Archive of Our Own

It’s currently 4:50 pm, the class was already dismissed fifty minutes ago. Yet, here inside the four walls of a classroom in Byeoksan High School, two boys willingly remain. 

God knows what happened in those fifty minutes.

Fifty minutes Sieun spent organizing and re-writing his lecture notes.

All while Suho sat across from him. His breathing was the only noise that could be heard alongside his, and a bit of the hustling of the wind as the air blew in, and maybe a few birds chirping here and there. 

He could’ve worn his earphones as usual, but today he just didn’t feel like it. Plus, he didn’t mind Suho observing his every move. It wasn’t like he was bothering him–at least not that badly–so there was no reason to.

Also, that would’ve been so rude, and he didn’t want to be rude to the only person that was so determined to befriend him. 

Them deciding to stay a bit longer today, the reason? Not sure why, maybe it’s the silence they like. 

Maybe they find peace in one another.

And maybe they just wanted to be alone together–just for a little bit longer. 

Bathing in the golden glow of the setting sun.

The window wide open letting the cool afternoon breeze blowing in, swaying the white curtains softly. 

The blackboard was wiped clean with a faint mark of the chalk dust scattered from the eraser previously rubbed across, leaving behind a little reminder on the upper corner untouched and heavily underlined for emphasis.

The two boys are sitting in the middle of the classroom. Occupying the middle row, Suho sat on a chair facing Sieun.

While Sieun was on his assigned desk packing up his belongings. Starting with placing his pens and pencils inside his pencil case, then stacking his notebooks, followed by picking up his bag from the side of his table. 

He sets the bag on his lap, zips it open and starts placing everything inside. 

All while trying not to seem affected by Suho’s focused gaze on his every movement. 

Well, more like his face. 

Suho was slightly hunched over, straddling the chair with both arms on top of the backrest with his chin resting on top, his left leg shaking up and down. 

His eyes glued directly at the boy in front of him, he knows Sieun’s just choosing not to react. 

But he notices the way his hands slightly tremble as he picks up every notebook. The way his throat bobs as he swallows nervously. How his ears appear to be blushing the faintest red. 

Out of nowhere, Suho asks. “Has anyone ever asked you out?” his tone neutral, but it catches Sieun off guard for a few seconds. His hand stills as he turns his gaze at Suho.

His face blank, as if he didn’t just ask the most random question. 

A question completely unrelated to what was happening. They weren’t even talking prior to this.

But Sieun stills for a moment, before his eyes leave Suho’s and dart around the room. His head tilts slightly to the right as he looks to the left. Like how people usually do when they’re trying to recall something. His eyes squint as if he’s trying really hard to find an answer somewhere in his memories. 

His right arm subconsciously comes up to touch his earlobe all throughout. 

But still, Suho waits and just observes him. His leg is still relentlessly bouncing, accidentally hitting Sieun’s desk.

That draws Sieun’s attention back to the boy in front of him. Pulling him completely out of his head, as he notices the way Suho’s leg shakes then stops repeatedly, as if he was trying to control it but loses anyways. 

“Once. back in middle school.” Sieun answers in response, his attention moving back to focusing on putting away his things.

He misses the way Suho’s expression changes into a shock, his body stiffens and his leg stops shaking briefly before going back to his initial blank expression. 

“Really?” His tone contained a hint of surprise. As if he couldn’t believe it. 

A pause. 

From Suho’s point of view, it seemed like something was on Sieun’s mind with the way his eyebrows furrow slightly.

Then he speaks again,

“Actually now that I think about it, I wasn’t actually asked out by them. But, I think it’s kind of the same thing? “ His tone was a little bit confused towards the end, head tilted a bit, his left eye closing shut as he looked to the left. 

Just like earlier. 

“Going back, yeah. Why do you ask? Do you wanna know more about it?” he adds.

Suho shakes his head slowly, but it seems hesitant. Sieun’s sure that was not the truth. 

“It’s fine, you don’t have to tell me anything if you’re not comfortable with doing so.” Suho responds, noticing the skeptical look he got after shaking his head. 

Sieun just smiles as he lets out an exhale through his nose. “It’s fine, Suho-yah.”

He zips up the bag on his lap, placing it back beside his desk on the floor. Then turned his body to face the boy in front of him properly, hands on his lap fidgeting with the cuffs on the sleeves of his jacket before he starts off.

“If I remember correctly, he was a grade ahead of me.”

“We met during a school event, I think it was for some dance performance by partner and he happened to be paired with me. I was pretty civil with him, though I don’t think I did anything or gave off some vibe that I was interested like that, but I knew.”

At the mention of the word ‘he’ Suho straightens up, his spine now straight yet his arms still remain over the backrest. His leg stopped shaking too. As if that word alone caught all of his attention. His eyes were a tad bit wider, now filled with overflowing curiosity. 

He nods, urging Sieun to continue on.

“I mean I've never been in a relationship with anyone my whole life. The whole liking and being reciprocated thing was still kind of foreign to me. But it wasn’t that hard to pick up the cues, you know?” Sieun continues on, appearing a bit flustered as he rubs the back of his neck shyly. 

“Yeah. I get that.” Suho reassures him with a small nod.

“I started picking it up whenever I spoke to him or when we had to practice. He would get all flustered and barely make eye contact. How his friends would tease him lightly. Maybe they were being sly about it, maybe they weren’t, but I picked it up easily.” His eyes wandered around.

There was a small pause, before he continued. 

“Even though everyone says I act like I don't care or that I'm nonchalant, it doesn’t mean that I don't know how to be respectful.” He sighs after. 

“I mean I wasn't uncomfortable, really, but I wasn't exactly flattered at all. Just neutral. I just really wanted to get it, the performance, over with.” 

“And when we were rehearsing for the last time before the event, he asked me what I was gonna wear. I told him I was gonna wear something with a hint of green. And he started to ask what shade.”

He was looking to the left again as he seemed to be trying to recall what he had worn.

Before Suho knew it the words had left his mouth, “Sage green.”

Sieun’s eyes lock onto his, “What?”

“How did you know that?”

Suho seemed shocked by the response, his eyes darting around as if he was trying to find an explanation. He clears his throat, “Well, I know you like that color, so I just assumed you’d wear something with that. Plus, the color suits you well, I always thought you’d look pretty in it.” His face flushing slightly as his leg starts to bounce again. 

Sieun just hums. 

A heavy silence fell between the two,

A beat, then two, and Sieun breaks it. 

“It was at that moment I really confirmed that he liked me, like that. Because none of my other classmates were asked by their partners, so with him insinuating that he wanted to match…” voice trailing off. “Well, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots, haha.” An awkward laugh leaves Sieun’s throat. 

“So I described it as best as I could. I looked around for what could resemble the exact shade. And eventually the day came along.”

But at that moment, there was a sudden shift to his mood, Suho had picked up on this. There was hesitation before he spoke up again. As if he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to tell Suho this–if he even needed to.

The way his hands had lifted off his lap and settled on top of his desk, as he started playing with his fingertips.

Again, no movement going unnoticed by Suho. 

“You know, I always thought that if you liked someone you wouldn’t hesitate to compliment them, even just a little bit.” He starts again, as he stares directly at Suho, properly making eye contact. 

“It wasn't like I was totally hoping he would, but a small part of me wanted him to say I looked good. or even just something about my outfit.” A hint of frustration and disappointment tainted his voice.

“I mean I put in the effort to make myself look good for the night. Of course I still wanted some form of validation, you know?” His palms faced upward as if trying to get Suho to agree, that he wasn’t wrong for wanting that.

Suho just smiles softly and nods.

“But he just looked at me from head to toe, and didn’t say anything. There wasn’t anything negative about his expression. But still–” now sounding frustrated. 

“I didn’t bring it up. I didn't want to seem like i’m desperate for his validation to know that I looked good—or decent at least—that night.”

Suho’s eyebrows furrow at that. But his mind is unreadable to Sieun.

“Later on, during the free dance, he went over to my table and asked if I wanted to have a little dance.”

“I said yes. because I didn't want to seem rude, plus I wanted to make the most out of this experience.”

A pause. 

“I wanna experience these things too, I want to have memories I could look back on. I wanted to be like those typical teenagers on TV that I watched a lot as a kid. Even if I'm like this…” his voice went soft again. 

Sieun feels his eyes start to prick, a few tears brewing. But he tried to blink it away. 

At the sight, Suho had started to place his hands on Sieun’s desk. Not touching, just there. Just a little bit closer.

“I still want to feel wanted by someone like that.” Gaze fixed on Suho’s again.

Sieun chuckles, “Then, he dropped a bunch of pick-up lines and started small talk.” 

Suho visibly cringes. "That's so cheesy, so cringe.”

“Haha. I knew you’d say that.” a breathy laugh.

“But I'm a sucker for pick-up lines, you know.” Sieun clarifies.

Suho’s brows shoot up, eyes getting wider, his face plastered with pure disbelief. 

“Oh? you don’t seem the type. The Yeon Sieun. Top of the school, Yeon Sieun, is into cheesy pick-up lines?” His voice was sarcastic, scoffing. 

Sieun laughs, more heartily now as he looks down shaking his head, left hand in a fist covering his mouth slightly.

“I know, I know. The stereotyping everyone does, but I like smiling, Suho.”

“I like laughing.”

“I like being happy too. it’s just, I—” all this he says with a smile before it started to fade again.

“I don’t know. People just end up sticking with whatever version of you they’ve heard or have in their minds and don’t really try to find out if you are as everyone says or thinks.”

“I mean just like how you didn’t expect that I liked ‘cheesy things’.” fingers quoting the air, before dropping back down on the table. 

Hands brushing Suho’s accidentally along the way. 

“But it wasn’t just the cheesy pick-up lines.” he starts off, a small smile growing on his face as he looks out the window.

“It was how it seemed so natural. I liked how genuine he was with trying to make me laugh.” 

“How he’d stop laughing for a moment and just stare at me. Even when I was laughing, I still noticed that.”

He pauses again for a moment. Before he breathes in deeply and faces Suho again.

“But I don't like assuming things. I don't want to assume. I wanted to hear him say the words out of his own mouth. 

so when he asked me if he could court me.”

Sieun pauses. He started biting his lips, hands picking at the skin around his nails. 

Suho quirks a brow. Completely intrigued by what he was going to say next. His body leaning closer, closing in the gap between them a little more. “What? What did you say?” Sounding like an annoying little kid.

“I didn’t say anything. Not a yes nor a no. I just stared at him.” he says all while looking at his hands. “Because I wanted to hear the magic words.”

“Magic words?” Suho’s tone is completely confused, mostly at the choice of words. 

Because ‘magic words?’ 

Really?

“Yeah. Because I mean, so what if he wanted to court me.” his shoulder shrugs, his hands motioning as well.

“What am I supposed to do with that question?”

“Why did he want to court me?”

“It could literally mean a lot of things, Suho.” As he looks back at him. 

Then out of nowhere, Sieun starts laughing to himself. 

Suho is completely baffled at this point, because he couldn’t understand what was so funny. He wants to laugh too. And I guess he wasn’t aware of the expression he was making, because he noticed the way Sieun started laughing even harder. 

Sieun continued,

“I mean, it could’ve been he meant he wanted to play ball. So he’d take me to the basketball court right? But I'm literally the least athletic person in this school, you know that for sure.”

“I'm pretty certain he was on the basketball team too, so it makes sense to conclude that right?”

“Or he could mean he wanted to take me to the court of justice. Maybe I committed some form of crime against him right? so he wants to see me in court—with a lawyer preferrably—yikes, scary.”

“Or maybe he was from a royal family and he wants to take me to the royal court to meet the King and Queen—his parents—i would assume.” 

He says all that with a blank face. 

Suho just looked at him dumbfounded. 

Just stared at Sieun for a moment. 

Before the corners of his mouth started to curve upwards, and his teeth started showing, his eyes started to disappear before he bursted into a fit of laughter. Hands clutching at his stomach. Head thrown back, too far back he almost fell. Luckily before he ended up on the floor, his hands darted out, gripping the backrest tightly. 

Both of them stared for a moment, before he bursted out in a fit of laughter again. 

Sieun stared at Suho for a moment. 

Took in the scene before him and savoured it, etching it in his mind for him to remember forever before he started laughing as well. 

When they both—well mainly Suho—started to settle down, Suho's laughter now fading and turning into small giggles every few moments, did Sieun continue on. 

“Go on, go on. I didn't know you were this funny, Sieun-ah. I haven't laughed like that in a while, well at least I don’t think so.” As he brings a finger to wipe away the tears at the corner of his eyes. Giggling every few seconds. 

“Yeah, well…” Sieun starts off.

“I ended up turning him down moments later. I waited, I kept waiting as our conversation went on for him to clarify why he wanted to court me and what his intentions were. But he never did.” His lips pursed.

“But why didn’t you just ask him yourself?” Suho asked, his head tilted in visible confusion.

“I actually asked myself that a lot of times. I mean you must probably wonder why I'm recalling this moment so vividly as if it was such an important memory, one I didn't want to forget.”

Suho nods along.

“But it’s not like that, not totally. I still consider it a precious memory of my younger teen years, but it isn’t one that I'd like to be in my last seven minutes.” 

“I remember it so well because since that night, I replayed it in my head over and over. I started analyzing it, or over-analyzing it to be exact. I replayed every moment, I recalled every movement, every word, every single second I had with him.”

“And I started to wonder what went wrong. where he or I went wrong. what I could’ve done better, what I shouldn’t have done.” Sieun was starting to appear uncomfortable, his hand coming up to rub and touch his neck, to self-soothe it seems. 

“How I should have handled the situation. How I should have responded. How I may have led him on to cause him to like me.”

“How, maybe…” His hand stops and he slowly looks back up at Suho. 

He hadn’t noticed that he had been avoiding making eye contact as he spoke. 

A moment of hesitation.

“Maybe I should’ve just said yes.” he says, as he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in.

“You would’ve said yes?” There was a hint of disappointment–faint–but still there. 

“See that’s exactly why I keep replaying it because my life now would’ve been so different if he and I had worked out and started to date.”

“How different things would’ve been. But then I come back to the point in my life I'm in, and I'm glad it didn’t work out.” He says, nodding as if trying to convince even himself that that was the truth. 

“I’m glad I didn't say yes.” He says softly.

Then silence. 

This one went on for a bit longer.

“What changed?” This time it’s Suho who starts off the conversation again. 

“Hm?” Sieun just hums, slightly confused.

“I mean what could’ve caused you to change your mind? If you thought about it a lot, why didn’t you just talk to him again and give him a chance? Especially back then. Even if you rejected him it wouldn’t mean that you weren’t allowed to change your mind later on.”

Then he adds further,

“Plus he brought it on so suddenly, so he shouldn’t have expected an answer immediately. Not that i’m insisting or saying you should’ve been with him, but I just…” He trails off. Gaze wandering around.

Suho just sighs. “You get what I mean. right?”

Sieun just hums again, but there was this expression on his face you couldn’t quite describe. 

“Kind of? But I guess I didn't entertain him even after because I knew that I didn't feel anything. Maybe I wouldn't feel anything for him even in the long run.”

Then there was a bit of hesitation.

“Because…” Sieun starts pulling the cuffs of his jacket over his hands. His eyes drifted around the room, not making eye contact before settling on his lap. 

“I didn’t tell you this earlier, but there was a reason I didn't like him, and couldn’t reciprocate even if I could've hypothetically started to feel something as he courted me.” His voice is soft and slightly shaky. 

“Sieun-ah, you don’t have to tell me all this you know? I was just curious whether someone has ever been interested in you. I didn’t mean to pry, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable in any way.”

Suho doesn’t notice the way his hand had subconsciously found its way over to Sieun’s covered ones. 

He only notices the way his head lifts and his gaze fixes on the table, at their hands touching. Almost, with his jacket in the way. 

But Sieun doesn’t react, he doesn’t pull away. So Suho’s touch lingered for a bit before he retracted and placed it back on the table. 

“No no, it’s fine, Suho. Really. I want to tell you. I want to tell you everything about me. I want our bond to be stronger too.” He says with a genuine smile at Suho.

“Going back. It was because…”

He takes a deep breath. 

“I was already interested in someone.” He says as he looks Suho directly in the eyes.

“Oh.” was all that left Suho’s mouth.

A breathy chuckle, “Yeah…oh. Haha.”

“I know I said the whole liking and being liked by someone was not something I was familiar with. But it didn’t mean I didn't understand these feelings when I started to experience them, you know?” 

“I might be going off track with this. Gosh. I feel like a blabbermouth, sorry this is the first time I’ve talked so much.”

“Oh my gosh, words just keep spilling from my mouth. This is so weird. Usually I just rehearse everything before saying it.” Sieun feels his face heating up, his hands coming up to cover it. 

“But I guess my brain feels too comfortable right now that I'm losing control over my mouth and words are flowing out, haha.” A nervous laugh as he shuts his eyes tight because of how embarrassed he was feeling right there. 

“This is so embarrassing, I'm sorry, Suho. Gosh.” He says as he drops his covered face on the desk, hunched over, leaning completely. 

All while Suho watches.

“Take that back. I am not accepting your apology, what are you even saying sorry for?” That statement made Sieun sit up straight again, getting his full attention.

“I like that you feel comfortable enough to let words fall out, that you don’t feel the need to filter it out with me.”

“Makes me feel kind of special.” As he brushes the back of his neck, cheekbones dusting pink. 

“Actually scratch that. It makes me feel really special. because I'm the first to see this side of you. I like that. being the first.”

“So go on. Be yourself. It's just me.” With a shy smile on his blushing face. 

“You and me.” Suho felt the need to add on.

“Oh, um.” Sieun seemed taken aback. 

“Wait. Where were we?” He asked nervously.

Suho smiled, “how you liked someone back then.’ 

“Oh yeah, right.” He spoke as if clarifying it to himself. 

“Yeah, I guess the feelings really stayed with me even through everything that went on. Through every rehearsal up to the night of the performance.” he recalls.

“Back then I already accepted the fact that this person may not like me back. And I was okay with that. I didn't want to be too greedy, at least I was taught not to be. How nothing in this world really belongs to you.”

“But I guess everyone has their bad side. Because deep down, somewhere in my heart, I want that person to be, well…” He starts fidgeting again. 

Suho urges him to continue, “To be?”

There was an intake of breath. 

“Mine.” As he stared directly at Suho. Face completely serious. 

“For their heart to belong to just me.” he added. 

“Wait. I think I sounded too possessive? Was it? I guess everyone’s right about how people who didn’t have siblings growing up are typically more possessive over things they own or want, haha.”

“Not really, Sieun-ah. I mean personally I think that’s a natural thing to feel. Because that’s how love works right? Your hearts should only belong to each other.”

“It beats for yourself to survive, but the feelings are only for your partner to bathe in.” 

“So there’s nothing wrong with what you feel.” He reassures Sieun. 

“I meant felt, since I'm assuming this was before.” He suddenly clears up.

“No, you were right.” Sieun simply responds.

“Thank you, at least I feel validated somehow.” a soft smile. 

“But yeah, I was just content with admiring them from afar, My heart was content with that, and even if I would have to for the rest of mine, I would still die happily.” he says with a warm smile still on his face. 

Suho points it out, “You speak of that person as if you still like them. Do you, Sieun-ah?”

“Do they still own your heart? Or am I just mishearing things?” The questions just seemed to flow out. 

For Sieun, it was nice to know that Suho was really interested in getting to know more about him.

Sieun just smiles at him. 

“I see.” was all Suho could say. But the coldness in his tone wasn’t something you couldn’t pick up.

Then silence falls between them again. 

The room still lit up with a stronger glow of the golden rays as the sun continued to set. 

Sieun stretches out his arms. Groaning slightly as he does, rolling his neck around as well. 

“Well, I guess that sums up my story. Wasn’t that interesting really.” he shrugs. 

“To me it was. I got to know you so much more just from this conversation alone.” Suho answers honestly. “Cheesy pick-up lines, huh?”

Sieun groans at him, “Ugh. Tease me all you want but I like what I like.”

“As the saying goes, ‘To each their own’.” he says in defense. 

“But there is one thing you didn’t say. And I was waiting for you to say it but you never did.” Suho brings up.

“Wait, I sounded just like you. Haha, weird. that wasn’t on purpose.” he says laughing nervously. 

Sieun lets out a soft laugh. 

“I guess we’re more alike than we think, huh?”

“Maybe we were married in our past lives.” Suho jokes.

Sieun just smiles at him. 

“Well, what was it? I'm pretty sure I said a lot of things so I don't really recall what I was vague about or didn’t clarify.” Sieun asked, genuinely curious to know what was bugging Suho that he had to ask that question. 

“The magic words.” Suho answers promptly.

“What were they? The words you wanted him to say back then.” he continues on now leaning so far forward the small gap closes in further.

Sieun just stared at Suho for a few seconds. 

As if he was trying to absorb the words uttered. 

Then it seemed as if his eyes had lit up before a slight smirk forms on his face and he tilts his head slightly to the right. His eyes are no longer soft, but playful and mischievous.

His right hand came up for his jaw to rest on. 

A playful expression now plastered on his face. 

Suho gulps at how close they are now. 

“Well what do you think?” Sieun teases. 

“What?” Suho responds, confused. 

“I asked the question though?” he adds further. 

Sieun hums, “Yeah, but…” he trails off, but the smirk never wore off. 

“I want to hear what you think it is.” he continued. 

“I don’t know, Sieun-ah.” Suho answered firmly, but Sieun didn’t miss the way his voice quivered slightly. 

“I’m pretty sure you have an idea, Suho-yah. There’s no way you’re not thinking about it. I mean the context is already there.”

“But I want to hear the answer directly from you. Since I did ask the question.” Suho insists. 

But Sieun doesn’t back down. His smirk grew wider. The fire in his eyes burned brighter.

“You’re right. But I want to hear you say it. I don't want to be the one to say it first.” his tone completely teasing.

Suho scoffs at him, looking away for a moment. 

“Wow. Earlier on you were talking about the importance of saying exactly what your intentions were to avoid confusion and assumptions.”

“Haha, you’re right again. But I think I get the appeal now.” Sieun says. 

“The appeal of what?” 

Sieun continued, “The thrill of not saying what your intentions are. Watching the others' expressions, analyzing their body language, trying to read their mind as you see the cogwheels in their brain start turning to connect the dots.”

“I get it now.” His face and tone were completely amused.

“This isn’t funny, Sieun-ah.”

“Stop teasing me, please.” Suho whines. 

“I’ll repeat myself again, Suho.” Sieun says firmly.

“What do you think the magic words were?”

“Sieun-ah.” Suho pleads. He wants the teasing to stop. 

Sieun just stares at him. 

Obviously enjoying the moment and the sight of seeing Suho lose composure, all because of him. 

Suho starts getting visibly flustered. 

His ears turning red, a deep red blush creeping up on his cheekbones.

His neck started to flush as well. 

The way his eyes start darting around. 

Meeting Sieun's for a moment before looking away. 

Flickering towards again briefly then darting away. 

His breathing had grown heavy. 

Chest rising rapidly.

“Please, don’t make me say it.” Suho pleads again, softly.

“But I want to hear you say it.” He says pouting, giving Suho sad puppy eyes. Before returning back to his mischievous grin and scrunching his nose.

‘Come on, Suho-yah. I've been waiting for so long already.” As he kicks Suho’s shoes lightly, noticing how he started bouncing his leg again. 

Silence takes over once more. 

Sieun unbothered.

Suho, on the other hand, was very bothered. 

Then as if the silence was suffocating him, he mutters out a curse. 

“Fuck…”

“I-” his voice quiet

“I?” Sieun repeats, teasingly.

Suho closed his eyes shut, at this point he was starting to sweat. 

“I think the magic words were—” he cuts himself off again.

“Were?” Sieun coos.

Suho let’s out a breath. “Ugh. Sieun, please. I can’t say it.” His face completely red. 

“Yes you can. I know you can. You’re almost there, just a little bit more, Suho-yah.” Sieun encourages on.

Suho’s hands start to grip tightly on his pants. 

Knuckles turning white as he flushes even darker. 

Then suho blurts it out. 

“I like you.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, his face was plastered with an expression of shock. 

As if he never expected those words to ever fall out. 

Not ever. 

Suho’s eyes shut tightly again, trying to prepare himself for a laugh, a teasing comment, anything. 

“I like you too, Suho-yah.” Sieun says in the most gentle and warmest voice. 

“What?…” As he looked at Sieun, in complete disbelief, that maybe his ears had betrayed him. 

“I have for a long time. That ‘person’ I was talking about in that memory, it was you.” His gaze starts to drift off, the warm smile occupies his face. 

“I guess that’s why I remember it so vividly. Because it wasn’t the guy I wanted to remember and kept remembering. But it was what I was feeling for you.” As he stares back at Suho.

At this point it felt intentional. 

The way Sieun’s gaze would drift off somewhere but land on Suho at specific words.

“I replayed it over and over and thought of every possible outcome.”

“But all roads led to you. I knew that I would've stayed firm on that decision of me saying no.” 

“Because I wanted it to be you. I wanted to hear the magic words for the first and last time only from you. I want to hear those three words echo in my ears with the sound of your voice forever.” 

“So, I'm glad he never said it. Maybe it was for a reason. I guess the universe wanted me to hear it from my soulmate. Maybe you were right. Maybe we were married in our past lives, maybe we are forever bound to one another in every lifetime.”

“Right, husband?” Sieun says with the biggest grin on his face, his eyes forming crescents at how wide he was smiling. 

It felt blinding, like looking directly at the sun. 

But Suho didn’t face away. 

He couldn’t.

He didn’t want to. 

Because why would he. 

After what seemed like forever. 

Suho suddenly bolts up and stands straight, towering over Sieun.

“Put your hands up in the air!” Suho says as he points finger guns at Sieun.

Sieun was so shocked that he couldn’t even process what was going on, his eyes almost going cross-eyed staring at the finger guns before him.

Then he laughs softly.

Raising his hands in the air.

“What’s wrong, officer? Did I do something wrong?” He asks, acting confused and pouty.

“You are under arrest for a heinous crime. You have the right to a lawyer, but you must settle this in court.”

“What crime, Mr. Officer?” Sieun asks again.

“The crime of stealing my heart.” Suho says before pretending to get shot, clutching his heart before proceeding to 'faint' and laid still on the floor. 

Sieun laughs a little but rolls his eyes at the stupid(ly endearing) act. 

“Get up, Suho. Gosh. You’re so embarrassing, I love you.”

“But I hate you too for that.” Sieun adds on.

Suho gets up sitting back on the chair, giving Sieun a silly grin. 

Silence engulfs them once more. 

But this time it wasn’t uncomfortable. 

It felt calm.

Natural. 

As easy as breathing. 

After a while, Suho breaks the silence. 

“So, may I court you, Sieun-ah?” He asks earnestly.

But he probably notices the way Sieun tried holding back a laugh.

Realizing what he said, he immediately spoke as Sieun started to open his mouth to speak. 

“Before you say anything. ‘Cause I know what you’re gonna say, so I want to beat you to it.”

Sieun bursts out laughing at that.

“I meant as in, ‘I like you so I want to pursue you’, kind of court. Just to clarify. But I’m still down to meet you in whatever court you’d like.” Suho felt the need to clarify.

“Yes, Suho. You can court me. For the record, I still would like to meet you in court. Someday. When we’re ready. I hope it’ll be you and only you in this life.” Sieun answers genuinely. No jokes. All coming from the heart. 

“I promise, Sieun-ah. I want that too. I want you to be my first and only.” Suho replies sincerely. 

They spend a moment just looking into each other’s eyes. 

Something had definitely changed. 

But at the same time it felt like nothing had happened. 

In a good way of course. 

If for other people love was dependent on the rush and rollercoaster of feelings.

For Ahn Suho and Yeon Sieun, love was calm. 

“So. A while back, that was so cheesy, Suho-yah” Sieun starts teasing.

“Hm?” Suho hums, not quite catching on.

“The whole under arrest, stealing your heart thing.” in an even teasing tone as he rolls his eyes. 

Suho sighs, “I know”

“...”

“...”

Silence.

“But you liked it though, right?” Suho clears up.

Sieun just grins.

“That was so freaky, Suho-yah. I didn’t know you were into that. I love it.” Sieun says as he leans closer a playful expression on his face. 

“What?...” Suho says flustered at the word Sieun had chosen to describe earlier. 

Then Sieun leans into his ear and whispers something. 

Suho turned red, redder than he was earlier. 

Suddenly, Suho stands up, almost knocking over the desk behind him and fixes his clothes.

Hurriedly pulling his red shirt down, completely avoiding Sieun’s gaze.

Not even bothering to hide how flustered he was. 

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

Sieun just blinked. 

“Wait. Right now?” Sieun asks, confused. 

“Yes, now.” Suho answers hurriedly.

“But, why?” Sieun says as he starts to scan Suho from head to toe. But before he even could Suho bolted out the classroom shouting.

“I really need to go, just stay there.” 

Then Sieun just watches him go. Blinking, confused. 

Then it hits him. 

“Wait, Suho-yah. Do you need something? Because I need help too.”

He says laughing as he picks up both of their bags and runs after Suho. 

The sound of shouting, shoes squeaking, and endless laughter echoed along the walls of the hallways.

Byeoksan High School bearing witness to how their love bloomed.