Chapter Text
Eunwoo doesn't go to holiday parties. Eunwoo doesn't go to parties in general, but he would be damned if he didn't oversee every event he planned for the student body. If that event happened to be Fall Festival, so be it. And it Fall Festival happened to be in collaboration with the largest frat on campus… well, Eunwoo called that a matter of circumstance.
The agreement was that the fraternity would allow the student union to use their large fields, (that they technically owned,) to set up the hay maze and food stalls, and that the school would lend the frat free-reign of Cary Hall for “events.” On paper this was listed as “haunted house,” but as much as a cursory glance behind the vaguely spooky shack and decorations in the out front revealed an only marginally Halloween-themed rager going on behind it. Eunwoo wasn't too fond of it either, but the fraternity also provided money for free tours of the historical society building across the street, which was a major draw for non-students who came to Fall Festival.
The party was kept at arm’s length from the rest of the festivities, (“Student only,” the frat brothers would say to inquisitive parents,) and money the student union received from the other events was substantial enough for Eunwoo to turn a blind eye towards whatever party was going around in the first floor of Cary Hall, and the fact that a certain portion of the catering money was spent on booze.
Eunwoo was currently standing far from Cary Hall, by the student union booth. (The soccer team had wanted him to man their team booth too, as did the robotics club, but frankly Eunwoo was most proud of his involvement in student union.) It was set up by a haybale with lollipops stuck in it, stems first. The point was that kids could pick a lollipop out of the haybale, and if the lollipop had a black dot drawn on the bottom they could keep it. Of course, all the lollipops had a black dot on them, just to keep the kids happy while fooling them into thinking they won something.
At the same time, it gave Eunwoo the opportunity to hand out pamphlets about the student union and to ask for donations, which were placed in a big water jug with a slit cut in the lid propped up on a flimsy event table. For thematic purposes, the jug was painted like a Jack-O-Lantern this time of of year, and had orange glowsticks inside of it to make it more eye-catching. Currently Eunwoo was leaning up against it trying to explain the student union’s current budget plan to some kid’s mom as her son carefully inspected each haybale lollipop behind them.
“...the rest of the money is then voted on by the school council to be saved for later years or donated to charity. Last year we donated $5,000 to a local non-profit that provided school supplies for youth from low-income families.” He omitted the part where the only reason why the $5,000 was in surplus in the first place was because the football team came down with a stomach virus and had to miss regionals, saving the budget thousands of dollars in bus fees.
“Wow, that's amazing.” The parent flipped through the complimentary pamphlet. “So who's the head of the student union exactly?”
“Student union is a democratically elected student body that functions as a complete unit, so we don’t have really have a ‘leader.’ ”
“Mr. President!”
“That's just a nickname,” Eunwoo said as a blonde girl he recognized from union meetings waved Eunwoo down. She tried to give a reassuring smile to the parent Eunwoo was engaged with, but when she looked back to Eunwoo her worry was unmistakable. She leaned up to whisper something to Eunwoo as he stepped away from the parent.
“What’s up?”
“Eunwoo, there's some kids loitering around the fire exit by Cary Hall, and they don't look like students,” she whispered into his ear. “What do we do?”
The Cary Hall fire exit was a fire exit that didn’t do it’s job very well. The door opened fine and would do its original purpose well, (that is, to be an exit,) but the alarm had been disconnected years ago. For the rest of the year the door was mostly ignored by students and staff, but during Fall Festival it acted as the unofficial entrance/exit for students looking to party without looking suspicious walking through the front door, or from traversing the wide, brightly lit, parking lot. Eunwoo worried his lip.
“What do they look like? Just kids?” he said lowly. She nodded. “They were wearing costumes. They’re pretty tall so they were mistaken as students at first, but we think they’re from the high school nearby.”
Eunwoo patted her on the shoulder. She blushed. “Thanks. I’ll go take care of it then if it’s just some high schoolers.” He gestured to the mom whose son was still scrutinizing the lollipop wrappers. “Can you take care of this parent for me?” She nodded quickly, blonde hair flopping up and down. He quickly thanked her as he made the way to Cary Hall.
It was only 9:20, but this time of year it the sun had already set. Eunwoo had been working since 6:00 P.M. when there was still a little daylight to work with, but by 7:30 the booths were set, the lights were on, and the sun was down. Likewise however, was the frat brothers driving up to Cary Hall after the school staff had all left, with pick-up trucks full of decorations and coolers full of you-know-what. They set up a spooky ticket shack draped in toilet paper out front, with “haunted house” tickets that were perpetually sold out, and filtered in an untold measure of streamers and soda in through the maintenance door. In three hours the building had transformed into six floor of neoclassical architecture, into five floors of neoclassical architecture and one floor of spooky halloween ambiance. Eunwoo was always amazed at what people could get done when they put their mind to it. Some windows, Eunwoo could see, were already lit up from the inside, with curtains closed but plastic pumpkins in the sill. Eunwoo bypassed the fake ticket booth and the jack-o-lanterns painted purple and orange to round the side of the building. Just like it was said, there were three figures loitering around the fire exit.
The three high school kids were probably waiting for some partied out kid to come out and smoke a joint or something, and then squeeze their way into the party afterwards. Eunwoo stalked over behind them to scare them off. He cleared his throat.
“Hey! High schoolers! What do you think you’re doing?” He put a hand on the shoulder of the closest teenager, the back of their head a light pink, and spun him around. The kid gasped when he made eye contact with Eunwoo. Eunwoo almost didn't recognize him with his shock of newly pinkish-white hair.
“Sanha?” Sanha was a senior in high school, but to Eunwoo he still seemed like a baby middle schooler. Eunwoo had been tutoring Sanha in English for almost 5 years now, from when he was a high schooler to after he got accepted into university. Sanha had been hoping to get accepted to the same university as Eunwoo this year, and according to his mother, had fully occupied himself with preparing for the ACT. One look at him thought and it was obvious he also had other things on his mind though. He wore a devil horns headband, nestled between a fluff of his cotton-candy hair.
"Aw, Eunwoo,” the kid whined. “Come on, let it slide!”
“Sanha? What did you do to your hair? Does your mom know you're here?”
Sanha’s two friends giggled behind him as Sanha flushed red. “Eunwoo!” he crossed his arms. “I’m not a child! I can drive myself now!”
“I thought you failed your driver's test?” Eunwoo said suspiciously. Sanha looked flustered as something clicked in Eunwoo’s head. “Sanha!” he said aghast. “Did you sneak out tonight? Did you
steal your mom’s car?”
“I was- I didn't-” Sanha stuttered. Eunwoo had already made up his mind though, and pointed at Sanha’s two friends.
“You two go home right now or I’m calling campus security. Sanha, I’m driving you home.” Sanha sputtered, embarrassed, as one of his friends squinted at Eunwoo.
“Hey lay off! Sanha can do what he wants, you're not his mom.”
“I’m a mother adjacent,” Eunwoo snapped, turning to take in Sanha's two friends. He definitely didn't recognize them. When the girl on student union said they were “wearing costumes,” Eunwoo wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Whatever they were dressed as, he didn’t recognize. One of them has frazzled, burnt out-looking umber hair and six dots painted on his forehead. The other’s was a bizarre half-black half-blonde split right down the middle and wore a thin black choker around his neck. They didn't look like good role models, Eunwoo thought.
“You can't kick us out,” he said. He had a low voice for a high schooler. “We have permission to be here.”
“From who?” Eunwoo help up a finger as the other one tried to talk. “And unless the answer is the dean himself it doesn't matter.” The taller one with the umber hair’s mouth snapped shut in indignation and scowled at Eunwoo. The blonde one took a step closer to the fire exit after seeing his friend’s more rational approach fail. “Don't you have something else to do? Like overseeing ‘bobbing for apples for herpes awareness’ or something?” he said, pointing a ringed finger at Eunwoo.
“Yes,” said Eunwoo not even denying it. “But I’m also in charge of making sure little underage kids like you aren't doing something dumb enough to get themselves arrested!” He hissed while also took a step closer to the fire exit, trying to block them off. The high schooler glared at Eunwoo. Eunwoo glared right back. \
Suddenly, the fire door burst open from the inside, interrupting Eunwoo’s staring contest, and casting the four of them in a blinding yellow light accompanied by the obnoxious halloween-themed music of the house party.
“Eun-woooooo” a very drunk, very familiar voice sing-songed.
It was MJ, who had recently dyed his hair back to black after a brief stint as a redhead. He was a second year graduate student, and Eunwoo’s RA. They had become friends the first day of the semester when Eunwoo has accidentally walked into his dorm thinking it was his. Standing in the doorway of the fire escape, he was wearing a stereotypical slasher/doctor costume, with a smiley face over his face mask and fake blood all over his scrubs. He had lost his surgeon’s cap during the party, and was instead wearing a headband with dog ears on it. What the...
“Why don't you let the baby have his fun?” MJ said between giggles. MJ was a giggly drunk. His happy demeanor and his intimidating halloween costume, (sans the fluffy dog ears,) only made the situation more bizarre.
Eunwoo ran up to close the door but MJ stubbornly stuck his foot in the archway, letting party music leak outside unmuffled. “MJ! Close the door before someone hears!”
MJ didn't seem to notice though, and turned his head to the high schoolers, his eyes desperately trying to focus on their faces. “Sanha! My little baby cousin, come here!” He stepped down onto the blacktop to hug him, leaving Eunwoo by the door, still holding the handle dumbfounded. What? Cousin?
“Look at your little devil costume!” He said pinching Sanha’s devil horns. “So cute! Are these your buddies?” He leaned back to take in Sanha’s two friends were all smiles now; waving at MJ.
“This is Bobby and Minho.”
“Aww, so cute! What are you two?”
“This Minho, he’s dressed up as Krillin. I’m supposed to be XXXtentacion. He’s a rapper,” Bobby said, showing off his blonde-black part to MJ.
“Awww cute!” MJ giggled for the third time already. “Well everything seems to be in ship-shape!” He stood to the side of the doorway. “Heeeere you go!” he said as he drunkenly ushered the three high schoolers into the fire exit door.
“W-Wait!” Eunwoo said going to grab the door as MJ began to close it. Sanha’s two friends gave Eunwoo the toothiest, most smug grins he had ever seen as they quickly disappeared into the crowd. Eunwoo fumed.
“Eunwoo? I thought you didn’t like parties,” said MJ confused.
“I don’t! I just- You! I don’t-” Eunwoo made sounds but no words as MJ nodded drunkenly.
“Okay then. Bye Mr. President~” MJ said while sloppily saluting Eunwoo. He was closing the fire escape when Eunwoo suddenly squeezed himself into the door and sealed it off behind him so no more music would leak out.
Eunwoo had been in student union since his freshman year and had co-hosted Fall Festival every year since then, but he had never been inside Cary Hall for the frat party before. In fact, he had never even been to a party, barring the birthday party they threw for Michelle in robotics club. And now he was squeezed flush between the Cary Hall fire exit, the hidden staircase, and a potted plant cast in a weird orange light from the paper taped over the ceiling, craning his head looking for three teenagers who already ran off through the crowd of people.
He turned to MJ, furious. “What are you thinking? Bringing minors into the party? Do you know how much trouble you could get the union into with this? If their parents even suspect that-”
MJ placed a finger over Eunwoo’s mouth, sloppily shushing him. “Pshshhush-shuuu… Eunwoo… turn that frown…” he pulled a roll of stickers out of the front pocket of his scrubs, peeled off a smiley face, and slapped it on Eunwoo’s chest. “...upside down! Don't worry! I got permission!” Eunwoo slapped MJ’s hand away and resisted the urge to peel the sticker off his shirt too. “From who? From Sanha’s mom?” he asked incredulously.
“Nope!” He said, popping the end of his sentence. “From one of the frat brothers! He said it was totally cool.”
“The frat brothers? Which one? They’re in no position to OK that without me!” he shrieked.
“Eunwoo, he said it was okaaaaayyy,”
“It is not okay! I-” MJ suddenly lurched away from Eunwoo to throw up into the potted plant. He blearily looked back at Eunwoo’s now appalled face. “The frat brothers will clean that up.” MJ mumbled, more to the pot that to Eunwoo.
“Ok,” Eunwoo said, going to grab MJ by the torso, “Where’s the elevators? We're going to find your cousin and his dumb friends and send them back home. Then we’re gonna give you whatever wheat-based products they’re serving at this party and a nice glass of water to help you sober up, and then we’re going to grab an elevator back up to the dorm.” Cary Hall wasn't just the college’s main hosting area; the upper floors of the building were upperclassman housing, the left wings for females and the right wings for males. Eunwoo and MJ lived on the 5th floor with a few other juniors and seniors who couldn't find housing off-campus.
“Eunwoo you’re over thinking it.” MJ said as he allowed himself to be manhandled by Eunwoo. “This type of thing happens all the time!”
Eunwoo turned to MJ sharply. “What sort of thing? The underage drinking?”
MJ shut his mouth. “Noooo…”
“Who told you that? What was their name?”
“Eunwoo, I really can't tell you.” MJ said giving him puppy dog eyes. Eunwoo sighed. It was going to be hard coaxing information out of drunk MJ… even moreso than sober MJ. Sober MJ was garbage at keeping secrets, but drunk MJ was a stone fortress. Eunwoo frowned.
“Whatever. Let’s drop you off to your room first, you’re way too drunk.”
~~~
Traversing Cary Hall was a bitch. Eunwoo had a great memory, and had come into Cary Hall once or twice last year for robotics competitions, but coupled with the loud spooky music, the garish Halloween decorations, crowds of people in costume standing around shoulder to shoulder, and a drunk MJ; Eunwoo was really getting turned around. He made his way to the main staircase. Tall spirals of black and orange balloons made their way to the ceiling, with purple and green streamers twisting up and down the banisters and between the arms of the chandelier. Hanging from the streamers were a multitude of bats and colorful skeletons, with plastic spiders and cardboard cutouts of ghosts and mummies adorning the walls.
For a moment, Eunwoo didn’t worry about who was going to clean all that up and was just filled with complete awe the time that was put into decorating the first floor of Cary Hall for just one night. The dim lights really set the mood, complete with fake candle flickering on tables and furniture all over the room. Someone even brought a really realistic looking lamp post in the middle of the room, with a large jack-o-lantern stobbed on top with the frat’s greek letters carved into it.
MJ’s giggling knocked him out of his daze. “The decorations are really good huh? The frat puts so much effort into it.” He rearranged his headband which had started to fall off as he talked. “They did this all in three hours you know. Isn’t that unexpected?” He started cackling like he just cracked the best joke ever. When MJ laughed too hard he snorted and this time was no exception. Eunwoo rolled his eyes and patted him on the back. The decorations were fantastic, no doubt about it, but he definitely wasn’t feeling crowded spaces, as people constantly jostled and bumped into him. At a particularly rough bump, Eunwoo turned around, irritated, as a guy grabbed Eunwoo by the shoulder to steady himself.
“Oops sorry… hey what are you doing here without a costume?” It was one of the frat brothers. He was tall and strong, but had a young face. He was dressed like sexy army general or something, with a navy suit and medals pinned to his chest “You need a costume to get in, or else I have to kick you out.”
Eunwoo knocked the frat brother’s hands off of him roughly, still holding MJ in his hands.
“I’m dressed as head of student union, so know your place freshie,” he snapped at him, pulling MJ back. MJ moaned at the sudden movement.
The “freshie” part was just a guess, but judging by the scared look on the kid’s face he was right. He was probably just some pledge saddled with doing menial tasks all night. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn't know.” Eunwoo felt a pang of guilt. This day was going terribly. All Eunwoo was supposed to do this evening was stand by a jug, collect donations, and make sure the booths were running properly. Eunwoo sighed, tired. He didn’t mean to lash out at the underclassman. “Me too. Look… just... where are the elevators? All the Halloween decorations got me turned around.”
The pledge pointed over in the general direction of the dance floor. “Past the two double doors, behind the bobbing for apples display. But you'll have to walk through the dance floor to get there. Also don't try bobbing for apples. I think we got the barrels from last year's herpes awareness fundraiser.”
Eunwoo rubbed his face. “Thanks.”
MJ groaned louder, making his presence known from under Eunwoo’s armpit. “Eunwoo, I don’t feel too good. I think I need to lay down.”
Eunwoo worriedly turned back to the freshman. “Is there a snack bar in the dance hall? Do you have water there?”
“Yes…but the bathrooms are over there if you need them.” He pointed in the opposite direction.
“No thanks, I already threw up,” groaned MJ.
"Okay then, hope you feel better. Wait what?”
The dance hall wasn’t hard to find at all, since it was just the lounge and the ballroom with the separator that was usually between them wheeled away. Plus, it was where the tacky music was the loudest. As the night went on, the DJ inevitably ran out of topical spooky music and just switched to whatever dull trap music was popular nowadays. It was only about about half past 9, so the music was currently a terrible remix of 90’s rap classics and ‘The Monster Mash.’
Eunwoo put MJ down on a couch covered in fake spiderwebs and then made a quick run to the snack table. It was being run by a guy in an Elsa costume, complete with the blonde wig and long glittery dress. To be honest he was kinda rocking it. He looked up when he saw Eunwoo come close but became uninterested as Eunwoo just grabbed a cup of water and then a diet soda for himself. Elsa had a hot plate on the table, and he was currently rolling green apples on a stick in a pot of caramel. It smelt good, but Eunwoo wasn’t that interested and he returned to MJ, drinks in hand. It was hard to believe MJ was 23 sometimes, especially now when he was curled up against a couch cushion shaped like frankenstein's monster's head and moaning like a child who spoiled his appetite.
“What are you supposed to be anyways?” Eunwoo asked as he held out the cup of water. “Just a bloody slasher doctor? Or is there like, some deeper meaning to this.” He gestured to MJ’s costume with the cup of water. MJ took the water out of Eunwoo’s hands, giving him the stink eye.
“Eunwoo don’t you know my biggest pet peeve is when people don’t know what you’re dressed up as for Halloween? You of all people should get this one!” he said between large drinks of water. Eunwoo looked him up and down again.
“Um… you’re a surgeon who got his medical license revoked? A cannibal with a doctorate?”
MJ sighed. “I’m a happy virus , like my nickname. Remember?” He pulled the roll of smiley face stickers out of his pocket, peeling one off. “Looks like I’ll be needing another one of these for myself.”
Eunwoo let himself sit down next to MJ, finally letting himself rest for a moment. He had almost been standing all day now. Right, MJ used to be called happy virus. This was because of his contagiously genial personality, but he couldn’t remember anybody calling MJ “happy virus” recently. Eunwoo looked MJ up and down again. MJ was struggling to find a place on his scrubs without fake blood on it for his happy face sticker.
“That doesn’t explain the dog ears though.”
MJ made a face just as he decide to put the sticker on his shirt sleeve. “Dog ears? What-” he made a soft “oh,” and reached up to grab his headband, pulling it off.
“What did you not know how those got there or something?”
“No I knew. I just… forgot I guess,” he said holding the headband in his hands now. Eunwoo rolled his eyes.
“Well don’t throw up on them.” Eunwoo unscrewed the lid off his diet soda and took a drink as he looked into the crowd of dancing people, hoping to spot Sanha or one of his friends. The music had evolved into a psuedo-rock song with a jerky electronic sound to it. Eunwoo thought the music playing was undanceable, but as he looked into the crowd there seemed to be a few good dancers here and there making do with the beat. Right in the middle was a guy that seemed to be around Eunwoo’s height, dancing with a big, cute smile on his face. He wore a fishnet undershirt with long sleeves that revealed itself from under a black shirt with a short turtleneck collar. The whole thing fit around his torso tightly, clinging around his narrow hips snuggly. He had fluffy, jet black hair, and a headband with tiny black cat ears on it. When we wasn’t dancing, he just kinda waved his hips back and forth, but even that looked good, especially with his cute, black tail swaying between his legs, the fastened in place with a safety pin pinned to the area above his tailbone. Eunwoo’s eyes roamed over his body, checking him out from a distance.
Being a cat for halloween was so typical, but somehow this guy made it look unique. Maybe because in a sea of dudes wearing crude and tacky costumes, he stuck out as a slinky cat in a sea of dick jokes, laughing on the dance floor. Or maybe it was just because he was just so good looking. His costume wasn't even that sexy; he was covered head to toe in black fabric. He just looked… really, really good. When Eunwoo got to his face and caught the boy’s laughing face, he melted.
Eunwoo couldn’t ever remember thinking those things about another guy before. He tried to check him out subtly as he could, until someone came up behind Mr. Sexy Cat and grabbed the end of his tail and loosely shook it, tugging gently against the back of his pants. Sexy Cat Guy wore long, form-fitting, black pants over his long, shapely legs. Eunwoo flushed in indignation as Sexy Cat Guy turned around, confused. Eunwoo took a swig of his diet soda, ready to go over and scold the other guy for harassing another student. He could kick him out of the party, swear to god, he would have to file an appeal with the- oh, Sexy Cat Guy seemed to know the other guy. His face broke out into a grin as he pulled Tail-Grabber into a hug. Eunwoo flushed at his presumptive thinking, and fell back into his seat, embarrassed. What was he thinking getting so worked up over a stranger? MJ giggled next to him, his head bobbing a little from the couch cushions shifting.
Eunwoo looked down at MJ nursing his cup of water in his hands. “What?” he said, refusing to be embarrassed in front of a guy who just threw up in a flower pot.
“Youuuu liiiike himmmm,” MJ drawled out, using his sing-songy voice for the second time today. Eunwoo cursed drunk MJ’s perceptiveness.
“Not now Myungjun,” he mumbled while still checking the guy out in his peripheral. His friend was now whispering something into his ear. Eunwoo would do anything to know what they were talking about. “That guy is… he's out of my league.”
MJ’s eyes locked onto Eunwoo’s, suddenly looked clearer than they did all evening. In fact, the last time he looked this attentive was six weeks ago when MJ finally understood retrograde motion in Astronomy Lab after two whole weeks of getting carried by his lab partner. “Eunwoo,” he said, suddenly sounding very serious. “Why do you think like that? That guy’s not out of your league, you’re out of his league! You’re in a league of your own Eunwoo! You're gonna graduate summa cum laude! You’re captain of the soccer team! You help little kids build robots, and most importantly,” he paused, either for dramatic effect or to keep his throw-up down. “You're super hot! I don’t know if anyone told you that before. But you are! You could get any guy, especially some ultra-sexy, black-haired, fishnet sleeve-wearing, nice butt-having-”
“-okay that’s enough-”
“-cat guy!” MJ finished. He put a hand on Eunwoo’s shoulder. “You are the alpha of all alpha nerds Eunwoo. You're the Alpha alpha! You could have your pick of the guys, and you picked that guy Eunwoo. Good choice by the way.” Eunwoo flushed at MJ’s words, but somehow felt himself gaining more and more confidence the longer MJ talked. He was going to go over to him, strike up a normal conversation, flirt, and then maybe get his number. He smiled at the thought, now brimming with excitement.
“You like that guy right?” MJ said, slowly getting louder with each word. Eunwoo nodded, only feeling a little embarrassed. “You like him!” crowed MJ. “So get out there, get his attention, look him in the eyes, grab his hands and
fuck him!”
“Woah woah woah woah!” screamed Eunwoo, slapping his hands over MJ’s mouth. “Why did you go there! I wasn't even thinking of- what? Why?”
MJ looked sad and confused at being yelled at. “Is that not where we were going here?”