Work Text:
Yeon Sieun had once been a curious kid, thinking about so many things that he never really learned how to properly verbalize.
Yeon Sieun also vividly remembers when that curiosity ended.
At the age of seven, on one pink-orange evening while watching the rare, beautiful sunset from the window, yet another question pops into his mind.
This one, he thinks, he knows how to verbalize. This one, the answer seems important.
He paddles his way to the living room, where his mother is sat with a stack of papers in her hands, closely examining them.
The curtains are drawn shut. No sunlight peeks in, just a small, dying light bulb flickering from the ceiling.
It does well to hide his mother's face.
He swallows down nervously before sitting down next to her. She doesn't acknowledge him at all.
It doesn't sting anymore. Not like it used to.
"Eomma," he begins, quiet and hopeful. Still no change from her. "Why does the sun rise in the east and set in the west?"
And although there was no previous movement, Sieun can still sense the way she stilled. Her eyes glance at him, giving him an up and down, before looking back at her papers. "Get back to studying, Sieun."
Feeling bold, Sieun gives her just the slightest pout that she doesn't even notice. "My textbooks don't have the answer to my question."
She pauses again, this time with a faint crease between her brows, as if the question itself is inconvenient. "Then why does it matter?"
Sieun stares, unsure of the answer himself. How can he even begin to explain that he yearns to know the answer as to how the sun works, why the need to know clings to him, and how it seems that the answer might shape his own future?
Unconsciously, he begins to trace the scar on his eyebrow, the touch burning on his fingers. Perhaps, if his mother couldn't answer the last question, she would be able to answer this one.
"Where did I get this scar from?"
She freezes in a way that unnerves him. He is so used to seeing her calm and collected, that all of this suddenly seems wrong.
Was it a traumatic memory for her? An injury so severe, that she was convinced he would die from it. Maybe it aligns with the story of the one on his leg—that one being long, uneven, and twisted in many ways.
He watches as the emotion on her face fades away almost too quickly. "Save the stupid questions for your father."
The moment is over. She is back to looking at her papers, as though Sieun had never came to interrupt her in the first place.
Sieun stands and walks away with his stupid questions and concludes that all of them must have meaningless answers. He stops asking anything at all.
Sieun learns about soulmates at an age far too late. As someone who has spent countless hours studying, head behind textbooks, he begins to wonder why such a factual concept isn't written in any of them.
He's in his fifth year of primary school. There is a new teacher, one who is coming from Japan to teach fifth-year English, a class required for everyone. She's immediately the center of attention, but not for being a foreign teacher or a polyglot.
No. Rather, the attention she gets is from the large, red-purple scar running from her eyebrow all the way down to her lip.
It's talked about a lot, made fun of behind her back, and is the subject of the school for a full week before Ms. Sato addresses the rumors outright.
It's also the first time Sieun hears about soulmate marks.
"I'm not sure why I have to address this, or if I even should, but my soulmate mark is not anything I am ashamed of. If any of you have something similar, I encourage you to take pride in your marks rather than covering them up. They represent a bond of love and truth—something that not everyone has."
A girl timidly raises her hand. "Sato-seonsaengnim, I know what a soulmate is, but… what's a soulmate mark?"
The room erupts into giggles, some whispering behind their hands into their desk-mates' ears. Sieun feels like they're directed at him as well.
"None of that, now," Ms. Sato says, shushing the room. "Not everyone might know, and that's okay. To answer your question, most humans are born with the scars that their soulmate will carry for a long, long time. Most times, they have it even before their soulmate even gains the scar themselves."
Another hand is raised. "How can you tell the difference between your own and your soulmate's mark?"
Ms. Sato points at her face. "For one, the color is usually brighter, while regular scars are more faded, usually skin-tone colored, with a rougher texture. Soulmate marks are smooth. You'll usually be able to tell whether one is a soulmate mark, not just from all of this, but because you'll be able to feel it—the bond, I mean."
It sounds cheesy and made up. A part of Sieun almost disregards her words completely, ready to tune the conversation out until they begin to talk about actual topics that matter to him.
But Yeon Sieun has lived with two scars for as long as he can remember: one on his eyebrow, and one on his leg. And another part of him can believe exactly what she's saying.
The color is brighter… Soulmate marks are smooth. Both true for those two scars. The one on his eyebrow is bright red, not even cutting into his skin, but leaving behind a small patch where hair refuses to grow. The one on his leg looks carefully tattooed on, mixed with colors of purple, red, and blue. It runs from the end of his knee down to his ankle. Sieun has always found it strange how something that looks so severe could feel so smooth beneath his fingers.
You'll be able to feel it, she had said.
All Sieun can remember is constantly tracing his scars as a source of comfort.
The teacher goes on more about soulmate marks, but Sieun has long stopped listening. If this is the case, how come nobody told him?
Is that why his mother had stayed silent when she had asked him?
Save the stupid questions for your father.
When he gets home late that day, his mother isn't home. A part of him expects his father to be out as well for work, but he hears the TV in the living room playing quietly. Sieun makes his way over.
He quietly sits on the couch, his father giving a small welcome as he barely glances at him.
"Can I ask something?" Sieun begins, voice coming out unsure.
His father finally looks at him, eyes surprised. "You haven't asked questions in a long time."
The mention of his past habit almost has him shrinking and shying away, but he refrains from doing so. This may be more important than the questions about the sun.
Slowly, Sieun lifts his pant leg to display his scar. He distantly thinks that it looks like a tree branch, before he asks, "Was I born with this—and this?" He points to his eyebrow at the end.
His father raises an eyebrow, before nodding. "You were." Surprisingly, the answer doesn't surprise Sieun. He remembers the scar's presence much more than his parents. "Did your mother never tell you?"
A part of Sieun has long since noted when 'mother' and 'father' became 'his mother' and 'his father,' and not just one together. "No," Sieun answers briefly. "We talked about soulmate marks in class today."
"Ah," his father says. He doesn't elaborate, even though Sieun aches to know more.
He can't help but ask, "Do you have any?"
His father stares at him for a couple of seconds, before lifting the short sleeve of his shirt all the way up to his shoulder. A jagged slash runs along his upper arm, just above the elbow.
Sieun studies the scar for a long moment. "Eomma doesn't have that," he says without really meaning to.
Dropping his sleeve, his father nods. "Sometimes, people who don't have matching soulmate marks fall in love. That's okay, too."
"But you and eomma don't love each other anymore," Sieun points out, voice carrying a tinge of innocence.
His father looks away, the small opening between them closing just as quickly. "Go to your room, Sieun." The coldness in his voice leaves no room for argument.
Sieun doesn't hesitate. He practically runs to his room, lays on his bed, and leans down to trace the scar on his leg over and over again, until he can draw it by memory.
Nothing has changed with this knowledge, he feels. The sun still sets in the west for no reason at all.
Ahn Suho comes into his life with the force of a tornado.
When he pushes Sieun away from breaking Yeongbin's nose, Sieun is taken aback. He stares at the boy in front of him, something unfamiliar tightening in his chest, clawing up his throat in a way he can’t quite name.
Sieun decides to throw a chair at him.
And then, somehow, he's buying him lunch.
Ever since Sieun learned about soulmate scars, he has an unconscious habit of noting anyone with evident ones.
Ahn Suho has none.
Ahn Suho also has an obvious blabbermouth.
They're talking as they eat, and Sieun can't help but notice how natural it feels. Suddenly, Suho's eyes fall onto Sieun's eyebrow, and Sieun almost freezes at the way the other boy stares intensely at the scar that lays across his eyebrow.
Sieun slowly reaches up to touch at the ever-familiar scar, feeling the warmth of it blooming into his fingers. "It's not mine," he explains simply.
Suho tilts his head before nodding. "Sorry, I got curious. I don't have any. Everyone says that it must mean I don't have a soulmate, but… well—" He pauses, as though thinking about his next words. "I think it must mean that I protect my soulmate well," he says with a soft smile.
There's something about the way he says it with such conviction that Sieun believes him wholeheartedly.
A lot of things happen within the span of a short time.
For example, currently, he and Suho are fighting off Gilsu. It almost felt like an impossible battle, had Suho not jumped into the fight with him.
Sieun musters up all his remaining strength, pushing himself up to grab the brick before smashing Gilsu's knee with it. Suho takes the opportunity to roundhouse kick him, and then the man is on the floor.
Suho stares at him, out of breath, before moving to the side to lean on the railing of one of the rides. "Are you out of your mind? Why did you go after him alone?"
Sieun can't help but stare at the cut on Suho's cheek, before meeting his eyes. "You came, didn't you?"
Eyebrows raised, Suho looks like he's about to laugh in disbelief. "That's seriously reckless. You're a total lunatic. You know that?"
Sieun briefly reaches up to touch the cut on his own cheek. "Look who's talking."
Suho shakes his head. "You always have to have the last word. If I were you, I'd just concede. Fucking lunatic." There's a brief smile on his lips as he says so.
Turning away, Sieun hides his smile as he walks over to tie Gilsu up. After it's done, he goes to sit down by Suho, waiting for the police to come.
Mindlessly, he pulls his right leg up over his left knee, finger moving to trace over the scar that lies there. The bottom of his pants briefly drifts up, revealing the end of the scar by his ankle.
Suho notices, of course.
"What's that?" he asks bluntly.
Sieun turns to him. Suho’s gaze is fixed on the exposed edge of the scar, his expression shifting into something more reserved—something Sieun can’t quite decipher. "My other soulmate scar," Sieun answers honestly.
Suho looks up to meet his eyes. "Can I see it?" His voice carries urgency, as though this was a matter of extreme importance to him.
A part of Sieun is ready to say no. The scar on his leg has always been the one he's able to hide from everyone else, unlike the obvious one on his eyebrow. It feels more personal, like a piece of his soul. And in a way, it is.
But he sees the light in Suho's eyes, and his own heart's willingness to trust Suho, so he relents.
Slowly, he pulls his pant leg up further. It feels akin to serving his heart on a platter. For a whole moment, Sieun feels vulnerable in a way he hadn't in a long, long time.
A shuddering breath runs through Suho, eyes widening as he stares at the scar. Sieun almost hides it. Instead, he looks away, saying, "I know it's not pretty."
"It's beautiful," Suho says within a breath. Sieun almost misses it.
The reserved look from earlier is gone, now replaced with an odd look of what Sieun can only describe as gentle and genuine despite the eyes that hold sadness. He looks up to meet Sieun's eyes, lips pulling upwards before his eyes evidently drift to Sieun's eyebrow.
"Sieun-ah," he murmurs, "you still believe I'm your guardian angel, right?"
His hand drifts up to cup Sieun's cheek, and Sieun lets him. He's not really sure what's running through Suho's mind at this moment, but it seems like he needs it.
He almost flinches when he feels Suho's thumb brush across the scar on his eyebrow, but instead, he feels himself melt into it, eyes fluttering shut as the warm touch flows through his body.
"Who said I believe that?" Sieun mumbles, opening his eyes to look at Suho, who looks oddly overjoyed.
“You don’t have to believe it,” Suho says quietly, voice steady with certainty. “It’s true.”
Sieun blinks slowly. "If you say so," he says, just as softly—afraid that if he speaks too loudly, the quiet, shared moment between them will be shattered by reality.
It is eventually.
"Police!" an officer shouts as he runs into the group with his gun raised. Sieun and Suho immediately part, hands raised to show they're unarmed. The officer takes one look at the two, and Gilsu tied up on the floor, before he sighs and puts his gun down.
"Come with me."
Sieun is sitting down at some fancy restaurant, sharing an awkward dinner with his mother.
She asks about his father. He answers easily. Then she asks about his next steps.
"I'm not sure," he answers truthfully.
She smiles at him, despite his answer. "It's okay. Take your time to decide. I'm not worried about you. You're good at everything."
Sieun takes in a small breath. The cut on his cheek still stings in the mornings when he's washing his face. His knuckles burn every time he washes his hands. His fingers currently twitch at where they sit, aching to be painting across his leg once again.
"I'm bad at many things."
He's not really sure if she pretends not to hear him, or if she actually doesn't. It's as if she knows he will amend his words, and he whispers a small, "Never mind," that she somehow doesn't miss.
She gives him a nod.
Sieun has given up his habit of asking questions many, many years ago, but he thinks of Suho's bright smile and tells himself—just this once, he'll indulge himself once again.
"Did you never meet your soulmate?"
His mother looks surprised that he's asking such a question. They've avoided the topic for as long as he can remember, especially after the cold way she had brushed him off when he was a kid.
But it seems the topic of soulmates is still a sensitive topic for her, because her gaze hardens, and she quickly shuts him down. "Sieun, is this really what's been on your mind lately instead of your studies?"
It's a stupid question, and it's even more stupid of Sieun to retaliate back. "Can't I do both?"
She lets out a laugh, small and bitter. "Soulmates are a waste of your time, Sieun. It's best if you forget any of that right now before you set your expectations too high."
"Appa wasn't your soulmate, but you still fell in love with him. Do many people do that?"
He's really pushing his limits today.
The question seems to trigger something inside his mother, because then, she's suddenly rambling. "Of course they do. Soulmates, they're a senseless topic. Why should anyone let fate decide for them on who to love? If we're bound down by our own souls, then how can anyone be free?"
Sieun stares. He's not really sure how to answer. It seems like he's unlocked something passionate within his mother, something he's not used to seeing anymore.
But he wonders why it matters. His mother and father obviously fell out of love, so why is she still so passionate about a topic that no longer has any place with her?
He wonders if he'll ever understand her, as he watches her check her phone, offhandedly telling him to have coffee to go, as she gets up and walks away from her seat without even looking back.
Sieun hopes he never does.
Everything falls apart too quickly.
Beomseok has stopped talking to them altogether, and to make matters worse, Suho shows up one day with his leg in a cast. It unnerves Sieun, despite Suho brushing it off.
It's Suho's birthday. For once, Sieun feels at ease, thinking they could enjoy the day peacefully.
He's gaming with Suho, Yeongi having left a while ago to buy a few more things.
Sieun is evidently not very good at this. Suho at one point takes the controller from his hands, their fingers brushing against each other.
"Did you really not game at all as a kid? Honestly, what did the Yeon Sieun do when he was younger? Did you study a lot then too?" Suho asks, rambling off questions as he focuses on the game.
"Yes. I asked a lot of questions," Sieun answers honestly.
Suho pauses the game, putting the controller down to look over at Sieun, attention now fully focused on him. "Yeah?" He waits for Sieun to elaborate.
Swallowing at the sudden undivided attention, Sieun nods. "Yeah. I was a very curious kid."
Suho smiles at that, and asks his own question. "What is something you're still curious about?"
Sieun hesitates. The answer is obvious, a question that has stuck with him like glue. "Why does the sun rise in the east and set in the west?"
A laugh escapes Suho. "That's so Yeon Sieun of you. Well, did you ever find your answer?"
"No," Sieun says with a shake of his head, lips slightly tugged upwards at Suho's reaction. "Besides the obvious, which is that it's because the earth rotates from west to east on it's axis."
Suho hums. "That's not the answer you're looking for, is it?"
It feels lightening, to be heard and to be seen. Sieun nods, chest blooming with what can only be described as affection.
A loud grumble echoes through the room. Both of their eyes fall to Suho's stomach.
Sieun smiles as he says, "I think you're hungry."
"You think?" Suho stands, moving to the table. "I can't wait for Yeongi anymore. I'm going to eat."
"We can have the cake when she comes back," Sieun suggests. He feels oddly at content with himself.
But he should have known the peace wouldn't have lasted.
Suho, tired of gaming, goes to eat, when his phone rings. Sieun sees it before him.
A message from Beomseok, with a photo of Yeongi attached.
Briefly, he entertains the idea of letting Suho know.
"Are you out of your mind? Why did you go after him alone?"
"You came, didn't you?"
His own mind screams at him, telling him he should do anything but. He looks back at Suho, enjoying his food. It's his birthday.
Sieun quickly deletes the messages, blocks Beomseok's contact, and shuts off Suho's phone, before standing to announce that he was going to the store.
"Right now?" Suho says, and Sieun doesn't miss the tinge of disappointment in his voice.
Suho continues, "Hey," and Sieun pauses by the door, waiting for his next words. "Hurry up. I can't wait more than five minutes."
Sieun is very sure this will take more than five minutes.
"Be right back."
Even in the back of an ambulance, all Sieun can think about is Suho, and the burden he will bear if he ever finds out about the truth.
And so he tells Yeongi, "Never tell Suho about what happened today."
"Leave Suho alone," he says to Beomseok through the phone. Sieun can only hope he listens.
He's in the hospital, arm broken, with his father in the room, scolding him.
All Sieun can think about is one question. He almost doesn't voice it, like he's gotten used to, but the questions his father gives him grate on his ears.
"Since when have you cared about me so much?"
Perhaps his father and mother are truly soulmates in their own way. His father pauses, lets out a small, "What?", and Sieun feels his heart drop into his stomach.
It's a cruel reminder as to why he stopped asking questions.
"Never mind," he whispers once more.
He ignores Suho's texts and calls, focusing all his energy into studying. Exams are still coming up, despite everything that has gone down. Life doesn't stop for people to catch up. People have to catch up with life.
He's finally out of the hospital, studying in his room, when the doorbell rings.
"Who is it?" he calls out, standing in front of the door.
When the answer, "Delivery," comes, his heart constricts. He tries to get Suho to go away without opening the door, but Suho claims he's thirsty. He quickly pulls on a jacket and opens the door just the slightest.
Even though he had been deliberately ignoring Suho, the sight of him releases some of the tension in his shoulders. He hides half of his frame behind the door, ensuring his arm is out of sight.
"Hey," Suho says with a small smile. "You doing okay?"
Sieun looks away as he lies. "Yeah. What is it?"
Suho is quick to answer. "Nothing. Just stopping by." He attempts to appear casual as he looks around before his eyes drop to Sieun's hidden arm.
"Are you okay?" Suho asks.
Not missing the way Suho's expression changes into something more crestfallen, Sieun swallows away his guilt when he once again averts the question. "What?"
He can tell Suho is looking for an honest answer. An honest anything, it seems, as his next question is, "Will you be at school for finals tomorrow?"
Sieun nods. "Yeah. I need to be."
Suho smiles once more. It's tight, and doesn't meet his eyes fully. His eyes fall onto Sieun's eyebrow.
Slowly, Suho reaches out, and Sieun almost leaps away. But his body aches for Suho's touch, and he lets Suho brush his bangs out of eyes, fingers grazing his soulmate mark.
It burns.
Suho whispers something under his breath. Sieun thinks he hears the words, "guardian angel," but before he can ask, Suho pulls away with an, "All right. Yeah."
Sieun stares at the retreating fingers. He misses them already.
"See you tomorrow," Suho says with a beam, despite the weight behind his eyes.
He turns around and walks away. Sieun stares at his retreating back, body screaming at him to stop Suho.
Sieun retreats and shuts the door.
Later, he gets a call from Yeongi. He feels the dread consume him before he even picks up the phone.
She asks if he had talked to Suho. Then, she tells him Suho knows everything that happened.
Sieun drops his pen.
He thinks of the way Suho had said goodbye, eyes heavy, but smiling despite everything. He frantically tries to reach Suho, but his phone calls are gone to voicemail.
They start looking around the city instead. Sieun first visits the place they fought Gilsu, then the warehouse he had fought Yeongbin and the others and broken his arm. There, he meets Yeongi, where she tells him she hasn't seen him anywhere or can't reach him through calls.
There is only uneasiness coursing through Sieun's skin as he tries to call Suho once again.
As the phone rings, a sharp pain sparks through his head, his hand flying up to clutch his now-burning scar. He yelps, almost dropping his phone.
Yeongi's eyes widen. "Are you okay?"
Sieun doesn't really have an answer. He doesn't think he'll be okay until he sees Suho again.
She gives him a look. "Go home. You have exams tomorrow. I'll call the police and keep looking. There's nothing else we can do."
Feeling a bit numb, Sieun nods.
He goes home, but he doesn't get much rest, mind racing with thoughts of Suho and hoping to get an update from Yeongi.
Morning comes, and there's nothing. Reluctantly, he makes it to school, staring at Suho's empty seat, before he pulls out his phone.
While he and Yeongi had been endlessly calling Suho, he had texted Sieun. I'm working out. I'll call you later. But the call never came, not to mention, the restlessness in his stomach hadn't died down after seeing the text.
The exam finishes. He stares down at his marked paper, not feeling content with it finally being over.
"Come get your phones."
Sieun tries to not seem eager as he rushes to grab his phone and turn it on.
His heart drops when he sees the countless missed calls from Yeongi.
She's sitting outside Suho's room when Sieun arrives. Yeongi starts crying when she sees him. "Suho won't wake up," she says through her tears.
There is a hallow ache Sieun's chest. He doesn't know if he can handle seeing Suho, despite hours ago, all he wanted was to do exactly that.
He swallows down his tears and enters the room. There's an older lady sitting on the chair by Suho's bed.
"You're Suho's friend?" she asks.
"Yes," he answers with a nod.
She smiles at him, eyes gentle despite the tears brimming them. "You must be Sieun."
The sobs wrack through his body before he can even process it. He stares at Suho's fragile body, oxygen mask over his face, eyes shut, bandage across his eyebrow, until his tears completely overtake his vision. His shoulders tremble and lungs wheeze, as his head falls in between his shoulders.
Sieun should have known, from Suho's smile, that something was wrong. Sieun should have stopped him. Sieun should have pulled him inside and kept him there forever.
There's a pit in his stomach as he sits with Yeongi, staring at Suho's sleeping form.
"Go back to school," she says. "You have tests to take. I'll stay, so you can go."
Tests were the last thing on his mind, but he nods anyway, telling her to get some rest. When he stands to leave the room, he turns one last time to look at Suho, heart squeezing.
He leaves the hospital room with white vision.
The anger blurs his sight. He moves in a daze. He doesn't really snap out of it, not until he's back in Suho's room with bloodied clothes and new cuts and bruises on his face.
At some point, he falls into a slumber. The sun falls into his eyes, and he blinks them open when he hears a voice.
"Sieun. Taking a nap, seriously?"
He lifts his head slowly.
Suho is looking at him, lips twitch upwards, a breathy laugh leaving him at Sieun's expression.
The sunlight rests ever so softly against him.
"Yeah," Sieun mindlessly answers, still disorientated. "I was sleepy."
The smile from Suho is warmer than the sun on Sieun's eyes. "You really are a total lunatic. You know that?"
Sieun can't bring himself to smile back. The guilt in his chest still weighs on him. "I'm sorry," is all he can muster out. He thinks if he tries to say anything else, he won't be able to handle it. "For everything."
"Me too," Suho whispers like a shared promise. "I'm sorry."
As Suho speaks, sun illuminating his smile, Sieun feels his soul ache with realization.
Why does the sun rise in the east and set in the west?
And as the sun fades away to reveal Suho's closed eyes, Sieun thinks he has found his answer.
Months pass by. Something grows inside Sieun alongside the passing time—something heavy with grief, rage, and bitterness. It settles into him, slowly consuming everything else. He's now unable to sleep, nightmares plaguing him awake.
Sieun visits the hospital on one late night.
Visiting hours are long over, but he is certain the nurses will make an exception when they see him.
The hallways are empty. He slowly pulls the door open, entering quietly and eyes widening when he sees a nurse—Jieun, he recalls—by Suho's bedside, washing him down with a cloth.
Her eyes widen at the sight of him. "Ah, Sieun. I'm just washing Suho up. Why don't you wait outside until I'm done?"
Sieun nods, watching as she begins to scrub at his leg. His gaze catches on something. On Suho's leg.
He freezes completely.
Jieun catches his look, and tilts her head in question.
Quietly, Sieun walks up to the bed, eyes never leaving Suho's leg. Jieun moves out of the way, letting Sieun reach the edge of the bed, close enough that he could touch Suho.
Sieun's heart stutters at the scar on Suho's leg. A scar that Sieun himself knows intimately, has traced many time underneath his fingers, or doodled onto the corner of his notes.
His soulmate scar, on his soulmate.
Shoulders trembling, he sits down on the edge of the bed. A part of him had an inkling. After all, the new scar on Suho's eyebrow had been one of the most obvious clues.
But he remembers, now, of the day he had shown Suho the scar, of the way he had reacted. He thinks of the way Suho had parted with him on that day, fingers brushing his bangs aside as a guise to briefly graze over his scar. And it fills Sieun with a new sense of all consuming grief.
Suho knew that they were soulmates.
The nurse is long gone. Grief wracks across his body, tears flowing down his cheeks in an attempt to quell the fire within him. His body burns, chest heaving with sobs.
Gently, he reaches over, fingertips grazing over the scar ever so carefully.
It feels right.
Breath hitching, he closes his eyes and moves his fingers alongside the patterns of the scar—following its shape like muscle memory, like something his body has always known how to do.
He does this over and over again, until his head slumps in between his shoulders, and slumber overcomes him.
It's a sunny day when he gets the call.
He's running, friends tailing behind him, without care for his lungs. All he can think about is Suho and how he'll finally get to see his smile once again.
When he gets there, Suho is sitting in a wheelchair, staring off into the distance. But the sight of Suho is enough to knock the air out of his lungs in a way even running didn't do to him.
Suho finally looks at him, contentedness reflecting across his face. "How's it going?"
Sieun's ears ring with a cheer. Suho's voice is real, and most importantly, alive.
Amidst his disbelief, he almost forgets to answer. "Good."
Eyes shifting behind Sieun, Suho asks, "Who are those guys?"
"My friends," Sieun answers simply.
"That's good to see," Suho says, mouth slowly turning upwards in Sieun's favorite smile. The smile on his own face comes naturally. He can't help himself as he begins to gravitate closer to Suho, until they're close enough to touch.
"You knew," Sieun says breathless, voice unsteady as he takes in every detail of him at once. At Suho's inquiring look, Sieun moves his hand to softly brush across Suho's eyebrow scar. His heart stutters at the touch, fingers trembling. "You knew we were soulmates."
Suho's eyes crinkle with amusement. "Are. We are soulmates, Sieun-ah."
"Soulmates," Sieun repeats, the word coming out of him with wonder. Suho laughs at his amazement.
And the sun drifts down to shine onto their faces once more.