Archive of Our Own

The sound of the keyboard clacking pierces his ears as he stands in front of her desk, hands behind his back and his head hung low. She hums as she types, and Sieun's not even sure she remembers he's there.

"Oh, Sieun-ah, when did you get here?" She says continuing to type on the computer, not even looking up to acknowledge the boy. ten minutes ago, Sieun thinks but doesn't say aloud. "I saw your new team is doing great work, I just wanted to congratulate you. I expected nothing else from you, you're good at anything you do."

Sieun expects this, he really does, but his throat still goes dry thinking back to all the times Sieun has explained he's not good at everything— hell, there's a lot he's bad at— but his mother still makes these comments. Of course only when he has something to prove for it.

His fingers start digging into his palm as he looks up at her, "thank you, mother." He stares at the woman in front of him who can't even be bothered to spare him a glance.

Her phone buzzes next to her and the clacking finally comes to an end. She clicks her tongue at whatever message she gets and finally looks up at the boy in front of her, "do you have anything else to tell me? I have a meeting I have to get ready for." Like she wasn't the one who stopped Sieun from working in the first place to call him up here.

Sieun shakes his head.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," she says, and she's nodding her head towards the door before her eyes fall right back to her phone. Sieun gives her a small bow and turns to walk out of the office, closing the door behind him.

He stands outside the door for a second to take a breath.

He sighs as he takes a step, giving the secretary outside his mother's office a small smile, before he's walking through the halls he knows all too well. He makes his way to the elevator, pushes the button and as he waits for the doors to open he glances down at the watch on his wrist and sees it's lunchtime now.

The doors in front of him open and he steps in, pushing the ground floor button as he shoves his badge into his shirt pocket. He leans his head against the elevator wall, his eyes close as he exhales a shaky breath, calculating how he has about thirty seconds before he has to throw a smile on his face and pretend his mother didn't just ignore his existence about five minutes ago.

His eyes open as the elevator is passing floor five, and he's already standing up and straightening his suit out. By the time his eyes look up, the doors are opening on floor one and he's smiling at the people getting onto the elevator.

"Afternoon, did you have a good lunch?"

"We did, thank you Mr. Yeon." They're all looking at him with shining eyes and fake admiration. "Enjoy your lunch as well sir," One says, and the group bows as the doors are closing.

Sieun turns and walks out of the building. It's a nice day today—not too warm—and he decides he'll eat outside to keep himself out of the gloomy office.

He stops at a convenience store and throws a few things in the basket, then makes his way to the park that's just a block away from his office. He finds a bench away from all the kids bustling around, drops his bag down, sits, tilts his head back, and closes his eyes.

The sun feels nice against his skin, warming his body from the cold interaction he had twenty minutes ago and clearing his mind of his mother's words.

His attempt at relaxation is interrupted by a small gasp, and he lifts his head only to be met with a small girl standing in front of him.

"Ahjussi, how old are you?!" she asks, practically bouncing on her toes.

Sieun looks around and sees that there's no one around them. Bringing his eyes back down to the girl, he points at himself and asks, "Me?"

"Yes you! Who else?" And then she's dragging herself onto the bench next to Sieun, turning her whole body toward him. "You're pretty. My uncle says he likes pretty boys but they have to be older than twenty-two because that's how old he is."

Sieun lets out an amused huff, whipping his head around one last time to see if anyone is looking for the little girl. He looks back at her with a small, genuine, smile on his face and finds himself asking, "oh yeah? Is your uncle here with you right now?"

She nods her head enthusiastically. "He is…um, somewhere… I'm not sure where he went!" She beams up at Sieun.

"What's your name? Maybe I can help you find your uncle," he says, turning his body a bit toward the girl.

"Eunji!" she chirps. "But my uncle will find me, he told me if I get lost to sit with someone trustworthy in the area, and he'll always find me. What's your name, ahjussi?"

Sieun is confused—so much has happened in the past minute since she's appeared, and his mind can barely keep up with the flow of the conversation.

Despite that, he still finds himself telling her, "My name is Sieun. How can you know if I'm trustworthy or not, Eunji-ah? You only just met me."

She hums, turning her body toward the front of them and starts swinging her feet. "I don't know, I could just tell you were very kind!"

Sieun's smile falters for a second. He cant help but feel his throat tighten at this small girl's words.

His thoughts get interrupted by a small growl and Eunji is sheepishly smiling up at him. "Sorry, I haven't had lunch yet, hehe."

He reaches into the bag forgotten at his side and pulls out a rice ball, offering it to her. "Do you like tuna?"

She positively beams. "Mm, I do! Thank you, Uncle Sieun!"

Sieun nods, taking the packaging off and holding out the rice ball for her.

"Ah, Uncle Sieun, you're hurt!" She grabs his hand, looking down at the small crescent-shaped wound on his palm. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a pink Band-Aid with hearts and rainbows all over it, opening it with ease and placing it over Sieun's cut.

Before he can even think back to why the cut is there in the first place, Eunji is talking again. "My uncle works a lot. He always has a new cut on him, so I carry these around for him." She grins, smoothing over the Band-Aid on Sieun's hand.

She finally takes the rice ball out of Sieun's other hand and takes a big chomp out of it. Sieun thinks she might choke with how much she just bit off, but she just chews it down, smiling big and mumbling out that it's so yummy.

Eunji talks about her day in great detail: all the drama that's been happening at school, how her uncle picked her up today because he promised to take her to the park. Sieun can barely get a word in with how fast she's rambling.

"Ahn Eunji!" he hears someone call and turns his head, meeting the eyes of a tall boy. He looks between them for a second before he's running up and kneeling in front of Eunji, "Yah—how could you just leave the playground like that?"

This close up, Sieun can see the sweat beads on the man's forehead. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handkerchief, offering it to the man in front of him.

"Suho, this is Sieun! He let me sit with him and he gave me a rice ball too. Isn't he nice?" she says, wagging her eyebrows up and down.

At that, Suho pops up to his feet and bows to Sieun a few times. "I'm sorry! I looked away for a second, and when I looked up, she was gone," he says reaching down to pinch Eunji's cheek, to which she just giggles in response.

"It's okay, Eunji is very respectful." Then he offers his handkerchief again. This time, Suho accepts, patting his face dry. "I'm Yeon Sieun, I work a few blocks away from here," he says, smiling up at the boy.

"Ah, Ahn Suho, I'm Eunji's uncle. I'll wash this for you and return it," he says, holding the fabric up.

Sieun shakes his head. "It's okay, you can keep it." Then, he turns to look at Eunji, asking, "is this the uncle who likes pretty boys?"

Eunji grins, nodding her head. "Mm, could you tell?"

He laughs as he looks up at Suho, whose eyes are wide and his mouth agape. Sieun can see the red traveling up his neck as he looks back and forth between Eunji and himself.

Eunji must not notice, because she continues on, "He's twenty-two, and he's gonna be twenty-three soon, so he can only date you if—"

Suho moves forward fast, covering her mouth before she can keep going.

"Ahn Eunji ," he hisses out as the girl giggles.

Suho scoops her up into his arms, hand still over her mouth, and bows to Sieun one more time. "Thank you again, and I'm sorry. Please forget what she was saying, sometimes I just ramble to her."

Sieun just smiles. "Bye-bye, Eunji-ah, it was nice meeting you." Then his eyes travel over to Suho. "You too, Ahn Suho. It was nice to meet you."

He stands up and grabs his bag of forgotten lunch, looking down at his watch. "It's about time I start heading back to the office." He flashes them one last smile and turns to start walking away.

"Yeon Sieun, see you next time," Suho calls before he can get too far away. Sieun turns to see Suho and Eunji with big grins on their faces, both waving at him.

He throws back a small wave, finally walking toward the office. He finds himself walking a bit slower to the office than he usually would, basking in the sunlight and the fuzzy feeling in his chest a bit more.

And this time, when he walks through the office, it's a real smile on his face, not a fake one he was wearing for his mother.

Back at his desk, he's typing on his computer when he catches a glimpse of the pink Band-Aid on his hand. He runs a finger over it, recapping the whole situation, wondering how the two unexpected guests who appeared like a whirlwind managed to make him completely forget about the emptiness he had felt earlier this morning.

Time seems to fly by as he works through the papers his team has fallen behind on. He barely even notices people getting up to leave for the day, only realizing when one of them offers him a quiet goodbye.

He looks at the time and it's just past 10:30. Deciding he's done enough for the day, he starts packing his bag and shutting his computer down.

The air outside is chilly as he steps into it, too cold for the month of May. He shivers, stuffing his hands into his pockets, and looks up at the stars.

As he starts walking, he catches sight of a bike sitting in front of the building, his gaze drifting to the man standing beside it. "Ahn Suho?" he questions as the familiar man looks up, a smile blooming across his face.

"Sieun-ah! You work pretty late, huh? I feel like I've watched the whole building come out while I was waiting," Suho says, straightening from where he'd been leaning against his bike and walking closer to where Sieun is standing.

Sieun glances around before he walks towards the man to meet him in the middle, "What are you doing here? How long have you been waiting?"

Suho sniffles a bit, scratching at his face. "Not that long, I just got here. Eunji told me you gave her lunch earlier, so I was wondering if I could buy you dinner to return the favor."

There's a pause in the air as Sieun studies the man standing in front of him, noticing the way he shuffles from foot to foot. "How did you know where I worked?"

Suho brings a finger to his chest and taps a few times. "Your badge was peeking out."

Sieun looks down and sees his badge is, in fact, still peeking out, the name of the building on full display. His lips fall into an o as he nods his head.

He thinks back to their meeting earlier in the day, how at ease he had felt during the brief conversation with the man. He weighs his options and finds himself saying, "Just to return the favor?"

Suho tilts his head, confusion flickering across his face, waiting for Sieun to continue.

"Not because you like pretty boys?"

Suho's eyes go wide before he barks out a laugh. He turns his head for a second before meeting Sieun's gaze again. "I don't know, would you say yes if I asked a pretty boy like yourself to go out to dinner with me?"

Sieun knows he started this, but he can't stop the red heat from creeping up his face. He hums, "I'll allow it. Just for tonight," smiling up at the taller man.

Sieun peeks around Suho. "Is that your ride?" he asks, nodding his head toward the bike.

"Mm, will you allow me to drive you to our next destination, Sieun-ah?" And then he's bending dramatically, one arm behind his back, the other held out for Sieun to take.

Sieun laughs as he slips his hand into Suho's, letting himself be led to the bike. He pulls out a helmet and puts it over Sieun's head, buckling it for him before swinging onto the bike and motioning for Sieun to climb on behind him.

Sieun hesitates for a second, biting his lip as he wonders if it's a good decision to follow a man he just met today. But then he's locking eyes with Suho, and his worries melt away as he slides onto the bike behind him.

Suho starts the engine, and Sieun's hands feel awkward as he grabs a small handful of Suho's sweater at his back. He feels Suho chuckle against him before the man reaches back, gently pulling Sieun's hands around his waist and drawing his chest flush against his back. Sieun barely catches Suho's, "Hold on tight, yeah?" before they take off, the gloomy office growing smaller behind them.

The wind against Sieun's face feels exhilarating. He tightens his grip around Suho, marveling at how something as simple as a motorcycle ride with someone he just met can feel so liberating.

They pull up to a restaurant shortly after. Sieun releases his grip, sliding off the bike and taking the helmet off. He watches as Suho turns off the engine and hops down, taking the helmet from Sieun's hands and stowing it in the compartment at the back of the bike.

Suho turns to him with a smile. "Let's go, this place is really tasty." His arm drops to Sieun's lower back, guiding him inside.

A bell jingles as the door opens. The woman standing near the front starts to welcome them, before her face lights up and she's saying, "Suho-yah, what are you doing here?" rounding the tables to pull him into a hug.

"I brought a special guest who is in need of a good meal," Suho says, glancing at the boy next to him.

Sieun bows quickly, offering a rushed but polite hello. The woman smiles at him, eyes full of warmth, and the kindness in her gaze makes Sieun shiver slightly.

"Well, you brought him to the right place. Choose a table—I'll bring some meat out for you guys," she says, before she's disappearing into the back of the restaurant.

Suho leads them to a corner table, making sure to pull Sieun's chair out for him before sitting down right beside him. "How do you know her?" Sieun asks once they're settled.

"Ah, I used to work here back in high school," Suho answers, reaching to the side of the table to turn the grill on. "Imo was like a mother to me growing up," he adds, a fond smile on his face that Sieun can't help but mirror.

The woman comes back with a tray and sets down a variety of side dishes and meat, telling them to enjoy before wandering off to help other customers.

Suho rolls up his sleeves, grabbing the tongs to start cooking the meat. Sieun can't help but notice how big his arms are. His gaze trails over the muscles before drifting down to Suho's hands, lingering on the veins standing out so prominently.

He thinks back to the brief moment they'd held hands back at the office. Sieun can't stop himself from wondering how Suho's hands would feel against his own… maybe even around his bo—

His thoughts are interrupted when Suho starts explaining the best way to make a wrap, demonstrating with a piece of freshly cooked meat. He wraps the lettuce neatly and holds it up to Sieun's mouth. "Here, say ah."

Sieun stares at the wrap in front of him for a second, and Suho realizes what he's doing and flushes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm used to feeding Eunji," he says, drawing his hand back.

Sieun's hand moves faster than he expects, grabbing onto Suho's wrist to stop him.

He looks up at him through his lashes as he guides Suho's hand back toward his mouth, opening wide for the wrap Suho made.

Suho's eyes linger on Sieun's lips. He bites his own as he watches Sieun start to chew. He tears his gaze away and let's out a cough as he starts assembling another wrap. "It's good, isn't it? This is how I used to do it back in the day."

"Yes, it's yummy, Suho-yah. You've got skills." Sieun watches Suho eat, noting the size of the bite and realizing exactly where Eunji gets her eating habits from. His eyes follow the way Suho's Adam's apple bobs as he swallows.

Then Suho is turning to look at him. "I never asked—how old are you, Sieun-ah?"

Sieun smiles, remembers his conversation with Eunji earlier. "I'm twenty-three. My birthday just passed earlier this month. Do I pass your test, Suho-yah?" He tilts his head, looking up at him.

Suho chuckles. "Sieun-ah, I think you passed my test the moment we introduced ourselves." He lifts a hand, gently brushing Sieun's bangs out of his face. "What about me? Have I passed yours?"

Sieun just hums, shrugging his shoulders.

"Such a tease," Suho says, staring into Sieun's eyes.

They hold eye contact for a long moment before Suho breaks the silence. "Sieun, your eyes are so beautiful. They feel so kind."

And that warm fuzzy feeling is back in Sieun's stomach. He wonders how Suho can make him feel so light and bubbly with just a few words. Everything that comes out of Suho's mouth sounds so genuine, so different from the hollow compliments he's heard in the past.

Sieun drags his eyes away from Suho's gaze, his neck heating up as he hears Suho laugh. Then Suho smoothly changes the subject, telling him about his day. The conversation flows easily after that; they talk about everything and nothing, just two people trying to learn each other.

"Let's get you home, Sieun-ah. You look tired," Suho says, and before Sieun can even think to decline, Suho is already paying and saying his final goodbyes to the woman working. She peeks out from around him and sends Sieun a wave. Standing by the door, Sieun returns it with a small one of his own.

Outside, Suho leads Sieun back to the bike, settling the helmet over Sieun's head like it's second nature. Sieun gives him his address, and they're off, driving into the night.

The ride is short. They pull up to Sieun's apartment in record time. Sieun hops off, removing the helmet and placing it over Suho's head, smiling as Suho murmurs a small thank-you.

"Thank you, Suho-yah. I had fun tonight," Sieun says, looking down at him.

Suho looks up at him with a soft smile, taking Sieun's hand into his own and brushing his thumb over the back of it.

"Sieun-ah, would you like to go out with me on Saturday?" Suho says, thumb still moving over Sieun's hand.

Sieun's smile spreads wide. "I would love to, Suho."

Suho's free hand slips into his pocket to grab his phone, and when he turns his phone around the new contact screen is already open, staring at Sieun.

Sieun types in his information with his non-dominant hand. Suho pockets his phone, then lifts Sieun's hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. Butterflies erupt in Sieun's stomach, his face burning.

"I'll text you, Sieun-ah. Sleep well."

"Mm, I'll see you, Suho-yah. Drive safe," Sieun says, pulling his hand back before turning to head inside.

Once he reaches the doors, he glances over his shoulder to see Suho still watching him. He waves one last time before disappearing into the building.

Suho waits a full minute after Sieun's walked inside before he takes off, biting his lip as he rides home.

Immediately after Sieun steps inside his apartment, he turns on the shower, his limbs so heavy he feels like he could fall asleep on the spot. He leaves his phone on the nightstand next to his bed and heads into the bathroom.

He takes his time under the hot water, letting the tension he's built up through the day melt away beneath the steady stream.

Steam trails after him as he steps out of the bathroom, toweling his hair dry as he moves toward his bed. He grabs his phone as he sits down and notices several messages from an unsaved number, sent about ten minutes ago.

Smiling, already knowing who they're from, he ignores them for a moment and opens up a new contact instead. He cant help the giddy feeling that bubbles up as he leans back against the headboard and types Suho's name into the contact.

                            수호

hi sieun-ah, this is suho!

thank you for agreeing to come out with me tonight, i had a lot of fun :)

Sieun's smile softens as he types back.

                           I also had a good time tonight. Thank you for taking me along.

                         Good night, Suho-yah.

night sieun! sweet dreams :D

Suho's response comes almost immediately, and Sieun giggles as he closes his phone and snuggles deeper into the bed. He falls asleep faster than he ever has that night—no tossing and turning in bed for hours, no waiting for exhaustion to finally claim him. His eyes flutter closed as he tries to make sense of the strange feeling bubbling in his chest, so different from anything he's ever felt before. Pulling the covers closer, he drifts into the most relaxing sleep he's had in a long while.

The next day, when Sieun is on his way to get lunch, he spontaneously decides to go back to the park. He sits in the same spot as before, scanning the area for the two familiar figures from yesterday, but to no avail.

Eventually, he gives up hope and starts packing away his lunch. Disappointment settles over his features as he makes his way to the trashcan, separating his waste with more force than necessary and tossing everything into its proper bin.

A hand suddenly grabs his shoulder.

Sieun jerks away on instinct, swatting the hand aside. He spins around, eyes wide, only to find Suho staring back at him, arm still suspended midair where it had been pushed away.

"Suho-yah?" Sieun says with apologetic eyes. "Sorry, I didn't know it was you. You scared me."

Suho is panting, sweat dripping down his face just like the day before. "It's okay, Sieun. That was my bad, I should have warned you," he says between breaths.

He plants his hands on his hips, taking a few more deep breaths. "Wow. I haven't run that hard since high school. My relief at the gym was running late, so I had to stay a bit longer. I really thought I was gonna miss you today," he pants out.

"What are you doing here?" Sieun finds himself asking, like he wasn't just waiting to see any sign of him at all.

Suho reaches into his pocket and pulls out a familiar piece of fabric. Sieun immediately recognizes the handkerchief he'd lent him the day before.

"I had to make sure this got back to its rightful owner."

He takes Sieun's hand and places the cloth into his palm, gently closing Sieun's fingers over it. His own linger on top for a brief moment before he pulls away. When Sieun looks up, Suho is already grinning down at him.

"But I said you could—" Sieun starts.

Suho cuts him off before he can finish.

Dramatically, he sucks in a breath. "Sieun-ah, how could I steal from you on our first meeting?"

Sieun stares up at him, thinks about how weird Suho is before he lets out a laugh. "Okay, Suho-yah. Thank you," he says, tucking the cloth safely into his pocket.

"Do you have time to chat? Or do you need to head back to the office?"

Sieun looks down at his watch. He only has about ten minutes before he really should be back at work, not including the walk back to the office. Despite that, he finds himself saying, "No, I have time to spare." He can be late today. He's ahead on his work anyway, usually just staying late to pick up his team's slack.

They wander over to the same bench Eunji had found Sieun on the day before, tucked away from the noise of the park. "You work at a gym?" Sieun asks as they sit.

Suho plants his hands behind himself, leaning back and turning his head toward Sieun. A bead of sweat slides down the side of Suho's face, and Sieun has to tear his eyes away as Suho begins to speak.

“Ah, I own a gym,” Suho says with a grin. “Pretty cool, huh? I teach a few MMA classes here and there, though not as much anymore. Usually only when I need to cover for someone.”

Sieun hums, nodding his head. "So that's why Eunji carries Band-Aids around, I see."

Suho chuckles and lifts his sleeve, revealing a purple Band-Aid covered in unicorns and stars. “Yeah, she tends to keep me covered in them.”

Without thinking, Sieun's hand finds Suho's arm. He hears Suho's breath hitch as his finger brushes over the bandage. "It's cute," Sieun murmurs. "It suits you."

Suho pulls his lip between his teeth, his eyes trailing over Sieun's face. "I know something else cute that suits me," he says wagging his eyebrows.

Sieun scoffs and lightly slaps at Suho's arm where the Band-Aid sits. Not hard, of course, but Suho still dramatically sucks in a breath, clutching his arm "Sieun-ah, you wound me," he jokes.

Their conversation flows easily after that—lighthearted and warm. At one point, Suho says, "You should stop by the gym sometime. Maybe I can teach you a few moves," throwing a few fake punches in the air.

"Sure, Suho-yah. Sounds like fun," Sieun answers.

As much as Sieun really doesn't want to, he has to get back to work. He looks down at his watch and back up at Suho with apologetic eyes. "I should probably start heading back to the office now," he says with a sigh.

Suho stands first, offering a hand to help Sieun up, which he takes. "Okay, Sieun. Duty calls, I guess."

“That it does, Suho-yah. I’ll see you later.”

“See you, Sieun. Work hard. Fighting.”

They wave goodbye, and Sieun has half a mind to ditch work entirely—to drag Suho back to the bench and talk for the rest of the day.

Back at the office, Sieun's foot taps relentlessly under his desk, so much so that someone actually asks him if he's okay. He can't help but think about how fun these past two days have been, how Mr. Ahn Suho is so good at getting him to come out of his shell and actually do something other than work and go home.

As he types away on his computer, he wonders if he'll see Suho again before Saturday. Three whole days feels like an eternity.

He doesn't have to wonder long.

The next afternoon, when Sieun walks into the park, Suho is already there: sitting on the bench they have silently claimed, two drinks set beside him.

Suho notices him immediately, his face lighting up as he waves enthusiastically. "Sieun-ah! Afternoon!"

Sieun makes his way over, a smile slipping out before he can stop it, along with a quiet Hi, Suho.

"I didn't know what you would like," Suho says, handing him a cup. "I got peach tea. Is that okay?"

Sieun grabs the cup from his hand as he hums, "Perfect, actually. I love peach."

Suho's grin widens exponentially. "Me too. We fit really well, don't you think, Sieun-ah?"

A blush spreads across Sieun's face as he looks away, not bothering to answer his question. He takes a sip of his tea instead, steering the conversation to another topic.

Sieun leaves on time today. He can't to be late again if he wants a free Saturday. They say their goodbyes, and Suho takes Sieun's empty cup from him, telling him he'll throw it away.

Such a gentleman, Sieun thinks as he walks back to the office, ignoring all the stares he gets as he practically skips through the doors.

Friday arrives quicker than he expects.

Sieun sits alone in the park, knowing he has a date with Suho tomorrow. He expects solitude, Suho had told him he’d be stuck at work today, so when he hears his name being called, confusion spreads across his face.

"Uncle Sieun!"

Eunji yells out before she's barreling into him, her face squishing against his stomach. He lets out a small grunt, awkwardly hovering an arm around her. Though he’s not used to physical affection, the warmth isn’t unwelcome.

"Eunji-ah, how you you doing today?" he asks.

She giggles, peeking up at him. "Good! I'm glad I saw you today, Suho told me he's been hanging out with you without me and I got jealous. I made eomma bring me today to get back at him."

At that Sieun looks up and sees a woman he's never seen before standing awkwardly to the side of them.

Eunji peels herself off of Sieun and pulls at the woman's hand. "Eomma this is Sieun, Suho's pretty boy," she announces, dragging her to the bench plopping herself in between them.

"Ah nice to meet you. I'm Yeon Sieun," he says extending a hand out to her.

"Yah, Ahn Eunji," the woman scolds gently with a firm look on her face. Sieun's hand lingers awkwardly in the air, his palms getting sweaty. Then she smiles brightly and finally takes it. "You were right—he is a pretty boy. I see why Suho is all star stuck now."

"I'm Yeongi," she continues. "Eunji's mom and Suho's older sister. It's nice to finally meet you Sieun-ah."

Sieun blushes as Yeongi enthusiastically shakes his hand. "Eunji hasn't stopped talking about you since you met," she adds. "She yells at Suho every time he brings you up at home," she says, pulling her hand back.

"'Cause it's not fair!" Eunji interrupts. "I'm the one who found Sieun! Why does he get to see him more than me?" She juts her lip out to show her dissatisfaction.

Sieun can't seem to school his features. They're acting like he's some rare treasure that they found, and it's making him feel…strange. He can't put his finger on this feeling he's been having since meeting the Ahns. They treat him so foreign compared to how he's been treated throughout his life.

Someone calls Eunji's name from afar, a kid her age waving her over to the playground and Eunji, as always Sieun seems to notice, is here and gone like a tornado.

Left alone with Yeongi, Sieun's thoughts begin to spiral.

What if she hates me? The smile she gave me was just show for Eunji, and she's upset Suho let us and Eunji meet in the first place.

He picks at the skin near his thumb.

"I've been wanting to talk to you, Yeon Sieun," Yeongi says quietly, gaze fixed on all the kids playing at the other side of the park.

Sieun's nails dig in deeper to the skin of his finger as his chest tightens. He suddenly feels like a child again, standing in front of adults who talk about him without ever really seeing him.

“Suho’s been really happy lately,” she continues. “He’s always been cheerful, but… he was missing something. When halmeoni passed away, Suho was still in school, Eunji had just been born, and her father…” She trails off.

Sieun swallows, wondering if he should even be hearing this.

“Suho had always felt like he had to become the man of the house,” Yeongi says. “And once someone younger came along, it’s like his whole world tilted. He decided to carry everything himself.

"He started working long hours after school and throughout the night. He didn't even come home most of the time, opting to just sleep at school instead. I think he secretly wanted to drop out but halmeoni would have killed him from her grave if he ruined his perfect attendance," she adds with a quiet snicker.

“I worked when I could, but having a newborn made it hard. Babysitters were unreliable. Whenever I told him to at least come home at night, he’d just say I was a nagging older sister and that I should focus on Eunji.”

Sieun notices her sniffle and keeps his gaze trained on the ground, giving her the space to continue.

There's a pause in the air, and Yeongi wipes the stray tears that fall from her eyes before she continues, "It was really hard, but we pushed through. Suho graduated, built a business for himself, and with Eunji being old enough to be in school, I finally got to get back to work full-time."

Sieun keeps his eyes down, unable to meet her gaze. A hand covers his in his lap. It should feel off, cold, and unwanted, but it's warm. Something he finds all the Ahn family has in common.

He lifts his head to look at Yeongi who is smiling gently. "Since meeting you, though, Suho finally has something else to put his focus on, not just me and Eunji. I want him to live the normal life that was taken from him when he was younger, and I think you can—no, you are doing that for him. Thank you, Sieun."

His throat tightens as her words sink in. "No, I—" he sputters, tears pricking at his eyes. He takes a deep breath before continuing, "I haven't done anything, Yeongi-ssi. If anything, Suho’s the one helping me."

Yeongi shakes her head, giving Sieun's hands a squeeze before saying, "Maybe you guys are helping each other, Sieun-ah."

Sieun bites his lip, holding back the tears. How could he be helping Suho? It doesn’t make sense, he hasn’t done anything for him. "Regardless of what you think, Suho has changed… for the better. And I can’t help but think it’s because of the pretty boy he met a few days ago."

Eunji chooses this moment to run up to them again. Yeongi takes her hands back from where they were sitting over Sieun's, "Did you guys see that? I jumped off the swing and landed it!"

Sieun blinks the tears away and fans his face as if the sun had suddenly turned up the heat, while the two of them talk.

"Ahn Eunji, I think your uncle is a bad influence on you! What if you got hurt?" Yeongi asks, gently grabbing Eunji's face.

Eunji whines, trying to pull her head away from her mothers grip, "I'm fine, eomma! Suho taught me how to land it. I'm strong, just like him!" She throws her arm up to flex her nonexistent muscle as proof.

Sieun laughs at this. Suho and Eunji really are one and the same. From their eating habits, to their attitude, even to the same chopped bangs they both have.

Yeongi pinches the small girls nose as she says, "I'm sure you are Eunji-ah, but one of these days you will end up with a broken bone."

They bicker back and forth and Sieun tunes them out, watching their dynamic with fascination. It's so different than anyinteraction he's had with his own mother. Here, he truly sees the love both Suho and Yeongi have for Eunji spilling out every time they're together, like a tangible, overflowing thing.

He's brought back to the conversation when Yeongi claps her hands a few times. "Okay, it's time to go, Eunji. We still have errands we have to run."

Eunji sighs dramatically. "Bye, Uncle Sieun! I'll see you later." Her eyebrows are furrowed and she has a pout on her face.

"Bye-bye, Eunji-ah. I hope to see you again soon as well," he says, and gently pinches her cheek.

He brings his eyes up to Yeongi who only speaks once their eyes meet. "Bye, Sieun-ah. Call me noona next time, yeah? Yeongi-ssi seems too formal for us, don't you think? Hope to see you at the next family night!" She sends a wink before they both wave and make their way out of the park.

Back at the office, Sieun is struck by a familiar, unsettling thought: How can I help someone else when I barely know how to help myself?

His phone buzzes on the desk, a familiar name popping up on the screen.

                            수호

sieun-ah!

noona told me she and eunji ran into you at the park today

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

how did that go?

also

i was wondering if you wanted to stop by the gym tonight?

                             Hi Suho-yah, it was nice seeing Eunji again. Your sister is very kind, too.

                             Tonight? I should be done around 10 if you'll still be there.

i'll be here!

Pinned location

let me know when you're on the way

i'll come out to get you :D

see you later sieun-ah!!

                            Sounds good, see you later, Suho.

Sieun's distracted the rest of the day. He's not even sure how he was finishing up his work with the way his mind was solely occupied with seeing the boy who has been taking up every thought in his mind.

He's delighted to find the gym is only a fifteen-minute walk from the office. He can’t decide if it’s a blessing or a curse that it’s so close, wondering how many times he'll show up just to mingle with the owner.

Just like Suho had said, he is waiting outside when Sieun arrives. Standing there with a big dopey grin and a wave, he calls out, "Sieun-ah, you made it!" gaze soft as Sieun answers with a nod.

Suho's hand finds its place on his back, something Sieun quite likes even if he never says, and he leads him inside. Most of the lights are turned off, leaving only the soft glow around the boxing ring in the middle of the gym.

Sieun notices a pair of gloves in the corner of the ring. "Were you practicing?" He asks, hands clasped behind his back as he practically tiptoes toward the ring and looks around.

He hears Suho chuckle behind him, and feels an arm slide over his shoulders before Suho's scent fills his nose as he gets closer. He so badly wants to lean into the touch, wrap his arms around Suho's middle and tuck his head into his neck—but he can't bring himself to do so, opting instead for keeping his head straight and pretending to be impressed by the sandbag they pass on the path to the ring.

"I wasn't practicing, I got them out for you." Suho says as he lets go of Sieun and lifts the ropes so he can slide into the ring, holding the rope with one hand as the other reaches out to Sieun. "It's your own private lesson, Yeon Sieun-ssi."

Sieun laughs. "Suho-yah, you were being serious?" he questions looking up at the boy with a smile.

"I'm always serious with you, Sieun."

Sieun's heart skips a beat at this, pink dusting on his cheeks as he brings his eyes to his feet. "I don't know…I don't even think I can throw a punch, Suho."

Suho shakes his head as he sucks in a breath. "That's what you have me for, baby. Let me teach you, hm?"

Baby?

Sieun's head snaps up. Suho is just looking down at him, smile never faltering.

"Ah, my arm's getting tired. Come on," Suho wiggles his fingers a bit to get Sieun's attention.

Sieun's heart is beating so fast right now. Ahn Suho is so damn smooth. His hand shakes as he reaches to grab Suho's. Suho pulls him into the ring, steadying him with a firm grip on his waist, anchoring him.

"Careful, Sieun-ah," Suho teases, and he's laughing as if he wasn't the one who almost made him fall in the first place. Sieun pushes him off with no real force, and Suho raises his hands in surrender, walking backwards to grab the gloves left in the corner.

He tucks one under his arm, and pulls the velcro band back as he grabs Sieun's hand. "Here, let me help." He slips the glove onto Sieun's hand, securing it around his wrist and then does the same with the other hand.

Suho grabs just above Sieun's elbows, guiding his hands in front of his chin. "Always protect your chin, Sieun-ah."

Sieun's eyes are looking down at where Suho's hands rest on his arm. He notices Suho isn't moving, and when he looks up, Suho is watching him with a tender gaze, eyes boring into his.

"So pretty," Suho murmurs the moment their eyes meet. He loosens his grip, Sieun's hands falling down as he does. "The prettiest eyes I've ever seen."

He lifts one hand to Sieun's bangs, gently swiping them out of the way. Sieun holds his breath, finding himself unable to break the eye contact even as he feels heat climbing up his neck. He bites the inside of his cheek, shivering when Suho's fingers brush lightly across his forehead.

As quickly as the touch appears, it's gone. Suho pulls back with a quiet chuckle at Sieun's reaction. "Okay, Sieun-ah. Let's have you throw some punches."

He kicks a foot between Sieun's, nudging them apart. "Feet apart. Angle them a bit, too." Sieun lets his feet be moved without protest.

Suho circles behind him, one hand settling on Sieun's back, the other on his shoulder as he straightens his posture. Sieun swears he can feel anywhere Suho's hands touch him. And then, once again, Suho is pulling his hands away, crossing back to the same corner he got the gloves and picking up the punching pads.

Suho shows him a simple one two, one two, and Sieun finds himself enjoying it far too much. With every punch, something heavy loosens in his chest, whatever anger or tension he didn’t even realize he was carrying slipping away as Suho laughs in front of him.

Eventually, they end up sprawled in the middle of the ring, lying side by side. Sieun has his hands folded over his stomach; Suho's are thrown out at his sides.

Sieun speaks first. "That was fun, Suho. Too fun, I think."

Suho laughs and turns his head to look at Sieun as he answers. "I had a feeling you'd like this, you seem like the type who enjoys hitting things."

Sieun hums, eyes still fixed on the ceiling.

Suho turns his gaze upward again. "I really like hanging out with you, Sieun-ah. Feels like I forget about all my responsibilities. Like all I can think about is you."

"Me too, Suho-yah," Sieun admits softly. "I don't understand it. And I don't like that."

This time, it's Sieun who turns his head towards Suho. Suho doesn't move, but Sieun thinks he can see him holding his breath. "I feel like I can be myself with you," Sieun continues, voice barely above a whisper. "And that scares me. This is something I've never felt before."

It's silent for a moment. Sieun feels the air thickening with each passing second Suho doesn't answer.

"Sorry," Sieun murmurs. "That probably doesn't make sense, does it?"

Suho finally lets out the breath he was holding and turns his head to meet Sieun's gaze. "No. It makes sense." His voice is gentle. "I'm really glad that you feel comfortable enough to want to be yourself around me, Sieun-ah. I feel the same way."

Sieun bites his cheek as they stare into each others eyes, feels the tears bubbling up. Suho lifts a hand to mess with Sieun's bangs, a habit he seems to have taken a liking to.

"Can you imagine," Suho says lightly, "if I'd never told Eunji I liked pretty boys? My little wingniece would have never thought to look for a cutie like you at the park that day."

Sieun laughs through a sniffle, a little "Stupid" spilling from his lips as he sits up.

"Let me take you home," Suho says, pushing himself to his feet. "We have a big day planned tomorrow."

He once again holds out a hand to Sieun, pulling him up more carefully this time. Sieun watches him put everything away, finishing up his closing duties.

Suho moves quickly, flicking off the lights and leading Sieun out to the small lot beside the gym where his bike is parked. Sieun climbs on with familiar ease, this time not shy about wrapping his arms firmly around Suho’s waist.

Somehow, Suho remembers the way to his place. Sooner than Sieun would like he recognizes them pulling into his building lot.

"Thank you, Suho-yah," Sieun says as he removes the helmet.

Suho just flashes a smile, catching one of Sieun's hands as he passes the helmet to him. He strokes his thumb gently over Sieun's knuckles. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sieun-ah. We have a busy day ahead of us."

Sieun smiles at the thought. "What do you have planned, hm?"

Suho chuckles low. "You'll see. It'll be fun, I promise." Suho pulls his hand back. "I'll pick you up at noon tomorrow. That okay?"

Sieun looks up like he's thinking, knowing he was going to say yes to whatever the man was saying. "Okay, sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow, Suho."

"Bye, Sieun-ah. Sleep well tonight," Suho says, a cheeky grin stuck on his face.

Sieun waves as he walks backward. "Get home safe, Suho-yah." He turns around to finish walking into his building, peeking back once as he walks through the doors, catching sight of Suho waving with both arms. He giggles all the way to the elevator.

His heart feels like it’s singing as he gets ready for bed, hoping a very familiar face finds its way into his dreams as he drifts off to sleep.

Sieun wakes feeling strangely refreshed. For a moment, he just lies there, blinking up at the ceiling, before reaching for his phone.

11:23.

He bolts upright with a start. He hasn't slept past eight in the morning since he was in grade school.

"Oh my—"

He tumbles out of bed, nearly tripping over the sheets as he rushes into the bathroom. The shower is on before he’s fully awake, toothpaste squeezed onto his toothbrush as he shrugs his pajamas off in a flurry of movement. He gets ready in record time, throwing on a sweater with a collar-neck underneath, slipping jeans on as he hears a ding from his phone.

here! let me know when you're on your way down

He groans softly, cursing as he looks in the mirror and sees his hair is sopping wet, clinging to his forehead and temples. He looks like a wet dog.

He sends Suho a quick Running a bit behind, I'm sorry Suho-yah. Feel free to come up and wait, and then he's ripping the bathroom drawer open and grabbing the blow dryer out.

He barely hears the doorbell over the sound, turning it off and deeming his hair good enough now that it's mostly dry. Stopping in front of the door to brush his bangs down, he takes a deep breath and opens the door to see Suho.

Suho stands there, hand lifted in a small wave. "Hi, Sieun-ah."

Sieun moves to the side to make space for him to walk inside. "I'm sorry, I accidentally overslept."

Suho walks past him, and Sieun's breath catches as his cologne fills the space. "It's okay!" Suho says easily. "We've got time."

"I'll be ready in just a minute, please make yourself at home." Sieun says, already disappearing into his room.

He slips some socks on, sprays a touch of his own cologne, and checks himself in the mirror one last time.

When he returns, Suho is still standing where he left him, gaze wandering thoughtfully around the apartment.

“Ready?” Suho asks when he notices him, stepping closer.

His eyes drop to Sieun’s neck. “May I?”

Before Sieun can answer, Suho’s hands are there, gently straightening his collar. He smooths the fabric down, lingering just a second longer than necessary. “Sorry,” he murmurs. “It was folded.”

His hands don't move away.

Their eyes meet. Sieun's breath hitches. Suho's eyes trace his face, pausing at his lips before he drags his gaze back to Sieun's eyes. Suho inches closer, slow enough to give Sieun time to stop him. Sieun exhales shakily, eyes dropping to Suho's mouth as his body moves forward on its own. Their breaths mingle.

Just as they're about to close the distance between them, a loud ringing startles them apart from each other. Sieun blushes as he pulls back, a hand going to his hair and smoothing it down.

Suho lets out a cough as he pulls his phone out of his pocket and answers the call. "Suho, where are you?" Sieun can barely hear from the phone as he walks towards the kitchen to give Suho a bit of space.

Sieun retreats toward the kitchen, pretending very hard to be busy. From there, he watches Suho sigh, hand lifting to scratch above his eyebrow.

“I’m… a bit busy today, noona,” Suho says quietly.

Sieun busies himself with putting away the dishes from the day before while waiting for Suho to finish, trying to keep his mind off of their almost kiss. He hears feet shuffling and looks up to see Suho walking back over.

"Sieun…how upset would you be at me if I brought Eunji with us today? Her mom got called into work last minute and she can't get out of it."

Sieun turns, smiling wide. "I'm okay with that. I had fun talking to her yesterday."

Suho comes up to the edge of the counter, mirroring Sieun with a smile of his own. Relief softens his features. "Thank you, Sieun. Let's go, yeah? We don't wanna be late."

They slip on their shoes next to each other and make their way outside. Today, Suho leads him to a car. He opens the door for Sieun, closes it carefully, then buckles him in—winking as he does.

“You have a car too?” Sieun asks, blushing.

"Yeah, I've had my bike since high school. When Eunji was born, I got a car so I could drive her around," and he throws a thumb towards the back to where there's a car seat sitting. Suho pulls off after that, radio turned low as their conversation flows during the drive.

They pull into a neighborhood, and as they pull up to a house he sees a girl standing outside holding a familiar little figure in her arms.

“Just a second,” Suho murmurs, already jogging over. He scoops Eunji up, tosses her playfully into the air once before settling her on his hip. He whispers something, and her eyes light up, pushing against his chest to signal wanting to be put down.

The moment her feet hit the ground, she’s dragging him toward the car. Suho throws a quick wave to Yeongi and then she walks inside with hurried steps.

Eunji all but rips the door open and she gets on her tippy toes, peeking into the car. "Sieun?!" She gasps. "What are you doing here?!"

Suho picks her up and sets her in her seat. "That's Uncle Sieun to you, young lady." He says, buckling her seat belt.

She whines at this. "But I call you just Suho too, how is it any different?"

Suho closes her door. "Sieun is your elder, you need to be respectful." He says as he sits in the driver seat, looking at her through the rear view mirror.

"So are you, you're older than me and I still call you by your name!" She argues.

Sieun laughs. "Hi, Eunji-ah. It's nice to see you again. You can just call me Sieun, that's okay with me."

Eunji looks up at Suho through the mirror and sticks her tongue out at him before turning back to Sieun. "Are you hanging out with us today? What are we doing?" She asks, kicking her feet up and down.

He hums. "I'm not sure what we're doing today, your uncle hasn't told me yet." He turns his head to look at the man in question.

Suho just puts the car into drive, pulls off as he says, "It's a surprise."

The drive is loud, so different from the silent rides Sieun is used to. Eunji is screaming the lyrics to every song that turns on, yelling at Suho if he accidentally messes the lyrics up claiming that it's ruining her flow.

Suho turns the music down as they pull into a parking lot and Eunji sits up in her seat to peer out of the window, before she squeals. "The aquarium?!" She whips her head, "Sieun, have you ever been? It's my first time coming!"

"No, it's my first time, too. Are you excited?" He asks, turning in his seat to look at the smaller.

"I am! I heard they let you pet the stingrays here! My friend told me the shark here is huge, it's called a..." She pauses, thinking. "Um, it starts with a W, I don't remember."

Her car door opens and Suho chimes in, "Whale shark, Eunji-ah," as he unbuckles her seatbelt and takes her out of the car. Sieun also gets out, rounding the front as he meets them by the driver side.

He feels a tug and looks down to see Eunji slotting her hand into his as they start walking to the entrance. He stares, puzzled at the fact that this all seems so natural, that warm feeling bubbling in his stomach once again.

Eunji bolts as soon as they get inside with Suho not far behind. Sieun follows after them, his gaze soft as he overhears Eunji asking Suho what every fish in the tank is before she wanders off to a new section.

They come across a tunnel that leads them through the big tank and Sieun feels Eunji tapping at his leg.

"Sieun, what's that?" she asks, pointing at the moving belt on the ground.

"A travelator," he explains. "You stand on it, and it moves you through the tunnel."

"Wow, that's so cool!" She spins and skips over to Suho, who's standing a few feet away. "Suho, can I get on your shoulders while we go through?"

"If that's what my princess wants," Suho says, leaning down to scoop her up and settle her onto his shoulders. Eunji places her hands on his head as they step onto the moving pad. Sieun steps on behind them, watching Eunji’s head flick in every direction as they move through the tunnel.

Watching the scene unfold, Sieun can't help the tugging feeling in his chest as he realizes this is an experience, one of many, that he never got to have as a kid. Whether it was his mom, his dad, or anyone at all. A lump forms in his throat the more he thinks about the many times he was left home alone for weeks, studying at all hours because it was the only thing he was ever good at in his parents’ eyes.

He feels a tap on his arm and looks over to see Suho watching him.

“Are you okay?” Suho asks quietly. “She can be a lot sometimes, sorry.”

“Not at all,” Sieun says quickly. “I don’t get to experience this kind of liveliness often. I’m having fun with all the noise.” He smiles, though he’s sure it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Suho’s brows knit together, like he wants to ask something more—but before he can, a shadow passes overhead and Eunji shouts, “Wah! It’s the whale shark!”

Sieun breaks their eye contact first, gaze flicking up to the massive shape gliding above them. He can see Suho still watching him for a second longer before his eyes follow.

“Wow,” Sieun says softly. “It really is big.”

Eunji immediately launches into a stream of questions—How long do you think it is? How old is it? How much do you think it eats? What does it eat? Sieun laughs and tells her he doesn’t know, but they can look it up on the way home.

The travelator comes to an end, and Suho lifts Eunji off his shoulders, setting her down before grabbing her hand as she tries to bolt again. She nearly whines at being stopped. Seeing her reaction, Sieun laughs.

“Eunji-ah, I saw a sign that says the touch pools are upstairs. Should we head up?”

Her eyes light up immediately, and she nods a few times before dragging Suho toward the stairs. Sieun follows behind them, amused as he watches the chaotic duo interact.

They make it upstairs, and Eunji wiggles her hand free from Suho’s grip to dash over to the table. Suho scoffs lightly as he and Sieun walk up behind her.

"Sieun, look! You can really touch them!" Eunji dips her hand into the water and a sting ray slides under her palm. "Ew, it's slimy," she giggles out.

“You’re not gonna put your hand in?” Suho asks from beside him.

Sieun shakes his head, eyes still on the small girl.

“Sieun-ah, how could you come to the aquarium for the first time and not touch the stingrays?”

Suho moves behind him and walks forward, basically pushing Sieun to the table. He grabs Sieun’s arm, rolling his sleeve up as his other arm settles against Sieun’s lower back.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”

He slides his hand down until it hovers over Sieun’s, slowly guiding it into the water. Sieun’s face heats instantly, but then he feels something glide beneath his palm. His first instinct is to yank his hand back, but Suho’s grip is firm, keeping his hand steady.

Sieun grimaces slightly. “Eunji-ah, this feels gross, doesn’t it?”

Eunji laughs up at him. "It kinda feels like when I let a snail crawl on my hand," she says, dipping her hand back into the water.

Suho loosens his grip on Sieun, pulling back to let the boy get up. Sieun instantly misses his touch, pushes the thought to the back of his mind as he stands up straight and goes to wash his hands at the sink near the pool.

He hears small feet running toward him and steps aside just as Eunji pops up in front of the sink. He helps her pump soap onto her hands while she washes.

“Eunji-ah, are you hungry?” Sieun asks, handing her a towel.

Her eyes gleam as she looks up at him. “I am! Let’s eat lunch now!” She stretches her arms out, hands opening and closing.

Sieun blinks in confusion before realizing what she wants. He leans down and lifts her up, adjusting until she’s settled on his hip.

“Are you tired?” he asks, rubbing her back.

“A little,” she murmurs, nuzzling into his neck. “But I wanna hang out with you longer, so I’ll stay up.”

“Eunji-ah, let me hold you,” Suho says as he walks over.

Shaking his head, Sieun replies, “It’s okay, Suho-yah. I can hold her.”

Suho gives him a look that clearly asks are you sure? Sieun just nods as they head toward the cafeteria. Eunji’s eyes droop as they eat, and Sieun can’t help quietly laughing as she keeps talking about all the cool fish she saw, even as she struggles to keep her eyes open.

Suho carries the small girl on his back once she falls asleep, which happens almost immediately after lunch. As they walk toward the car, he says softly, “Thank you, Sieun-ah, for still coming even with our unexpected visitor.”

“No need to thank me,” Sieun replies, smoothing Eunji’s hair gently. “She’s fun to hang out with. She’s got a big personality.”

Suho laughs. “Yeah, she gets that from her mom.”

Sieun has to stop himself from adding how similar she is to Suho.

Sieun opens the door for Suho so he can put the sleeping girl into her seat with ease. Once she’s settled, Suho closes the door and walks around the car, opening Sieun’s door in turn. Sieun lets out an amused huff as he slides into his seat, watching Suho get in on the driver’s side.

The drive home is quieter this time, peacefully so. Suho breaks the silence and asks, "How was your first aquarium trip?"

Sieun leans his head against the headrest, turning to look at him. “It was fun. Growing up, it was only ever school and home. My parents were always busy, so I busied myself with studying.”

Suho glances over at him briefly. “I’m sorry, Sieun. That’s shitty of them.”

Sieun hums. “It’s okay. You get used to it.” He pauses, then smiles. “And look: because of them, my first aquarium experience was with two of the coolest people I know.”

Sieun watches Suho's right arm slide from the wheel to the arm rest, his palm facing up. He looks up and sees Suho looking at him with a soft smile on his face, he slips his hand into Suho's. Immediately, Suho's hand is closing around his, warmth enveloping him. Sieun turns his head to the window to hide the smile blooming on his face, squeezing Suho's hand as he does.

They pull into a familiar neighborhood, and Suho lets go of his hand as he parks. Sieun already misses the warmth of their intertwined fingers.

“Be right back,” Suho says as he reaches into the back seat to grab Eunji.

Sieun watches him walk up to the front door, the two of them disappearing inside. Left alone with his thoughts, he can’t help the creeping feeling that he doesn’t deserve Suho and Eunji’s genuine kindness. They're the only two people in his world who see him as himself, not just a connection to get closer to his parents.

A pit forms in his stomach as his thoughts spiral. His fingers curl, nails digging into his palm. He stops just short of breaking skin, eyes glistening as the memory of Eunji carefully placing a Band-Aid over his wounds flashes through his mind.

The car door opens, and he snaps his head toward the window, blinking the tears away. Suho pauses for a second before getting in. Sieun can feel the worried gaze burning into the back of his head, but Suho doesn’t say anything. He just pulls away from the curb and starts the drive.

Throughout the ride, Sieun catches Suho glancing at him through the window, but not once does he ask any questions.

“Thank you, Suho-yah,” Sieun says quietly as Suho parks in front of his building.

“For what?” Suho asks, turning to him with soft eyes.

Sieun can’t stop the tears from welling again, that familiar feeling of being undeserving clawing its way back in.

“For everything,” he starts. “For taking Eunji to the park that day. For coming back for me that night. For hanging out with me. For being kind to me. For—” His voice breaks, a sob catching in his throat.

Suho’s hands are on his face instantly, cradling him.

Sieun looks up through the tears spilling down his cheeks. “Thank you for seeing me for me, Suho-yah. For treating me like I matter.” He nuzzles his face against Suho's hands as his thumbs wipe at the, seemingly, never-ending tears.

Before Suho speaks up there's a stretch of silence in the air, not awkward, but comfortable.

“Sieun-ah, baby,” Suho murmurs, “you do matter. And I’m so sorry the people in your life failed to show you that.” He pauses, then adds softly, “And even if you didn’t matter to anyone else, which I doubt could ever happen,” he laughs lightly, “you’ll always matter to me.”

Sieun sniffles, "Thank you Suho-yah, for finding me. You and Eunji." Suho shakes his head at this.

"No, Sieun-ah. Thank you, for letting us find you, and being so perfectly you." Sieun bites his lip to hold back his tears and Suho laughs. He brings a hand up to brush his fingers through Sieun's hair, the other still caressing his face.

"Baby, don't you think it's time to stop your tears? I don't think they've stopped one time, how are there still any left?" He jokes.

Sieun pushes his hands away with no real force, grumbling out, "Whatever."

The two of them sit in a comfortable silence, staring into each other's eyes.

"Suho-yah, will you stay over tonight?"

Suho short-circuits, one of his eyes twitching as he puts together the sentence that just came out of the boy sitting in front of him. Sieun giggles as he watches the gears in Suho's head turn in real time.

He doesn't wait for and answer, opens his door and starts to get out. "Yes or no, Suho-yah." And Suho scrambles to grab his keys and books it around the front of the car.

They make it through the front doors and into the elevator before panic starts creeping back into Sieun’s chest. Minutes ago he was running on adrenaline, but now, faced with the reality of Suho standing beside him on the way to his apartment, insecurity floods back in.

Suho slips his hand into Sieun’s without looking. It’s firm, grounding, and just like that the noise in Sieun’s head quiets. All he can think about is the fact that Suho actually agreed to come up with him, even after he’d bawled his eyes out in the parking lot. He’s sure the tear streaks are still visible on his face.

With Suho’s hand still in his, Sieun types in his door code. His nerves get the best of him, and he enters it wrong twice before the latch finally clicks and they step inside.

Suho doesn't say anything, just smiles as he follows behind Sieun. They toe off their shoes together and Sieun leads him to the kitchen, fumbles a few glasses out of the cabinet, and pours them each a glass of water.

He slides one toward Suho. Suho accepts it, taking a long gulp, and Sieun’s eyes trace the movement of his Adam’s apple before he can stop himself.

“Would you like to shower first, Suho?” Sieun asks.

Suho nods. Sieun shows him to the bathroom, turns on the water, and sets out a towel. “I’ll put a change of clothes out for you.”

He closes the door behind him and immediately flops onto his bed, covering his face.

He's not scared anymore, far from, he's nervous. Suho has shown him every reason he can be safe and comfortable with him and still, as he lies down, all he can feel is butterflies swarming in his stomach.

Sieun is so distracted he doesn't even register the water stopping. He hears a door click and he jolts up.

Suho is standing in the doorway, towel hung low on his hips, and Sieun gets so distracted by the water trailing down Suho's very toned body he barely catches Suho talking.

"Sorry, I didn't see any clothes out."

Sieun stands in an instant. "Ah, sorry, I got distracted," he says, and he digs through his drawers to find the biggest pair of clothes he owns. He passes them to Suho, avoiding looking straight at the man in his current state.

Suho takes the clothes. "Thank you," he says, and Sieun can hear the smirk in his voice as Suho turns to go back to the the bathroom.

When Suho emerges again, Sieun is listening for it this time. He's already standing when Suho walks into the room. The clothes fit him well enough for what he had on-hand, and Sieun makes a mental note to buy pants a few sizes bigger.

He grabs his own pajamas and towel, gestures toward the bed. “Get comfy. I’ll be right back.” Before Suho can respond, Sieun darts into the bathroom.

The door closes behind him and it's hot, steam wafting through the air. He looks up at the fogged up window, swipes a hand over it as he gives himself a once over in the mirror. Tear streaks are in fact still apparent on his face and he groans into his hands. He curses under his breath at the fact that Suho had to see him like this at all.

He starts the shower, peels the clothes he's wearing off his back, and tries very hard to ignore the man that's in his bed right behind the bathroom door as he steps under the stream.

Afterward, he towels his hair until it’s damp instead of dripping. He takes a few steadying breaths before opening the door.

Suho is sitting against the headboard, phone in hand.

Sieun only glances at him before bee-lining for his dresser, back turned as he pretends to stay busy.

“Sieun-ah,” Suho calls softly.

Sieun freezes, then turns. “Your hair’s still wet,” Suho says gently. “Let me dry it for you.”

Sieun isn’t sure when Suho grabbed the towel, let alone where he got it from, but he’s already sitting at the edge of the bed, holding it out. He looks up at Sieun, patient.

Sieun stalls for a minute before ultimately dragging his feet towards Suho and sitting between his spread legs.

He's nervous sitting down. How can the person he feels safest with also make him feel this undone?

He flinches when Suho’s hands start rubbing the towel through his hair, goosebumps rising along his neck.

“I think…” Suho starts.

Sieun hums, waiting.

Suho stills. Silence settles between them.

Then Sieun tilts his head back.

Suho is staring down at him, eyes searching. “No, I know,” he says quietly. “Sieun-ah, I like you. A lot. Even though we only met a few days ago, I’ve never felt this way with anyone.”

Tears sting Sieun's eyes as he holds eye contact with Suho. Sieun understands, he really really does. Somehow, Suho had popped up in his life and very quickly broke down any walls he may have had standing.

Sieun lifts a hand to Suho’s face, resting his palm against his cheek. “Me too, Suho-yah. I think I liked you from the moment you showed up outside my work and I thought you were a stalker.”

Suho laughs low as he thinks back to the day they met. "Yeah, not my best decision-making I must say. But how was I supposed to let you go that day, hm? Eunji found you for me, I just had to finish the play."

Sieun smiles, thumb brushing under Suho’s jaw.

“Sieun-ah,” Suho asks softly, nerves clear on his face. “Will you go out with me?”

Sieun just cheeses up at him. He slides his hand to grip the back of Suho's neck before dragging him down and crashing their lips together. Suho makes a noise of surprise, but it doesn't take long for him to deepen the kiss. The angle they're at is awful, but it's their first kiss and neither of them can bring themselves to break the kiss.

Sieun doesn't know how long they've been kissing when Suho pulls back, leaving a few pecks before he does. The sound of their breaths is filling up the silent room as Sieun pants out, "I would love to, Suho-yah."

Suho breaks out into the biggest smile Sieun has seen on the man. He leans back down and kisses all over Sieun's face leaving the smaller to giggle under him. He plants one more long peck on Sieun's lips before sitting up. "I'm so happy, Yeon Sieun."

Sieun grins up at him. "Me too, Ahn Suho."

Suho drags Sieun up onto the bed, and slips both of them under the covers while he hugs Sieun tight. He falls asleep easy tonight, cradled in the warmth Suho has never failed to show him.

The next morning they're both awoken by a phone ringing. Suho answers and Eunji is excitedly telling him how much fun she had yesterday, how she can't believe she fell asleep right after lunch. Sieun lays there with his eyes closed, having fun listening to the young girl telling Suho about her day.

He twists in bed and Eunji squeals, Sieun's eyes popping open at the sound. "Suho!" She whines out, it almost sounds like she's about to cry, "You had a sleep over with Sieun and didn't tell me? I was there yesterday too, why didn't you bring me with?!"

Sieun's eyes go wide as he looks up at Suho who is looking back at him just as frazzled, he didn't even know it was a Facetime call.

"Eunji-ah, it's not like that," Suho starts as he watches Eunji's eyes fill to the brim with tears.

Yeongi pops up on screen with a sly smirk on her face, sighing dramatically before she starts talking. "Eunji-ah, Suho and Sieun had some grown up stuff to talk about last night. They said they were gonna come over and hang out with you at home today though, right boys?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.

Suho looks down at Sieun, asking him silently. Sieun can't help but laugh out loud as he pushes himself up and brings his face into frame.

"Good morning, Eunji-ah. Yeongi's right. We were planning on coming over in a bit to have a surprise hangout at your house."

Sieun literally watches the tears drain back from Eunji's eyes as a smile blooms on her face. "Really?!" she squeals, to which Sieun just nods his head.

Eunji shoves the phone into her mother's hand saying something about cleaning her room. Yeongi looks at both of them over the phone, a knowing look stuck on her face. "Bring lunch since I saved your asses from her tantrum," she says, and then she hangs up on them.

The two of them laugh in bed as they get off the phone. They soak up as many hugs and kisses as they can get away with before Eunji is calling again asking when they're coming.

This morning is so foreign to Sieun, such an unfamiliar feeling. He has a feeling his days from now on will be just as loud and he welcomes the noise, with open arms.