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Sooho was checking the time on his phone, while he waited patiently for Sieun to finish his cram school. It was 11 p.m already, which meant his part-time job was finished and so did Sieun’s extra class. Sooho looked up from his phone to the building, seeing one by one students around their age coming out from it. Their faces were exhausted and sleepy, looking all grumpy as they walked tiredly to their house.
Sooho observed one of them carefully. At first, he used to be envious of those who can attend the cram school. The cost of cram school was high, and Sooho didn’t think his part-time job could afford even half of the payment. But now, seeing how tired and exhausted they are, Sooho was grateful he didn’t have to do it. He grimaced as he visualized himself sitting in that boring place, hearing teachers kept teaching him school materials until late at night. He wasn’t Sieun, he wasn’t interested in studying all day long like him at all.
Speaking of Sieun, he should be out any minute now. Sooho was looking at the dozen people, trying to find the familiar face of the person he cherished the most. And there he was, looking in his usual state, blank, tired, and uninterested, walking outside from his cram school with his favorite airpods installed in his ears.
Sooho was waving his hand as high as he could, trying to catch Sieun's attention. And it worked, the latter looked up to Sooho, then walked fastly to his direction.
“Hey,” Sooho greeted when Sieun was finally in front of him. Sieun said nothing back, but his eyes were shining softly at Sooho as he put a small smile to him.
And it was enough for Sooho. Sieun was retrieving his backpack to Sooho, letting the taller boy put it in his delivery box. Then, Sooho was picking up the spare helmet on his seat, putting it to Sieun softly.
“Here you go.” Sooho said, and Sieun nodded as an answer, as they both began to ride the motorbike.
It was an usual day for the two of them. Sooho drove him to the cram school, went to his own part-time job, and then picked up Sieun back.
The ride to Sieun’s house was quiet, both of them said nothing but enjoying each other’s presence. Even though they have been doing it for almost everyday, Sooho couldn’t never contain his smile, delighted to have Sieun being so close to him.
It all started months ago, when they were still just classmates, not friends. Sooho was supposed to deliver food to the cram school. It was raining, quite heavy enough, but his jacket was waterproof and the food was safe in his delivery box. He was going to put the food on the receptionist desk, when Sooho found Sieun, sitting on a bench, watching some videos on his phone. He could just go and ignore him like usual, but that day, Sooho reached out to Sieun.
“What are you doing?”
Sieun's face was tired and his lip was dry as he looked up to Sooho and answered blankly, “Waiting for the rain to stop.”
“Just finished cram school?”
“Yes.”
Sooho should have just nodded and continued his job, but he didn’t. He sat down next to him, and said, “Let me wait with you, I'll take you home.”
Sieun didn’t answer right away, but he was looking at Sooho dumbfoundedly, as if Sooho was saying the most mindless thing ever.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Sooho snorted. “I’m being serious right now.”
“Are you sure?”
Sooho thought Sieun was going to reject him, and it didn’t matter to him at all. They were just classmates, even though Sooho was the one who stopped Sieun before he went on a rampage on beating Youngbin. But they had no interactions anymore afterwards and they just continued being classmates like usual.
However, beyond his expectation, Sieun agreed.
“Are you sure? Really sure about this?” Now, it was Sooho who was flabbergasted. “I could even kidnap you right now.”
“You won’t.” Sieun was turning off his phone and putting it in the pocket of his gray jacket. Then, he pulled out a pen from his uniform’s pocket, clicking it once. “Besides, I can fight.”
Sooho automatically stepped back, hands raised in the air, showing Sieun that he meant no harm. He never once doubt Sieun’s ability, he knew what Sieun could do with his pen, and he didn’t want to imagine the sharp ballpoint penetrating his skin.
Sieun was watching him silently, before putting his pen back in his pocket. Sooho sighed as he put his hand down. He looked right to the road, finding that the rain had stopped, before turning back to Sieun as he said, “The rain is stopping. So, let’s go?”
And that was where all their interactions began. They were moving quickly from classmates, fighting mates, best friends, until.. don’t know, mega best friends? Best friends wasn’t the right word to describe their relationship, but they weren’t boyfriends either. He cared for Sieun, way too much. He wanted to protect Sieun, wanted to keep him close, and wanted to make him all safe and sound. But still, they never talked about their feelings and Sooho didn’t want to force Sieun.
“Sooho,” Sieun’s calm and deep voice scattered Sooho’s rail of thought. “Sooho-ah.”
“Ah, yes, Sieun-ah?”
“You’re quiet,” Sooho could feel Sieun’s worry behind his monotone voice. “Much quieter than usual. Are you alright?”
“I’m alright,” Sooho answered, half truth and half lying. “I just think that you must be tired, you should be resting, and not hear me complaining about my job.”
“I don’t mind though.” Sieun’s voice was deep and raspy, making Sooho’s heart beat faster.
“Eh?” Sooho was flustered, his face was blushing.
“I like your voice,” Sooho couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot in the middle of the road. “It–”
As Sieun was going to continue his words, suddenly it rained heavily, changing their calm conversation to a bunch of yells and profanities. Sooho panicked as he abruptly stopped at the nearest convenience store.
He and Sieun stood on the terrace, waiting patiently for the rain to stop. Sooho looked at Sieun who was standing next to him, his own face was still slightly red and his heart was still beating quite fast, as he carefully examined Sieun's condition. Sieun’s helmet-covered head was fine, but his jacket and clothes were damp.
“Are you okay? Are you cold?” Sooho asked, worried about Sieun’s condition. Sieun was the smartest kid in the school, but his physics was one of the lowest, he got sick easily.
Sieun was once accidentally caught in the rain on the way to his house. That day, Sooho wasn’t available to take him home as usual, his work was quite crowded because his work mate wasn’t able to come. He confessed to Sooho that he only got a little rain, no more than three minutes, however, the poor boy was sick for up to three days. Sooho remembered how panicked and guilty he was when Sieun didn’t come to school for the next day. Even though Sieun said it wasn’t his fault to begin with, Sooho promised himself that he would try his best to keep Sieun safe and sound.
“No,” he shook his head as an answer. “I’m fine.”
“But you’re soaked. You should use my jacket instead, Sieun-ah. It’s waterproof.” Don’t get sick again, he said it in his heart.
“I don’t need it, I will be fine.”
“You need it, it's cold.”
“No.”
They kept arguing back and forth, until Sooho decided to just give up. Even though Sieun used only a few words to argue, he was too stubborn. His big eyes were staring intensely at Sooho, making the latter have no choice but to drop it. Sooho decided to keep himself cool as he sighed, “Fine, but we will go to my home.”
“What?” Sieun turned left to look at Sooho, “Why?”
“Your house is still far away, my home is closer. You’re soaked, you should change your clothes first.”
It wasn’t exactly the truth, Sooho just didn’t want Sieun to go to his house, to his quiet and lonesome house. There would be no one there, no one to ask Sieun how his day was, no one to cook Sieun warm foods, no one to take care of Sieun. Sooho detested it, Sieun deserved way more care and love from this world.
“I can just do it in my house.”
Sooho shook his head as he kept looking at Sieun sternly. Telling the latter that his choice was final. Sieun lingered his gaze to Sooho, trying to melt his decision away, but then sighed heavily when Sooho still didn’t falter.
“Alright," Sieun sighed, while Sooho was trying his best to maintain his stern expression, hiding away the smile that was going to grow. "But are you sure? Halmeoni must be sleeping, right? I don’t want to disturb her.”
“It’s okay, she won’t mind.”
Sieun lingered his gaze to Sooho, still looking unconvinced.
“Shh,” Sooho shook his head, patting Sieun’s arm softly. “Stop worrying, it’s fine. She would be happy if you pay her a visit.”
Sooho looked up at the sky, he stuck out his hand, sensing the rain had stopped, and then pulled Sieun back to his motorbike softly. “The rain has already stopped, let's go. Don’t forget to zip your jacket, don’t catch a cold.”
It wasn’t his first time to pay a visit to Sooho’s home, Sieun had been in Sooho’s home for a couple of times already. But, it was his first time to come this late.
“Let’s go,” Sooho said as he grabbed Sieun’s arm softly, guiding the smaller boy to enter his house.
"Sooho? Is that you?"
Just as they were going to take off their shoes, Sooho’s grandmother’s voice could be heard from inside. She was wearing her pajamas, looking half asleep as she went out to greet her only grandchild.
“Halmeoni!” Sooho was greeting his grandmother softly as he opened the door. "Why are you still awake? Did I wake you up?"
The older woman shook her head to his only grandchild tenderly, before turning to Sieun who was standing behind them politely.
"Sieun-ah," her voice was calm and soft as usual, and Sieun bowed as a response. "Oh my, you’re drenched.”
"I'm okay, Halmeoni."
"No, it's not okay." Grandmother shook her head, "Wait here, I'll take your towel. Sooho, prepare a hot bath for Sieun."
"Yes," Sooho answered.
Sieun fell silent, unsure on what he should do. He was no new to Sooho and his grandmother's love for him, but every time they did it, Sieun didn't know what to do to erase the strange feelings that were building up inside him. He looked right at Sooho, trying to stop the latter. But Sooho already made his way to the bathroom, leaving Sieun who was standing uncomfortably in the doorway.
Sooho and his grandmother loved to take care of Sieun, bringing whatever they thought Sieun would need, providing him warm foods, making his favorite soup, and many more. Clearly the opposite with the way his parents treated him.
If he could be honest, he loved it. He used to think that he's worthless, supported with the fact that his own parents practically disowned him. But Sooho and his grandmother were the one who made Sieun realize that he was precious and worthy, that he deserved to be loved.
“Sieun-ah,” Grandmother was back with a towel, a shirt, and shorts on her hand. She gave it to Sieun softly, “Go wash yourself. Take Sooho's clothes.”
“Eh, you don’t have to, Halmeoni.”
“What are you talking about?” Grandmother was giving him a stern look. “Look at you, you’re soaked. Go wash yourself before you’re sick. I’ll cook some seolleongtang for both of you.”
Seolleongtang, or ox bone soup, is a Korean broth tang made from ox bones, brisket and other cuts. And Sooho Grandmother's seolleongtang was Sieun's favorite. Not only because it was also Sooho’s favorite, not only because it was warm and rich of flavor, but it contained so much care and love from Grandmother. It was the first food Sieun ate, cooked from someone who really cherished his only grandchild; a family.
Sieun let his mind wander for a while, letting himself engulf the joyous feelings inside. He then nodded at grandmother slowly, before making his way to the bathroom.
There was already a bucket of hot water prepared for him. Sieun stared at the surface, gazing at his own reflections, before started to take off his clothes and took a bath.
"Why are YOU wearing my clothes?"
Sieun was startled when he heard Sooho’s yell. He then turned right, looking at Sooho who was looking at him astonishedly. Sieun stood there, eyes wide and mouth slightly opened, and didn't know what to do. He had just finished the bath, his dirty clothes were still wrapped in his hand when Sooho stopped him abruptly.
"What do you mean?"
"Who allowed you to wear my clothes?"
Sieun stared at Sooho for a while, trying his best to remain calm and rational, ignoring a slight pang inside him from Sooho’s remark. Sooho doesn’t like it, he echoed in his heart.
“Halmeoni. She said I can use your clothes,” Seiun answered, his voice sounded deep and calm as usual, but there was a hint of worry inside. He was eyeing Sooho’s expression closely, the latter clearly didn’t look amused by the idea. The idea that Sooho disliked his appearance made him slightly down. “Should I change it?”
“NO,” Sooho yelled this time, making Sieun flinch a little. “That’s not what I mean, just keep wearing it, Sieun-ah. Go to my room, I, I will take a bath.”
Without hearing Sieun's response, Sooho had already made his way to the bathroom. Ignoring Sieun's confused look on him.
"Weird," he muttered.
Sooho walked away to the bathroom as fast as he could, bringing a towel and some random clothes he found in the closet. His face was red as tomato and his heartbeat was beating way faster than he should. He cursed as he opened the door, screaming damn you, Yeon Sieun repeatedly.
Sooho didn't actually go to the bathroom just to wash up, but he was also trying to calm himself down. He didn’t have time to observe, but at first glance, he already could see Sieun, the perfect Sieun, with his pretty face and small body, wearing his clothes that were a few sizes bigger than him. He already knew that Sieun was smaller than him, was cuter than him, but he didn’t know that he would be looking this tiny and adorable in his clothes. He was ineffable, breathtaking, making every single cell in Sooho’s body scream.
Sooho sighed as he felt his heartbeat was going faster and faster, and the blush on his cheeks was going red and redder. He couldn’t stop thinking about Sieun, about how cute he was, about how small he was, about how perfect he was.
“Damn,” he cursed.
And more importantly, Sooho didn't know that he was going to be this freaked out when seeing Sieun blanketed in his clothes. He thought he could act the same, professionally hiding his feelings deep inside, being the calm and composed Sooho around Sieun, but now, he couldn't.
Sooho slapped his cheeks a few times, trying to calm his heartbeat. He felt his cheeks flushed thinking about Sieun. "You can do it, Sooho," he muttered, "Just do whatever you used to do with him, don't freak out."
After 15 minutes of ferociously trying to keep himself calm and composed, Sooho finally let himself out. He wore a simple black shirt and loose pants, his face was awkward and nervous as he opened his room's door.
You can do it, Sooho, he echoed.
"Hey," he greeted, voice warm and sweet. There was Sieun, looking all soft and pretty, sitting in his bed with an album in his hand. Looking at the cover, it must be Sooho's childhood photos. Sieun had seen it a couple of times, and Sooho was sure he already remembered every single story about those photos of Sooho. But, he admitted that he loved to see it again and again, as if he never gets bored with Sooho, as if he wanted to know and spend time with past Sooho, present Sooho, and future Sooho as much as he could.
Sieun looked up and said hi as a response, shooting a starstruck to Sooho's fragile heart. Sooho sighed as an attempt to calm himself, before sitting down in the bed next to him, smiling softly as he started the conversation.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not so much, are you?"
"Oh, don’t ask me, of course I'm starving, Sieun-ah." Sooho grab Sieun's hand softly, the actions came suddenly as a habit, bringing both of them out from the bedroom. "Let's go eat, the soup is done."
"Come here." Grandmother was smiling when she saw both Sieun and Sooho approaching her in the kitchen. She gestured to both of them to sit down as she prepared the seolleongtang on the table.
“Yes.” Sieun answered as he sat down, while Sooho went to help grandmother to place the dishes on the table. And one by one, the table was full of dishes, making Sieun’s eyes widened. Sooho was eyeing Sieun closely, finding it adorable as Sieun’s eyes followed the seolleongtang that was placed in front of him. His big eyes were shining and his mouth was opened in awe. Grandmother and him were staring at each other, silently laughing at Sieun’s cuteness.
“Eat a lot, Sieun-ah.” Grandmother said as she sat down in front of Sieun and Sooho. Sieun nodded and took a sip. Sooho smiled when Sieun’s eyes were shining even more brightly at the taste, he put his hand on Sieun’s head, patting it tenderly. “Eat as much as you want.”
Eating together with Sieun and Grandmother was never boring. The atmosphere was brimming with compliments and laughter, filled with Grandmother’s care and love to both of them. She didn’t ask Sieun about his parents, but kept asking him about his school, his study, his upcoming math competitions, and many things about what Sieun loved the most – studying, and made sure she complimented him each time.
Sooho loved it when Sieun’s eyes were shining every time Grandmother kept complimenting and congratulated him over his small achievements. Sieun would break into a bashful smile, a really really sweet smile that Sooho adores the most, and then a laughter, a small laugh that was soft and cheerful.
“Don’t you think so, Halmeoni? Sieun is really cool.” Sooho said, when they were talking about Sieun’s upcoming national math competition, where Sieun beat more than hundreds students from his region and became the representative for the national math competition in South Korea.
“He is a wonderful child indeed.” Grandmother agreed, giving Sieun a soft smile. “We’re proud of you.”
Their conversations lasted until midnight, until Sieun and Sooho were yawning. Grandmother told them to sleep as she was going to clean up. But the two of them were disagreeing, telling Grandmother to sleep first while Sieun helped to wash the dishes and Sooho took out the trash.
“You look happy.” Sooho said when they both were going to Sooho’s bedroom. Sieun had decided to stay the night in Sooho’s home, it was already late and they have to go to school early in the morning.
Sieun nodded slowly as he sat on the bed. His face seemed sleepy, but his eyes were still shining and his cheeks were still cherry red, dizzy over the incessantly compliments he kept receiving. Sooho kept his eyes locked with Sieun, gazing at it so lovingly. Happy Sieun is his favorite Sieun, seeing his beautiful face covered in joy was an ineffable sight, made Sooho realize that he already accomplished one of his wishes, to make Sieun happy.
“Kind of,” Sieun answered, his voice warm and soft. He looked up, linking his gaze to Sooho. “I like being with you and Halmeoni.”
“You’re cute, Sieun-ah. Do you really enjoy it that much?”
"I do," Sieun nodded. "I used to eat alone, and it was the same — dark, quiet, and cold. I loathed it to the point that I skipped meals often. But here, it was bright, the food was warm, and the atmosphere was cheery. I'm not alone, I'm surrounded by people who care about me."
Sooho's gaze was dimmed, he could imagine Sieun, who was sitting by himself, in a room that was dull and shabby, eating cheap crap foods he bought from convenience stores. The idea of Sieun being neglected and forcefully spending most of his time all by himself made Sooho’s heart hurt.
It reminded him of the time when he accidentally read the wrong address during his delivery and deliver the food to Sieun’s house. His house was silent, Sooho didn’t smell any food being cooked or anyone running the bath, even the lamps were turned off. Sieun looked like a zombie, his gaze was lifeless, his face was pale, and his lips were chapped, as if no one had actually taken care of his well being. The sight was depressing, and Sooho didn’t want it to happen anymore at all.
Sieun’s soft touch on his hand scattered his rail of thoughts, bringing Sooho’s back to the reality. He looked up slowly, eyes following Sieun’s palm, forearm, and biceps before he locked his gaze with Sieun’s. Sieun’s big and pretty eyes were looking at him softly, with a hint of worry inside.
Realizing that Sieun was worried about him, Sooho plastered a smile on his face. He patted the smaller boy's head softly, trying to give him reassurance that he was alright.
"I'm glad," Sooho wrapped his hand on Sieun, holding it gently. “You have me and Halmeoni, you’ll never be alone again.”
Sieun nodded, eyes glowing brightly at Sooho. They kept locking eyes at each other, sharing the same warmth and love, before Sieun averted his eyes awkwardly. Sooho was grinning when he saw Sieun’s face becoming red, repeating the word cute in his head. Everything about Sieun was just cute, and perfect, and breathtaking, and Sooho was too in love with him.
“I’m going to take a glass of water,” Sieun said, already standing up and making his way to the door. Sooho just nodded, too engulfed in happiness in seeing Sieun to care. But his smile fell completely when Sieun was back, with a glass of water and wearing his white hoodie. His hoodie was a few sizes too big for Sieun, the hem of his hoodie touched thigh, and the arm part was covering his hand completely, showing only a little part of his fingertips. Sooho gulped, his hoodie was making Sieun look so cute and fluffy, and so tiny.
And now, his biggest problem was forgotten and it was coming back in greater force. The first reason he freaked out at midnight, Sieun, blanketed in his clothes, looking all endearing and adorable.
“Sooho?” Sieun asked, looking confused as Sooho was staring at him intensely. He was silent for a while, before realizing that he was wearing Sooho’s hoodie. “Oh, your hoodie was on the sofa, so I took it.”
Sooho couldn’t move his head, too absorbed in Sieun’s cute view. He was staring at Sieun intensely, but he wasn't watching the confused look on the smaller boy’s face. His thoughts were getting more uncontrollable, filled with Sieun, Sieun, and Sieun, by the minute.
“Sooho? What’s wrong?”
“No,” Sooho fell silent for a while, ferociously trying to gather the scattered thoughts of Sieun. He shouldn't have thought about Sieun, shouldn't freak out about Sieun, shouldn't have loved Sieun so much that it hurt not to be able to say it out loud, when he was in front of him.
He then shook his head slowly. You're just so cute right now, he mouthed sadly, wishing he could say it blatantly to Sieun just like that. Sieun deserved to be loved ceaselessly, and Sooho was more than willing to do so.
“Do I?” Sieun let out a rapid breath, voice deep and raspy, and doubtful, seemed to have a hard time assimilating that one sentence.
Sooho was flabbergasted for a second, he looked at Sieun and muttered, “Did I really say it out loud?”
“Yes you do.” Sieun answered. Eyes widened, looking hopeful yet doubtful at the same time.
“Oh.” Sooho said, wearing the same expression as Sieun, blank and shocked.
And they both were silent. Sooho wanted just to have random conversations like he used to do, breaking the awkwardness of the two. But he was unsure to talk, not believing his own voice at the moment.
“I thought you didn't like it.” Sieun said, breaking the silence that was roaming in the air, the shine on his eyes dimming. He was back sitting on the bed, next to Sooho, looking all down and dull, putting the glass of water on the top of the drawer.
Sooho blinked for a while, his mind couldn’t comprehend how Sieun could make assumptions this far. How could Sooho detest it when Sieun looked completely adorable, drowning in his clothes? He really wanted to wrap Sieun’s small body on his, hugging the little boy affectionately, then squeezed his soft and round cheeks softly.
“There’s no way I could dislike it,” he said, refusing to stutter when he was talking to Sieun, even though he felt his body was trembling and his mind was screaming, I like you, I like everything about you.
There were times where Sooho just hoped he could say whatever was in his mind to Sieun, showering him with compliments here and there, telling him that he’s worthy and precious, and loving him blatantly as he deserved. Tonight was one of those times.
“Sorry for making you feel that way, Sieun-ah.”
“Then why,” Sieun looked even more down, as if Sooho’s answer didn’t satisfy him. His hand was touching the hem of Sooho’s shirt, playing it nervously. “Why do you act like that?”
Sooho swallowed hard, thinking about the best explanation he could give to Sieun at the moment. But the words didn't come, no matter how much he was screaming to his mind, think. Sooho gulped, Sieun’s nervousness was also getting into him. “Like that?”
"Like you don't like it. You avoided me."
"I don't," Sooho quickly disagreed, eyebrows were frowning as he kept thinking about his actions that hurt Sieun, silently blaming himself for hurting Sieun unconsciously. He wanted to ask when and where, and what exactly he did that was hurting Sieun, and apologize heartily. Sieun's face was sad, and his eyes were glowing in a mix of worry and hope, and that made Sooho's heart hurt. He bit the inside of his cheeks slowly, trying to muster his courage to say. He was trembling and he was lost in whatever he had to say to Sieun. He was no longer the calm and composed Ahn Sooho, now he was just a little boy with a silly massive crush on his best friend, his soulmate.
He wanted to scream, wanted to run and yell to everyone that he liked Sieun, he was in love with his own best friend, and he was more than willing to die for his soulmate. He wanted to shower Sieun with lots of love and kisses, wanted to hug him and pat him until he was asleep, wanted to protect from with everything in this world.
But, to do so, he had to confess first.
Sooho closed his eyes as his body was screaming, It was now or never, Sooho. And Sooho gulped, trying to calm himself as best as he could, as he finally said, "You're cute, adorable, and look so lovely in my clothes, Sieun-ah."
Sooho was hoping the panic inside him was gone, but it stayed. And now Sooho was waiting Sieun’s answer, time ticking so slowly as he felt his body was still trembling, his mind was anxious, and he couldn’t think properly.
"Do I?" After long minutes passed, Sieun asked, quiet and doubtful. The worry in his eyes had dissipated, his gaze was sanguine as he locked his gaze at Sooho.
"You're breathtaking, so pretty." Sooho bit his lip, his heart was beating fast. “I love it." I love you, I love everything about you.
“The clothes,” Sieun gaze was soft at him, and Sooho gulped once again. Sieun was really going to be the death of him. “Or me?”
“You.” It’s always you, Sieun. Sooho didn’t know how to beat around the bush anymore, Sieun was sharp and quick and Sooho was just his prey, falling completely to his trap. He could no longer hide his feelings as Sieun already knew, his feelings that were buried deep inside were being hoed harshly from Sieun. Sooho was taller than him, was bigger, and was way more stronger, but even so, there were times when Sooho could do nothing in front of Sieun, as if the brown haired boy wrapped a chain around his neck.
“Is that a love confession?”
Sooho nodded.
And Sieun’s gaze on him was endearing, and full of love. And Sooho could understand what he meant even though Sieun said nothing. He was also like Sooho, was also in love with Sooho, and he wanted to be with Sooho, just like exactly what Sooho wanted. Sooho breathed slowly as he felt his body was going calmer. He put his forehead on Sieun’s forehead, linked it softly and let their nose touch. He was grinning, face cheery, and euphoric to have Sieun next to him, having the same feelings as him.
Sieun felt his heart was going to explode. There was Sooho, sitting in front of him with his face inches away from him. They were sharing the same air, he could feel Sooho's warm breath touch the tip of his lips.
Sieun moved his hand to touch Sooho's, caressing it softly as he continued to lock his gaze at Sooho. Sooho moved his free hand to Sieun's cheek, touching it softly. Sieun gulped, as Sooho's gaze alternated his face, before going down to his eyes, his nose, and then his lips. Sieun swallowed hard as Sooho kept gazing at his lips, before going up to lock his eyes on Sieun, as if he was asking for permission.
Sieun bit the inside of his cheek as he nodded, giving the taller boy's permission. The look on Sooho was fierce and longing, and Sieun couldn't bring himself to say no.
He too, wanted to feel Sooho's lips on his.
"Can I?" Sooho asked verbally this time, breaking the silence. "Can I kiss you, Sieun-ah?"
Sieun squeezed the hem of Sooho's hoodie as he felt his body was burning, every cell in his body was screaming in anticipation. He didn’t want to think about how many times he thought about Sooho kissing him. He didn’t just want it, he craved it, he longed for it.
Sieun gulped when Sooho started to close his eyes. Sieun's mind was screaming, he was dizzy with excitement, and his heartbeat was ticking loud and fast, making him wonder if Sooho felt that too.
He closed his eyes as Sooho was getting closer. The touch on his cheek was still gentle as ever, igniting sparks in Sieun’s mind as Sooho leaned in close, went to capture Sieun's thick lips with his own, for the first time.
Si-eun had never felt this way before. His whole body became tense, and his heart was racing. But Sooho's lips were touching his gently and slowly as ever, making Sieun's body relax under the tender hold of Sooho. He could smell Sooho’s scent, could feel his body dancing synchronously with Sooho as he kept brushing their lips together.
Sieun had never kissed anyone before, and kissing Sooho was different from what he had in mind. He thought kissing would be fierce, lustful, but with Sooho, he felt secure and warm, and nice. He was gentle, letting Sieun to adapt slowly and softly, before going to deepen the kiss.
Sooho's hands were capturing his cheeks softly, keeping him in place as Sooho went to move their lips. Sieun moaned in the kiss as his hands traveled up to Sooho's neck, wrapping it gently.
Kissing Sooho was heaven. Warmth blossomed in Sieun’s chest, Sooho’s touch was hot on his burning skin. His head was dizzy and butterflies were dancing in his stomach, Sooho’s lips were intoxicating, and everything was just perfect, was just right, and Sieun was craving for more.
He didn't want it to stop. He was moving forward, trying to capture Sooho's lips back on his, when Sooho pulled out. Sooho smiled as he gave Sieun a single peck, before stopping him by putting his hands on the smaller boy's shoulder.
Sieun was astonished for a while, and without him realizing, he was whining, asking Sooho for more.
Sooho was chuckling, giving him another single peck on the lips, and said softly, "Enough, Baby."
Si-eun's eyes opened slightly after hearing the pet names. He bit the inside of his cheeks softly, the pet names made his heart race, his body heated up as a response. But he didn't say anything, just looking at Sooho with his big and bright eyes, trying to melt the latter's decisions away. To give him another kiss, and another, and another.
"Hey," Sooho's voice was raspy, as if he had a trouble to keep himself steady. Sieun wondered if Sooho was also feeling the same, wanting to kiss him again and again until they were both exhausted and satisfied. "Was that alright?"
Alright, the word was ringing inside Sieun's complicated head. His mind was tangled when he frowned, thinking carefully about what Sooho meant. Their kiss wasn't just alright, it was perfect, it was indescribable, and Sieun was yearning for more.
But no words were able to come out from his mouth, as his mind got jumbled around.
Sieun wasn't a quiet kid in the first place, he used to be talkative and ramble a lot, asking questions about this and that. But then, his parents weren't there anymore to answer his incessant questions, or even spend some time with him. Little Sieun wasn't able to comprehend at first, but as time went by, he started to understand and accept his fate — that his parents wouldn't be there for him as much as he wanted. So, after years and years being practically neglected by his own parents, Sieun used to quiet himself up, making him invisible and unseen as much as he could.
He had no problem with it, he didn’t care about people and didn't have much interest in having conversations with them. But, at times like this, with Sooho, he used to regret the fact that he wasn't a good talker. He used to have a lot of things inside his mind, but the words were tangled in thousands of strings around his head that he couldn't comprehend what he actually needed to say.
So instead, he nodded, as an indirect way to say yes.
But Sooho, his guardian angel Sooho, was always understanding of Sieun. He was attentive, understood that Sieun wasn't able to say what he had in mind, that he could get overwhelmed at times. And Sooho never judged Sieun for it, he just listened and sometimes asked, but never forcing Sieun to talk. He used to hold Sieun's hand gently, whispering the words it's okay, take your time to Sieun whenever the smaller boy was feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. He was always thoughtful, always considerate, and always loving Sieun for the way he was.
So, knowing Sieun was too overwhelmed to answer his questions verbally, instead of asking another question, Sooho leaned close, giving Sieun another soft kiss on the lips, just perfectly what Sieun wanted.
Sooho was giggly and triumphant, he was filled with happiness that he felt he was going to explode. There was a glint of joyfulness in both of his eyes, as his face was dazzled with contentment.
He kept his gaze locked at Sieun, who was looking at him with the same warmth and enjoyment. There was love sparkling from his gaze, brimming Sooho's heart with happiness.
"You," Sooho cupped his hands on Sieun's round cheeks. "You're going to be the death of me, Sieun-ah."
Sooho gave him a kiss on his forehead, then patting Sieun's hair tenderly.
"I love you."
Sieun's eyes were soft against him, as he replied back, "I love you too, Sooho."
He gave Sieun another sloppy kiss on the corner of his mouth, making the Sieun all giggly and blushing mess. He was smiling wide when Sooho pulled out, his face lit up in amusement, and his eyes were sparkling at Sooho beautifully.
Sooho felt his cheekbones were rising, as a wave of happiness washed over him. He put his hand to cover his mouth, finding himself unable to contain happiness inside. They both were just staring at each other, smiling and giggly.
He pulled Sieun to a hug, letting his head leaned comfortably on the top of Sieun's hair, whispering, "Thank you."
"For?"
"Everything. I'm thankful to have you in my life."
He could feel Sieun tightened the hug, the smaller boy was leaning his head on the crook of Sooho's shoulder.
"Me too. I'm lucky to have you, Sooho."
"Come on," Sooho said, wrapping his hand softly on Sieun's smaller hand that was blanketed in his hoodie. "Let's just sleep, it's already late."
Sieun nodded as he let Sooho pull him to lay on the bed, next to him.
Sooho smiled when Sieun snuggled closer, putting his head on the crook of Sooho's shoulder. He wrapped his hand on the smaller boy’s body, pulling Sieun as close as they could. He resisted the urge to shower Sieun with kisses, as he tried to distract his mind to Sieun's fluffy hair that was right up his nose. Sooho grinned as he brought his head beside Sieun, rubbing his face against Sieun’s soft hair as he inhaled the calming scent of the smaller boy.
Tomorrow, his hoodie would smell just like Sieun. And Sooho was already squealing thinking about it. He cannot wait to wear it and let Sieun’s scent basking around him.
They haven’t talked about their relationships yet, but Sooho didn’t mind at all. He would never force Sieun, he would wait until Sieun was ready, and he was willing to wait as much as possible, no matter how long it would take them. And that was okay, they had forever waiting for them. Sooho wasn’t going anywhere, he was already at the place where he should be, beside Sieun, beside his soulmate, beside the person he cared the most.
Sooho yawned, exhaustion was steadily piling up inside his tired shelf. Sooho took a glance of sleeping Sieun, before letting his eyes closed, feeling the softness and the comfort of the bedding, which was getting more pleasant with Sieun next to him. He inhaled Sieun’s gentle scent once again, and in less than a minute, Sooho fell asleep.