Chapter Text
Sunghoon’s parents and his sister stood by the front yard, waving one last time before climbing into the car. The engine hummed softly against the quiet neighborhood, headlights washing over the pavement as they drove away.
Sunoo stayed beside Sunghoon in silence, arms folded loosely over his chest as he watched the car disappear down the street. The warmth from dinner still lingered inside him, mixed with something heavier he could never quite name whenever he was around Sunghoon’s family.
They looked too complete.
Too normal.
The kind of normal that is accepting, the kind of normal Sunoo wished he had.
Sunghoon stepped down from the porch first, slipping his hands into the pockets of his hoodie before glancing back at him. “Thanks for tonight loverboy,” he said softly. “I think my mom really enjoyed that.”
Sunoo let out a small laugh, following after him. “Yeah, well, it was worth the hassle.” He nudged Sunghoon’s shoulder lightly. “Can’t even lie, your family’s actually fun.”
Actually fun was an understatement.
His chest still felt warm remembering his mother fussing over whether the food they prepared was enough, or his little brother practically interrogating Sunghoon like he had already decided he was a permanent part of their family. For a few hours, it felt dangerously easy to pretend he belonged there.
Like he could stay.
Sunghoon smiled to himself, eyes dropping to the ground for a second before he quietly said, “I could get used to this.”
Sunoo blinked. “Used to what?”
Sunghoon looked at him then, gaze soft enough to make Sunoo’s stomach tighten.
“Our family,” he murmured. “Together.”
The words hit too fast.
Sunoo’s smile faded before he could stop it.
For a brief second, he let himself picture it too. Dinner tables. Shared holidays. A little kid running around while Sunghoon complained dramatically from the couch. A future that looked so painfully simple.
Then reality settled back in like cold water.
People like him do not get things simple.
Sunoo looked away first. “We both know that’s not possible.”
The air shifted immediately.
Sunghoon’s expression flickered, just for a moment, before he forced out a quiet laugh. “Relax, I was joking.”
But Sunoo knew him too well now. He knew when Sunghoon was covering up disappointment behind a smile.
And Sunghoon knew him too well too, because he could probably tell Sunoo wasn’t rejecting the idea.
He was rejecting how badly he wanted it.
Silence stretched between them as the night breeze passed softly through the trees. Somewhere nearby, a dog barked. The porch light above Sunoo’s door flickered faintly.
Sunghoon stepped closer without thinking.
Sunoo’s breath caught.
Too close.
Close enough for Sunoo to notice the tiny crease near Sunghoon’s eyes whenever he looked at him like that. Close enough to feel warmth radiating off him despite the cold night air.
Neither of them spoke.
They just stared.
Sunghoon’s eyes dropped briefly to Sunoo’s lips, and Sunoo hated how instinctively he leaned in too.
God. This again. Every single time.
Just as the distance between them disappeared completely, the doorknob behind Sunoo suddenly rattled violently.
“Sunoo hyung?”
Sunoo jumped back so fast he nearly lost his balance as he pushed Sunghoon away from him.
The front door swung open, revealing Elijah in dinosaur pajamas, rubbing one eye while glaring suspiciously at the both of them.
Sunghoon physically turned away to hide his laugh.
“You said you were gonna tuck me in,” Elijah complained sleepily.
Sunoo pressed a hand against his face. “Right. Yeah. Sorry.”
Elijah narrowed his eyes. “Why are you standing so close?”
“Go upstairs,” Sunoo said immediately, pointing toward the staircase before Elijah could ask more questions. “I’ll be there soon.”
The kid shrugged dramatically before stomping away upstairs.
The second he disappeared, Sunghoon finally burst into quiet laughter.
Sunoo groaned. “You’re evil.”
“You should’ve seen your face,” Sunghoon grinned.
“You almost got me killed.”
“By a kid?”
“He’s nosy. You know that’s worse.”
Sunghoon laughed again, softer this time, and Sunoo hated how easily the tension from earlier melted away whenever he smiled like that.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Sunoo sighed, nodding toward the street. “You should probably head home.”
“Yeah,” Sunghoon murmured, though he made no actual effort to leave.
Typical.
Sunoo crossed his arms. “Why are you still standing there?”
“I don’t know.” Sunghoon tilted his head innocently. “Maybe I’m waiting for a proper goodbye.”
“You’re so annoying. I hate you”
“No, you don’t”
Sunoo rolled his eyes, fighting the smile threatening to appear. “Goodnight, Sunghoon.”
He turned toward the door, fully expecting Sunghoon to finally leave.
Instead, warm fingers caught his wrist gently.
Before Sunoo could react, Sunghoon leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss against his forehead.
Soft, yet brief. But still enough to make Sunoo freeze completely.
Sunghoon pulled away with the most shameless grin imaginable. “Okay. Goodnight for real this time.”
Then he jogged down the driveway before Sunoo could process anything enough to yell at him.
—
Sunghoon stared at his phone for almost five full minutes before finally giving in and pressing the call button.
The moment Sunoo answered, all the boredom he had been feeling since morning disappeared instantly.
“Hello?”
His voice still sounded sleepy, rough around the edges in a way that made Sunghoon smile without meaning. He could already picture him lying in bed, hair messy, probably wrapped up in his blanket with his face mask still on while squinting at the ceiling.
“Hang out with me,” Sunghoon said immediately.
Sunoo let out a disbelieving laugh. “We literally hung out last night.”
“And?” Sunghoon shifted onto his side, phone pressed between his cheek and shoulder. “Am I not allowed to miss my boyfriend?”
The silence that followed was so abrupt Sunghoon nearly laughed as the line went quiet.
He could practically hear Sunoo malfunctioning through the phone.
Sunghoon grinned to himself, staring at the sunlight spilling across his bedroom wall full of astronomy related posters as he waited for a response. He wondered if Sunoo was covering his face right now. Maybe glaring at absolutely nothing while trying to recover.
“I’m not your boyfriend,” Sunoo finally mumbled, though he sounded far less confident than usual.
Sunghoon’s smile widened. “Well,” he said lightly, “not yet.”
Another pause.
Then Sunoo laughed awkwardly, the kind of laugh he only did whenever he got flustered or scared and didn’t know how to respond. “You seriously need help.”
“You like me anyway.”
“That’s still under investigation sir.”
Sunghoon snorted softly. “So are you hanging out with me or not?”
“I can’t today.” Sunoo sighed quietly. “I’m visiting my grandma.”
The answer made Sunghoon frown a little despite himself. Rationally, he knew it was fine. They had spent almost the entire evening together yesterday. But somehow, after getting used to Sunoo constantly being around lately, even a single day apart already felt annoyingly empty.
“Oh,” he muttered.
“I promised her last week,” Sunoo explained quickly. “I can’t cancel on her.”
“No, I get it.” Sunghoon forced himself to sound casual. “Family stuff comes first.”
There was a brief silence before Sunoo spoke again, softer this time. “I’ll see you in church on Sunday anyway.”
And just like that, the disappointment loosened immediately.
Sunghoon dropped back dramatically against his pillow. “Sunday feels too far.”
“You’ll survive.”
“Debatable.”
Sunoo laughed quietly under his breath, and the sound settled warmly in Sunghoon’s chest.
“Okay, I seriously have to get ready now,” Sunoo said. “Bye.”
“Wait.”
“What now?”
Sunghoon smiled to himself before saying, “Miss me while you’re gone.”
A groan immediately came from the other line. “Goodbye, Sunghoon.”
The call ended before he could tease him further.
Sunghoon stared at the screen for a moment before shaking his head to himself, unable to stop smiling.
God, he had it bad.
—
With absolutely nothing to do at home, Sunghoon eventually decided to head out anyway.
The city felt unusually alive that afternoon. Music drifted from open stores, cars crawled through traffic, and groups of students filled the sidewalks with loud conversations and laughter. Sunghoon wandered aimlessly with his hands shoved inside his hoodie pocket, occasionally checking his phone even though he knew Sunoo was probably busy.
Still, his fingers kept unlocking the screen out of habit.
At some point, without even realizing it, his feet carried him toward familiar streets. Familiar corners. Familiar places.
And before long, the pastel sign of their favorite bingsu café came into view.
Sunghoon slowed instinctively.
A small smile almost appeared on his face at the sight of it. He still remembered Sunoo dramatically complaining the first time they came here because the bingsu was “too pretty to eat,” only to finish almost the entire bowl himself ten minutes later.
The memory made warmth settle briefly in his chest.
Then he glanced through the café window.
And froze.
Sunoo was inside. But he wasn’t alone.
A girl sat across from him, laughing brightly while Sunoo smiled back at her.
Not his polite smile. Not the small, reserved one he gave strangers. It was his real smile. The soft one that made his eyes disappear slightly whenever he laughed too hard.
Sunghoon’s chest tightened unexpectedly.
He stayed rooted to the sidewalk as he watched the girl reach over and flick Sunoo’s forehead teasingly. Sunoo groaned dramatically before laughing, nearly dropping his spoon in the process.
The two of them looked comfortable together. Too comfortable.
Sunghoon frowned before he could stop himself.
Wasn’t Sunoo supposed to be visiting his grandmother? He said to himself
His eyes narrowed suspiciously at the café window.
Unless his grandmother suddenly became a college-aged woman with perfect hair and expensive earrings, something was definitely not adding up.
Inside, Sunoo leaned closer to show her something on his phone. Their shoulders nearly touched as the girl laughed again, grabbing onto his wrist this time while Sunoo smiled helplessly.
Something unpleasant twisted in Sunghoon’s stomach.
He had never really considered himself the jealous type before. Usually, things rolled off him easily. But right now, watching someone else make Sunoo laugh like that made irritation crawl slowly beneath his skin.
Who was she?
And most importantly, why had Sunoo never mentioned her before?
Sunghoon stood outside the café for another few seconds, staring through the glass like a man personally betrayed by the universe.
A part of him considered walking inside casually. Maybe ordering something. Maybe sitting close enough to overhear their conversation.
Maybe reminding Sunoo that certain people had almost-boyfriends waiting for them.
The thought alone nearly made him cringe at himself.
Still, he couldn’t look away.
Because the longer he watched Sunoo smiling at someone else, the more he realized something deeply unfortunate.
He really, really likes him.