Chapter Text
Suho tried to catch his breath as he sprinted through the crowd. This was it, Gotak was really going to kill him.
He bumped shoulders with someone and shouted an apology, looking back for a second as he still ran. This turned out to be a bad idea, as the next second he collided straight into someone, both of them landing on the floor.
“Fuck..” Suho groaned, turning on his side while holding his head. His eyes widened as he saw the person he collided with, a boy who had landed on his back. Next to the boy was a pair of headphones that Suho assumed had fallen off his head, his bag and a few items that had fallen out of it.
“Shit.” He scrambled up onto his knees, gathering all the items and stuffing them back into the bag. He then locked eyes with the other boy who had sat up and was staring at him.
“Are you okay?” he asked, grabbing the other’s shoulders and grabbing his head, checking all over. “I’m so sorry, I’m in a ru-“
He felt himself being pushed back, pausing as the boy looked him up and down.
“Are you okay?” he repeated, noticing the boy’s eyes trail down to his lips. The boy nodded slowly. Suho held his bag out and grabbed the boy’s hand, shoving the headphones into his hand.
“Good. I have to go, I’m really sorry.” he rambled as he got up and ran away.
-
Suho groaned as he slammed into the door, his momentum making it hard for him to stop in time. He quickly recovered and opened the door, crashing through.
He didn’t have a second to look around the room before he was repeatedly hit on the head with a piece of paper, his hands coming up to shield his head.
“You asshole!” he heard Gotak yell.
“Yah, I’m sorry! Seriously man! I’m so sorry!” Suho yelled, trying to grab Gotak’s arms to stop his attack.
Gotak got one last hit in before he was pulled off by Baku.
Behind them, Yeongyi cackled as Suho caught his breath and fixed his hair. “Is basketball ever this serious?”
“Yes.” Gotak turned around to glare at her.
Yeongyi nodded, then made a confused face. “Wasn’t Baku suspended and therefore can’t even play? What does it matter if Suho is a little late? I didn’t see you this angry at Baku.” she pointed between them.
“Well, let’s be honest, I expected it from Baku.” Gotak shrugged as Baku made a face at him. “And Suho knew how important this was to me!” he exclaimed, taking the opportunity to take another hit at Suho. Suho ducked down and moved to face Gotak.
“Go Hyuntak. Seriously.” he grabbed his shoulders. “I’m really sorry. Yichan had an emergency this morning. And he needed my help, you know that.”
Gotak sighed. “Oh. Is he okay?”
“He’s fine.” Suho said before huffing. “Yah, Gotak, you haven’t even asked if i’m fine. Do you know how hard I tried to get here quicker, I fell over!” he whined, pointing at his scoffed knees.
Yeongyi got up and walked over, a mocking tone to her voice. “Oh no! Do you want me to kiss it better for you?” She squatted down to take a closer look at his leg and gasped. “Wow, looks like we’ll need to call an ambulance. How are you even standing right now?” She kept going.
Suho made a move to kick her but she got up and moved away, a smirk on her face.
“Anyways, I wasn’t the only casualty. I knocked into someone.” Suho mentioned, sitting down on the sofa.
“Who?” Baku asked, sitting down next to him.
“Another guy. I don’t know his name though.” Suho tilted his head. “I tried to check if he was okay after but he pushed me away.”
“So, you knocked him over and then manhandled him. Wow, you really are an asshole.” Gotak said, sitting next to Baku.
“No! I was just making sure he was fine! And he told me he was so I left.” Suho defended himself.
“That’s not any better. You left him there?” Baku laughed.
“Yeah, you definitely gave that guy a brain injury.” Gotak said, taking a sip of his drink.
Everyone stilled.
Gotak felt a smack on the back of his head. “Idiot. Don’t say things like that.” Baku muttered. Gotak’s eyes widened as hurriedly put his drink down.
“Sorry, I didn’t-“ He started, finding Suho’s eyes. “I didn’t mean that. I’m sure he’s fine. You said he said he was okay, right?”
Suho nodded. He couldn’t speak, he felt like the words were knocked out of him.
“Then he’s okay.” Gotak concluded.
Suho nodded again absentmindedly. He took a deep breath and stood up.
“Right.” He started in his normal cheery tone. “Since i’ve wronged Gotak today, lunch is on me! What do you guys want?”
-
Suho walked through the library, looking through the shelves. “So annoying…” he muttered as he tried to find the book he was looking for. He walked along the shelf and read the titles of the books until he went to the end of that section.
“Seriously? Where is it?” he groaned in frustration, lightly hitting the shelf. A few books fell down, scattering on the floor next to his feet. He sighed and squatted down to pick them up. As he looked up, he saw a boy sat at a table, reading a book and scribbling intensely in his notebook while headphones sat on his head. Suho stared for a minute and began putting the books back, thinking back to where he knew the boy from.
His eyes widened when he realised, and he hurriedly shoved the rest of the books back into the shelf and walked over to that table.
“Hey.” he said, standing next to the table.
After a minute, he tried again. “Hello?” he noticed the boy pause his writing and look up at him.
Suho opened his mouth to speak but froze when he met the others boy’s eyes.
God. He’s so fucking pretty.
“Hi.” he smiled. “I don’t know if you remember me…”
The boy’s face showed no changes except he was scanning Suho’s face with his eyes.
Undeterred, Suho continued. “I knocked you over the other day.” he scratched at his head. “Well, I knocked us both over.” he muttered.
“Anyways, I am really really sorry. Seriously, I am. I didn’t see you and I was in a total rush-“ Suho paused his rambling as he got no reaction.
“Uh- I just- I wanted to apologise and check that you were okay, since I didn’t have time to before.”
No response, just a stare.
“It’s okay if you’re mad at me. At least it means you’re not hurt.”
The other boy sighed and started writing something, turning the page towards Suho.
i’m fine
Suho stared at the paper before the other boy pulled it back and went back to writing, seemingly finished with the conversation.
Something clicked in Suho’s brain and he tapped the table in front of the boy to get his attention. When he looked up, Suho started signing.
Do you know sign language?
The other boys’ eyes widened before he nodded.
Sorry, i didn’t know you were deaf. Suho continued.
The other boy shook his head.
I’m not
“What?” Suho asked.
I’m not deaf
“Oh.” he said, mouth open. He waited for the boy to elaborate but that never came. After a while, Suho spoke up again.
“Anyways. At least you’re not hurt.” Suho cheered, clapping his hands together. “I still feel like I owe you something though, so let me treat you to a meal!”
The boy looked up at him before shaking his head.
I’m not hungry
“Fine, then take my number and you can text me when you are.” Suho said, snatching the pen from the boy and writing down his number in the corner of the page. His eyes widened as he realised.
“Hang on, I don’t even know your name. My name is Ahn Suho.” he said with a wave. “What’s yours?”
The boy took the pen back and wrote before turning the page to Suho.
Yeon Sieun
“Woah, pretty name..” Suho whispered as he looked up at Sieun.
Suho’s phone rang, startling him. He pulled back and read his texts, eyes going wide.
“Sorry, something’s come up. I have to go. But I still owe you, text me when you want a meal.” he said, winking at Sieun before walking to the exit.
-
“He thought you were deaf?” Juntae asked, hand on his hip. Sieun nodded. “I guess it’s a fair assumption to make.”
Sieun nodded again before digging into his ramen.
“Did you actually get hurt when he fell into you?” Juntae asked, digging into his own food.
Sieun shook his head.
“That’s good.” Juntae paused, looking like he wanted to say something. Sieun caught on, giving him a questioning look.
“Are you feeling okay?” He asked gently. “You’re not talking much.”
Whatever words were on Sieun’s tongue dissolved as his heartbeat sped up. He looked down as Juntae made a face of realisation.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have commented on it.” He said, digging into his own food.
They sat in silence for a while until Sieun spoke up.
“It’s just worse recently. I don’t know why.” he said quietly, almost trying to hide his words from the other.
“It’s okay. That’s why I’m here. You can talk to me, I’m not scary.” Juntae said, giggling to lighten the tone.
That made Sieun crack a small smile. “Yeah. Thank you. This does help.”
Juntae smiled back as Sieun reached into his bag, pulling out the other’s favourite snacks and handing them over.
“Here.”
Juntae gasped. “I’ve been craving these!”
“I know. You keep talking about it.” Sieun scoffed with no malice.
“Thank you, Sieun-ah.” he said as they both dug back into their food.
Their conversation continued, with Juntae carrying it and Sieun chiming in a few times.
-
Suho sighed as he walked into his first class of the day. It was a mandatory class that all second years had to do, which mixed their electives. He was an extrovert but he was a bit tired of meeting new people.
He stopped at the entrance and looked around to see if he could see anyone he already knew. He saw a few people he knew and was about to go up to a group of them when he saw him.
The boy from the other day. Yeon Sieun.
The boy that he had definitely not been thinking about all the time. And he was definitely not disappointed when he never got a text. And he definitely didn’t regret not asking for the other’s number.
Although Yeongyi would disagree and make fun of Suho for his constant moaning that the pretty boy never texted him. But no one else had to know that.
His feet immediately started moving before he realised and he went up Sieun.
“Yeon Sieun-ssi!” he said, more enthusiastic than he had meant it to be.
Sieun looked up, recognition on his face.
“Hey. I was waiting for your text.” Suho said. “Do you still have my number?”
Sieun nodded slightly.
Suho smiled, trying to more the other more comfortable.
“I still owe you, don’t forget.” he said while chuckling. “Anyways, can I sit with you?”
Sieun nodded again and pointed to the seat next to him, moving his stationary over.
Suho sat down in silence, getting comfortable. He tried to look over at the other boy but he was looking down, studying something in his notebook, not looking in Suho’s direction once.
Suho got lost in thought. He wasn’t sure if he had made Sieun uncomfortable or if the other was just shy.
“Ahn Suho?”
Either way, he was interesting. Something about him made Suho curious, and he wanted to get to know him more.
Suddenly, Suho felt a tap on his arm. He looked up to find Sieun staring at him before stealthily pointing to the teacher.
“Ahn Suho?” the teacher repeated, searching the room.
“Ah, Yes. Here.” he responded, raising his hand.
He thought he heard a small laugh come from Sieun’s direction, but his expression was unchanged so Suho wondered if he imagined it.
“Hey,” he started. Sieun paused and looked at him. “Thanks.”
you’re welcome. Sieun signed before turning back to his notebook.
The rest of the class was spent with Sieun taking diligent notes while Suho tried not to zone out. He wasn’t dumb, just not particularly interested in the class. There was a prettier view next to him anyways. He tried not to stare at Sieun but couldn’t help but notice the way he furrowed his brows when he seemed frustrated and how he tapped his pen when he was thinking. A few times, Sieun looked in his direction and he quickly looked away. Real smooth.
At the end of the class, he stopped him as he was about to leave.
“Sieun-ssi.” Sieun turned to look at him and Suho froze for a second. He may be strong but he’s not immune to the eyes of a very pretty boy.
Especially Sieun’s. It didn’t help that he was taller than him, so the other was looking up at him with big brown beautiful eyes.
“Can I have your number?” he tucked his hands in his pockets, trying to seem nonchalant.
Sieun’s eyes narrowed.
I’m not giving you my notes.
Suho’s eyes widened. “Huh?”
Sieun rolled his eyes.
You didn’t take any notes at all.
Suddenly, it clicked in Suho’s head. Sieun thought that he hadn’t taken notes because he was just planning to use him without doing any work.
Wait. Sieun had been actually paying attention to him?
A small smile involuntarily came across his face.
“No, it’s not like that. I don’t really care about the class. This is basics anyways, I don’t need notes.”
Sieun’s face didn’t change, it was clear he didn’t believe him.
“Seriously,” Suho started, pouting a little. Sieun’s expression cracked a little and his cheeks slightly flushed, but he seemed to realise and straightened out his expression again.
“If I text you asking for notes, you can block me.”
Why do you want it then?
“I want to be your friend.”
A moment of silence passed as Sieun thought. He eventually held out his hand.
“Hm?”
Phone
“Oh right.” He mumbled as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. He watched as Sieun typed his number in and then handed it back to him.
Sieun waved, signalling he was leaving.
“Ah, Okay.” Suho waved back. “Keep an eye on your phone, I’ll text you! See you later, Sieun.”
Sieun nodded and walked away.
Later, he does get a text.
Unknown number
hey!
it’s suho!
it was nice seeing you earlier, i’m glad we’re in the same class
Sieun
hi
i’ve saved your number
and yeah, me too. guess we have good luck. see you tomorrow
Ahn Suho
see you :)
A few minutes later, Yeongyi also gets a text.
suho
send me money right now
Yeongyi
what for?
suho
our bet.
Yeongyi
i’m not sending you shit until i see proof
suho
meet me outside the main building right now
don’t make bets you can’t win LMAO
Yeongyi
on my way, i still haven’t lost because i don’t believe you.
An hour later, the group chat consisting of Baku, Gotak, Suho and Yeongyi lights up.
suho
WHO’S HUNGRY I KNOW I AM
baku
shocker
suho
dude. yk what idgaf rn i’m too happy. lunch is on yeongyi who’s up for it.
baku
me
and gotak is too
meet us at my dad’s place
suho
on our way
very slowly since yeongyi is sulking
-
20 minutes later, Suho walked into Baku’s father’s shop as Yeongyi drug her feet behind him. The smell of fried chicken filled his nostrils as his stomach rumbled. He saw Baku and Gotak already sat at a table, devouring some chicken.
“Save some for us!” Suho exclaimed as he hopped over to their table, his happiness practically radiating off him.
Baku and Gotak shared a look before they simultaneously turned to look at him.
“And why have you turned into mr sunshine and rainbows today?” Baku questioned as Suho slid into the booth and stole a piece from the bowl on the table, digging into it.
Yeongyi sat next to him and rolled her eyes. “Take a guess.”
Gotak’s jaw dropped. “You’ve got a date?”
“Why is that your first guess?” Baku questioned as he leaned back and put his arm around Gotak. The other unconsciously leaned into his touch as he took a piece of chicken.
“I only ever see him this happy when he’s talking about men.” Gotak replied between bites as Yeongyi snorted.
“How have I ended up surrounded by gay people?” she muttered to herself under her breath.
“Firstly-“ Suho started as he finished chewing. “Look at yourselves. And secondly, not yet. But I will soon.”
“You’ve only just gotten his number.” Yeongyi stated.
“And how many girls’ numbers do you have in your phone?” Suho retorted.
“Well, definitely more than one.”
Baku’s voice interrupted their bickering.
“With who?”
Suho smiled as he rested his chin on his hand. “Okay, remember that boy I knocked over the other week?”
Baku hummed.
“Well, turns out he’s in one of my classes. He’s so-“ Suho tapered off as his smile got wider, reaching his eyes.
“We’ve lost him.” Gotak stated, shaking his head.
Suho, undeterred, kept going. “He’s so pretty and his eyes- his eyes are so big and when he looked up at me, I think I literally fell in love.”
“Does he have a name or are you going to talk about his eyes for an hour?” Gotak asked.
“Don’t say that, he might actually do it.” Yeongyi complained.
“Not telling. What if you steal him from me?” Suho shook his head.
“They’re in a weird gay situationship they refused to acknowledge and I’m a lesbian. I promise no one is going to steal him.” Yeongyi groaned.
Baku and Gotak’s jaw both dropped “Woah-“
“His name is Sieun. Yeon Sieun.” Suho cut them both off before they started denying the truth and he would never hear the end of it.
Baku paused and tilted his head towards him. “Sieunie?”
Everyone turned to look at him and Suho’s jaw dropped. “Hello? Explain.”
Baku’s eyes darted between everyone. “What? I know him, yeah.”
“And why are you calling him so endearingly? Are you good friends with him?” Suho questioned, crossing his arms.
“I’m friends with his best friend so I’ve met him a few times. We’re not close but you’re right. He is very cute so he needs a cute nickname, no?”
“Stop calling my man cute.” Suho complained. “That would be like me calling Gotak cute.”
Gotak shrugged. “I am cute.”
At the same time, Baku smiled. “He is cute.”
They locked eyes and Gotak smiled before looking away, blushing.
“Anyways.” Baku said, changing the topic. “He’s a bit shy so I only really talk to him when Juntae is there, plus I don’t know any sign language so.”
Gotak tilted his head. “Sign language? Is he deaf?” He asked, turning to Suho.
“No, he told me he’s not.” Suho started.
“Oh, is he mute?”
Suho thought for a minute. “Uh..I think so? I haven’t heard him speak and he only talks to me in sign language.”
“Really?” Yeongyi questioned between bites of her food. “I’ve heard people talking about him, everyone says he’s deaf.”
“No, he’s definitely not deaf.” Suho corrected.
As they finished their conversation, Baku’s father came over, telling them to pay.
Suho patted Yeongyi on the back. “Time to pay up.” She swatted his hand away as she dug through her bag.
“Yeongyi bet that I wouldn’t see him again before the end of this week.”
Baku laughed. “Sieunie pulled through so we get a free lunch.”
“Yah-“ Suho started.
“Okay but you’re definitely not going on a date with him anytime soon.” Yeongyi proclaimed as she pulled out her wallet.
Suho turned to her with a smirk on his face.
“Wanna bet?”
Yeongyi counted the bills and put them down on the table, tucking her wallet back into her bag. Baku’s father came over and she handed it to him then turned to Suho.
“Fine. Timeline is a week.”
“A week?” Suho exclaimed. “That’s not enough time-“
“Didn’t you just call him your man 2 minutes ago?”
“Yes but he doesn’t know that yet.”
“And,” Yeongyi cut him off. “It needs to be agreed by both of you that it’s a date.”
Suho groaned and shook his head. “Harsh conditions.”
Yeongyi smirked. “If you can’t do it then-“
“You’re on.”
“Dude, you’re losing.” Gotak chimed in.
“No, I’m not. Baku, back me up.” Suho replied.
Baku looked between both the boys before shaking his head. “I can’t. Sorry man.”
Suho groaned. “I’m proving you guys wrong.” He said, determined.
-
A few days later, Suho was in his favourite class, moping as he had been late that normal and someone had already taken his favourite seat (next to Sieun) He had already sighed deeply enough times for the person next to him to give him a dirty look and he resorted to putting his head down on the table and staring at Sieun’s side profile.
Okay. Maybe this view wasn’t too bad.
It had been a few days since he got his number and he had been constantly writing and deleting messages, trying to think of an excuse to text him. He didn’t wanna text him about their class and prove his suspicions right or god forbid he takes his joke seriously and actually blocks him. One day, at his lowest point, he nearly texted Sieun about the weather before he regained his sanity and decided that was silly.
Suho had zoned out the teacher until he registered the words ‘group project’ and ‘choose’. His head shot up and he smiled.
As soon as the professor finished talking, he bolted up, grabbing his things and hurrying over to the desk Sieun was sat in, dropping his bag on the table and sitting in the seat next to him as the person who was next to him had already gotten up.
“Hey, wanna work together?” He asked with a small smile. Sieun nodded.
“Suho oppa!” a voice came through, startling both of them. A girl that Suho vaguely recognised came over, giving him a big smile.
“Can I work with you?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.
Suho tried to remember where he recognised her from. Her name was definitely Kim. Kim Seo…yoon? Seo…ah? Something like that. A small gasp left his lips as he realised that she had asked him on a date a few days ago and he had turned her down. She had still been friendly to him after. Not close enough to call him oppa in Suho’s eyes but he didn’t really care.
“Yeah, you can join us.” He said, pointing between himself and Sieun.
She paused for a second and turned slightly towards Sieun, as if she hadn’t even noticed his presence before. “Ah, I haven’t met you before. What’s your name?”
Sieun looked up at her briefly before he looked at Suho for a split second then looked back down.
The girl stared at Sieun before looking at Suho with a slightly confused look on her face, her smile faltering.
Suho wasn’t sure what to do. He hadn’t known Sieun for long but he hadn’t heard him speak so he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to respond. He waited for a second to see if Sieun was writing his name down like he had done when he met Suho, but Sieun was just looking down at his notes. Did he want Suho to answer for him? Or would he find that rude?
“He’s Yeon Sieun.” he answered quickly, quietly hoping the other boy didn’t hear him. He wasn’t sure how he would react.
The girl gasped before quickly covering her mouth with her hand. “Is he the deaf one?”
Suho’s brows furrowed in anger and before he could answer, she straightened up and reached out to touch Sieun’s arm, presumably to get his attention.
Sieun quickly pulled his arm back before she touched him and looked up.
“Hi.” She said, clearly trying to enunciate her words. “I’m Kim Seo-hyun.”
Seo-hyun. Right. That was it.
Sieun’s face didn’t change until he sighed, then brought his hand up and then pointed to himself before tapping his ear and then making a thumbs up.
Seohyun’s expression faltered and she tilted her head before she turned to Suho.
“He’s not deaf.” Suho explained, his tone cold.
Sieun was already looking back down, pretending to read his notes. But Suho could see that his eyes were glued to one spot on the page.
Seohyun fully gasped and her smile dropped.
“I’m sorry.” She exclaimed, bowing as an apology to Sieun. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”
Suho crossed his arms. “Also apologise for calling him the deaf one.”
Seohyun flushed as she bowed again. “Again, Sorry, Sieun-ssi. I really wasn’t trying-“
Sieun quickly scribbled something and turned it towards her.
it’s fine.
She read it quickly.
“I am still sorry though. I’ll find another group to work with.” She said with an awkward smile on her face. “See you later, Suho.” She waved and went to another table.
A silence came over their table as Sieun was still staring at his notebook.
“You okay?” Suho asked. Sieun nodded, not looking up.
Suho wasn’t sure if the other boy was angry with him or Seohyun but he decided to give him space, looking around the room.
“Hmm. Looks like everyone else is paired up. I’m gonna ask the teacher if we can do the assignment by ourselves.”
The teacher announced the end of the class and they both packed up their things before heading for the teacher.
After, they found themselves walking in the corridor silently. Sieun was looking out the window.
“Sieun.” Suho said, stopping. Sieun also stopped and turned, looking at him.
“I’m sorry if I crossed a line back there.” He started. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to answer for you? I hope I didn’t make you upset.”
Surprise flashed across Sieun’s face before disappearing again.
That’s not it. Thank you for telling her my name.
Suho nodded. Sieun frowned before continuing.
But you didn’t have to make a big deal out of what she said.
“But she was rude.”
More reason to ignore her.
“I can’t ignore people who talk like that.” Suho looked out the window and sighed. “My brother is deaf. I’d punch someone if they talked about him like that.”
Sieun looked surprised, his mouth going wide.
I didn’t know that.
“Well, yeah. I never told you.” Suho said, chuckling at the obvious statement.
Sieun smiled at that.
Is that why you know sign language?
“Yep. We take sign language classes together.”
Sieun nodded.
Thank you.
Suho tilted his head.
For defending me. I never correct people because that leads to more questions.
Suho nodded. “No problem.” he suddenly tiled his head as if in thought. “So…If someone comes up to talk to us when we’re together, do you want me to answer for you?”
Yeah. Please.
Suho smiled wider before saluting.
“Yes, sir.”
Sieun rolled his eyes before turning to walk away, Suho catching up to him and walking alongside him.
“So, are you doing anything right now?” Suho asked, hoping his nervousness didn’t show.
Sieun turned to him and stared for a minute.
“Like, another class or…?” he elaborated.
Sieun made a face of understanding and looked down to hide the small smile that came across his mouth before he looked back up and shook his head.
Suho smiled back and took a step towards him. “There’s a nice cafe a few minutes from here. I could buy you that meal I owe you and we could work on our project.”
Good idea. Let’s go.
A few minutes later, they were sat in a booth with Sieun sipping on his coffee and Suho already having downed half his milkshake.
Suho had tried his hardest to focus but he honestly couldn’t care less about the project. He tapped the table to get the other’s attention.
“Let’s take a break.”
We’ve just started.
“And I’m bored.” he reached across the table and closed Sieun’s notebooks and pushed them to the side. The other rolled his eyes but didn’t stop him, saving his work before also closing his laptop.
“I wanna know more about you, Sieun-ah.” Suho said, smiling as he took a sip of his drink. “Let’s play a game, like 20 questions.”
Sieun’s expression slightly faltered, looking disappointed before he put a smile on his face and nodded.
“Who’s starting?”
Sieun pointed to Suho.
“Hmm, okay.” He leaned back as he thought, eyes trailing all over Sieun. Despite the smile on his face, the other boy looked slightly nervous as he fidgeted with his fingers. He decided to start with a simple one.
“What’s your favourite food?”
Sieun titled his head in surprise before he smiled.
Ramen.
“Really? So, do you like spicy food?”
He nodded, and Suho smiled excitedly.
“Me too! There are so many good restaurants around here, we should go-“ he paused as he realised he was probably getting ahead of himself, “If you want.”
Sieun nodded.
What about you?
“Hmm,” he thought before he smiled. “My Halmeoni’s cooking. Everything she makes is delicious.”
Sieun smiled and mouthed a word to himself. If you asked Suho, he would say that the other boy had mouthed ‘cute’. But Suho probably wasn’t an unbiased source.
Anything specific you like?
“Jjimdak! She makes it so well, I forced her to teach me the recipe.”
Sounds like you’re close with her. Sieun noted, smiling. What about your brother? Tell me about him.
“My brother? Ah, His name is Yichan. We’re twins but i’m obviously the better looking one. He’s older by 2 minutes and he thinks that makes him my hyung.” He rolled his eyes and smirked before continuing.
“He does take good care of me, though. He-“
…
“He was born hearing.” Suho started, tone going serious. “He was in an accident 2 years ago that resulted in a traumatic brain injury that took his hearing.”
Sieun was listening attentively, a sad look on his face.
I’m sorry.
“What for? Were you driving the car?” Suho joked, breaking the tension that had built up between them.
Sieun laughed, actually laughed, and smiled.
Suho continued. “I looked after him after his accident, and I still do. But I think he feels guilty about it so he tries to return the favour as often as he can.”
Suho looked up and saw the other focused on him, clearly interested in what he was saying. He felt grateful, most people would feel uncomfortable when he talked about Yichan’s accident or change the subject but Sieun didn’t. He just listened.
“He already knew some sign language because his girlfriend is deaf, and now me, him and his girlfriend all go to classes once a week. She comes too because-“ he stopped himself before he kept rambling.
“It’s a long story.” he chuckled. “Anyways, yeah. He’s doing well now.”
He sounds strong.
Suho smiled wide. “He is.”
A comfortable silence came over them.
“It’s my turn to ask right? Do you have any pets?”
Sieun’s face lit up as he nodded and picked up his phone, showing him his lockscreen. On his lockscreen was a black cat laying on the edge of a bed, it’s green eyes half closed, probably falling asleep. Its paws were hanging off the side of the bed, close to the camera.
Suho’s jaw dropped and his face lit up.
“Oh my god. Is it a boy or a girl?”
Boy
“What’s his name?
Sieun turned his phone back around and went to his photo album, showing Suho the name of the album, Bomi.
“Bomi? He’s so fucking cute!” Suho exclaimed, leaning over the table to look closer at the pictures.
Sieun suddenly stood up and he slid into the booth next to him, handing the phone to him.
“Can I scroll?”
Sieun nodded as Suho reached out to take the phone, their fingers brushing for a minute.
Suho didn’t seem to notice as he was too focused on the pictures, Sieun slid away from him to put distance between them but Suho followed him, sitting so close that their thighs were touching.
“Sieun-ah, are those baby pictures of Bomi?” He excitedly asked, putting the phone between them.
Sieun nodded and scrolled past a few of them, stopping on a video of baby Bomi running around in circles.
Suho had the widest smile as he kept scrolling, gushing over Bomi. Sieun stared at him and laughed along with him when he found a video of Bomi jumping off a shelf.
They kept going like this for a while until a staff member came over, carrying the food they had ordered and completely forgotten about.
“Ah- thank you,” Suho started, handing the phone back to Sieun and sliding away from him so they were no longer touching.
“Here, dig in.” he said, leaning over the table to get Sieun’s drink and handing it to him before digging into his own food.
They ate in comfortable silence before Suho spoke up again between bites.
“Bomi is adorable. I need to meet him someday.”
Sieun nodded in agreement.
Once they finished eating, Sieun nervously tapped Suho’s arm.
“Yeah?”
He took a breath before signing.
Are you going to ask?
Suho raised his eyebrows in confusion.
About my voice?
Suho looked around in thought.
“Do you want me to?” He settled on, looking back at him.
Aren’t you curious? Everyone always asks.
“Yeah.” he replied honestly. “But It’s your business so you decide if you want to tell me.”
Sieun couldn’t help the smile that came across his face. He grabbed his notebook and started writing, showing Suho and searching for his reaction.
Selective mutism
Suho read it, tilting his head. “I haven’t heard of that.”
Sieun reached for his phone and searched it up, giving the phone to Suho.
He felt his heartbeat speed up as Suho read, watching his face change from surprise to understanding.
“Oh. You have this?” Suho asked, turning to him.
Sieun couldn’t meet his eyes and looked down as he nodded slightly.
“And that’s why you know sign language?” He asked, connecting the dots.
Sieun nodded again. He wasn’t sure what the other thought and his anxiety spiked. Only Juntae and his parents knew about his condition, he hadn’t told anyone else. He was worried he looked silly in Suho’s eyes now.
If he hadn’t heard of it before and didn’t know about it, he was probably think that. How can someone just not speak in some situations, doesn’t that sound stupid?
“Sieun?” Suho said, breaking through his thoughts.
He looked up and met Suho’s eyes, the other reaching out to bump his elbow.
“You okay?”
Yeah.
…
I don’t normally tell people.
“Thanks for telling me.” Suho smiled, trying to ease his nerves.
Sieun smiled back, his anxiety quieting.
“When do you feel most comfortable talking?” Suho asked, trying to understand more.
At home. With Bomi. And my best friend.
“Who?”
Sieun picked up his pen again.
Seo Juntae
“Ah, I see.” A pause. “Wait, Is he friends with Baku?”
Sieun looked up as he thought. Who?
Before Suho could reply, he had a face of realisation.
Tall? Loud? Black hair?
Suho nodded.
Park Humin?
“Yeah! He’s one of my best friends. So, we probably would’ve met, even if i hadn’t knocked you over.” They both chuckled at that.
“Sorry about that, by the way.”
It’s okay, I was fine. Seriously.
Suho was genuinely sorry that he had knocked him over like that. But deep down, he was glad because it had allowed him to meet Sieun.
Though, he had a feeling he would’ve gone up to Yeon Sieun, no matter the circumstances.
They continued their conversation into the afternoon, their schoolwork long forgotten.