Archive of Our Own

It is a common belief that Sieun never initiates physical touch.

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like it,” Juntae states with a kind smile. He always loves talking about his friend. “He just never starts it.”

Humin nods, reaching over to steal one of Hyuntak’s chips. “Right? I’ve never seen him do anything first.” He grumbles. “Not even a pat on the back after I scored a shot…”

“Which is rare,” Hyuntak jumps in, earning him an offended look.

“What do you mean? Yesterday, I literally–”

“Though…” Juntae interrupts their bickering. “When I saw Suho and Sieun on a walk a few days ago, it was Sieun who stepped closer to him. Maybe it depends on the person,” he wonders to himself.

There’s a beat of silence.

The three of them look at each other with growing smiles and knowing looks.

Humin sighs, leaning back against the couch with a smug grin.

“Of course, it’s because of Suho.”

Suho tries to sneak a look at the nearby clock, sitting on Sieun’s desk, but his friend clicks his tongue disapprovingly. He wilts and turns back to the current practice test problem they’re working on. It’s late—so late that Suho, who’s pretty used to having night shifts, is beginning to grow tired, his yawns growing more and more frequent. Yet here he is, studying with Sieun on a perfectly comfortable bed that he’d much rather sleep on.

“The final is in two days,” Sieun reminds him. “And you barely understand the third chapter.”

“But I’m tired. Can’t we go to sleep?” Suho frowns and slumps his head down, resting his forehead against the bed that he’s sprawled across, lying on his stomach. Sieun’s also lying near him, but he seems to be wide awake, very keen on fulfilling his tutoring duties.

“There are just a few problems left. If you can get this right, you’ll at least pass the exam.”

Suho lets out an incoherent complaint, and he lifts his head. He turns to look at Sieun, and that’s when he notices Sieun staring back. There isn’t a single ounce of harshness in his gaze, much to his surprise. In fact, his eyes are… softened, as if he’s acknowledging Suho’s exhaustion. Suho looks away abruptly, trying not to let the sudden spike in his heart affect him too much.

“I’m a confident, perfectly capable guy,” Suho mutters. “But this is seriously testing me.” He reaches over and grabs the nearby pencil and gets to work.

He does pretty well until the last question. He groans and sets the pencil down. Perhaps, he could have figured it out if it weren’t for Sieun leaning close, watching his every move. He can hear his soft breathing and quiet hums whenever Suho does a step correctly, and it only makes him more antsy.

Suho begins making up an excuse. “Technically… It’s an extra challenge problem. So I don’t think we have to solve it–”

“But you could get more points. You need it,” Sieun stubbornly says, and he takes the pencil. He points to the second variable. “You can see here…” He begins to explain but trails off and slowly turns to Suho, who isn’t making any effort to look at the textbook. Instead, he’s staring straight at Sieun with a soft, admiring smile, face propped up in the palm of his hand. Sieun narrows his eyes. “What?”

“Nothing,” Suho replies, his grin widening. “Actually, I wanted to ask you for something.”

Sieun gives him a questioning look.

“Can you come closer?”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

Sieun tries to retort, but he seems to come up with nothing. And so, reluctantly, he shuffles closer to Suho, so now, they’re “studying” with their shoulders touching. Suho tries to hide the giddiness he feels now that he has Sieun’s comforting warmth against him.

Sieun then proceeds to reach for the pencil and continues explaining how to solve the problem. Again, Suho’s distracted, his gaze following the movement of his lips, slightly chapped but inviting. His eyelashes are long, he notices, and he loves how they flutter as his gaze flits across the page. He’s a bookworm, and he sure is a cute one.

Hastily, he reaches forward and grabs the pencil that’s still in Sieun’s hand. Sieun pauses and looks at him with a slight surprised look, and oh, how Suho might just melt at the pretty curve of his eyes.

“What are you doing?” Sieun asks with a soft voice, his tone anything but harsh.

“I request assistance,” Suho says, and Sieun raises an eyebrow at his choice of vocabulary.

“I’m helping you right now.”

Suho gives him a sheepish look. “...right. Well, I want something else.” He reaches for Sieun’s hand, that is now currently resting on the open textbook. He begins to caress the back of it with his pointer finger, revelling in the warmth of his skin against the tip of it. Sieun watches his movements with a slight hitch of his breath.

“What… what is it?” Sieun whispers, and Suho notices, just by looking at his side profile, the way the very tip of his ear is now reddening.

Suho hums. “Look at me first.”

Sieun visibly gulps. His eyes are still trained on the way Suho’s lightly tracing the curve of his hand, the pad of his finger following the ridges of his knuckles, up to his wrist, and coming back again.

“Sieun-ah,” Suho calls out teasingly. Sieun still refuses to look. He even chuckles and whispers a small “cute,” quiet but loud enough for Sieun to hear it, which only makes the blush spread from his ear to his cheek.

A few seconds pass, and Sieun hesitates before finally looking at Suho, gaze travelling across his features nervously. “What do you want?” He asks, his voice as calm as ever, despite his hands fidgeting.

“Well,” Suho starts, moving Sieun’s hand away and closing the textbook. “I just wanted to tell you that we should sleep.”

Sieun stares at him in disbelief and glances down to where Suho’s started to play with his fingers. “You did all this just to say that?”

Suho nods shamelessly.

“Fine,” Sieun relents. “It’s useless to tutor you anyway.”

“Glad you noticed,” Suho replies with a grin as the two of them get up and start to get ready for bed, putting away the books and pulling back the sheets. Neither of them has to question Suho staying over because he has so many times already. It’s evident in the extra pillow on the bed and the pink pair of slippers that are right next to Sieun’s plain grey ones, and it’s evident in the way Suho turns off the alarm on his phone because he already trusts Sieun to wake him up on time.

They both get under the covers, lying down and facing each other. The two of them stare, blinking slowly. Suho smiles. It was Suho who was sleepy first, but now it’s Sieun, whose eyes are already half-closed. He’s noticed that often, when Sieun acts like he isn’t tired, as soon as they lie in bed together, it’s like he automatically relaxes, letting himself go. It’s almost like he feels safest when he’s with Suho.

“Sieun-ah,” Suho whispers.

“Hm?” Sieun’s voice comes out slightly raspy, which is one of the details Suho always adores when he’s tired.

“Why do you still tutor me, even when I’m a lost cause? Do you really care about my exam score that much?”

Sieun’s silent for a bit, trying to think of a response. Then he says, so quietly that Suho has to shift closer to hear, “It’s so that we can spend more time together.”

Suho’s eyes widen with surprise, and he feels like his heart might burst. But, it’s not like he hasn’t already noticed Sieun making up excuses to be near Suho. One time, he even told Suho that he needed to buy art supplies for a project. So, they went shopping together, only for Sieun to not buy a single thing. He tells lies, but Suho still finds him so, so endearing. Besides, it doesn’t always matter what Sieun says, because he loves the way his pretty lips form every single word, even if he’s choosing to insult Suho’s bad studying habits.

“There are other ways for us to spend time together, you know. Like a meal,” Suho responds, adjusting the covers over both of them.

“I know.” Sieun looks away.

“So…”

“I don’t always know how to ask.”

Suho laughs quietly, but he doesn’t push. He knows that Sieun likes to show his affection in other ways, after all. And so, he responds, “Then I promise I’ll take you out on more dates. You don’t have to ask.”

Sieun looks up and into his eyes with this devastatingly hopeful gaze, one that makes Suho’s breath stutter. He looks like he wants to question Suho’s choice of the word “dates,” but that look quickly dissipates in return for a sleepy one.

Suho smiles, the slight pickup in his heartbeat settling back into a steady, slower rhythm. They aren’t in much of a rush after all. They have all the time in the world now.

So quietly, he whispers, “Go to sleep, Sieun-ah. Good night.”

Sieun hums softly and shuts his eyes. “Good night, Suho.”

Sunlight spills through the window, and Sieun’s the first to wake up, as usual. He’s about to move around and stretch his legs when he realizes that he can’t move. He tries again, only to fail once more.

Confused, he looks down and finds that there’s now a strong pair of arms wrapped around his waist. He freezes, and his face heats up almost immediately.

What…

Sieun doesn’t know what exactly happened during the night that caused them to end up in this position–Suho’s chest pressed to his back, curling around Sieun’s body, holding him close and warm like a furnace. Last time he checked, they were facing each other with a few centimeters between their bodies.

It’s comfortable, Sieun realizes. He knows he has to get up eventually, but there’s something about the way Suho’s so close to him, practically breathing him in and keeping him safe.

But as much as he’d like to, Sieun’s aware he can’t stay like this forever.

And so, he begins to make another attempt to move. But of course, Suho doesn’t let him. He latches onto him with all his strength, tightening his arms around his waist.

Sieun tries again.

Suho whines.

And then Sieun gives in. With a soft, fond sigh, he lets his head rest back against the pillow. He allows his limbs to sink into the mattress again. And finally, he presses a little closer to Suho’s body behind him as he drifts off back to sleep.

Somehow, Sieun got paired up for a project with his three friends from Eunjang. Suho generally has no complaints about this because he’s happy knowing that Sieun’s made friends who truly care about him and even are the cause of that beautiful, lovely smile sometimes. But what he doesn’t agree with is Sieun being on video call with them when he could be taking a nap with Suho instead.

For the past hour or so, Sieun’s been instructing them on what to do because they decided to procrastinate during the first week the project was assigned. Suho frowns as he lies on the bed, watching the back of Sieun’s head and listening to his tired voice as he tells Humin for the third time that he needs to write a conclusion for the research paper.

He knows that Sieun’s finished his part already, which only makes Suho want him to hurry up more so that they can sleep the afternoon away.

He hears Juntae reassure Humin through the phone, “We’re almost done anyway!” which makes Suho brighten. But then, Hyuntak stops them from leaving the call and starts mentioning to them the extra credit requirement because apparently, he really needs to get his grade up. Suho sighs with a sulky expression.

This call will never end.

Since he’s hidden behind Sieun, Suho still hasn’t made his presence known yet. But now, he will.

So he groans dramatically. “Sieun-ah, hurry up and take a nap with me,” he calls out.

He watches amused as Sieun’s back visibly stiffens. Everyone on the call grows quiet, and Suho grins, unashamed.

He peeks over Sieun’s shoulder and catches a glimpse of Humin looking at the camera with a sly smile. “Loverboy wants to cuddle,” he sings teasingly, causing the other two on the call to laugh with mischief.

Juntae, the angel that he is, seems to get the hint as he says, “Tak-ah. Let’s go, I still have to tell you about the new manga I bought.” Hyuntak smiles and gladly leaves the call, a bit too eagerly. Juntae leaves soon after.

Humin’s still giggling to himself, but when he notices that he’s the only one left in the call, he curses quietly and quickly disconnects.

Sieun stares at the phone, and Suho just knows that his expression is blank, but with a hint of disbelief. When he turns around, Suho grins because, of course, he was right. He stands up and walks over, gazing down at him.

“Suho-yah.”

Suho looks up at him with a small smile. “Yes, Sieun-ah?”

“You don’t need me to go to sleep.”

“But I do.” Suho lies back down and pats the spot next to him. “You calm me down.”

Sieun’s quiet for a moment, and Suho can practically see the gears turning in his head. Then, much to his delight, he carefully lowers himself to lie down next to him. He doesn’t make any movement after that, lying still like a log with his arms straight at his sides, a too-large distance between them.

But even when they aren’t touching, Suho’s still always content with Sieun’s presence. And so, he lets his eyes flutter shut, allowing his heart to calm down, knowing that Sieun’s right beside him.

Sieun wakes up first as he blinks his eyes open with a yawn. Perhaps, trying to explain the project to his friends over video call really did tire him out. He didn’t even notice that he fell asleep.

He tries to move, but again, it’s happened.

Suho is hugging him tightly. This time, they’re facing each other, and when Sieun tries to budge again, Suho’s eyebrows furrow grumpily. Sieun can’t help the small smile at the sight. His chest feels weird whenever it’s clear and visible that his presence is wanted, craved for. It’s a feeling he can’t quite put a name to, but he does know it’s far from a bad thing.

“Sieun-ah,” Suho whispers with his eyes still shut, making Sieun startle slightly. He nuzzles closer, seeming to seek Sieun’s warmth more. “Don’t go. I care too much to let you go again.”

Sieun’s heart skips a beat. And carefully, he brings an arm around Suho, resting his hand lightly on his broad back.

“Okay,” he mumbles. “...I can’t let you go either,” he adds quietly, and Suho smiles in response before his breathing evens out. It seems that he’s fallen back asleep.

Sieun knows that he should interpret his words further, to try to figure out if there are some hidden, unnamed feelings behind them. But instead, knowing that the two of them now have the time to just exist, he chooses to relax in Suho’s hold, going back to sleep.

Two flowers in a garden may have clashing colors, yet they still choose to grow together.

It’s just like how Sieun and Suho, both doing completely different activities, still decide to sit in bed together, resting their backs against the headboard. It’s a lovely late afternoon, and they bathe in the peace that surrounds them. There’s a clock ticking nearby, but neither of them looks, allowing minutes, hours to pass by because the truth is, when Sieun and Suho are together, they never want time to end. Forever is an impossible thing, yet to them, sitting side-by-side, it seems that they’re constantly trying to make it possible.

They exchange a few words here and there, but what fills the silence more are Suho’s disgruntled noises as the “Game Over” screen shows up on his phone constantly.

“I thought you said you were good at games,” Sieun notes quietly.

Suho scoffs and sets his phone down in his lap. “I am,” he claims. “I’m just a little… rusty. But watch me, Sieun-ah, I’m a pro.”

Sieun sighs fondly, and he puts down the book he was reading for an assignment. Then, he leans close to Suho’s side, even turning his body so that his chest is pressed against Suho’s shoulder. Suho’s breath hitches at the sudden close contact, and god, he’s even resting his chin on the top of his shoulder. He tries not to look down at the boy who’s constantly on his mind, day and night, as he picks up his phone again and begins a new game.

Only a minute passes, and another player shoots him down. He gapes at the screen in disbelief. And then, he hears Sieun let out a soft laugh.

Suho shuts his eyes and tries to somehow cool down his warm cheeks with his mind. It doesn’t really work. He no longer cares about making a fool of himself as a self-proclaimed pro video gamer. He’s too caught up in the sound of Sieun’s laugh, pretty and light.

Carefully, he turns to Sieun, who’s now looking up at him with his round, soft eyes.

“What are you doing?” Sieun asks, his voice laced with a bit of teasing, which only serves to make Suho feel dizzy. “Try again.”

Suho huffs. “I will,” he replies with determination, picking up his phone again and starting over. And this time, about ten seconds pass, and he’s dead again. “Sieun-ah,” he blurts. “Stop watching me. Actually, I think you’re the problem.”

Sieun pauses and looks at him. Suho winces. Perhaps, he came off too strong there.

But then, to his surprise, the corner of Sieun’s lips twitch, and a second later, he’s smiling, and oh, Suho might lose his mind right then and there. There’s something about Sieun, always so straight-faced with dry responses, finding his humor funny, that makes the space Suho holds for him in his heart grow exponentially larger. In fact, he might just do something really, really impulsive–something that’ll change what their current relationship is. Well, not like he can really put a label on it anyway.

And lucky for his poor heart, Sieun moves away from his side and turns back to his book, the pretty eyes that make Suho’s heart do a flip now focusing on the words on the pages. Suho lets out a shaky exhale as he turns back to his phone.

Half an hour passes, and Suho decides to sneak a glance at his best friend sitting next to him. He’s still reading, turning page after page.

“So, what’s it about?”

Sieun pauses and looks at him briefly before turning back to his book.

“Love.”

Suho widens his eyes. Now he’s intrigued. “What kind of love?”

“Unconditional love. The type where you would do anything for a person.” Another page turned.

Suho smirks. “So like… when you went home and then came all the way back to the hospital just to get me ox bone soup? That kind of love?” He’s stifling a laugh, already predicting that Sieun’s just going to either stay silent, or call him delusional in some way.

But instead, Sieun responds with, “Yes. That kind of love.”

The laugh dies down in Suho’s throat. “...what?” He feels his lips curl up into a cheeky smile. “What do you mean by that, Sieun-ah?”

Sieun clears his throat. “Nothing.”

“Really? So you’re saying the first time you smiled at me meant nothing?” Suho leans in, lowering his head so that he can look Sieun in the eyes. “How can you be so cruel?” He teases with a whisper. Sieun furrows his eyebrows, embarrassed, and he turns away.

“I didn’t mean…” He glares at Suho with reddened cheeks. “Stop teasing. I need to focus.”

Suho pouts and complies, knowing just how important this assignment is to Sieun. But that doesn’t mean he still won’t try to be as close with Sieun as possible. If words can’t be spoken, then…

He smiles mischievously and reaches a hand over, gently placing it on Sieun’s thigh. Soothingly, he slides it up and down. Sieun tenses slightly under him, but he relaxes quickly, even settling closer to Suho’s side with a soft hum.

Suho can’t help the smile that grows. He knows that Sieun tends to avoid most people, pulling away from them whenever they get close. And so, he feels like the luckiest person in the world whenever Sieun makes it clear that he’s comfortable with Suho. He does it subtly, like when he shifts a little closer when they’re walking together, or when he’s willing to take off his earbuds just to listen to Suho ramble about mundane things.

Suho returns to his phone, this time to scroll through social media instead of playing his game, since well, one hand is currently occupied, resting on Sieun’s thigh. Time passes just like that, easy and tranquil, like it always is whenever Sieun and Suho are together.

Suddenly, he feels a weight on his shoulder. Suho hums questioningly and turns, only to find Sieun resting his head on it. Surprised, he peeks at his face, and he inhales sharply at the sight.

Sieun’s book is set off to the side, and his eyes are shut. He’s asleep. His lips are poutier than usual, and for some reason, temptingly so, his cheeks have the slightest rosiness to them. Suho’s heart thumps, and then it pounds.

He’s so pretty.

Sieun’s often stern-faced. He conceals so many emotions, though they sometimes slip through, especially in his eyes, his most expressive feature. But even so, Suho’s never seen his face so… soft and relaxed. There’s no longer a furrow to his eyebrows or a slight frown on his lips.

He looks almost younger, further reminding Suho of why he adores Sieun so much–because he wants to give him the world he deserves. He wants to give him the love that he’s never experienced.

Suho just might lose it.

Yes, right now he has the urge to kiss Sieun all over and whisper sweet, sweet words just to see him blush. He wants to pull him into a hug and keep him there forever, telling every joke he can think of just to get a soft giggle out of him. He wants to shower him with love.

But he would also hate to disturb his sleep.

Sucking in a breath, Suho picks up his phone and tries to distract himself. But just as he does, he feels Sieun snuggle closer, angling himself so that he’s pressed right up against him, without a single millimeter of distance between them. Suho’s lips part, and he looks down at him again.

He’s still asleep.

“Okay…” Suho whispers to himself, perplexed. He picks up his phone again, trying to focus.

But again, Sieun presses closer. And not only that. He whines softly, and the sound shoots straight to Suho’s poor heart.

“Sieun-ah,” Suho mumbles helplessly. But Sieun still doesn’t wake up. And as if they aren’t close enough, Sieun’s arm comes around Suho’s waist. It takes a moment for him to realize that they’re cuddling now, and Suho might just die happy.

Suho shifts just slightly, but that’s enough to earn him a soft grumble from Sieun. And now, there’s a leg thrown over Suho’s body, holding him hostage. Not like Suho’s particularly complaining anyway. He takes deep breath after deep breath, trying to calm his stupid heart because he’s so, so cute.

And he doesn’t know what comes over him, but he’s putting down his phone and experimentally, he snakes an arm under Sieun’s body, nudging him closer. To his delight, Sieun melts into him, the curves of his body fitting perfectly against Suho’s.

Suho watches, wide-eyed, speechless. Is this really the same Sieun he knows? The same one who scowls whenever Suho tries to grab his hand? He moves a bit, and Sieun frowns in his sleep.

“Oh my god,” Suho breathes out. It hits him just then.

Sieun’s clingy when he’s asleep.

At some point, Sieun’s now practically lying on top of him, nuzzling his face in Suho’s neck, and his smile is uncontrollable at this point. They stay like that for a long while, until the sun begins to set. Suho’s back might hurt, but he doesn’t mind at all, not when there’s a Sieun, soft, warm, and pretty, cuddled up to him with small puffs leaving his lips.

Suho shuts his eyes and is about to finally give in to his own exhaustion, when he feels Sieun begin to stir. He peeks an eye open and watches as Sieun lets out a soft sigh, lifting his head from where he was nuzzled in the crook of Suho’s neck. Suho tries to stay as still as possible, but when Sieun finally notices what position they’re in, he freezes and his sleepy eyes turn into wide, horrified ones.

“What–”

Suho raises an eyebrow. They’re staring at each other now, Sieun’s cheeks still rosy from sleep and god, Suho really could just kiss him right now.

“Don’t look at me like I’m at fault. This was all your doing.”

Sieun’s breath hitches as he visibly grows embarrassed in the short span of a few seconds. “Oh. Sorry.”

Suho grins. “I never said I didn’t like it.” He fondly brushes his fingers through Sieun’s bangs, fixing the messiness of it after his nap. “And I never knew that you’re this sweet when you’re sleeping.”

Sieun doesn’t answer, seeming to still be too mortified to even open his mouth. Even so, he hasn’t made an attempt to move. He seems really comfortable now.

Suho laughs teasingly and looks down to where they’re still cuddling close. “You’re cute, Sieun-ah.” Sieun narrows his eyes, but it only makes him cuter. Then, he decides to try to move off, but Suho doesn’t let him. He tugs him back in, holding him close and caressing his side, and Sieun quickly melts into him all over again. Except this time, he’s fully awake.

It’s then that Suho realizes that he doesn’t want Sieun to leave. He wants to keep him close and safe all the time. He wants to shower him with all the love he can offer until their hearts overfill with a flood of warmth. He wants to see Sieun smile and laugh because of him.

“Sieun-ah,” Suho whispers, his voice soft to not startle him.

“What?” Sieun lifts his head again, looking Suho in the eye. He blinks slowly, like a cat.

Suho smiles, admiring his face, like the many times he’s done so before. “You’re so pretty.”

“Mmh,” is all Sieun can reply with. He’s growing sleepy again, Suho realizes.

Suho continues, “So pretty I could kiss you.”

“Mhm,” Sieun hums.

Suho stares at him, amused. Is he even processing what I’m saying right now? Or is he too sleepy to? “...can I?” He asks carefully.

Sieun blinks. “What?”

“I mean– you do know this isn’t something that typical friends do, right?” Suho asks nervously.

Sieun stares for a moment. Then, he leans in, his face impossibly close to Suho’s cheek. Suho holds his breath, expecting him to maybe… kiss him there. But instead, Sieun turns his head slightly and nuzzles his own cheek against Suho’s.

Like a cat.

Suho is a weak man at the moment. Sieun lingers there for a moment before positioning himself right by his ear. Then, he whispers in a tone so full of warmth and need. The slight breathiness of his voice is enough of an answer for Suho, but what fully confirms it are the words he speaks.

“I’m well aware.”

Sieun pulls away just like that. He’s still lying on top of Suho, looking down at him with a slight pout. But if Suho looks closely, his eyes are… different. It’s almost like he’s smiling with his eyes. He looks happy and hopeful, and oh, how Suho adores him.

“Then… can I kiss you?” Suho asks again. “I want to. Please.”

“Okay,” Sieun replies, his voice still low and raspy after his nap. And finally, that happiness in his eyes reaches his lips, as they pull up into a soft, shy smile. It’s a simple response, and sure, Sieun still looks incredibly sleepy, but it’s enough to make Suho bite his lip, trying to contain the fondness that fills him at that very moment. Sieun tilts his head, his smile widening just a bit. “What are you waiting for?”

“I don’t know,” Suho responds without thinking, completely dazed.

“Then hurry up,” Sieun teases. “Unless you’ve got the wrong person.”

“No, it’s–” Suho leans up, pressing a light kiss to the corner of Sieun’s lips. “You, it’s always been you,” He whispers, and he brings a hand up to the back of Sieun’s neck. He pulls him down, close enough that their lips aren’t touching just yet, but they can feel each other’s soft puffs of breath. And then, it’s Sieun who falls forward, finally connecting their lips in a warm press.

It’s uncontrollable, the way Suho smiles into the kiss. His hand tangles in Sieun’s hair, pulling him in closer. Sieun readjusts himself so that their chests are pressed right against each other. It’s a soft kiss, yet it sends butterflies fluttering in Suho’s stomach, his mind swarming with thoughts about just how much he’s wanted this.

They stay like that for a few more moments. It’s like they’re the only two people in the world, like the main characters of the sweetest romance novel to exist. The atmosphere around them is quiet, yet it buzzes with feelings of comfort, of trust, and of love. They kiss softly, and the sunset is nothing compared to the sweet reddening of their cheeks.

Sieun pulls away with a slight gasp, and Suho’s eyes flutter open. And if Sieun couldn’t get any prettier, he was wrong. Because right now, Sieun’s looking down at him with soft, beautiful eyes, with a gaze directed at Suho like he’s the prettiest star in the sky. His cheeks are pink, the blush spreading all the way to his ears, and his lips are the loveliest shade of red, pouty and inviting.

Suho smiles up at him. He knows that they should probably talk about what exactly they are now, what their relationship has become now that they’ve shared the sweetest kiss of a lifetime. But right now, it seems that Sieun can barely stay awake, his eyes threatening to fall shut any minute.

He laughs softly. “Still tired?”

Sieun only nods.

“Then go to sleep, Sieun-ah. I’ll be here when you wake up,” Suho says as he softly strokes his fingers through Sieun’s soft hair. “I can’t have you falling asleep mid-kiss, pretty boy.”

Sieun gives him a sulky look, but he eventually huffs and repositions himself. He’s still lying on top of Suho, but now, he’s tucked his head under his chin, cuddling him close. Suho’s heart does a flip as he brings his arms around Sieun’s body.

“We’ll continue this later, Suho-yah,” Sieun mumbles with a stern tone. Yet to Suho, he sounds cute and so, so kissable. But he’ll kiss him more when they wake up.

And so, Suho hums as he shuts his eyes.

“Don’t worry. I’ll remember. Always.”

Sieun’s clingy when he’s asleep.

It’s quite the revelation–one of Suho’s favorites, actually, alongside the new one where he found out that Sieun loves to kiss him first thing in the morning.

But the more he thinks about it, the more he starts to remember other… instances. And perhaps, it’s took him so long to realize due to the fact that he was half-asleep during them.

He remembers the late night when they were lying on their stomachs and Suho was struggling to stay awake as Sieun tutored him. He’ll never forget the way his chest warmed when Sieun had told him that he tutored him only to “spend more time together” and he’ll always cherish waking up with Sieun in his arms, his back pressed against his chest.

Sieun claims that that night was all Suho’s doing, that he was the one who initiated that back hug first.

But, more memories start to come rushing back the more Suho ponders. He was half-asleep and it was probably the middle of the night.

His eyes squint as he opens them, suddenly feeling a warm body pressing against his. His eyes widen more and that’s when he realizes that Sieun’s turned in his sleep and is now scooching backwards slowly, seeking Suho’s warmth and encouraging a back hug.

The last thing Suho remembers, is the smile he feels on his lips as he gladly wraps his arms around Sieun’s waist, pulling him in before falling back asleep.

“I think you just really wanted to be the small spoon,” Suho tells Sieun one day. “You were barely giving me space that night, pressing backwards until I hugged you.”

Sieun chokes slightly on his food and gets up from the table, walking away, only for Suho to laugh fondly and go after him, pulling him into a needy kiss.

Then, there was that lovely afternoon where Sieun spent hours explaining that project to his friends over video call. Suho remembers the giddy feeling that filled him when Sieun finally left the call, gave him that weak glare, and settled down next to him on the bed, just so that Suho could nap in peace.

The more he daydreams about that moment, the more Suho recalls. He recalls waking up mid-nap to the sound of Sieun letting out a soft, tired noise as he turns on his side to face Suho.

Suho peeks his eyes open further and is met with the sight of Sieun, still asleep, but now moving closer so that his face is pressed right up against Suho’s chest. He even feels a hand grip the fabric of his shirt, tugging him closer. Suho’s quick to wrap his arms around Sieun again, pulling him into his embrace.

“You’re being clingy,” Sieun claims when Suho couldn’t stop holding onto him, pressing kisses on his cheeks after a long day.

Suho hums and pulls him into a hug, rocking them from side-to-side. “I’m clingy? What about that time when you finished calling your friends, joined me for a nap, and then pulled me in to cuddle?”

Sieun’s silent and he looks away. “...I don’t remember doing that.”

“Mmh, but you should. Because it was cute.” And Suho went right back to kissing him all over until Sieun breaks a small smile.

How they’ve always ended up cuddling and clinging to each other… At first glance, it’s believed that Suho’s the one who initiates it. At least, that’s what Humin, Hyuntak, and Juntae think.

But really, after all this time, it’s always been Sieun. He’s the one who starts it and it’s Suho who gladly reciprocates.

But don’t tell the others that. They’ll never let him live it down.