Chapter Text
“Hey Suho, what’s up?” Sieun asks as he picks up his phone. He’s busy studying, but never too busy for his best friend. It doesn't matter where he is or what he’s doing, when Suho needs him, Sieun is there for him without any questions asked.
“Hey Sieun-ah. My shitty landlord is kicking me out.” Suho sounds annoyed but somehow amused at the same time.
“What did you do this time?” Sieun asks dryly. Suho has had many warnings before, so this doesn’t come as a surprise to him.
“Nothing! Just… Well, I guess I might have broken a window when I was practising my MMA skills,” Suho admits without an ounce of guilt in his voice.
“In your room? Suho…” Sieun trails off. He isn’t sure what to say to this. Until now, the complaints were mostly noise-related or about Suho having too many people in his room when the whole gang hung out there. It was never something as serious as property damage.
“Worse, actually. I broke a window in the lobby,” Suho chuckles.
“Why were you even…? Never mind. When are you being kicked out?” Sieun asks, tapping his pen against his chin.
“Right now, kinda,” Suho answers.
“Come stay with me then,” Sieun says without a second thought.
“I don’t want to be in the way with your exams coming up,” Suho says softly.
“You’ll either be at school or your job. We would only see each other in the evenings and the weekends, and if you’re annoying, I’ll just send you away or go to the library to study. As long as you don’t practice your MMA skills here, it really won’t be an issue, Suho.”
“Okay, but just for a few nights until I figure something else out,” Suho replies.
“Sure. Do you need help moving your stuff?” Sieun asks, secretly looking for an excuse to stop studying. He would give anything to close his books and notebooks and leave the house, even if it’s just for a moment.
“No thanks, Sieun-ah, I've asked Baku to carry my boxes. You're too small and not that strong anyway,” Suho laughs at his own joke.
“You know the code,” Sieun replies, ignoring Suho's unfunny banter, “I'll study some more until you're here.”
“Thanks, Sieun, you're the best!” Suho happily replies, “Good luck studying!”
Sieun hangs up and tries to focus on his textbook, but a quick look around his apartment has him changing plans. He's usually a very organised person, and he always cleans up after himself, but exam season is coming up, so Sieun's cleanliness has had to move to the background.
He quickly gets rid of any trash he finds, turns the robot vacuum on, and cleans the kitchen as the robot rids the floor of dust. Even though Suho will definitely not notice it, he still fluffs up the pillows on the couch and empties the coffee table so Suho can use it as a nightstand.
The pile of clothes that Sieun was still meaning to sort through is dumped into the laundry basket. He will deal with that at a later moment. For now, he makes his bed and gets rid of any scattered messes.
Sieun then cleans the bathroom until the mirror is so shiny that it's almost blinding. He stacks a few extra rolls of toilet paper on the little ledge behind the toilet and makes sure that there are plenty of clean towels for the two of them.
After about an hour, Sieun's apartment looks decent enough to have Suho over. He knows that Suho wouldn't have minded the mess one bit, but it's still common courtesy to make his space at least somewhat neat.
Just as Sieun is about to dive back into his books, he hears chattering in front of his door, and then the familiar sound of the door code being typed in and the door unlocking. Suho looks at least somewhat apologetic as he drops two big bags in the hallway before kicking his shoes off and running into the living room to embrace Sieun. “Thanks for letting me stay here, Sieun-ah.”
Baku scratches his head as he looks at the two of them. With a somewhat amused voice, he then says, “I’ll leave these here and let you two sort this out. I need to get to my job. Good luck, boys!”
Suho is still squishing Sieun as he turns around to wave at their friend, “Thanks for the help, Baku!”
“Sure! Bye!” Baku’s voice sounds before the door is shut behind him.
“Erm, Suho, can you let go of me?” Sieun asks. His cheek is uncharacteristically flat against Suho’s shoulder.
“Not yet! I must show my gratitude!” Suho chirps, and he somehow manages to press Sieun even closer to himself. It’s only when Sieun fakes not being able to breathe that he finally lets go of his best friend.
Ever since Suho woke up from his coma, the two of them had gotten very close, and Suho had also befriended Sieun’s new friend group. They’re a bunch of lunatics, and with Suho added into the mix, it’s somehow even worse, but Sieun wouldn’t want to have it any other way. He has Suho back, his friends love him, and he loves them just as much.
They changed their status to best friends a few weeks after Sieun had Suho back. It was Suho who came up with this label, and Sieun accepted it. He had a different label in mind, but he definitely wasn’t able to share this idea with Suho.
Suho has been busy catching up on school, and will graduate high school in a few months, around the same time Sieun will finish his first year of university. His best friend has decided not to go to university. He might go to a community college, as Beomseok’s family paid his grandmother a hefty sum to keep quiet. This money made sure to wipe their debts, but uni is still very expensive, and even though Sieun knows that Suho is smart and he would do well, if his best friend doesn’t want to do it, then he won’t force him.
Grandma probably has more influence on this topic, as she also managed to make Suho have perfect attendance in high school, as she holds academic knowledge in high regard. She has even told Sieun many times how proud she is of him. It had made Sieun feel a little bashful, as he’d never received this amount of genuine praise from his parents.
For now, Suho will have his focus on catching up and getting his high school diploma. They’ll have to see what happens after that. Suho had promised his grandmother to get this one at least, and Sieun knows that Suho won’t be able to break this promise. It’s a good thing, because even if he doesn’t decide to go to university or college right away, he can always do it later.
“Ugh, I’m so glad that you didn’t allow me to become homeless, Sieun-ah,” Suho says with the biggest grin on his face.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Suho. Grandma would have happily accepted you back into her home,” Sieun replies softly.
“Oh, she can not know about this whole incident. As far as she knows, I’m still living in my old place! Once I find something new, I’ll just tell her that rent was cheaper there,” Suho shrugs, “And in the meantime, I can hang out with my best friend! I’m the luckiest person ever!”
Even in a time like this, Suho easily finds a way to be positive. He’s so cute. Sieun tries not to blush as he looks at Suho, but he definitely fails, because Suho coos and squeezes both his cheeks before turning his attention to his bags and asking Sieun where he can stash his stuff.
Sieun is very much in love with Suho, but he can never tell him that. Suho was the only light in a long darkness that Sieun hadn’t even realised he was in until this boy appeared right in front of him. He had noticed Suho before, but as he was always either sleeping or getting into fights, he wasn’t really interested in Suho at first. Only when he started standing up for Sieun did he start paying attention to him.
Suho was the first person to offer him any form of kindness in high school, and even if Sieun didn’t expect any friendship to ever be able to form between them, it happened quickly and inevitably. The feelings of love developed simultaneously, and without even noticing, Sieun had started looking at Suho with different eyes than before.
Sieun hadn’t even been aware that he could have feelings like this for someone, let alone a boy. He’s always been so focused on studying that he barely paid any mind to his classmates and whatever gossip was going around about them. It’s only when he started to be interested in Suho that he started to listen to what they’re saying about him.
In high school, Suho was known as a free spirit, carefree and laid back, not too worried about his grades. But he was also the best fighter in class, using his fists before his words, and he was very popular with the girls. That last part always made Sieun feel a pang of jealousy, and he hated how nonchalantly Suho would fight their angry boyfriends, telling them that the dates he went on didn’t mean anything and blaming the girls for sliding into his DM’s.
It used to annoy the hell out of Sieun. Especially as Suho seems to be fiercely loyal, mostly to Sieun. The interesting thing is that ever since they’ve become friends, Suho has not gone on any dates or talked about any girls. Sieun has really tried his best not to think about this too much. When Sieun asked Baku what this could mean, his friend told Sieun that Suho definitely likes him too, and he had a huge grin on his face, but Sieun still can’t quite believe that to this day, as he’s really nothing special, and he doubts that Suho is into guys.
He’ll settle on being best friends until Suho shows any interest in him. It would take a miracle for that to happen, and Sieun has long given up hope. He also can’t risk losing Suho again. It was traumatic enough to have lost Suho once and sit at his hospital bed as he was hooked up to all kinds of machines. Sieun won’t go through anything else like that.
“I’m happy to have you here, too, Suho,” Sieun replies. He’d been lost in thought, and Suho had been patiently waiting for his answer. Suho is always so patient with him, so sweet and gentle, protective and willing to fight the whole wide world to protect Sieun. How could he not have fallen in love with his best friend?
“I promise I won’t distract you from your studies. I’ll unpack, you go back to reading about… What does that even say?” Suho asks as he scrunches his eyebrows.
“Don’t worry about it,” Sieun chuckles, “You focus on your unpacking. I cleaned up the couch for you, and I’ll get you some blankets and a pillow later.”
“The couch?! Am I not allowed in your big-ass bed, Sieun-ah?” Suho asks as he does his best to make a cute face.
Even if it fully affects Sieun, he tries not to react in any obvious way, and just shakes his head as he says, “The couch is very comfortable. Baku has slept on it, Juntae, Gotak too. No complaints.”
Suho narrows his eyes at that and feigns annoyance before shrugging, “Okay, guess I’ll join the long list of dudes who slept on your couch.”
Sieun rolls his eyes before opening his textbook and trying to focus on the text in front of him. Seeing Suho move around, flexing his muscles as he carries his boxes and wipes his forehead doesn't help much, however. His eyes keep involuntarily moving towards his best friend. For once in his life, Sieun is grateful for global warming, as he gets to see Suho glistening with sweat.
“Hey! Focus on your studies about whatever you’re reading about!” Suho exclaims when he notices Sieun’s eyes on him. “I know I’m way more interesting, but I do not want to be responsible for you failing your exam!”
Sieun’s face instantly flushes as he’s caught staring at his best friend. Blushing wasn’t a thing for Sieun before Suho. He didn’t get bashful about small interactions like getting fed by hand or having Suho put his helmet on him. Small glances, soft smiles, stupid jokes, the touching of knees or elbows - everything that Suho does makes Sieun’s cheeks hot and red, and it’s incredibly embarrassing.
As Sieun hides his face in his textbook, he still hears Suho rummaging around, and he can’t help but look again. Suho has his back turned to Sieun, so he can freely stare at his best friend. Sieun concludes that Suho has a nice butt and very alluring thighs, and that the shorts he’s wearing should be illegal.
When Suho turns around, Sieun has his eyes fixed on the textbook again, but he’s really not able to read a thing. He looks at the pictures instead, studying them like they’re the most interesting things in the world. He would not want to be caught staring at Suho’s ass.
“I’m heading to the convenience store. Do you need anything?” Suho asks with a warm smile. It comes so easily to him, being nice to Sieun. His best friend is really the coolest person in the world.
“I’m good, Suho-yah, thanks!” Sieun replies with a smile as he looks up from his books and into the eyes of his best friend.
Before Suho, Sieun never smiled. There wasn’t any reason to do so. Maybe when he was a small child, he did it naturally, but not after. Constant fighting at home until his parents finally split up, not having any friends, and eventually the bullying - Sieun lost all reason to smile. His first smile in years was because of Suho, and Sieun still vividly remembers Suho’s reaction to it. He was already falling for Suho then, but Sieun only realised after, once he thought he’d lost Suho forever.
Suho nods, and then he’s out the door. Sieun can finally breathe. His heart has been beating in his chest like crazy, and he needs a moment to recover. Sieun isn’t sure how he will survive constantly having Suho around, but he’ll try and make the best out of it and have a good time with his best friend.
As soon as he somehow manages to focus on studying, Suho’s beautiful smiling face is in front of Sieun again, and he puts a plastic bag on the table as he says, “I got you some brain food to help you study. Blueberries, some nuts, spinach, broccoli, and some green tea. Let me wash the blueberries for you, and I’ll use the veggies for dinner. Here, drink the tea.”
Sieun’s heart nearly explodes at this unexpected show of sweetness. He isn’t sure how to respond. Of course, it’s not the first nice thing Suho has done for him. They’ve been through so much shit together that this is the tiniest of gestures compared to all of that, but still, Sieun’s heart is warmer than it just was. “Thanks, Suho, that’s very sweet of you.”
As Sieun sips on the tea, Suho sits down at the kitchen table next to Sieun with a bowl of washed blueberries. “Let me feed you, so you can keep your eyes on the important stuff,” Suho says with a grin on his face. Sometimes, Sieun can’t help but wonder if Suho knows what effect he has on Sieun.
Even if it makes him even more nervous than he was before, Sieun takes the challenge and opens his mouth while he looks at Suho. His best friend, who already had his hand right in front of Sieun’s mouth, suddenly pauses as they lock eyes. He bites his bottom lip and then presses the blueberry between Sieun’s lips. As his fingers linger on Sieun’s mouth for a moment longer than would be normal between best friends, Sieun feels his face flush again, but he keeps his eyes on Suho's face as he chews on the blueberry and tries not to choke on it.
Sieun loves looking at Suho's face. He loves every little detail on it. He's so handsome that when Sieun started falling for him, he started to wonder if Suho was actually real. He might be an alien in a human suit. It wouldn't have surprised Sieun with how perfect his best friend is.
“Hey, I said eyes on the textbook,” Suho chuckles. “I'll start on dinner, keep studying, brainy.”
Sieun just nods as he looks at the book in front of him again, but his mind is too filled with Suho. He's glad that he already did a lot of studying, and he's mostly just meant to be revising stuff. Having this cute boy around does not help one bit. As he eats some more of the blueberries, he watches as Suho washes some rice, he listens to the beeping of the rice cooker a moment later, and then the veggies are being chopped, washed, and fried. The sizzling sound is actually comforting Sieun’s anxious heart.
Every time Suho turns around, Sieun's eyes are on the textbook again, but the last time Suho actually catches him in the act of staring at his muscular arms, cutting the veggies. “Hey! Is the topic you're studying really that boring that you would rather watch me?”
Definitely. Sieun feigns a laugh, “I'm just procrastinating. But to be fair, I've already done a lot of studying. I'm just doing some final revisions.”
“I see. Wouldn't it be good to take a break then? We can have dinner in a few minutes, maybe watch something together and then I'll leave you alone to do some deliveries anyway, so you can give studying all your attention again, Sieun-ah,” Suho says with a warm smile.
“Okay,” Sieun says, and he smiles back as he grabs his books and puts them back into his backpack for now. He'll set the table, as Suho has already put in enough work with getting the groceries and cooking.
“Sieun-ah, what do you usually eat? I noticed that your fridge is painfully empty,” Suho says as he puts all the dishes he’s just prepared on the table.
“During exam time, it's usually something I can throw in the microwave. Well, to be honest, it's always like that. I never learned how to cook,” Sieun shrugs.
“Well, that could be a great task for me then!” Suho beams. “I've learnt so much from Grandma, I'm basically like a walking cookbook.”
“Sure,” Sieun agrees shyly.
“Once you're done with your exams, and I've moved out, because I'm not planning to stay in your way too long, I'll come by and teach you!” Suho enthusiastically exclaims.
“That’s a great idea, Suho. Now, let's enjoy this delicious-looking dinner,” Sieun says softly, and for the first time in a long time, he ends the day with a full stomach and a happy heart.