk by it it seems like my mom's with me. -__-;)

[Im Yong Soo]

When his brother released his hand, he gave a low sigh of relief, grinning like an idiot, “Eheh… Right, sorry, da~ze!”

He glanced around a little more before snapping his head toward his brother to stare at the other as the other spoke. Pick another store… Hmmm… And Kyu was right there. Didn’t look like anything he wanted. He glanced again for one last look and his eyes widened at what he saw. One of those butch, Mohawk guys, behind the counter who was wearing make-up was staring at Kyu, talking to a guy that looked almost identical to himself -must have been the fashion sense- whispering things like, “Oooh, that leering one is kinda cute. You go make a move on him? I should go make a move on him? Okay. Ready? Okay.”

Ah, hell. Kyu was going to kill him. Yong Soo turned on his heels and quickly started to move, trying to run away without actually running and getting in trouble, after snatching his bro‘s hand of course. Speed-walking to be precise. He laughed, nervously hoping Kyu hadn’t notice the two staring at him or talking about him. He overly-rambunctiously spoke, “Nothing in that store, nope! No good clothes, no stares, did I mention no stares? And certainly no treating Kyu like a woman, because Kyu certainly isn’t a woman, not that anyone would think he is, da~ze.”

Yong Soo…Was such a smooth operator. Not. He was probably the worst in the history of forever. Even worst than that, but there wasn’t quite a word to describe how bad his smoothness was. It was unworded, unknown, and absolutely full of fail. Yong Soo dragged Kyu into a store that seemed rather normal. Not preppy, not goth, in between, really. Although, he had no clue what the store was called or what all types of clothes it had as it was larger than the last two and had rows and lots of clothes. Lots and lots of clothes.