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From a very quick glance, it’s hard to imagine that someone like Seungho and Nakyum would have eyes for one another. But at the same time, it was an undeniable fact that they also looked as though they fit together like a puzzle. Even with that said, their relationship from a closer look was more complicated and merely too confusing to understand. They were at a point where they wondered if what they had could be more than being beneficial friends. They have been on many unofficial dates before that cannot simply be backtracked and on top of that, their lips have met multiple times for warmth and love. Even though this was supposed to set where their status was in terms of dating, it was considerably muddled.
They were never seen holding hands despite having the urges to hold each other. This was so much more difficult for Seungho considering how much he liked to take initiative, but he always resisted these types of temptations because he was unsure whether Nakyum was also on the same page as him. They never really had the chance to talk about it either, but when the conversation does come in, Nakyum would move on from the topic. It was exceptionally frustrating for these two because they were more than clueless on what it was that they had.
Whenever they are with their friends, the distance between Seungho and Nakyum always seemed out of reach. It would leave this lingering tension around everyone else, but such a big sign like this wasn’t enough to let them in on what’s going on. They would ponder on what could have happened, but the ideas would run endlessly.
“What’s going on with you two?” Jihwa raised an eyebrow questionably, but the sudden intrusion on personal life didn’t make Seungho budge. Nakyum seemed to have a better reaction with confusion as he didn’t know who that question was being directed to.
“Leave them alone.” Inhun stated firmly. He wasn’t one to meddle into situations like this that didn’t involve him.
“I’m just saying, the atmosphere feels dead because of them.” Jihwa tried to reason, but Inhun only shook his head disapprovingly in response. “But yeah, I guess it’s fine. Fighting is normal for couples.”
The unsolicited statement came by surprise which made Seungho uncomfortable. He gave Nakyum a sidelong glance and could see the uncertainty hidden in his expression. He can say for himself too that this made him feel the contentious issue he had with the younger grow.
The atmosphere between the two of them were drastically different when they were alone together. Nakyum was quite clingy and liked to follow Seungho wherever he went in the house, almost like he was a ragdoll himself. They spent almost every minute together and quite unusual, you would think that they would make it official by now, but the unfortunate fact was that they were keeping away from having to talk about it.
Nakyum was always the first one to wake up in the morning when he slept over, but with every morning came the difficulty of having to leave Seungho. He never wanted to leave, and the reassurance of having Seungho around was undeniably comforting.
“Are you gonna go home now?” Seungho spoke in a groggy tone, but his husky voice sounded almost too seducing. His eyes flickered open to the sunlit room. The sight of seeing Nakyum first thing in the morning, looking back at him was always pleasing. Nakyum let himself smile widely. He has to admit that being with Seungho like this made his cheeks flush with the warmth of the sun.
“Should I?”
Seungho tugged onto the younger to pull him in closer. Nakyum could feel Seungho trying to hide his face behind the crook of his neck. Could it be that he was smiling too?
“No, never.”
Nakyum drew back while unclasping the gentle grip that Seungho had on him. “I can stay for breakfast today, just let me shower first.”
This normally never happens. Nakyum would leave immediately when he could, but something made him stay today. It was hard to distinguish what the reason was, but even Nakyum couldn’t understand why. He picked up an unused towel from the closet and quite oddly, he also went for a silk robe that didn’t belong to him. He hesitated for a moment and gave Seungho an amused look. He almost always wears his own clothes after taking a brisk shower, but today Nakyum figured that it wouldn’t hurt to borrow something from Seungho.
Nakyum dried off his body after stepping out of the shower. He unfolded the ironed robe he had taken off from a hanger and realized it was a size too large. It was rather elegant and embroidered so nicely. He really loved seeing Seungho wearing it. Nakyum seemed to pause for a moment. His hands fumbled as he tried to tie the robe around his waist properly.
Seungho was standing by the door with his body completely resting against the frame. He kept silent and continued to stare which made Nakyum feel uneasy.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Nakyum asked to show that he knew Seungho was there.
“I can admire you without having to say anything.” Seungho sounded disappointed. “Can I not?”
This was obviously the kind of situation that would make Nakyum feel embarrassed, so he did his best to hide his face. Seungho took a step over and grabbed both sides of the string hanging from the robe. He pulled the string towards himself and watched as Nakyum lost his balance a little. His hands rested against Seungho in hopes to prevent himself from falling over.
“I don’t know why you like seeing me wear this.” Seungho stated while his fingertips were tracing the lines of Nakyum’s body. “I think it looks a lot better on you.”
Nakyum didn’t take this as a compliment, however, because he hated how Seungho would always question or deny his own look.
“Nakyum.” Seungho breathed his name in a whisper. He wanted to tell him how much he loved him, but he was unsure if Nakyum felt the same way. There was never the right time to ask, and he guessed there would never be if he didn’t take a chance. “I want it to be real.”
“What do you mean?” Nakyum asked, confusion written all over his face.
“I want us to be real.” He wasn’t sure what this feeling was, but Seungho was scared for a second that he would regret ever bringing it up again. “I—I just want us to be something more.”
The silence between them made Seungho feel cold. Nakyum wasn’t even looking at him anymore, and now he wondered if he would be ignored again.
“I love you.” Nakyum confessed very softly. His eyes were sort of glistening from the tiles reflecting back at him. Seungho cocked his head to the side, not necessarily being able to process what he just heard. But at the same time, he didn’t bother asking Nakyum to repeat himself because he already knew. His heart was beating a million times over. There was no way he could contain how happy he was because in this moment while looking at Nakyum, he finally felt that he had everything in his arms.
“I love you too.”