Chapter Text
Seungwoo got what he wanted.
He and Seungsik managed to spend the whole afternoon together uninterrupted. Because they both had to go to work the next day, it was an afternoon spent completely doing nothing in a shared space, and Seungwoo learned quickly that he liked it that way the most.
He liked when Seungsik rested his head on his thigh while they watched a show together, and he liked that Seungsik was comfortable enough to bundle himself up in Seungwoo’s apartment with his laptop and ignore him for long stretches of time while job searching.
The dinner at a fancy restaurant they had bounced around during the week was replaced with a couple packs of ramen with whatever toppings they could muster up between both of their kitchens, and instead of eating at the bar or in front of the couch, they moved the pot over to a box on the floor in front of Seungwoo’s big open window.
“Your view is better than mine,” Seungsik mused, looking out at the darkening world outside.
“What’s your view look like,” Seungwoo asked. He brought his bowl up to his mouth and slurped some of the broth.
“The parking garage,” he sighed.
Seungwoo snorted, almost choking on the soup. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” he laughed. “I like the look of… concrete.”
“If you ever get sick of it, you can look out my window anytime you like,” he offered. Seungsik looked at him and smiled. “Since you know the door code and all.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Are you going to change yours now that we know that our building manager is lazy?”
He hummed. “I might. What about you?”
“Considering it,” he nodded. “What’s your birthday?”
“Is that question related,” he laughed.
“It might be.”
“The day before Christmas,” Seungwoo tilted his head.
“No way,” he said in disbelief. “Your poor mom.”
Seungwoo threw his head back and laughed. “I tell her I’m sorry every year.”
“Does that mean for Christmas I should get you two presents?”
“You don’t have to get me anything. Just having you around is enough.”
Seungsik made a noise like a hiss from the back of his throat, cringing at how cheesy Seungwoo was, but he could tell that he was pleased.
“You know, if I ever become too much , you should tell me,” Seungwoo added. “For some reason I don’t have a filter with you, and I don’t want to ever push you in a corner.”
“Ah yes, that filter,” he nodded. “Baby.”
Seungwoo groaned in pain, and if there was anything around other than the pot of ramen to throw at him, he would have. “That was an accident!”
“Was it,” he laughed.
“If anything, it’s your fault for making me feel so comfortable around you,” Seungwoo smiled. “This is why you have to tell me when I’m being too much.”
“I promise that if I ever feel overwhelmed, you will be the first to know.”
“Thank you,” he said, satisfied.
“And you too.”
“Hmm?”
“If I ever push too much or if I’m too clingy, I want you to say something, okay?”
“How could you ever?”
Seungsik looked at him and blinked. “Consider our track record.”
“Oh that was definitely all me,” Seungwoo said with a grin. “I pursued you. I lured you in. ”
“Right,” he laughed. “Like me coming by every day to ask you to do stuff with me was your idea.”
Seungwoo’s jaw dropped. “You know, every time you say something, I realize more and more what a mastermind you are.”
“Thank you,” he said with a smile.
“I don’t know if that was meant to be a compliment,” Seungwoo considered.
“I’m still taking it as one.”
“As you should,” he said. Seungsik raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I only want to ever compliment you.”
Seungsik blushed slightly. He forced back a smile and turned his attention back to the world below, shaking his head.
“No? You don’t like it when I tell you how pretty you are?”
The smile he suppressed grew slightly.
“Or how you’re the kindest, nicest person I’ve ever met?”
He looked down and blushed fully.
“You deserve to be told how great you are,” Seungwoo said. “Because it’s true, and I get a little rush from saying so.”
“You’re too much,” he shook his head.
“I know,” Seungwoo smiled. “It happens.”
He returned to his noodles that had swollen during their conversation. It was the dinner they needed with the company they needed, and he was only sad that it was over, and that meant that their evening was over, and that meant that his week off and his first week with Seungsik was over. Even though they had spent the last two days together almost entirely, he wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
He’s not going anywhere, Seungwoo. He lives across the hall. You can see him after work. Like a normal boyfriend.
So he chose to keep his sadness to himself because there was no need in spreading it, and Seungsik especially didn’t need to know how clingy he was. Hey, I know we can’t move in together because that would be socially unacceptable but can you stay here? I will literally hand over my room and sleep on the couch if you say yes.
Seungsik took the empty pot into the kitchen and rinsed it out in the sink, and Seungwoo followed if only because he wanted to remain in the same space as him for just a little bit longer.
“I’ll get the rest,” Seungwoo said, nudging him away from the sink. “Did you have enough?”
“Yes,” he said cutely, pressing himself back against the counter. “Are you ready to go back to work tomorrow?”
“No,” he laughed. “You know I might not get another day off for a while, right?”
“I know,” he nodded. “Your schedule is the worst.”
Seungwoo hummed and finished washing up the last of the dishes. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to take you out for a while.”
“We don’t need to go out,” he said. He walked towards him and wrapped his arms around his waist. “I just don’t want to see you like that again.”
Seungwoo frowned. He turned around and wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer, pressing their cheeks together. “It’s… likely… to happen.”
“I will feed you and carry you in next time,” Seungsik promised. “Anything to make it easier.”
“Don’t spoil me,” Seungwoo mumbled.
“Why not?”
“Because I’ll get used to it.”
Seungsik squeezed him tighter and turned to leave a kiss on his cheek. “That’s kind of the point.”
“That’s it,” Seungwoo said, frustrated. “Get in my pocket! In you go!”
He giggled brightly and tore himself away, baiting Seungwoo to chase him. He ran after him without a care in the world, and they fell down together on the couch. He pressed himself down on top of him and brushed his thumb over his cheek.
“You chased me,” he said, looking up at him.
“You wanted me to,” Seungwoo kissed him on the tip of his nose.
“Yeah, but you could have ignored me.”
“That wouldn’t have been fun,” he scrunched his nose.
“I didn’t think you’d make it so soft.”
“I wasn’t going to, but when we hit the couch I forgot what I was going to do.”
“What were you going to do,” he raised an eyebrow.
Seungwoo smirked and looked down at him, glancing dangerously at his lips, and he saw him lick them in anticipation. Fool.
He jammed his fingers in Seungsik’s sides, pinning him down with his thighs. Seungsik shrieked out in surprise as his body seized from Seungwoo’s relentless tickling. He giggled wildly as he tried his best to jerk away, but Seungwoo had the advantage of catching him off guard.
With a firm roll, Seungsik managed to fling himself onto the floor and crawl away, out of breath from laughing too much. Seungwoo climbed down onto the floor after him, but he let him escape, out of breath himself. With his prey out of reach, Seungwoo flopped over on his back onto the floor and laughed. He couldn’t believe how goofy he was acting, but Seungsik brought it out of him.
Seungsik crawled over once it was safe and flopped down next to him. He scooted over so that his head touched Seungwoo’s shoulder, and he reached over and found his hand.
“Sorry,” Seungwoo laughed.
“Don’t be,” he said, winded. “I should have seen it coming.”
“That’s true. You should have.”
Seungsik turned towards him and made a face. Seungwoo smiled to himself, pleased.
“Alright,” Seungwoo conceded. “Next time I’ll kiss you like you want.”
“Like I want?” He snorted. “Someone’s shameless.”
“You don’t want me to kiss you?” Seungwoo rolled over on his side, propping himself up on his elbow.
Seungsik looked up to him and bit his lip. “I didn’t say that.”
Seungwoo closed his eyes and sighed, a faint smile hanging over him. He was taken by surprise as Seungsik lifted his head to find his lips, pressing against him for a slow and lingering kiss. Seungwoo’s breath hitched, and he found himself reaching for his shirt.
“What time is it,” Seungsik asked against his mouth.
Seungwoo’s stomach churned. It was time for him to leave. He didn’t want him to leave. He pulled away slightly for some self control. “It’s late, I think.”
He sighed and nodded before sitting up. “I was afraid of that.”
Seungwoo did his best to hide the disappointment on his face, but hopefully he could just pass it off as exhaustion. “You heading back?”
Seungsik’s eyes flickered towards him and he blinked quickly, surprised. “Oh. Yeah, I guess I stayed too long.”
Seungwoo sat up too and shook his head.
“No,” he laughed. “Never too long.”
He looked at him and twisted his mouth, deep in thought.
“What if,” Seungwoo looked down, letting himself be a little self indulgent. “You didn’t have to go?”
“Hmm?”
“Stay with me,” he said. He looked at Seungsik fondly as he asked, feeling a warmth grow too fast. “For the night.”
“We have work tomorrow,” he reminded him.
“We do,” he nodded. “And I promise we will go to bed at a reasonable hour, and this is not just an elaborate excuse to get you into bed with me.”
“Oh?” He laughed.
“I just like you being here,” he said honestly. “So if you want to stay, you can, but if you want to go home, that’s fine too.”
He considered it quietly, weighing the pros and cons silently in his head. Seungwoo waited patiently, not wanting to push him too much. “You’re sure it’s okay?”
Seungwoo nodded. “Of course it is.”
“Then I’ll stay,” he said quietly.
“Good,” he smiled too brightly. He leaned forward and kissed him once on the cheek. “We should probably get ready for bed then so we’re not tired tomorrow.”
He stood up and helped Seungsik to his feet.
“I’m going to pretend like this isn’t because you like my bed so much,” Seungwoo added. He giggled like he had been caught and took his hand, swinging it shamelessly. “Seungsik!”
He smiled brightly and broke free towards Seungwoo’s door. “I’m gonna go clean up and change and be right back.”
“Okay,” he shook his head. “Wait, you don’t sleep with pajamas.”
Seungsik froze. “I forgot I told you that.”
“Your flirting techniques are unmatched,” he teased.
“Oops,” he said. “I was, uhh, gonna figure something out.”
“You can borrow some of mine,” he offered. “But I’d rather you just sleep comfortably.”
He swallowed. “That’s a bit scandalous, isn’t it?”
Seungwoo folded his arms over his chest. “How did we sleep last night then?”
“Oh,” he smiled shyly. “I forgot.”
“You forgot?!”
“No!” Seungsik shouted, waving his arms. “Oh god, never! I just forgot that this was the same weekend. Time moves weird…”
“I know,” he hung his head. “This week has been a long year.”
“It has,” he agreed with a kind smile. “But I did not forget… that…”
“I can try harder next time,” Seungwoo considered with a grin. “But not tonight because it’s late, and I’ll keep you up all night.”
“Is that a promise,” he raised an eyebrow.
“Of course,” Seungwoo nodded. “But sleep how you like. My home is your home.”
“Alright,” he said, shy.
Seungwoo put his hands over his own heart. “I know personally I will sleep much better if you sleep next to me without any clothes on.”
“Seungwoo!” He cried out.
Seungwoo giggled happily and ushered him out the door. “Come back when you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
When the door shut, he braced himself against it and took a deep labored breath. The ache in his chest was something he learned to manage, but it was back again and he no longer had any doubts that it meant that things were changing for him.
In his life, he had never met anyone else who matched with him as well as Seungsik did. He was happy, and he was ready to care for this person for the rest of his life as long as Seungsik wanted. The feeling he knew he had in his chest was something he wasn’t ready to name yet, but all he could say was that it belonged there.
Later Seungsik returned and they kept their promise of not keeping each other up all night for the sake of a long week coming, but it was nice to fall asleep with him on purpose. He pressed his nose in between Seungsik’s shoulder blades and kept one arm hooked over his torso while the other man snored softly into one of the pillows he brought with him. The rise and fall of his chest moved like a lullaby, and Seungwoo tried his best to keep himself awake just a little bit longer to savor this moment with him, but the pull was too strong.
As he drifted off to sleep, he had one stray thought that all they needed was a furry little friend sleeping in a ball at their feet. Owning a dog like Toast with him would have been fun, but since neither of them would have been able to come home during the day to take it out, maybe they could consider a cat. He smiled to himself and kissed his skin, careful not to wake him. He would have liked to own a cat with Seungsik. Yes, a cat curled up at their feet while they slept in the bed they shared, err, his bed that he owned all by himself would have made everything perfect.
The next morning he was pulled out of a dream by a chapped lipped kiss planted directly in the center of his forehead. He grumbled sleepily and reached out for Seungsik who took his hand. He was sitting up next to him, trying to wake himself up, and Seungwoo was tempted to say screw their responsibilities and drag him back down with him to go back to bed.
“Where are you going,” he mumbled.
“I have to leave for work,” he said quietly, his voice hoarse from the early hours. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Did you sleep enough,” Seungwoo asked, giving his hand a light squeeze. His eyes were still shut but he could feel him looking down at him.
“Mhm,” he assured him. “Go back to sleep.”
“What time is it?”
“4 a.m.,” Seungsik said. “I’m sorry I woke you before your alarm.”
“I didn’t even hear yours,” he said, frowning. “It’s so early.”
He laughed softly. “My shift starts really early, and I keep my phone on vibrate.”
“Living on the edge,” Seungwoo mumbled. “Come here.”
He pushed himself up and planted a clumsy kiss on his cheek before collapsing back on the bed, still out of it.
“What was that for,” he laughed.
“Good morning kiss,” he mumbled as he faded back into his dream. Before he could explain that he had a long list of kisses he wanted to check off, his alarm went off and he opened his eyes to an empty room. Seungsik had gone to work because he had to, and then it was Seungwoo’s turn to drag himself to the office.
He stumbled off to take a shower and clean himself up for work, and then he headed into the kitchen for a quick breakfast. He looked around frowned. Seungsik probably didn’t have a chance to eat, and Mr. Potato Chips probably didn’t pack a lunch either even though they had a mountain of leftovers.
He pulled out his phone, knowing what he had to do.
Seungwoo: did you take any food to work
Seungsik: good morning to you too lol
Seungwoo: no time for small talk i’m on a mission
Seungsik: oh? lol no i had to run but it’s fine
Seungwoo: no it’s not fine 😭 when’s your lunch break?
Seungsik: today around 11 why
Seungwoo: ok text me your subway order then
Seungsik: you dont have to do that…
Seungwoo: if you don’t tell me what you like i will bring you the grossest sandwich i can come up with :D
Seungsik: you’re threatening me????
Seungwoo: i am merely buying my boyfriend lunch ❤️
Seungsik: :( you’re too much
Seungwoo: have lunch with me i miss u
Seungsik: LOL! fine ❤️ i’ll send it later
Seungwoo: good c: i’ll drop it off and leave you to saving the world
Seungsik: you wont eat with me? :(
Seungwoo: do you want me too? 👀
Seungsik: 😭 of course i want you too wtf 😭
Seungwoo: i mean you never know….
Seungsik: you know i like you as much as you like me right
Seungwoo looked down at his phone and swallowed. He never imagined a world where that was possible, and he wasn’t sure that Seungsik knew what it was that he was saying. Seungwoo didn’t just like him…
Seungsik: i promise
Seungwoo looked up at his ceiling, fighting back teary eyes and took a deep breath. He really didn’t know what he was saying.
Seungwoo: ❤️ i’ll be there around 11 with your food
Seungwoo: i’ve gotta get going but i hope you have an easy day today
Seungsik you too! don’t forget your paperwork
“What paperwork,” Seungwoo asked out loud with a confused frown, and then he gasped. His paperwork! Literally the reason they got together was that he left his briefcase at Seungsik’s place, and it had important documents that he was supposed to take care of a week ago. “Shit!”
Work hadn’t called him about it though. If it was a big deal, they never would have let him go past Monday without chewing him out so maybe it wasn’t that important. Just to be sure, he opened up his work email account that he never looked at outside of office hours and almost threw up all over his kitchen. There were dozens, if not a hundred unread messages, and he knew he was done for. He was about to show up to work just to clean off his desk and end up on Chan’s couch.
This was not a good time to lose his job. Technically it was never a good time to lose his job, but he and Seungsik couldn’t both be out of work. What kind of support system was that? No, he was going to have to clean up his mess for the sake of them all, and to do that, he was going to have to get to work before everyone else he worked with and prepare to grovel.
And grovel he did. He was definitely in trouble, but since he had never made a mistake before, he was allowed to keep his job, but it wasn’t going to be easy. In fact he was sure it was going to be a nightmare. The only comfort he had was knowing that he was going to get to sneak off to see Seungsik for his lunch break. A better employee would have skipped lunch, but Seungwoo was not in the mood to be a better employee. He was already handing over his life. They could live without his stomach.
But he couldn’t so with a brief heads up to his supervisor, he headed out of the building and towards the Subway down the street. They both worked downtown, and the restaurant almost split the distance between them in half.
He power walked there, and when he finally made it inside, he was completely out of breath. He wheezed out their orders, reading Seungsik’s off of his phone like a baby intern, and the poor person making their sandwiches had to struggle to translate his breathless words to something intelligent and hopefully edible.
Without a chance to check to make sure he didn’t accidentally call off the wrong ingredients, he was back down the street towards Seungsik’s work.
Seungwoo: i’m about a block away
Seungsik: oh good!
Seungsik: there’s a little place with tables downstairs outside if that’s fine so you won’t have to get a guest pass
Seungwoo: that’s fine c: it feels great outside
Seungsik: does it?
Seungwoo: sunny with a chance of cheek kissies
Seungsik: 😭
Seungwoo: i’m just kidding but it does feel nice ❤️
Seungsik: i’m on my way down
Seungwoo: no rush!
Seungwoo: ok that’s a lie i can’t stay for the whole hour but if you don’t come down i’ll leave it at the front desk for you
Seungsik: omg i’m on my way don’t run off yet
Seungwoo found the tables Seungsik mentioned and had a seat. A nervousness spread in his stomach as he remembered this was technically a law enforcement kind of place, and he wasn’t authorized to be there. Even though he didn’t go inside, he was sure the tables weren’t open to the public, and he wasn’t sure what he would do if someone came up to him and asked him to leave.
Actually, he knew exactly what he would do. He would apologize profusely, hand over his sandwiches, and run back to work where he couldn’t bother anybody, but luckily he was safe because the first person who came out of the building was his boyfriend who was very unlikely to run him off.
He waved, and Seungsik almost skipped towards him, wearing a smile on his face that he tried and failed to keep off.
Seungwoo stood up to greet him but he didn’t touch him yet. This was his work place, and he didn’t want to do anything to put him in an uncomfortable position, but he wanted to. Just a small hug or a quick peck on the cheek would have sufficed, but he held himself back.
“I’m so happy to see you,” he said as they sat down at the table.
“I bring food,” Seungwoo said proudly.
“That’s not the only reason,” he laughed.
“It’s not?” Seungwoo asked as he unpacked the contents of the bag with a smile on his lips.
“Nope,” he said. He placed his own sandwich down in front of him and gave it a grateful pat. “Thank you.”
“I might not be able to make a habit of this for a while,” he frowned. “But I think we’ll just have to put something together the night before whenever you stay at my place.”
“You’ve got all this planned out?”
“I had some time to think on the walk over,” he said.
“I guess we could try that,” he said as he pulled the paper wrapper off his sandwich.
“Did I get it right?”
“Looks good to me,” Seungsik said after a brief inspection under the bread.
“Good,” he said, relieved. “The person who made it kind of had a hard time understanding me because well I’m an old man apparently.”
Seungsik laughed and took a bite. “What, did you run there?”
“You could say that…”
“Oh no.”
“It’s fine! I like walking super fast around downtown! It makes me feel important,” Seungwoo said confidently. Seungsik shook his head, amused enough with him that it saved him from feeling too bad, but he changed the subject anyway.
“So not that I liked making you walk this far, but why couldn’t this be a habit,” he asked. “Just because I’m curious.”
“Ah,” he winced. “I’m in a little bit of trouble.”
“Oh?”
“Remember the paperwork from last weekend?”
“Yeah.”
“That you so kindly reminded me of this morning?”
“Yeah…”
“I may have… forgot… about it.”
“Oh boy.”
Seungwoo took a deep breath. “So along with the nine day week I have ahead of me, they want me to stay late and work in the evenings too.”
“Oh no,” he frowned, concerned. “Do you have to work late tonight then?”
Seungwoo nodded his head.
“How late?”
“How do you feel about your boyfriend texting you from the bus before bed,” he asked with a half smile.
He looked down at his sandwich and nodded. “For nine days?”
“Mhm,” he said. “But then I’ll either get a few more normal days, or they’ll let me go home for a break so we might have to wait a bit for any more date nights, but we’ll see.”
“I don’t mind waiting,” he reached out and squeezed his hand for comfort. “I just don’t want to see you overwork yourself.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “Thank you for worrying.”
“It’s hard not to,” Seungsik said with a frown. “You know, you can quit too you know… if it’s too hard.”
He laughed and nodded. “One at a time. Speaking of… how is it?”
Seungsik hummed. “I didn’t today, but I think I’m close. Definitely going to wait until I have something lined up, but I want to before the Summer.”
“Why then?”
“People get kind of… crazy… when the weather gets hot,” he said. “A lot more violence, and you know what, I don’t want to be the person who knows that anymore.”
“I don’t blame you,” he frowned. “If it gets too bad, feel free to call me from the bathroom or something. I’ll hide under my desk and everything.”
“What if you get in trouble?”
“Let them fire me,” he shrugged. “I can live with Chan. I did it before.”
Seungsik leaned forward on his elbows. “That’s one idea.”
“Are you offering to let me sleep on your couch,” he flashed a smile.
“God, this has all been nothing but an elaborate scheme to get to lay on my couch, hasn’t it,” Seungsik laughed.
“It’s a good couch!” Seungwoo defended himself.
“I will trade you my couch for your bed,” he offered.
Seungwoo shook his head.
“No?”
“No,” he said softly, unable to control the smile on his lips. Even though he did love Seungsik’s couch, he loved watching him fall into his bed more. It was an image he planned to replay in his mind over and over again until he got through this next long stretch of work.
He looked away shyly and returned to his sandwich. “Finish up so you don’t get in trouble.”
“Yes, sir,” Seungwoo nodded.
Not long after, they said goodbye, and Seungwoo still didn’t get to check off a goodbye kiss from his list, but they could sort that out later. Seungsik carried the uneaten half of his sandwich back with him so Seungwoo could walk back to work before the end of his lunch hour.
On the way back, he shoved an airpod into one ear, leaving the other free so he could listen to his surroundings for safety. He doubted Seungsik getting a call that his boyfriend was hit by a car on his way back from bringing him his lunch would be something they wanted to experience so he had to be extra careful. He pulled up the charts to see what was popular and saw a new song by some artist named Woodz who he had never heard of. He shrugged and gave it a listen, and it suited his taste so he let it carry him back to work with just a song and his thoughts to get him through the day.
He did not get in trouble for taking a lunch break because he made it back before his hour was over, but he thought that it would have to be their last for a while just in case. Work was hard but at least he didn’t have to leave the office for a while, and for that he was grateful. If he had to work evenings and be on a build site, he would probably have to stay at an inn outside of the city for at least a week, and that was something he did not want to do.
By the time he was finally free, the day was over and it was already well into the evening. All he wanted to do was get home and drop into bed like a sack of potatoes, but he had to get there first. The commute was annoying, and after his walk back and forth across downtown, he decided that perhaps it was time to break into his savings and get a car. Nothing fancy, but it would make his life easier, and then maybe he and Seungsik could go on trips. Maybe he could drive them both to work. Well, that was a stretch thanks to their schedules, but he could try his best to! Yes, he thought. It was time to get a car.
He made it back to his building and took the elevator up to their floor, drawn by the pull of his own bed. He was so close, he almost crawled there, but once he reached his door, he hesitated. As much as he wanted to go home, he wanted to see Seungsik more. He looked across the hall and considered knocking. Just to say hi. It was late so he would just say hi and goodnight, but dropping by like that with his briefcase in hand made him feel like a door to door salesman. No, it would have been better to go home first, drop off his things, and then pop over to tell him goodnight.
He nodded to himself and went to his own apartment. He punched in the door code, but when he opened the door, he noticed the light had been left on. He frowned. He must have been in a hurry when he left because that wasn’t like him, but when he stepped inside, he realized his apartment also didn’t smell like it was supposed to.
“Hello?” Seungwoo called out.
“In here,” a voice called back, and it wasn’t Chan. Seungwoo’s heart jumped as he hurried inside to find Seungsik busy in his kitchen with a big boiler on the stove and a pan filled with this and that. “Hi.
“Hey,” Seungwoo said with a warm smile. “What are you doing here?”
“I figured you wouldn’t have time to make yourself anything to eat when you got back and you said I could let myself in whenever I wanted to so I thought…,” he swallowed. “This was a bad idea, wasn’t it.”
“No!” Seungwoo exclaimed. “I was just about to go over to your place to see you.”
“Oh really,” he smiled to himself.
“Really,” he nodded. “I just wanted to drop my stuff off first.”
“Mm. Go change out of your work clothes if you want. This is almost done.”
“What is it?”
“I had a box of linguini at my place and you had some frozen prawns in your freezer so I just,” he said before making a squishing motion.
“Prawn pasta?” Seungwoo asked.
“Yeah, I cooked them in butter and garlic,” he said, proud. “It’s not really that fancy, but it’s—.”
“Going to be delicious,” he smiled. “Although…”
“What,” he asked, nervous.
“You were determined to get your pasta, weren’t you,” Seungwoo teased.
Seungsik pouted and huffed. “Purely a coincidence!”
“I’m sure it is,” he giggled.
“I’m going to keep this all to myself,” he grumbled.
“No, you can’t do that, it's mine.”
“I will! I will keep all the pasta!”
“No!” Seungwoo cried out.
Seungsik laughed brightly, amused by his childishness. He waved his hand at him to shoo him off. “Go put your stuff down and eat before it gets cold.”
Seungwoo pretended to slump his shoulders and sulk away to the other room. He didn’t waste time changing, choosing instead to come back and sit on the barstool after he put his stuff away and watch him finish.
Seungsik took out a plate, already familiar with the kitchen, and set it down next to the stove. With his back to Seungwoo, he carefully grabbed a large serving of the pasta with a pair of tongs and twisted it on the plate until he was satisfied.
He passed the plate over the counter to him, and Seungwoo was so moved, he had tears in his eyes.
“You are feeding me?” Seungwoo sniffled.
Seungsik snorted. “Stop.”
“A meal? For me?” His eyes welled up.
“Seungwoo!” He whined.
Seungwoo put his head in his hands. “I’m sorry I’m just so overwhelmed.”
“Do you need a minute?”
“Yes, please,” he nodded with a playful smile.
Seungsik shook his head and turned back towards the fridge. He said something about a salad, but Seungwoo’s thoughts were somewhere else. He was only playing with him, but he wasn’t lying when he said that he was feeling overwhelmed. Everything about this was so wonderful and unfamiliar, and he wondered if this was how it felt for home to be a person. He wondered if Seungsik had a clue that he had become somebody’s home or if it was something he could even consider.
“Eat,” he scolded, setting down the container of salad he had thrown together earlier.
“I’m waiting for you,” Seungwoo said. “You’re eating with me, right?”
“Oh,” he laughed. “I forgot about me.”
Seungwoo gave him a questioning look.
“I will in a minute,” he said quietly. He grabbed himself a plate and dropped a serving on pasta on top without nearly as much grace. He passed it over the counter before walking around to the other side and took his place next to Seungwoo.
“Thank you,” Seungwoo said.
“You needed to eat,” he said like it wasn’t a big deal. “And this was mostly just waiting for water to boil.”
“For being here,” he said, a growing warmth in his stomach. “Thank you for this, but thank you for being here when I got home.”
“I didn’t mean to make a habit of it,” he looked down and prodded at a prawn. Seungwoo waited patiently, assuming another thought was going to follow. “I went home, put my things down, sat on the couch, and felt weird so I came here.”
“When did you get here,” Seungwoo asked, surprised.
Seungsik swallowed, poking at his food. “Earlier.”
“How much earlier,” he asked lightly with a raised brow. A fond smile appeared on his face as he watched Seungsik squirm in his seat, holding onto his little secret.
“Some time after work,” he said casually.
“How much time after work?” Seungwoo leaned over on his elbow and watched him carefully.
“Does it matter,” his eyes shifted towards him.
“Yes and no,” he said. Seungsik looked at him for clarification, feeling self conscious. “Yes because I’m nosy. No because I don’t mind.”
He exhaled deeply, twisting his noodles around on the plate. “Like… right after…”
“Oh?”
“Probably around 5? Maybe a little later?”
Seungwoo shook the watch on his wrist around so he could check the time. His eyes widened in shock once he saw the little hand pointing far away from the five. “You’ve been here for like four hours? All by yourself?”
Seungsik hummed suspiciously.
“What did you do this whole time?” Seungwoo didn’t mind, but he couldn’t imagine that sitting in someone else’s apartment all afternoon while they weren’t there could have been fun at all.
“Oh you know, just stuff,” he said flippantly.
Seungwoo raised an eyebrow and leaned towards him. “Like what?”
“I made you dinner,” he offered. “See.”
“And it’s delicious,” he said. “What about the other three hours?”
“Well,” he started. “I watched a little tv.”
“You figured out the remote?” Seungsik’s eyes flickered towards him at the question. Seungwoo had a lot of questions, but he had to figure out the best way to pry them out of him because someone was acting shifty . “Anything else?”
“Cleaned a little,” he shrugged.
“You cleaned my apartment,” he asked, looking around.
“Dusted a little,” Seungsik said. “And swept and mopped.”
Seungwoo blinked.
“I got bored.”
“Right,” he nodded. “Anything else?”
Seungsik took a deep breath and shoved a wad of pasta in his mouth.
“Seungsik…”
Seungsik shook his head.
“What are you hiding?”
“Ca- da- ma- pu-,” Seungsik muttered with a hand covering his mouth.
“What?” Seungwoo laughed.
He chewed a bit and swallowed. “Can’t talk with my mouth full.”
“Good, it’s not full now.” Seungsik froze before he lifted up another wad of pasta to his mouth. “Don’t! Just tell me! I’m dying here! I promise I won’t care.”
“Okay,” he groaned, letting the pasta fall back onto his plate. “I may have moved some stuff around.”
“Hmm?”
“I see that you are not very observant in the evening,” he said to himself.
Seungwoo looked back into his apartment to see if anything was different. His pictures were still on the walls. His tv was where it was supposed to be. His playstation had been put up properly on the shelf, but he supposed that that was because Seungsik didn’t want to get it wet when he mopped, but other than that, everything was exactly the same.
Except for one thing.
“Is that your couch,” Seungwoo blinked.
“Is it,” he asked, his voice squeaking. “I didn’t notice.”
“How!”
“Oh, Chan wanted me to tell you that the plan worked,” he said. “He and Hanse are going to hang out next weekend so he said to not expect him to drop by.”
“When did you talk to Chan?”
“When he came over to help me move the couch,” Seungsik said.
Seungwoo blinked. “Did Chan show you how to work the remote too?”
He smiled to himself and continued to poke at his food.
“Amazing,” Seungwoo said in disbelief.
“Are you upset with me,” he asked, grimacing. “I did too much, right? That was too much. Oh god, why did I do that?”
“Why did you do that,” he asked, fondly. He reached over and ran his fingertips down the backside of Seungsik’s arm, once again overwhelmed by a wave of affection for his deranged pasta man.
“Because you like it,” he said quietly. “And I would rather it be here than at my place.”
“And why is that?”
He grimaced again and shook his head. “I can’t say.”
“You have to, I’m invested,” Seungwoo said with a kind smile. “I promise you won’t say anything that I wouldn’t want you to unless it’s because your couch has termites. Then we might have to fight.”
He laughed brightly, not nearly as nervous as he was a second ago. “My couch doesn’t have termites.”
“Then what is it?”
“Because,” he started, searching for his words. “I like being here more so if we have to sit on my couch, I’d rather it be here instead of at my place.”
“Oh?” Seungwoo was hopeful, his heart pounding in his chest. It was impossible that Seungsik mirrored his feelings, but he couldn’t help but want him to.
“That’s weird right? That I like being here more than my own apartment.”
“I don’t think it’s weird,” he said. “I like you being here.”
“It feels like home here,” he said quietly.
“Then you’re home.”
He looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
“I mean, just be here when you want,” Seungwoo added. “I promise it’s okay.”
He looked down and nodded, deep in thought, and Seungwoo wanted to ask for more, but he wasn’t sure if he had made him say too much. He didn’t want to be the reason Seungsik regretted his own feelings especially since he was just nosy about them.
“The other night,” Seungsik said since he was already opening up. “When we had ice cream and you wanted to know what I was thinking.”
“Mhm?”
“I was thinking that I didn’t know why I didn’t want to go home,” he said. “When you said we should meet up, I didn’t want to leave, and I didn’t know why.”
“You could have said so,” Seungwoo said. “We could have stayed here and ordered.”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t right. We weren’t even a thing. It didn’t make sense.”
“We were almost a thing,” he muttered. He wasn’t bitter at Hanse for interrupting them because it honestly was not the right time, but he was upset with himself for letting his doubts skew a perfectly good moment. If he had been less of an idiot, he wouldn’t have upset Seungsik so much by avoiding him for his sake.
“Were we?”
Seungwoo blushed and looked away. Maybe he misinterpreted that too… “I thought so.”
Seungsik hummed and nodded. “I think you’re right.”
“But we’re a thing now, right?”
“Mhm,” he nodded again, staring intently at his plate.
“So be home here,” he said. “I think you’re allowed.”
“You think?” Seungsik laughed.
“Well like I don’t know the rules, but if I’m allowed to have a say in this, I’d say you’re allowed to be here as much as you want even when I’m not here.”
“Why don’t you make the rules then,” he said. “So I can have a guideline to follow.”
Seungwoo scratched his chin and looked off in thought. “Alright. One: you can spend as much time here as you want even if I’m not here. Two: you have to always tell me if I do something you don’t like so I can fix it. Three: you will stay with me until being with me doesn’t make you happy anymore.”
“Is that all?”
“Well, it’s not a rule, but as a bonus I would like a lot of kisses.”
He laughed brightly. “I can do that.”
“And your rules? Because we are fair here, and I have always wanted to move at your pace as much as I could.”
Seungsik hummed, considering what he wanted. “One: you have to tell me if you start having doubts about anything so I can fix them. Two: you tell me if I’m inserting myself too much in your life because as someone smart once said, I don’t have much of a filter with you. Three: you never hold yourself back again.”
Seungwoo looked down and nodded. “I think I can manage that.”
“Also I would like a lot of kisses too,” he added.
Seungwoo laughed loudly at that, thoroughly amused. “Of course those are included. So where do we go from here?”
“First, we finish our dinner because it’s getting late,” he said. “And then I guess since I have to get up early again and you have a long day tomorrow, we should go ahead and get ready for bed.”
Seungwoo nodded. He was more so thinking about the future, but he supposed that the future didn’t matter if he was living in short moments with someone who was willing to live them with him. They could build a routine that comfortably placed them in each other’s lives, and that didn’t require a plan or a destination. Seungsik was his today and tomorrow, and they could figure out the rest as they came to it. All he knew was that somehow they had become some kind of home for each other, and for the first time in a long time, Seungwoo forgot how it felt to be lonely.
And Seungsik looked a little brighter. He didn’t have the volatile glow of a new relationship or the fragile step of someone running over glass. He looked comfortable and at ease, and once he had real permission to be there, he moved like he was in his own space, and that made Seungwoo’s heart do things that nothing else could.
He thought of the mischievous neighbor who paid for his pizza, bought him the silver chain on his wrist, and came searching for him when he was in distress, and for what it was worth, he knew that he loved him even if he couldn’t say it yet.
He loved him the way he loved the feeling of sunshine on his skin on a cold morning, and he loved him the way he loved standing at the edge of the sea at night when no one was around to bother him. And even though Seungsik couldn’t say it either, he knew he loved him back by the way he pulled his head against his chest when they slept and the way he sought him out like Seungwoo had the power to make things better even when he couldn’t.
They became someone to rely on for each other, and they took that very seriously. It was contagious apparently because they also became the two people that the others in their small circle learned to rely on the most. Over time, two homes became one, and that home was hardly ever empty with a guest or five dropping by to be taken care of by their adoptive parents.
Then Seungwoo’s home was no longer just his alone, but a safe place for a lot of people who he cared deeply for in different ways, and other than the indisputable lifelong brotherhood he had with Chan, the one person who soaked up all of his love and returned it back to him ten fold was none other than Seungsik, the person he wanted to give his love to the most.
And to think that someone so special to him was always just a few steps away, and all it took was a simple mistake on his part and a moment of trust on Seungsik’s to finally find him.