Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s a spring day. A warm one.

Well—at least, that’s what it was supposed to be.

But Sunoo finds himself stuck at school, unable to leave because it’s storming outside. Of course, he didn’t bring an umbrella. How could he have known? The weather report had promised sunshine all day.

Now he’s trapped. He has a project due tomorrow, and he’s worried that if he can’t get home soon, he won’t be able to finish it before his piano class this evening.

Walking is technically an option—his place isn’t that far—but he’d be completely soaked. And getting sick isn’t an option; he has a show in just a few days, and his immune system isn’t exactly the strongest.

So here he is. Waiting for the rain to stop.

Which also means he has no choice but to work on the project right here, at the library.

So that’s exactly what he does.

He settles down at the far end of the room, the quiet corner where he’s sometimes caught Riki taking naps.

Riki—Sunoo’s biggest crush.

Riki is... complicated. He’s lazy, always trying to act cool, and Sunoo’s friends don’t understand what he sees in him. They think he’s just a pretty face.

And honestly? Sunoo kind of gets it. Their current project is a partner assignment, and so far, Riki hasn’t helped at all.

Sunoo opens his laptop and stares at their half-finished presentation. Riki’s name is written at the top, and just seeing it there makes Sunoo sigh.

“Why does he have to be so sweet and yet so weird? Can’t he just help me a little?” he mutters to himself, frustrated.

But no matter how annoyed he is, Sunoo’s too in love to actually say anything to him.

Trying to shake off the thoughts swirling in his head, Sunoo focuses on the screen. But then—footsteps. Someone’s approaching.

He tries to ignore it, but then a familiar voice speaks.

“Aye, Sunoo-shii. What’re you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to go home for your piano lessons?”

Sunoo looks up—and there he is. Riki. The very person he didn’t want to deal with right now.

Because, of course, he’s the reason Sunoo is stuck working alone after school.

Wait.

How does Riki know about his piano lessons?

“Riki… when did I tell you about that?” Sunoo asks, confused.

Riki’s expression shifts. He looks slightly annoyed, and Sunoo doesn’t like where this is heading.

The last time they spoke, Sunoo had been rambling—nervous, panicked—and he’s pretty sure it irritated Riki.

“You were freaking out about the project yesterday,” Riki says flatly. “Talking about how you’d fail if you couldn’t finish it. Then you started going on about this and that, and how you didn’t have much time today because of your piano lesson.

Or was it your ‘how to shut up’ lessons?”

Ouch.

The words hit Sunoo hard. He’d been afraid Riki didn’t like him, and now it feels like he’s just confirmed it.

His face falls, a pout forming instantly.

“God, stop pouting,” Riki mutters. “I can’t deal with you right now. Just go home. I’ll finish the project.”

And there it is—again. Riki acting cold.

But deep down, Sunoo knows that’s not all there is to him.

“But… Riki…”

Riki’s expression shifts once more, and Sunoo immediately regrets saying anything.

This is the first time Riki has really talked to him outside of schoolwork in ages—and now he’s ruining it.

“You don’t have an umbrella?”

Sunoo looks down and pouts again. “I forgot it at home…”

Riki sighs, grabs his backpack, and drops it on the chair across from Sunoo. After digging through it for a second, he pulls out his umbrella and holds it out.

“Here. Take it.”

Sunoo blinks. “But what about you? And… why do you even care about my piano lesson? Or the project?”

Riki raises an eyebrow. “Because I still care about my grades? And I know you’d probably snitch that I didn’t help—so I’m going to finish it now.

Besides, you mentioned that show you have next week. Your lesson sounded important.

My dad’s picking me up later anyway—I don’t need the umbrella.”

Sunoo’s heart flutters at the fact that Riki remembered all that.

Still, it stings a little that Riki assumes he’d rat him out.

“…Okay. I’ll go. Thank you, Riki.”

Riki just shrugs. “No need to thank me. I didn’t do much.”

And that’s when Sunoo turns away, a soft smile spreading across his face, cheeks glowing with a blush.

This—this is why he’s so in love.

As he walks out into the rain, watching the drops splash against the pavement, Sunoo thinks back to yesterday’s conversation—the one Riki mentioned.

And slowly, it comes back to him. He did tell Riki about his piano lesson.

But… did he actually mention the show?

He remembers holding back. He’d been too shy, too afraid it would sound like an invitation.

So… how does Riki know?

Chapter Text

The thing with Riki is…
He once accidentally walked past Sunoo’s piano lesson while coming back from his vocal class.
He hasn’t been singing for a while now, but sometimes he still stops by—maybe just to catch a glimpse of Sunoo playing.

They usually don’t close the door all the way, so Riki leans casually against the wall, listens for a few minutes, and leaves before Sunoo comes out.

After first hearing how talented Sunoo was, Riki got curious.

He did a little research and eventually found Sunoo’s name listed for one of the music school’s showcases.

He was interested enough to go watch it.

He wore a mask and pulled his hoodie up, just to be safe, and sat in the back.

Watching Sunoo play was… something else.

The boy was practically glowing.

Riki maybe had a little crush.
Not that he’d ever admit it.

It’s complicated.

Riki’s not exactly straight, but he’s always preferred girls. That’s just what feels familiar to him.
He doesn’t want Sunoo to be his exception—doesn’t want anyone to be. 

It’s not like Sunoo isn’t attractive—Riki knows he is.

He just… wouldn’t go for a boy like him.

He doesn’t even want to date anyone right now, but still, the thoughts keep creeping in no matter how much he tries to push them away.

After that first show, he went to another two months later.
And now? He checks the school’s event planner every so often. Just to see if Sunoo’s performing.

Is he addicted to listening to him play?
No way.

That’s not like Riki. He doesn’t care about that kind of stuff. He does his own thing, keeps to his small group of friends, and that’s it.
At least… that’s what he keeps telling himself.

When he and Sunoo got teamed up for the project, Riki’s first reaction was a long, frustrated sigh.

He didn’t want to work with Sunoo. He was scared Sunoo’s real-life personality would mess with the perfect image he’d built in his head—this angelic version of him that only existed from a distance.

So, in class, he avoids working on the project altogether.

He knows that if he sits too close, he’ll end up staring too much. And that?

That would be way too cringe.
Riki is not the kind of guy who stares at people.

Even though he usually does schoolwork at home, this time he just avoids it entirely.

He doesn't want to deal with Sunoo. But skipping out on the project nags at his conscience.

So, when he finds Sunoo sitting at his usual napping spot in the library, he walks over and tells him he’ll finish it himself.Not because he suddenly wants to help.
But because he doesn’t want Sunoo to miss his piano practice—or stress himself out trying to finish everything alone.

He probably doesn’t say it in the best way—

he never really knows how to say things right. He sees the little pout on Sunoo’s face and instantly feels bad.

But whatever. At least he’s trying.
At least it feels like he’s helping in some way.

The problem is…
Riki wasn’t paying full attention during their last conversation. Only half-listening, really. So when he casually mentions Sunoo’s show, he doesn’t even realize what he’s done.

Because Sunoo never told him about that show.

And yeah—this might get really embarrassing for Riki.
But of course, he’s too clumsy to notice that he’s said too much.

Chapter Text

Sunoo shakes the thought out of his head. He tends to talk without realizing it.
He’s spilled way too many secrets just by rambling to his friends—so he’s sure he must’ve told Riki about the performance at some point. Right?

Walking home in the rain wasn’t exactly fun, but at least he had Riki’s umbrella…
Which meant every drop sliding off the fabric reminded him of Riki’s unexpected kindness.

Still, the project kept nagging at his mind.


What if Riki had only been in the library to nap?


What if he didn’t want Sunoo there, so he sent him away with an excuse?

Biting his lip, Sunoo pulls out his phone from his bag, opens KakaoTalk, and scrolls to find Riki’s contact—saved under “handsome boy🎀”.
Okay… maybe that was a bit much.


If any of his friends saw it, they’d 100% assume he got himself a boyfriend.


But honestly? He just can’t help it.

Riki was good-looking and had this calm (sometimes intimidating) gaze in his eyes.

But Sunoo really fell for him the day he was heading to orchestra club practice.
 That day, activities were canceled— no one had told him.
As he was about to open the door to the music room, he heard a familiar baritone voice humming softly from inside.
It was Riki. Singing to himself.
Sunoo froze.
He’d never heard Riki sing before—and his voice?

It was breathtaking. Deep, gentle, raw in a way Sunoo hadn’t expected.
 It felt like he was witnessing a side of Riki no one else got to see.
That’s when Sunoo decided Riki must have a beautiful soul.
Maybe he’s a little delusional—his friends definitely think so.


But Sunoo doesn’t mind living in his little fairytale bubble.
He stares at the screen, at the name “handsome boy🎀,” debating whether to text him or not.


He starts typing:
“Hello Riki, can you send me the finished work when you’re done?”


Too formal.

He tries again:
“Hiii Riki :), I’d be happy if you could send me your finished work, thanks for taking over”


Nope. The smiley is too much. Way too much.

He deletes the smiley but even then… the message still feels weird.


Why should he be sweet when Riki literally roasted him earlier for “never shutting up”?

Sunoo groans quietly.


How is he supposed to make a move on Riki when sending one text already feels like a life-or-death situation?

Eventually, he types:
“Hii Riki, not to bother you or anything, but please send me the finished work if you’re done. Thanks.”


Yeah. That works. Simple. Polite. Chill.
He hits send.
He doesn’t expect Riki to read it right away—but apparently, he does.


Sunoo sees the “read” mark appear instantly, and panic floods his chest.


He shoves his phone away, heart racing.
Now all he can do is wait. One vibration. One reply. Just one.
But nothing comes.
Riki goes radio silent. Again.

And Sunoo feels completely hopeless.

Chapter Text

Riki is sitting at the library when he notices Sunoo left his hand cream.
He's not sure if he should give it back.


Well, obviously he should — that's what any normal person would do.
But Riki worries it might come off weird if he’s too kind.
(Screw this, he thinks. It’s just returning something. That’s normal.)

It’s a small tube, with a bear on it. Vanilla-scented.
He’s pretty sure Sunoo takes good care of his hands.


Those are the hands that bring those beautiful melodies to life.
The project topic isn’t hard, really.
He starts by reading Sunoo’s parts. Some of it is solid, but there are places where it feels like Sunoo was falling asleep while writing.
So Riki quietly fixes a few things here and there and continues with his own part.
He’s confident he’s doing a good job.
He’s academically smart — his friends always ask how he manages to keep up in school when he doesn’t even seem to focus.
But at home, Riki studies a lot.
That’s the deal with his father: if he wants to keep going to dance class, basketball practice and vocal lessons, his grades need to stay perfect.
When Sunoo’s message pops up, Riki reads it.

”Hii Riki, not to bother you or anything, but please send me the finished work if you’re done. Thanks.”

"Why does he care so much?" he wonders as he locks his phone again.
Then it hits him.
Maybe it’s the same reason Riki himself cares about his grades.
He knows Sunoo has more than just one piano lesson per week — so it wouldn’t be surprising if his parents had a rule: Do well in school, or no more music.
And that makes it easier to justify fixing Sunoo’s work.
It’s not just because he’s in love with the boy — it’s because he doesn’t want Sunoo to lose the one thing that means the most to him.


Right?

Riki exhales.
I really need to stop thinking about this boy so much.
He finishes the project. He’s proud of it.
Just as he’s about to drift off, forehead resting on the library desk, his phone vibrates again.
“Rikiiii, why didn’t you send me anything?? Did you really do it? Or were you lying to me about finishing it off :(?“
Riki groans.
Of course Sunoo wouldn’t let it go.
He can practically feel the pout through the screen.
He sends the file and types out:
“You’re overthinking it. I corrected some of your parts and didn’t credit myself for that. You’ll get a better grade.”
Sunoo reads the message. The typing bubble appears.
Then disappears.
No response.
He’s probably just reading what Riki wrote for his parts in the project, Riki tells himself.
His eyes fall on the hand cream. It’s still there.
He opens it.
The scent is exactly what he imagined Sunoo’s hands would smell like.
Warm. Sweet. Kind of addictive.
Maybe... maybe this boy fits into Riki’s imagination better than he thought.
Aside from all the overreacting and the pouting — which Riki really finds annoying.
But even that...
Even that is something he already knows.
Because when Sunoo plays on stage and makes a tiny mistake — something no one else would catch — Riki always does.
It appears again, just for a second — the little frown on Sunoo’s face. The pout.
At first, Riki thought it was adorable.
But when it’s directed at him?
Well…
Then it’s super annoying.
...Or is it?

Chapter Text

When Sunoo gets a reply from Riki, he thinks about thanking him—but stops mid-message. He remembers how Riki left him on read at first. Fine. He can do the same.

He got home about an hour ago, took a quick nap—he stayed up late working on his part of the project and didn’t want to be tired for his lesson later.

He read Riki’s part.

And… wow. It’s really impressive.

How did Riki manage to do that much, that well, in just two hours? Sunoo needs five for the same amount. He frowns.

Then he remembers Riki’s message.
Didn’t he say he corrected Sunoo’s mistakes?

Sunoo scrolls back up and checks the file.
Riki really did fix some parts. And they sound good. He even kept Sunoo’s writing style so the teacher wouldn’t notice.
Ugh.

Now Sunoo just feels bad. Riki did nothing for hours, and now he’s not only finished but even helped him .
This isn’t the moment for silent revenge.

So he picks up his phone again and types:
“You did really good, thank you so much for helping me out with my mistakes. I’ll hand it in. See you tomorrow.”
He hits send without thinking.
Just like Riki said— stop overthinking everything , he reminds himself.

And then…
Riki starts typing.

Sunoo tenses up immediately. Amazing. Telling himself to relax clearly doesn’t help.

His phone buzzes.
“No problem. You forgot your hand cream here. I’ll put it under your desk tomorrow.”

Sunoo turns red. So that’s where it was...

He doesn’t know what to feel—thankful that Riki’s thoughtful enough to give it back, or sad that Riki won’t even hand it to him directly.

Seriously? Under the desk? Can’t he just come talk to me?
He avoids me when his friends are around. He’s probably ashamed of interacting with me.
Sunoo frowns.

He types back:
“Yeah right.”
And sends it. That’s all he has in him right now.

—

After lunch with his family, Sunoo heads out to his piano lesson. Thankfully, the rain has stopped.

He’s been practicing a lot for the upcoming performance. His last lesson was basically his teacher pointing out every mistake, so Sunoo used his free time to fix all of them.

He feels confident now. This time, he knows his teacher will be proud.

The lesson goes exactly as he hoped. Sunoo’s frustrations fade away the moment his fingers touch the keys.

His teacher smiles and tells him he’s ready for the show. Sunoo feels warm with pride.

He’s a clumsy person. Terrible at sports. But when he sees piano keys in front of him, he knows exactly what to do.

He’s been playing since he was eight, when he found his mom’s old piano in the basement. It was totally out of tune, practically falling apart.

But when his parents saw how much it meant to him, they fixed it up, tuned it, moved it into the living room—and made it perfect, just for him.

Ever since, piano’s been his thing.
At family reunions, he played. At Christmas, his sister would demand holiday songs. His friends always came to his shows.

He sometimes wonders if Riki would be impressed if he ever heard him play.

But Riki probably hates him. So Sunoo would never invite him to any performance.

Still, if he wants Riki to come see him play… he’d have to somehow get close to him.
Which is hard. Since Riki is practically ignoring him.

It’s hopeless. Totally hopeless.

But then… an idea.

It might not work—Riki clearly doesn’t care much about him. But if he went to one of Riki’s basketball games and supported him , maybe it would mean something. Even just a little.

If Riki asks why he’s there, he’ll just say, “I came to support you. You helped me with the project, so I wanted to say thanks.”
Yeah. That sounds okay, right?

Only problem: He needs to find out when the next game is.

He knows Riki plays on the school team—thanks to Jay.
Jay, who also happens to hate the idea of Sunoo crushing on Riki.

Jay always says things like:
“Sunoo. yeah, Riki can be nice, but he doesn’t really care about anyone. He only does things that benefit himself. He’s cold. Even if you tried, he wouldn’t be able to love you. You’re too much of a sunshine. You two don’t match.”

And every time Sunoo hears that speech, a little bit of hope drains away.

Jay would lose it if he found out Sunoo was watching the game for Riki.

So… Sunoo tries to be sneaky. He texts:
“Jayyy, after my show I’ll have some free time and I was wondering when your next game is. I’d like to come support my friend!”
No. Too obvious. Jay would catch on in a second.

And then Sunoo remembers: Jungwon.

His best friend.

Head over heels for Jay.

Goes to every basketball game just to watch him play.

Perfect.

They’ll go together. And if Jay asks, he’ll say he just wanted to hang out with Jungwon after the game. Easy.

So he texts:
“Jungwonie, I have a request and you have to help me…”

He spills the whole plan.
Jungwon doesn’t really like Riki either—he’d prefer it if Sunoo liked someone else. But he can’t say no to him.

“Yeah, you can come. It’s next week Friday.”

And just like that…
Sunoo’s plan is in motion.

Chapter Text

Riki is laying in bed.

His alarm isn’t ringing.

Weird. He usually doesn’t wake up on his own.

He checks the clock—6:15.

A little early. His alarm goes off in 30 minutes.

The sun is peeking through his blinds, its rays making the bed feel warm and cozy.

Riki doesn’t want to go to school.

He wishes it were Saturday.

“Maybe I should skip today,” he thinks.

But then he remembers—he’s got practice with the team. They have a game next week.

He gets up, heads to the bathroom, and starts getting ready.

Maybe he’ll have some time after breakfast to run through the choreography they learned in the last class.

—

Sunoo wakes up to his alarm blaring every three minutes.

It has to be that loud—otherwise he won’t wake up.

He loves sleeping, but falling asleep? That’s a whole different story.

It’s not insomnia. He just needs more time for himself at night.

As an overthinker, it takes a while for his thoughts to shut up so he can finally drift off.

Which makes him groggy in the morning.

He always gets ready at the same time as his mom, and honestly, he probably inherited his morning mood from her.

She scolds him and gives him a list of chores before he even leaves the house. Every.Single.Morning.

That’s why Sunoo always puts on this super motivated act when he gets to school—he doesn’t want to be anything like her in that way.

The walk to school usually helps him wake up.

And the last ten minutes of that walk are when he normally clears his mind—thanks to his morning stretching.

He hasn’t danced in a while, but he can’t imagine a future where he can’t do the splits anymore (and his mom wouldn’t accept that either).

So, he stretches every morning.

He thinks it’s relaxing—at least when his mom isn’t around.

But today? He woke up late.

No stretching.

Which means he’s got to hype himself up on the walk instead.

Too bad Riki walks past him just as Sunoo is still stuck in his head, replaying everything his mom said that morning.

Sunoo doesn’t notice him.

And he definitely doesn’t realize how tired and annoyed he looks.

So when Riki taps him on the shoulder and casually asks if he just came back from a

funeral…

Sunoo turns bright red.

—

It’s 12 p.m.

Sunoo is sitting in biology class.

But he’s not paying attention.

How could he?

His thoughts are still stuck on that moment with Riki this morning.

“Sunoo, figured I’d give your hand cream back since I ran into you,” Riki had said.

He said “Sunoo” in that deep, calm voice—and it gave Sunoo chills.

“I thought putting it under your desk was kind of rude. Be more careful with your stuff next time.”

And then Riki just walked away.

Sunoo had opened his mouth, wanting to say something—anything—to keep him from leaving.

But nothing came out.

And now? He hates himself for it.

He’s pulled out of his daydream when Jungwon nudges his shoulder.

“Noo~ what’s up with you today? Still thinking about what happened this morning?”

Sunoo pouts, like always.

“I was so dramatic about him just leaving the cream under my desk, and then—like some kind of magic—he actually came up to me and apologized?? And I was too dumb to keep the conversation going, Wonie…”

He sighs. “He willingly came up to me… and I ruined it.”

“Sunoo,” Jungwon says. “Riki doesn’t care about that. He probably appreciated you not talking. He’s the one who joked about you never shutting up, remember? He’s the last person who’d want a full conversation.”

And honestly? Jungwon’s right.

Completely right.

But Sunoo doesn’t want to accept that so easily.

He still believes there’s more behind Riki’s actions—little things that might mean something.

And then he remembers what Riki told him before:

Stop overthinking everything.

So, he tries.

Maybe letting go—just a little—will help.

Chapter Text

The teacher gave Sunoo good feedback on their project.
They’ll get the final grade next week.

After class, Jungwon walks over to Sunoo with a grin.
“The boys are practicing today, and I thought I’d stop by real quick—maybe grab something from the cafeteria for Jay so he doesn’t starve.”

Sunoo looks at Jungwon, clearly confused.
“Okay? Good for you, flirting with him like that?”

Jungwon’s smile drops into a flat, annoyed look.
“Sunoo, stop being stupid. I’m hinting that you could do the same thing.
Buy something for Riki—a snack or whatever. Or at least thank him again for the project and wish him good luck with practice.”

“Jungwon, I can’t just buy him something… we’re not on that lev—”

Jungwon cuts him off.
“You can give him something and say it’s a thank-you. That simple. If you don’t take the first step, he’ll never get it.”

Sunoo sighs.
“Ugh… fine…”

They head to the cafeteria.
Sunoo has no idea what to get Riki.

And then he sees the lollipops.

Whenever he sees Riki around school—walking alone or sitting in the library—he usually has one in his mouth.
Maybe he’ll like that.

—

When they arrive at the gym, Jungwon basically jumps into Jay’s arms.
Looks like practice already started—heavy breaths, sweaty foreheads.

Sunoo thinks it’s sweet how well Jungwon and Jay get along… but it also makes him jealous.
He watches the boys—some drinking water, others still playing around.

Then his eyes land on Riki.

Is he… looking at me?

Riki’s standing there with his water bottle.
And he’s definitely looking at Sunoo.
Right in the eyes.

He doesn’t even look away when Sunoo notices—it’s like he’s meant to be caught.

Then he glances over at Jungwon and Jay, and signals for Sunoo to come closer.

“Here to support your best friend supporting his boyfriend?” he says casually.

Okay… maybe Riki doesn’t hate Sunoo after all.
That’s the second time today he’s started a conversation.

“Uh… no, actually…”
Sunoo looks down, fidgeting with the lollipop in his hands.
“When Jungwon mentioned he was coming here…”

God—Riki’s got sweat dripping down his cheek, his breathing’s heavier than usual, and he looks… maybe a little too good.
Sunoo completely forgets how to finish his sentence.

“When Jungwon mentioned he was coming here…?” Riki repeats, raising an eyebrow.

“I thought I’d come too. To thank you again for the project. Here, take this.”
Sunoo blurts the words out so fast, he’s not even sure Riki understood.
His face is burning red as he hands Riki the lollipop.

“Oh—I think I have to go now,” Sunoo mumbles.

They both know that’s a lie.
Jungwon and Jay are still wrapped up in each other.
But Sunoo has to escape before he explodes from embarrassment.

He walks straight up to Jungwon, grabs his arm, and drags him away.
Jungwon groans.

“I’m sorry I’m stealing you away from your prince, but I’m way too embarrassed to stay,” Sunoo says, face flushed.

“Sunooo…” Jungwon whines. “It was going so well! He literally called you over, he wanted to talk to you! Why are you running away? At this rate he’s gonna think you hate him, not the other way around!”

Shut up, Sunoo thinks.
But he doesn’t say it.
Because Jungwon was the one who gave him the push to talk to Riki in the first place.

So Sunoo stays quiet.

Chapter Text

Practice isn’t that enjoyable today.
Riki is tired. He knows today’s practice is important, but he just can’t focus.
He’s trying—but it doesn’t stop the comments from his teammates.
"God, Riki, what are you doing?"
"Why didn’t you pass me the ball?"
Twenty minutes in, the coach finally gives them a break.
I could really use a cigarette right now,
Riki thinks as he drops down onto the floor.
I hate how it feels to stop smoking.
—
He was around fifteen when he got pulled into a weird group of friends.
Guys who liked bullying others. Guys who were alcoholics. Guys who had small dicks.
He stopped hanging out with them pretty quickly.
One of them, though, had been a little nicer than the rest.
He would help Riki out when he got in trouble.
—
One day after vocal lessons, Riki stayed behind for an extra hour, even after the teacher left.
His voice was changing. Singing didn’t feel the same anymore.
He knew puberty would hit eventually—but he hoped it wouldn’t mess up his singing too badly.
It did.
So when his teacher told him he couldn’t hit the notes the same way anymore, it crushed him.
He stayed behind, stubbornly repeating the same part over and over, forcing his voice until his throat hurt and his eyes teared up.
Why doesn’t it work anymore?
he kept asking himself.
On the way home, he ran into that friend outside a convenience store.
The older boy called him over.
"Hey, you look upset. What’s going on? Where were you?"
Riki didn’t answer right away.
"Did someone threaten you up? I’ll kill them."
That protective side was always nice.
He was two years older, and treated Riki like a little brother.
"It’s just..." Riki’s voice cracked.
"Puberty’s messing with me. I can’t sing the same anymore."
"Oh."
"I know it’s childi—"
"No, Riki, I get it. I mean, I don’t sing, but I get how frustrating that must be."
Riki just nodded.

"Wanna talk about it? You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind."
Riki nodded again, his eyes stinging with tears.
People never asked him how he was feeling.
But he couldn’t cry right here—that would be weak.
"Come on, let’s walk," the older boy said, throwing an arm around Riki’s shoulders and lighting a cigarette.
Riki was so frustrated he wanted to try it too.
Smoking was supposed to help with stress, right?
"Want one?" he asked.
Riki nodded again.
That’s how he started smoking.
It became a coping mechanism.
And when he eventually cut ties with those guys, the older boy stopped talking to him too.
Once again, Riki had nobody.
Smoking was the only thing he kept from that time.
—
A few months ago, his dance teacher caught him smoking.
He got an earful.
"Riki, you’re seventeen. If you mess up your lungs, you won’t be able to keep dancing like this. I get that cigarettes are tempting, but you seriously need to stop."
And Riki isn’t stupid.
He listened.
It was really hard at first.
But he read somewhere that lollipops could help.
At first, he thought it sounded childish.
But after getting used to it, he started carrying a stash of them.
He’d pop one in his mouth whenever he felt stressed.
It helped.
But sometimes, like now, the craving still sneaks back.
He’s sweaty, exhausted, and he doesn’t want to be here.
He watches his teammates moving around—some laughing, some grabbing water.

Then he sees Jay walking toward the entrance, smiling.
It must be Jungwon
And sure enough, there’s a completely lost-looking Sunoo…right behind him?
God, he looks cute right now.
Riki doesn’t realize he’s staring.
Shit—he’s staring back.
And that is exactly why he doesn’t want to get paired up with Sunoo for anything—because he wouldn’t be able to stop staring.
Staring into his eyes like this is already too much.
Besides, Sunoo looks just as awkward, standing there while Jay and Jungwon practically melt into each other.
So Riki calls him over.

"Here to support your best friend supporting his boyfriend?"
Sunoo turns red.
Why? That was a normal question.
"Uh… no, actually…"
He’s fiddling nervously with a lollipop in his hand.
"When Jungwon mentioned he was coming here…"
Sunoo trails off again.
Is he staring at me?
His face is so red.
"When Jungwon mentioned coming here…?" Riki prompts.
And then Sunoo rushes out something about wanting to thank Riki for the project—and thrusts the lollipop into his hands.
Riki opens his mouth to say something, but Sunoo blurts out:
"Oh—I think I have to go now."

And then he just leaves.
Even though Jungwon and Jay are still tangled up together right there.
Did I say something weird?
Why’s he acting like he’s scared of me?
He could’ve stayed a little longer…
His presence was... nice, Riki thinks.
God, Riki, shut the fuck up.

He looks down at the lollipop again.
It’s like Sunoo read his mind.
Did he really come all the way here just to give me this?
That’s… cute.
Riki smirks, then carefully puts the lollipop into his bag.

Chapter Text

It’s Saturday. Sunday is getting closer.
Which means Sunoo’s performance is getting closer too.
He’s nervous.

Ever since his awkward encounter with Riki yesterday, Sunoo hasn’t been able to stop thinking about him. And now, he has this strong urge to invite him.
Of course he does—he’s completely in love.
But he can't just invite Riki. They aren’t really friends, and those few interactions over the past days don’t mean anything. It only happened because they were paired up for the project.
At least, that's what the devil on one shoulder tells him.
The angel on the other reminds him that Riki actually initiated two encounters in one day.
Compared to the Riki who usually doesn't even look at him, that’s a pretty big deal.

Sunoo grabs his phone.
He scrolls to the contact “Wonie💞.”
“Jungwon, I've been thinking about inviting Riki to my show. Do you think I should do it?” he types.
But then he remembers how shameless Jungwon can be—how he’s talked Sunoo into doing all kinds of crazy things before.
So he exits the chat and opens another one: “Sunghoon🩵.”

Sunghoon is Sunoo’s other best friend. They used to dance together. (Sunghoon’s an amazing dancer.)
He also friends with Jay as they go to the same class and he naturally hangs out with their group.
Sunoo knows Sunghoon is someone who always watches others closely and thinks deeply about everything.
He was the first one to notice Sunoo’s crush on Riki.
And he once even said that Riki had been staring at him—something Sunoo didn’t believe at the time.
But after catching Riki staring yesterday, he really wants to believe Sunghoon wasn’t lying.
(Sunghoon wouldn’t lie to him about something like that anyway.)

Sunoo presses the call button.
It’s something they do sometimes—call each other when they’re frustrated and need advice.
Those calls usually last for hours. And honestly, Sunoo could use that right now.
Sunghoon is always honest, always knows how to cheer him up, and even when he tells Sunoo things he doesn’t want to hear, he does it in a way that never breaks Sunoo’s heart.
Unlike Jay and Jungwon, who sometimes say things a little too harshly.

The call connects.
“Hey Sunoo, whadup?” Sunghoon answers.
“Hi Hoonie, are you busy?” Sunoo asks.
“Nope, I’m just chilling on the couch, watching my sister while my parents are out. We can talk. Did something happen? Are you nervous because of tomorrow?”

And this is what Sunoo loves about him.
He always knows exactly what to ask, like he can read Sunoo’s mind.

“Well yeah, I’m a little nervous... but I’m feeling pretty confident, so it’s not stressing me out too much,” Sunoo says with a sigh.
“It’s just... Riki has been confusing me a lot these days.”
“I know. Jay told me about yesterday,” Sunghoon says.
“Really?! What did he say?” Sunoo asks, shocked.
“That Riki was practically... um, eye-fucking you? Well, that’s what Jay said. Jungwon was there too and he agreed.”

“What the fuck,” Sunoo says, absolutely stunned.
“Are those two on drugs or something? They’re so obsessed with each other, they don't even see reality anymore...” Sunoo adds, annoyed.
“Wanna tell me what actually happened?” Sunghoon asks.

Sunoo explains:
“Well, you know about the project and how he helped me get a better grade. I asked Jungwon if I could go to Riki’s basketball game next week to maybe support him, like as a thank-you.
That was the original plan.
But then Jungwon suggested I buy him a snack, like how he always brings stuff for Jay.
So I bought a lollipop and we went to the gym.”

“I’m listening, go on,” Sunghoon says.

“When we got there, Jungwon and Jay were basically glued together, so I stood there kinda awkwardly.
While I was scanning the gym for Riki, we suddenly made eye contact.”
Sunoo’s cheeks burn at the memory.
“He was already looking at me... and he didn’t stop. And—get this—he actually signaled me to come over.”

Sunoo falls silent for a moment, embarrassed.
“But isn’t that good? Sounds like he wanted to talk to you,” Sunghoon says.
“But the day before, he made some weird comment about how I never shut up,” Sunoo frowns.

“And then he went out of his way to fix your project so you’d get a better grade. Come on, Sunoo.
Riki’s just socially awkward and says dumb stuff without thinking. I’m sure he felt bad afterwards.”

“Mhm,” Sunoo hums.

“So what happened after he called you over?” Sunghoon asks.

“Well, he asked me what I was doing there, and he looked so hot that I literally forgot how to speak mid-sentence. It was so awkward.
He had to repeat what I said so I could continue talking. And then... I mumbled something, gave him the lollipop, and ran away.”
Sunoo's voice gets smaller and shyer.

“Maybe you shouldn’t act like that if you want him to like you back?” Sunghoon says gently.
“I get it—you were super embarrassed, and it’s understandable.
But if he called you over during practice—something he never does—that says a lot.
He probably likes talking to you... he just doesn’t know how to show it.”

“Mhm,” Sunoo says again, feeling a little better.

“I’ve been thinking about inviting him to my show,” Sunoo blurts out.

Sunghoon goes quiet for a second.
“Okay, if you ask me, you shouldn't.
Riki’s not the kind of person who gets close to someone that fast.
It might feel like you’re pushing too much if you invite him now.
I think you’re at a good place with him, and it doesn’t look hopeless, so don’t risk ruining it.”

Sunoo makes a small noise of understanding.

“I think you should stick with going to the basketball game on Friday.
He’ll appreciate it.
And it’ll give him some time to process everything that happened this week.
I know you want him to see you perform—you want to impress him.
But take it slow, okay?”

“Mhm. Thank you so much, Hoonie... I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Sunoo says warmly.
“No problem, Noo~. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. You’re gonna shine,” Sunghoon says.

He’s always so supportive. Always.

They end up talking for almost two hours, chatting about their week until Sunghoon’s parents come home.
Sunoo says goodbye to Sunghoon’s family and they hang up.

Sunoo lies on his bed, dropping his phone beside him.
He sighs heavily.
He doesn’t know what to do anymore.

Then, there’s a soft knock on his door.

“Come in,” he says.

His mother steps inside, the room still dark.
“Why are you lying in the dark, sunshine?” she asks softly.
“I don’t know. Just didn’t turn on the light,” Sunoo says.

She sits down at the edge of his bed.
“How are you feeling about tomorrow? Think you’re ready?”
Sunoo nods.

She watches him for a moment.
“Is there something on your mind, Sunoo? You seem distracted.”

“Everything’s fine.”

“You sure?” she asks again, gently.

“I don’t know why, but it feels like you have a crush,” she says, smiling knowingly.

Sunoo smiles back. She always reads him so well.
“Yeah... he’s very cute.”

“Think you have a chance?” she asks, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t know. We’re not that close yet.”

“Do you want me to keep asking questions, or are you gonna start telling me about him?” she teases.

“Keep asking questions,” Sunoo says, smiling.

“Is he tall?”
“Very tall.”
“What does he do in his free time?”
“He’s on the basketball team... and I think he dances too...Oh right, he has an amazing voice.”
“Is he nice?”
“I like to think so.”

“Don’t let him hurt you, alright?” his mother says softly.

“Mhm, I won’t.”

She stands up and leaves, carefully closing the door behind her.

Maybe his mother has bad days too—but sometimes, she's exactly what Sunoo needs to calm his heart.

He lies back down.
And he thinks of Riki again.
He remembers how he looked during practice—sweaty, but somehow so hot.

Sunoo blushes.
He was so close to me... he thinks.

When Riki handed him his hand cream back, he had been close enough for Sunoo to smell his perfume.

At practice, Riki had worn a simple white T-shirt, the sleeves rolled up to show his arms.
His muscles were on full display.
All these little details about Riki made Sunoo so weak.

He buries his face in his pillow.

Maybe I should lock the door.

Chapter Text

It’s Sunday.
Riki is nervous about Sunoo’s show.
Every time he goes there, he’s scared that Sunoo’s friends might recognize him.

He always wears a mask, sunglasses, and a cap.
He thinks it’s too embarrassing to go without even being Sunoo’s friend.
He usually gets seats in the back of the theater hall, where nobody notices him.

Outside the building, he spots Jungwon, Jay, and Sunghoon.
He’s sure they treat Sunoo well.
Sunoo always has a smile on his face when he’s around them.

I want to be the reason Sunoo smiles too,
Riki thinks.
And then he quickly shuts the thought down again.

He takes a quick walk around the building until suddenly, a door opens.
It’s Sunoo.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,
Riki thinks as he hides quickly.

Sunoo’s breathing picks up.

It sounds like he’s hyperventilating.

Riki wants to help but he can’t blow his cover, so he’s relieved when he sees Sunoo’s teacher rushing over.

"Sunoo, you still have about 40 minutes. Please don’t stress yourself too much. I know you’re going to do great," the teacher says.

"I’m sorry, it’s just…" Sunoo starts speaking between sharp breaths. "I can’t breathe…"

"It’s alright, yeah? Follow my breathing, Sunoo. Inhale. Hold it. And exhale," the teacher says calmly.
Slowly, Sunoo starts to calm down.

Riki’s heartbeat slows too.

But then, Sunoo’s eyes well up with tears.
"I’m sorry. I was thinking about my father," Sunoo says, his voice shaking.

Riki stiffens.

But then the teacher hugs him.

"I know it’s hard, Sunoo. But don’t think about it. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore."

Sunoo sniffles and nods.
What is this about? Riki wonders, frozen in place.

"Come on, let’s fix your makeup," the teacher says, helping Sunoo back inside.

Once Riki is sure they’re gone, he quickly moves toward the entrance.
He’ll go to his seat, where it’s safe. No surprise doors. No chance of being seen.

But he can’t stop thinking about what he heard.
What was that about?
Why did just thinking about his father almost send him into a panic attack?

—

Time passes, and the lights go down.
A boy walks onto the stage and sits at the piano.

Sunoo.

And for the first time, Riki doesn’t know how to feel.

He’s spent so long admiring Sunoo from a distance, preserving this perfect image of him.
But now, he knows a little more.
And he doesn’t know if it makes it better or worse.

But then he notices the little things.
The way Sunoo hesitates before touching the keys for the first time.
The way he smiles when he feels himself doing well.
The way he pouts a little when something doesn’t go exactly like it did during practice.

And the way he shines up there, on that stage.

And Riki realizes—
The perfect image he had of Sunoo doesn’t disappear because he knows him better.
It becomes even more meaningful.

Knowing these tiny, everyday pieces of Sunoo only makes it more special to see him perform.

Sunoo will always be that precious boy Riki sees whenever he’s on stage.

And now, Riki can enjoy every side of him—not just the perfect performance, but the person behind it.

He watches the rest of the show differently.
And he knows, without a doubt—
He’s completely fallen for him.

Even more than before.

Chapter Text

Sunoo pressed the last key, and the audience erupted in applause. It felt amazing to create something people cheered for.
He bowed and waved at a few familiar faces before heading backstage.

Jay, as always, looked like he wanted to shout, but Jungwon slapped him lightly on the shoulder and signaled for him to whistle instead.
Sunoo giggled.

Backstage, he received pats on the back from the staff.
His teacher approached him and pulled him into a warm hug.

"Every time you perform, I wonder where the boy from practice goes," he said. "Because during practice, you’re always doubting yourself, acting like a clumsy little kid. But on stage, you become a man. You did great, Sunoo."

Sunoo loves his teacher a lot.
He is always kind to him, and Sunoo never feels like he has to be afraid of him.

If Sunoo didn’t feel good during practice, they would just sit on the ground and talk for a bit.
His teacher was the adult he could trust when he didn’t want to open up to his mother.

—

Sunoo walked outside.
The moment he stepped out the door, Jungwon ran to him and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"SUNOO, YOU WERE AMAZING!"
"Thanks, Wonie, but I can’t breathe like this," Sunoo laughed.
"Oh, sorry," Jungwon said, loosening his grip.

Jay and Sunghoon came up to them; Sunghoon patted Sunoo's head while Jay gave him a high-five — one that Sunoo was sure would make his hand hurt for days.

His mother followed behind them, handing him a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

—

Riki was standing in a far corner, watching them.
The way they were all so close to him.

And now, he wasn’t so sure about Sunghoon anymore.
Look, Riki wasn’t the jealous type, but the way Sunghoon looked at Sunoo — it was like he wanted to marry him.

What if they were together?
It would make sense.
Jungwon and Jay.
Sunoo and Sunghoon.
They’d go on double dates.

Riki shook his head to snap himself out of it.

Just because Sunghoon looked at his best friend like that didn’t mean they were together.
Get your shit together, he told himself.

Besides, at every party he went to, he caught Sunghoon making out with random people.

Riki thought Sunghoon was smart enough to know what he was doing, so seeing him lose all control when he was drunk was honestly really funny.

He didn’t see Sunoo at parties very often, though.

He remembered once being invited to Jay’s party, where Sunoo had stuck close to Jungwon the entire time, and he was pretty sure Sunoo had left after only two hours.

Maybe he just wasn’t the party type.

Riki only goes to them because Jake drags him along anyway.
Jake was... well, a total fuckboy.
Not in a bad way — Jake didn’t play with people’s feelings. He just found someone new to hook up with every time.

Maybe calling him a slut would be more accurate?

At Heeseung’s last party, Riki had seen Jake making out with Sunghoon in a cramped corner.

Crazy sight: Sunghoon sitting there with Jake on his lap, shoving his tongue down his throat.
Riki shuddered at the memory.
Ew.

Jake hated it whenever Riki mentioned Sunghoon.
Riki didn’t know exactly what had happened between them, because Jake never told him — which was weird, considering Jake usually gave him extremely detailed reviews of all his hookups.

He only knew they’d slept together the whole night because Heeseung had told him.

Apparently, he’d had to give them a room, and he said he could still hear them until 5 a.m….
(Heeseung also told Riki how he had to comfort a totally hungover Jake the next morning because Sunghoon had left without saying a word.)

Riki was shaken out of his daydreaming when he saw Sunoo leaving with his friends.

He had made sure to stay far from the entrance so they wouldn’t walk past him — but then Sunghoon suddenly turned his head and looked directly at him.

What the fuck.

He’s not recognizing me, right?
But then Sunghoon narrowed his eyes slightly and gave a small nod.

Fuck.
He knows.

Panic rushed through Riki.
Why was Sunghoon acting like he was Sunoo’s personal bodyguard?
That look he gave him... seriously?

Riki scoffed and turned to leave too.
I should just go home before it gets even more embarrassing.

—

The next school week was pure torture.
Riki hadn’t even interacted with Sunoo, but every time he looked at him, Sunghoon was staring right back.

At this point, Riki felt like he was being stalked.

Of course, it didn’t take long for Jake to notice.
Whenever Jake checked where Riki was looking, he would accidentally make eye contact with Sunghoon — and then duck behind Riki like Sunghoon was going to murder him.

"God, stop acting like he’s gonna kill you if you look at him," Riki muttered.
"You should stop talking," Jake snapped back.

"You should tell me what happened between you and Sunghoon so I can understand you better," Riki said.
"No."

Riki thought for a second.
"Do you think Sunghoon’s dating Sunoo? Or at least in love with him?"
"Why would he be in love with Sunoo?" Jake snapped again.

"Well, he’s acting like he’s Sunoo’s guard dog, so maybe...?"
"He is not in love with Sunoo," Jake said firmly.

"Okay, Mr. Grumpy," Riki muttered under his breath.

Chapter Text

Sunoo feels a little hopeless now that he and Riki haven’t talked at all this week.
He hasn’t been feeling very confident about going to the basketball game on Friday either.
When he told Sunghoon he wasn’t sure about going, Sunghoon just told him to shut up.
“Nope. You’re going to that game. If you don’t, you two will just stop talking and things will go back to how they were before.”

Why is he so dedicated to this topic though?

—

It’s Lunch Break.
Riki is on his way to the library to take a nap.
He made Heeseung and Jake go out to eat so he could have some alone time.

But just before he can enter, a voice calls out.
“Riki.”

He turns around and sees Sunghoon.
God, what does he want from me?
Is he going to tell me to stop staring at his baby Sunoo or something?

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Sunghoon asks.
Not like he would listen if Riki said no.
So he nods.

“Look, I don’t really know how to say this...”

“I get it, I get it. I’ll stop staring at your boyfriend,” Riki says.

“What?” Sunghoon blinks, clearly confused.

“You always look at me weird when I look at Sunoo. You shouldn’t act like you’re his guard dog.”

Sunghoon frowns.

“Look, I’m not here to fight with you. And for the record, Sunoo is not my 'boyfriend' or anything close to that. I don't know where you got that from.”

Riki keeps looking at him, still curious.
Then what does he want to tell me?

“Is this about Jake?” Riki asks.

“Can you just listen to me before you ask a million questions?”
Sunghoon sounds tired.

It’s silent for a second.

“I saw you on Sunday. I’m not gonna ask why you were there. I don’t really care.
But listen—Sunoo’s coming to the match on Friday because he wants to support you.
If you ignore him, he’s going to be really frustrated.

And I assume you care. Or else I wouldn’t have seen you at his show.”

Riki stares at him.
He has a thousand questions.

“Why would he even...?” Riki asks quietly.

“I’m not answering any more questions. Just think about what I said. Appreciate his presence.”
Sunghoon pauses.
“I have to go. Bye.”

And just like that, he turns around and walks away.

Why does everyone always walk away when I have so many questions?

Riki doubts he’ll be able to fall asleep now.
He calls Jake and Heeseung, telling them to come back soon and bring him something to eat.

I just hope that Sunoo doesn’t know that I came to his performance.

—

Sunoo and Jungwon are at Jungwon’s place, getting ready to go out and watch the match.

Sunoo always gets a full fit check from Jungwon.
He knows Jungwon always puts effort into styling himself for these games.

“Jay gets to flex me to everyone he invites to the matches. And it’s even better if I’m a total eyecatcher.
Some people will be jealous that he gets to have me and vice versa.”
Jungwon always says with a smirk.

“We should make you pretty too, Sunoo. You’re trying to attract a 10/10 today.
You have to at least be an 8/10.”

Sunoo’s jaw drops.
“Jungwon!!!”
He slaps Jungwon’s shoulder.

“Okay, okay. You’re a 12/10 every day.
But the 10/10 you’re trying to attract is so fucking blind.”

Sunoo smiles.

He does his makeup, and then Jungwon helps him put a cute outfit together.

“I’m giving you this baby blue cardigan. It’s super cute and it suits you perfectly.
But you can’t wear a shirt underneath.
The sexy part about it is the wide neckline. Your collarbones will show.”

Sunoo stands in front of the full-body mirror in Jungwon’s room.
Jungwon helps him into the cardigan, and when Sunoo looks at himself, he blushes a little.

“This is really good, Won.”

“I know,” Jungwon says, smiling proudly.

“Okay, you’ll wear a pair of jeans under it.
I’ll give you the ones where my ass always looks best.
Hope it does the same for you.”

Jungwon starts digging through his clothes.

“Well, to be honest, your ass always looks good. But these will be extra special.”

Sunoo knows these things about himself.
But hearing it from his best friend still makes him want to disappear.

Jungwon changes into a cute fit too:
A tight shirt with soft pink and black stripes, black flared jeans, and a gold necklace Jay once gave him.
He looks really good.

“Sunoo, you should wear this combination of piercings.”

It’s Sunoo’s favorite set—the little gemstones that shine beautifully.

They take a few pictures together and then head out.

—

They’re walking to the convenience store because Jay told Jungwon to buy some drinks for the team.

On the way there, Sunoo thinks about what Sunghoon told him yesterday:

“If Riki talks to you, don’t brush him off this time. Try to actually have a conversation.”

Sunghoon’s really putting in work for this.
But Sunoo doesn’t think Riki will talk to him.
Maybe Riki will even find him annoying.

“Stop thinking about it,” Jungwon says, nudging Sunoo’s shoulder.
Sunoo didn’t even say anything.
But somehow Jungwon always knows.

—

When they arrive, Jungwon runs over to the team.
He’s practically their biggest supporter.
If Jay is the dad of the group, Jungwon is definitely the mom.

The team is standing in a loose circle.
Sunoo stands nearby, keeping a little distance, while Jungwon hypes them up and hands out drinks.

When Sunoo scans the team, his eyes land on Riki.

He looks focused.
It’s a look Sunoo doesn’t see on him often.

Then Riki glances at him.
Quickly looks away.
And then glances again.

Okay, this is intense, Sunoo thinks.

While Riki is still looking at him, Jake leans in and whispers something to him:

“Nahh, Sunoo’s looking too fine.
If you don’t grab him, I’m gonna hit him up after this.”

Sunoo doesn’t hear it, but Riki’s reaction is immediate:
He steps hard on Jake’s foot.

When the coach shouts for attention, they both straighten up.
Sunoo also tries to listen.
But then Riki is looking at him again.

This time he’s very obviously looking Sunoo up and down.

Sunoo panics a little and waves at him with an awkward smile.

And if Sunoo isn’t completely imagining things, Riki smirks before turning his head back to the coach.

Fuck. This is crazy.

Sunoo thinks.

He walks to the seats, waiting for Jungwon to join him.
Of course, Jungwon has to give Jay his good luck kiss first.

When Jungwon finally sits down next to him, he says:
“I don’t care what you say—this time he was really eye-fucking you.”

Sunoo chooses to ignore him.

“Is Sunghoon not coming?” he asks.

“He’s busy.”

“With what?”

“With ignoring Jake.”

“Oh. Right.”
Sunoo says.

And then the match starts.

I hope they win.

Chapter Text

The scoreboard shows 46 to 44.
It’s a tight game. The other team is fast, but Jay is more focused than ever.

Riki’s not scoring today — he’s setting things up. Running plays, blocking shots, keeping the rhythm going.

And even if Sunoo doesn’t understand all the rules, he can see that Riki’s passes always land exactly where they should.

The first half ends with just a two-point lead for their school. The coach calls for a break.

Players jog off the court, wiping sweat and catching water bottles mid-air.

Jungwon immediately jumps up, waving and shouting Jay’s name.

Jay gives him that soft look he always does. They throw finger hearts at each other, and Sunoo watches them with a smile.

Then his eyes scan the bench for Riki — who’s sitting with a towel around his neck, drinking water and chatting with Heeseung.

He looks okay. Hot, obviously. But not anxious.
Until Sunoo notices his leg bouncing. Okay, maybe he is nervous.

His focused expression makes him look really good.

If it were directed at Sunoo, he’d probably panic — but like this, it just shows how serious he is.

He doesn’t look over.
That’s fine.
He’s probably stuck in his head, figuring out how to help them win.

—

With only ten seconds left, the score is 68 to 68.
The gym holds its breath.

Jay catches the ball — just like they practiced a hundred times — and there’s Riki, cutting through the defense at the perfect moment.
Without even looking, he passes it back.
Jay takes the shot from outside the three-point line.

It sinks.

The whistle blows.

71 to 68.

Sunoo’s prayers were heard.
And even though Jay scored the final point, it was Riki who set it up.

Jungwon is screaming Jay’s name, cheering so loudly it echoes.

Jay and Riki high-five.
They’re not close, not really — but as teammates, they’re a good duo.

Riki’s smiling.
Not one of his usual smirks — a real, soft smile.
It’s… really cute.

Jungwon pulls Sunoo into a hug, bouncing with excitement.

“They were so good,” Sunoo says, patting his head.

“Your boyfriend’s kind of amazing.”

“Well, Riki passed Jay the ball without even looking at him. He just knew. That was cool too,” Jungwon says.

“Come on — let’s go!”

Jungwon runs ahead and practically jumps into Jay’s arms.
Jay catches him easily, arms around Jungwon’s waist, lifting him a little.
“You were amazing!” Jungwon beams.

“I should come to more of your games. You’re kinda cool, Jay,” Sunoo adds with a teasing giggle.

“Oh, come on, Sunoo.”

“Okay, okay — you were really amazing.” He pats Jay’s shoulder, still smiling.

Then Sunoo sees Riki — standing with Jake and Heeseung.
Riki glances over and catches his eye.

Riki smiles — just a little.
Sunoo walks up.

“Heyy,” he says softly, eyes flicking between the three of them before settling on Riki.

Jake and Heeseung share a look, then quietly step away, leaving the two of them alone — like this is a moment they’re not supposed to hear.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Riki says. “You never come. What changed?”

“Well… I mean, I came for Jay too, of course, but mostly… I wanted to see you play,” Sunoo admits.
“I know I already said thanks for the project, but I’m really glad you helped me. My grade was important, and my mom was actually really nice about it when she found out I did well. I’m pretty sure it’s thanks to you.”

God. I’ve never said something this long to him.
What if i'm annoying him?

No — think of Sunghoon. No running away.

“Hm? You really came because of that? Not because you saw me on—”
He stops.

“On what?” Sunoo asks, confused.

“Oh.”

“Where should I have seen you?” Sunoo tilts his head.

“Forget it. It’s nothing.”

Sunoo nods, not pushing it.
If I annoy him now, he might shut me down completely.

“You were really good, Riki.”

“I think you should congratulate Jay. He made the match point,” Riki says, scratching his neck.

“Are you kidding me? That pass was insane. Without you, there wouldn’t be a final point,” Sunoo says, a little sassy.

Riki looks at him — really looks — and the uncertainty on his face melts into a quiet smile.

I’ve seen him smile more times today than ever before. I’m losing it.

“You were good too,” Riki says.

“Huh? I didn’t even play?” Sunoo laughs.

“Your presence was enough,” Riki replies, voice low and warm.

Holy sh—. That’s… hot.

Sunoo laughs again, softer this time. “Okay. If you say so.”

Jay and Jungwon return. Jay’s arm is slung around Jungwon’s shoulders.

“We’re heading to dinner now, Sunoo. Come with us,” Jay says.

“Oh—uhm, sure.” Sunoo nods.
He glances at Riki before turning to follow them.

“The cardigan looks good on you,” Riki says, eyes dipping down his body.

Sunoo freezes. Goes so red.
But thank god Riki keeps talking.

“You should go. They’re waiting for you.
Come next time too…

It helped me.”

Riki waves him off, heading back to Jake and Heeseung.

How is he so calm?
How am I supposed to stay calm when he says stuff like that? Tells me it was good I came — and that I look good?

I’m not going to survive this boy.

Chapter Text

That Sunoo came to watch the game actually helped Riki a lot.
It wasn’t annoying at all.

Maybe—he's starting to accept his feelings. Flirting with Sunoo like that had been pure impulse.

He thinks it was embarrassing.

Still, he doesn’t exactly regret it—because the way Sunoo’s face lit up red was kind of... cute.

Now Riki is changing in the locker room while Jake and Heeseung are already goofing off.

"Are you finally gonna catch yourself a boyfriend ?" Heeseung teases, nudging him.

"You seriously need a lover. Would fix that grumpy mood. Stress relief, you know?”They burst into laughter while Riki rolls his eyes, trying to ignore them.

"You actually need someone to give you a blowjob. Bet you'd turn into a whole different person," Jake adds casually.

"At least I'm not fucking random people and letting them break my heart," Riki mutters, fake-coughing. "Crybaby," he adds with a smirk.

Jake is about to clap back, but Heeseung steps in.

"Alright, alright. Enough. We won the game, guys. Let’s celebrate instead of roasting each other."

"If it weren’t for Riki," Heeseung says, ruffling Riki's hair, "we wouldn’t have won the match."

"Yeah, that’s true, man. You were great out there," Jake says, patting Riki’s back.

Those two are absolute idiots.
But Riki knows, deep down, that if he ever did want to talk about something serious, they’d listen.

—

Sunoo is lying in bed, smiling to himself.
Dinner had been amazing.

When Jay and Jungwon first started dating, it had been a little awkward—being the obvious third wheel.
But over time, he learned to love their love.
They were inspiring, in a way.

Sure, they argued sometimes—but whenever Jungwon told him about a fight, it was always just misunderstandings.

Sunoo never saw anything toxic in Jay.
And Sunoo is really glad about that.

Jungwon had been cheated on before, and Sunoo had been there to pick up the pieces.

So when Jungwon started crushing on Jay, he was worried. Scared his best friend would get hurt again.

But Jay proved himself—over and over.

He took Jungwon on real dates.
He respected his boundaries.
He made him feel seen.

Sunoo watched Jungwon grow more confident, more at ease with himself.

He wasn't the only one holding Jungwon up anymore—now he had a boyfriend who loved him, too.

And honestly? That made Sunoo happy.

When Jungwon told him about his first time with Jay, it had sounded... magical.
Jay had been gentle. Respectful. Not pushy in the slightest.

Jay was mature—the perfect fit for Jungwon, who could be a little childish sometimes.

And yeah.
Sometimes Sunoo wishes he had someone like that, too.

Being close to them came with perks, though.
He basically had two loving parent figures now.
Jay paid for their dinner.
Jungwon helped clean the sauce off Sunoo’s shirt.

They nagged him. They coddled him.
They were definitely his parents.

Sunoo giggles into his blanket.

When he came home, his mom asked how the night went. They sat on the couch, holding hands, while he told her about the comment Riki had made.

Which led, of course, to her going on about protective sex and “being careful” now that he’s “flirting with a boy.” Mortifying.

Now he’s alone in bed, thinking about the game.
Naturally, he watched Riki the whole time.
His brain has about two hours of Riki-footage saved and ready for replay.
And he loves it.

He already talked to Sunghoon about it, too. Sunghoon told him he should keep talking to Riki now—to keep the connection warm and natural.

Not too bad.
Sunoo gets along with Jake well enough.
They’re not close or anything, but Jake is nice to him.

Maybe it’s because of what happened at Jake’s party...

Jake had invited Sunghoon and Jay, so of course Jungwon dragged Sunoo along.

Jake was surprisingly thoughtful.
He kept checking on everyone all night—and when he noticed how awkward Sunoo seemed, he stepped in.

"Hey, you alright? You look kinda nervous. Not a fan of parties?" Jake had asked, placing a light arm around him.

"It’s fine," Sunoo replied, "I just don’t really like loud, crowded places. But this isn’t so bad."

"If you feel worse, you can go chill in my room. It’s locked, but the key’s in the drawer by the door. You can lock it behind you, just—don’t steal my stuff," he added with a grin.

"Thanks. That’s... actually really sweet of you," Sunoo smiled.

"And hey—if anyone bothers you, or touches you without permission, I’ll kick their ass. Wait—shit, sorry," Jake said, pulling his arm back awkwardly.

Sunoo laughed. He was a little clumsy.
But sweet.

Later, overwhelmed and anxious, Sunoo did end up going to Jake’s room.
He had a mild panic attack—and Jungwon was probably somewhere making out with Jay.

Then Jake, totally wasted, stumbled in.
He couldn’t walk straight, but he plopped down beside Sunoo and started talking nonsense that somehow made Sunoo feel better.

And Jake trusted him, too.
"You’re close with Sunghoon, right? Best friends or something?" Jake asked, slurring a bit.

"Yeah. We’ve known each other for a while. Why?" Sunoo replied.

"He’s been flirting with me," Jake admitted.

"Oh? He hasn’t told me," Sunoo raised an eyebrow.

"Well... I think he’s cute too, but I’ve just been scared to act on it. But maybe... at Heeseung’s party in two weeks, I’ll shoot my shot."

"Good luck with that. He’s pretty easy to flirt with," Sunoo giggled.

"...Is he good in bed?" Jake asked softly, resting his head on Sunoo’s shoulder.

Sunoo burst into laughter.

"I wouldn’t know. He never tells me. I’m not close to any of his hookups."

"Oh—sorry. I just figured you two must’ve hooked up at some point. Like... at least a friendly fuck or something. You’re way too hot not to."

Jake was definitely too drunk.

"No," Sunoo laughed. "We’ve never been like that. Just friends.
Also—did you just say I’m hot?"

"Of course you’re hot. But I wouldn’t fuck you. You don’t seem like you’re into quick stuff. And besides, my dick is kinda into your best friend right now," Jake said, yawning.

Sunoo laughed again.
And then noticed Jake was falling asleep on his shoulder.

Sunoo shakes off the memory.

I wonder what Jake thinks about me and Riki...

No matter what he tries to think about, it always comes back to Riki.
That boy is taking up so much mental space.

I wonder if he thought I looked sexy in that cardigan, Sunoo thinks, running a hand through his hair.

He’d taken mirror selfies earlier—cardigan slipping off one shoulder.
He does look hot, okay?

And then the thoughts spiral.
Is Riki a virgin?

He’s so introverted that maybe, it’s possible.
But he’s also so hot—it’s hard to imagine.

What if I become his first?
Shit.

Sunoo tries to shake the thoughts.
They feel a little criminal—but he’s too tired to care.

I wonder what he looks like shirtless... I saw his abs underneath his shirt while he wiped his sweat...

They probably feel amazing.
I could leave hickeys there.
God.

His hands are so pretty. Bigger than mine. I wonder how skilled he is with them.

Nope.

The thoughts aren’t stopping.
They’re just getting worse.

I need this boy in my bed before I go insane, Sunoo thinks.

And then slides his hand beneath the waistband of his pants.

Chapter Text

Riki usually hangs out with Jake and Heeseung after their matches—they treat themselves to meat and it’s always a good time. But this time, Riki excuses himself, saying he’s really tired and just wants to go home.

Of course, they joke around, calling him a baby for being tired already. He just laughs it off, even though he doesn’t feel like joking.

Tired? Yeah, maybe a little.
But the real reason is that his social battery is completely drained.

He had to talk to Sunoo today. A lot more than he usually does.
And having a massive crush on Sunoo doesn’t make things easier.

It was nice—really nice—but now he can’t stop overthinking every word he said.
Was I too flirty?
What if Sunoo was just being nice and I misread the whole thing?

Then he remembers what Sunghoon told him. He’d said it seriously: “Sunoo will be frustrated if you don’t appreciate his presence.”
So it did matter to Sunoo.

He was smiling the whole time, even blushing a little.
Maybe he really did enjoy it as much as Riki did.

But still, Riki can’t quite process it.
He’s not the type to act on impulse—since when does he tell someone that they look good in a cardigan?
It frustrates him that he lost control.

Yet… if he’s being honest, he’s glad he didn’t hold himself back this time.
Because the last time he did, he ended up hurting Sunoo’s feelings.
Instead of just staying quiet, he made a stupid comment about Sunoo’s personality.
So yeah, Riki would much rather compliment him too much than ever make him sad again.

—

When Riki gets home, his dad opens the door and immediately pulls him into a hug, congratulating him on the win.

His mom calls out his name from the kitchen, where she’s cooking dinner.
“How was it, Riki? I know you won, but did you have fun?” she asks.
“It was okay. I think I’m satisfied with myself,” he replies, grabbing a drink from the drawer, kissing her cheek, and heading into the living room.

His older sister is on the couch, eyes glued to her phone.
“Hey idiot, congrats,” she says flatly.
“At least look at me when you say that, moron,” Riki fires back as he sits down beside her.

This is just how they are—constant teasing. It never really bothers either of them, even if their parents wish they’d speak more nicely.
Riki likes Misora, his younger sister, way more than Konon. She’s just nicer.

When dinner’s ready, his mom calls everyone to the table. Misora bounces into the living room and jumps a little when she sees him.
“Oh my god, I didn’t know you were home! Congrats on the game!!” she says with a big smile.

Dinner is amazing, as always. Riki’s mom is a great cook, and she made one of his favorite meals to celebrate his match.
He feels more relaxed now, in the comfort of home. He talks more, smiles more, jokes around. His family never judges him. Well, Konon does sometimes—but never seriously.

A few hours later, Riki is on the couch with his dad, watching a comedy show.
Then, out of nowhere, he asks, “How did you ask Mom out again? Or… who made the first move?”

His dad looks surprised, then grins and starts telling the story.
“Well, we were doing this talent show thing on a school trip. I already thought your mom was pretty, but that wasn’t what really caught my attention. When it was her turn, she sang—and that changed everything for me.

I started following her around, trying to talk to her, but she had no idea I liked her. It was kinda cute. She was so innocent—never thought a guy could fall for her.

Then I asked her to prom. And well, the rest is history.
Now here I am, telling my 17-year-old son how I met his mom.”

Riki cringes. It’s sweet… but still kind of gross to hear.
He nods slowly.

“Why are you asking?”
“No reason. I was just curious,” Riki replies.
“Sure you were. Just tell me, Riks—you don’t care about this stuff unless you’re thinking about someone. You’ve got a crush?”

“Nope.”
“I’m your dad. I know when you’re lying.”
“Okay, maybe a little,” Riki says, annoyed.
“So little that it’s bothering you? Come on, tell me about her.”
“God—it’s a dude, Dad.” Riki blurts out.

“Oh… right.” His dad pauses, awkward smile creeping in.
“I forgot. You’re, what was it again… bi-something?”
“Bisexual, Dad.” Riki rolls his eyes.

He came out as soon as he figured it out. His dad may not be the most educated guy, but Riki knows he doesn’t care about Riki’s sexuality. Working in the dance scene, his dad’s been around all kinds of people. It’s nothing weird to him.

“So… he good-looking?”
“Yeah. But I think I’ve fallen more for his… I don’t know, talent than his looks?”

“Bring him over sometime.”
“We’re just getting close step by step. We’ve never even hung out, like… alone,” Riki sighs.
“Then ask him out.” His dad shrugs.

”Dad..“
“You’ve been avoiding him, haven’t you? Pushing him away?”

“Maybe. But I’m getting better. I just… I can’t accept it. I don’t wanna be head over heels for some guy.”

“Okay, Riks, I know you don’t wanna hear this, but listen—
Stop locking your heart up. Let yourself feel things. Even if it’s embarrassing, even if it’s unfamiliar. If you want him to feel safe around you, if you want to make him happy
You’ve got to let your heart out. Just be honest. I know you can do it.”

“You’re so cringe,” Riki mutters.
“Say what you want. I know you care more than you let on. Or maybe more than you allow yourself to.”

Riki stands up, ready to go to his room.
At the doorway, he pauses.
“Thanks, Dad.”

He only lets himself be this soft around family.
And maybe… around Sunoo.

“I’m proud of you, son. Be proud of yourself too,” his dad says with a smile.

Riki heads to his room, smiling.

Riki throws on his pajamas and jumps into bed.
Thank god tomorrow’s the weekend.

He scrolls through reels for a bit, then remembers how he avoided Sunoo’s Instagram account for weeks.
I don’t care. I’ll have to improve somehow, he tells himself—and follows him.

He notices Sunoo’s story and taps on it.
An outfit check.
Then a selfie with Jungwon.

Riki’s stepping out of his comfort zone. And if he’s going to do it, he’s doing it right.
All in or nothing.

So he likes the stories.
Then he tosses his phone onto the bed, immediately regretting it.
But he’s still feeling just confident enough not to take it back.

He picks the phone back up and starts scrolling through Sunoo’s feed.
And wow—there are so many cute photos.

He even finds pics from when Sunoo had pink hair. Riki didn’t have a crush back then, but looking at them now… yeah, it looked really good.
Cute, but kind of hot too.

I didn’t know how good his outfits are outside school, Riki thinks.
At school, it’s mostly cozy sweaters, hoodies, and nice jeans.
But when he goes out, Sunoo wears really pretty stuff—soft colors, stylish cuts. Sometimes tight, sometimes revealing. But never too much.
And those bootcut jeans? They’re a dangerous game.

Riki can’t lie. His hormones are raging, and the way Sunoo’s thighs—and ass—look in those jeans…
Yeah. He’s going insane.
Not that he’d ever tell a soul.
It feels kind of wrong to think like that about someone he barely knows.

Then he sees a mirror selfie. Sunoo’s holding up a peace sign, wearing a cropped shirt. His belly’s exposed.
Sunoo usually wears loose clothes, so seeing his waist like that?
It’s actually insane.

Riki keeps scrolling and checks who follows him.
Way too many boys from school.
Even Heeseung.

If I’m struggling to stay sane from these posts, those other horny guys probably jerk off to them.

And that thought makes Riki sick.
Nobody should be thirsting over Sunoo like that.

Chapter Text

It’s Saturday.
Sunoo wakes up feeling way too good, still smiling about yesterday.
Then he checks his phone.
“@nishi_riki10 started following you.”
WHAT.
Okay. That’s wild.

But wait—he also liked Sunoo’s story and his most recent post.
Is he messing with me?
He can’t be real, right?
Sunoo stares at his screen, then sends a bunch of screenshots into the group chat.

Sunoo:
guys do u think he’s flirting w me?? bc damn??
[Attached image]

Jungwon sends a voice message:
“He’s SO into you. I didn’t even know he could act like this. What happened to Cold Riki? He’s literally melting for you.”
He pauses for a second.
“Wanna say hi?” Jungwon adds.

Then Jay joins in:
“Go back to sleep it’s 8 in the morning bitch.”
“I’m sending this into the group chat,” Jungwon laughs.
“My Sunoo will kill you if you call me that,” Jungwon giggles.
“Sunoo’s busy with his new boyfriend,” Jay adds before the message cuts off.

God. They’re so dumb.
Sunoo starts recording:
“Okay, sorry Jungwon, but Jay’s right,” he giggles.
“You’re a bitch for waking up the guy who fucked you all night at this hour. Man deserves his sleep,” he says, doing his best fake serious voice.
“And Jay, Riki’s not my boyfriend. Not yet,” he adds with a laugh before hitting send.

Then Sunghoon joins in:
anyone free to meet up today? weather’s nice, I wanna go out.

Jungwon:
sorrryyyyy couple weekend

Sunghoon:
if we get sunoo and riki together u guys can all have ur couple weekends and i’ll be lonely

Sunoo:
should’ve made ur move n got a bf then.
but i’m free, we can meet hoon

Sunghoon ignores that first comment.

Sunghoon:
mall at 12?

Sunoo sends a thumbs up.
Then types:
Jay, Jungwon. remember to use protection.

Jungwon sends back an annoyed emoji.

-

Sunoo gets ready — white t-shirt, knitted cardigan with ribbons, blue jeans. He does his makeup, tells his mom bye, and heads out to catch the bus.

When he spots Sunghoon, he waves with his signature smile.
Sunghoon’s wearing a black shirt and jeans, looking chic as always.

They get breakfast at a café Sunghoon recommends — and it’s actually amazing.
Then they wander through random stores, making up dumb games, laughing at dumb things.
Later, they get ice cream and head outside to walk around and talk about life.

And then—Sunoo sees him.
Riki.

Why.
Is.
This.
Happening.
Now.

He’s happy, sure — he missed Riki even though they just saw each other yesterday.
And he even feels confident enough to go say hi.
But.
Jake’s with him.

Not a big deal for him, but for Sunghoon?
Yeah, this is bad.

He nudges Sunghoon’s shoulder.
“Look. It’s Riki. But Jake is with him.”

Sunghoon glances over, then quickly looks away.
“You should go up to him, Sunoo. I don’t care. I’ll just stay here.”

“You sure?”

“Mhm. Get going,” Sunghoon says with a smile.

So Sunoo jogs over with little steps, all smiley.
Riki spots him and smiles too. Jake gives a polite one… until he sees Sunghoon. Then it drops.

“Hiiiii. Didn’t think I’d see you two here,” Sunoo says.

“Hey Sunoo, whaddya doing? Oh— is that Sunghoon over there?” Riki asks.
Why would he say that? In front of Jake?? Is he dumb???

“Uhm... yeah. Sorry Jake I—”
“Nope. It’s fine,” Jake cuts in. “That’s your best friend. Not my business.”
But he’s clearly annoyed. Not at Sunoo, just… the whole thing.

“What were you guys up to?” Sunoo asks.
“Just walking around. Weather’s nice. We were gonna hit the arcade. You two Wanna join?” Riki says.

Sunoo nearly chokes.
Is this boy seriously inviting him on a date… with Jake and Sunghoon??
Like. Be so serious.

Jake punches Riki’s shoulder.
“Riki. You two can go. Or you three,” he adds with a bitter face.
“But I’m not coming if he’s here.”

“Jake, you’re so overdramatic,” Riki mumbles.

Okay no. That’s it.
Sunoo’s annoyed.

Jake pulls him aside, whispering:
“He doesn’t know what happened. I didn’t tell him. So if you think he’s an idiot right now—he’s not.”

“Okay guys, this isn’t working,” Sunoo says, smiling.
“Let’s just head our own ways, yeah?”
Then he turns to Riki:
“We can go to the arcade another time. Just us.”
Wink.
Boom.
That’s how you flirt.

He gives Jake an apologetic wave and jogs back to Sunghoon.
Grabs him by the shoulder.
“We need to go.”

On the way to Sunoo’s place, Sunoo’s the one lecturing.
(Which never happens. It’s always Sunghoon.)

“Can’t you at least apologize to him? You were kind of an asshole. He probably thinks you hate him. If you weren’t my best friend, I’d be boxing you right now.”

Sunghoon stays quiet. But it’s obviously getting to him.

“Stop telling me what to do, Sunoo.”

“Stop telling—? Jake is a nice guy! You’re breaking his heart and you don’t even care. Wake up.”

“I know that. I’m not dumb.”

And right then, Sunoo sees his bus.
Normally he’d never leave in the middle of an argument.
But he just says, “I'm going, Bye.“
And runs for it.

On the ride home, he feels awful.
Great.
He ran to Riki and probably ruined Jake’s day.
Got into a fight with Sunghoon.
Totally wrecked the vibe.

He picks up his phone and calls him.
Sunghoon answers.

“I’m sorry.”
Sunoo says.
“Your love life isn’t my business if you don’t want it to be. I just like Jake. He’s kind. And I feel bad for him. But I get it, Sunghoon. I really do. Just… don’t make it worse, okay?”

“It’s alright, Sunoo. I’m not mad at you for talking to Riki. That’s normal. You two falling in love is kinda fun to watch. We just argued ‘cause the timing sucked.”

Phew.
He doesn’t hate me.

“Thanks for today, by the way. I had fun. We good again?”
“Of course. We were never not good. My bus just came. See you Monday, Noo.”

Sunghoon hangs up.
What a chaotic day.

—

When Sunoo gets home, he suddenly remembers what he said to Riki.
He practically asked him out.
That’s INSANE.
What if it was too much?

Nope. It was smooth. Totally fine.
He tells himself.

Then his phone buzzes.
A DM.
From RIKI.

Riki:
hey, mind telling me what’s going on with those two? i’m totally confused. jake won’t talk and i feel like everyone knows but me.
i just know sunghoon left him after heeseung’s party but that can’t be all right??

Sunoo stares at the screen.
Poor clueless boy.

Sunoo:
i don’t know if jake wants you to know

Riki:
oh. so now you’re keeping secrets about my friend? :)

A smiley. A smiley.
Sunoo literally kicks his feet.

Sunoo:
i know the story from my best friend.
so yes, i can keep it private if i want to ;)

Riki:
let’s go to the arcade tomorrow if you’re free.

Oh.
He wants it too.
No backing out now.

Sunoo:
this soon? can’t go a day without seeing me?

Riki:
you suggested it, sunoo. u good at games?

Sunoo:
yep. i’ll beat you.

Riki:
nahhh. u won’t.
see u tomorrow at 4pm :)
also. your fit today? looked great.

Sunoo turns red.
IS HE SERIOUSLY THIS SWEET NOW???

Sunoo:
thanks ^~^

It looks chill.
But he’s literally squealing and kicking his feet against the bed.

Chapter Text

Sunday Morning.
Last Sunday, Riki was hiding behind a cap and a mask to watch Sunoo.
And now? He’s going on a... date?
Is it a date? Or just a hangout? Wait, a date can be platonic too, right?
But is this platonic? Or possibly...?
No, it’s not romantic.
...Is it?

Riki is lost in his thoughts.

He’s wearing one of his favorite outfits—cool designer pieces, paired with some nice rings and necklaces.
It’s 3 p.m. They’re supposed to meet in an hour.

As he’s putting on his shoes and about to leave, his dad appears at the front door.

“You’re going on a date.”
“It’s not a date,” Riki snaps.
“Whatever. Take this,” his dad says, handing him some cash.
“Good luck, Riks.”

—

Riki heads out.
He doesn’t know why he feels so at ease around Sunoo right now.
There’s just this intense curiosity—
At first, he was scared to get to know him, but now, even the little crumbs of Sunoo’s personality make him want to know everything.

He wants to apologize for how he treated him before, but he’s not really the apologizing type—
So maybe... later?

—

He arrives at the arcade and spots Sunoo sitting on a bench, typing on his phone.
There’s a cute tote bag over his shoulder, decorated with hand-drawn flowers.
He’s wearing a lilac knit sweater and baggy black jeans.

Riki sits down right next to him.
Sunoo doesn’t notice.

“Hey, Piano Prince,”
he says in a low, warm tone.

Sunoo immediately turns his head, eyes lighting up.
“Oh my god, hi!” he says warmly, his eyes practically smiling.
“Where did you come from? I didn’t even notice!”
“You were very focused on your phone. Your boyfriend, perhaps?” Riki teases. Risky, but he’s curious.

“Oh, please. If I had a boyfriend, I’d be in his bed, not here right now.”
Sunoo grins.
Riki chuckles.

“Ready to lose to me?” Riki asks.
“Never been more ready,” Sunoo replies.

“Wanna grab a drink before we start?”
“Sure,” Sunoo says with a smile.
—

They start with air hockey—and Sunoo’s actually good.
Every time he scores a point, he jumps a little and claps his hands.

What a joyful person.
He truly appreciates every small ounce of happiness.

Riki wins in the end, but Sunoo doesn’t mind.
“You were really good, Riki. But next time? I’m beating you.” He grins.

Over time, Riki realizes that the arcade is basically a stage for both of them to show off.
The basketball game? Perfect for him.
He gets to flex his skills, and Sunoo genuinely enjoys watching.

“I knew you’d be good at this. You’re practically dunking nonstop.”

Sunoo doesn’t even make it to level two.

Then they try a rhythm game. Riki’s solid, but Sunoo’s quick reflexes are impressive.
“Think you got that from piano practice?” Riki asks.
“Maybe... but this isn’t exactly the same,” Sunoo laughs.

Riki glances over at him—Sunoo’s brows furrowed in concentration, long lashes, glossy lips.
Riki misses every beat.
Sunoo bursts out laughing.

“Did you close your eyes or something? You’re missing everything!”
Riki just laughs.
He loses.

Then they find the dance machine.

“This is gonna be interesting,” Sunoo says.
“Dancer vs dancer.”

Riki instantly looks over. “Wait—you dance too?”
“Haven’t in a while, but yeah. I’d say I’m pretty decent,” Sunoo says with a smile.
“How come I didn’t know that? What kind of dance?”

“I like a bunch of styles, but I mostly did ballet and contemporary. Doesn’t mean I can’t hold my own in street dance though—I still go to workshops.”

Riki’s jaw drops.
“Wait, for real?”

Sunoo nods.
“You know Sunghoon’s dancing, right? We used to train together. He continued ... I gave up. I still love it, but competitive ballet is just... how do I say this... really hard. Especially as a guy. I didn’t want to continue under those conditions.”

Riki just listens, wide-eyed. Still shocked.

“Is that so surprising?” Sunoo chuckles.

“It’s just... impressive. You play piano like that and you dance? And ballet is seriously so cool.”

Riki’s mask is slipping. He’s acting like he does at home—and he’s not sure if that’s a relief or terrifying.

“I would’ve invited you to a performance, but I don’t dance like that anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter. You can prove your skills to me right here,” Riki says teasingly.

“But you dance actively, Riki. You’ve got the advantage,” Sunoo giggles.

As soon as the music starts, they both forget about the competition.
They just have fun—enjoying the music, the moment.
They forget to check the score when they finish.
But they don’t care.

—

After a couple more games, they get hungry and decide to eat.

When they sit down, Riki asks,
“Why did you stop dancing exactly?”

He knows it was “hard,” but he feels like there’s more to it.

“Well... you probably know what it’s like to do ballet as a guy. This is kinda embarrassing, but people said a lot of stuff. The pressure got worse. I was doing well, but my last teacher was really strict.”

He hesitates. Like the words are there, but stuck.

“And... well, my dad was strict too. I couldn’t handle him, my teacher, the competition, and all the stuff people said. It was too much.”

Riki nods, about to say something—
But Sunoo keeps going.

“Sorry. I don’t want to get all emotional and dump this on you. It’s probably annoying.”

“No. I asked, didn’t I? Why would it annoy me?”

“Well, obviously you don’t hate me, you’re hanging out with me... but I still don’t really feel like i should talk too much.“

Great. I hurt him, and now he’s holding back because of it. I’m such a dick.

“This is about the project, right? When I ignored you and told you that you talk too much?”

Sunoo nods. Just a little. But he does.

“Ugh. I’m sorry. I suck at connecting with people. And I don’t care that you talk a lot. I just didn’t know what to say—so that came out.”

Sunoo’s face softens.
“It’s alright,” he says.

“I’m sorry about what you went through. I know the pressure of competition—but since we do different things, I can’t imagine exactly how it felt for you. Do you regret quitting? Or are you at peace now?”

“Well... I loved dancing. It helped me express myself. But I’m glad I still have piano. Kinda cringey, but piano got me through the roughest dance moments. After I focused on piano, I realized dance had become too toxic. I didn’t love it enough to keep pushing. Sunghoon does, and he handles the pressure well. But I would’ve ended up quitting piano too if I’d forced myself to keep dancing. So no. I don’t regret it.”

Wow.
Sunoo’s been through a lot. And he’s thoughtful.
Back during the project, Riki thought he was just some dramatic brat—
But there’s so much more.

“You’re really strong. I don’t think I could ever stop dancing for my mental health.”

“That’s because you burn for it. So does Sunghoon. Me? Not so much. Maybe that’s weak, but... I would’ve broken under that pressure. You two wouldn’t.”

“I think you made the right call, Sunoo.”

“How did you start dancing?” Sunoo asks.

“My dad owns a dance school. Kinda runs in the family. My sisters dance too. But I don’t think I do it just because of that. I think I’d dance even if my dad wasn’t a dancer.”

“I saw your Reels. You’re really impressive,” Sunoo says with a smile.

Riki knows it. But hearing it from Sunoo?
It hits different.

“Thanks,” he replies, smiling.

The food arrives, and they eat, making small talk.
Riki talks about the basketball team, Sunoo about piano practice.
They even share some information about classmates
Sunoo calls it gossip. Riki won’t admit he’s gossiping.

They have a good time.

Riki knows a little more about Sunoo’s dad now. But he doesn’t think that alone caused Sunoo’s panic attack before his performance.
There must be more.
But he doesn’t dig. He’ll wait.

—

It’s dark by the time they walk home.
Turns out they live closer than they thought—just a 15-minute walk.
Riki walks Sunoo home.

“Are you still curious about Jake and Hoon?” Sunoo asks out of nowhere.

“Of course I am,” Riki says.

“Okay, I’ll tell you. But don’t make it obvious you know. And don’t tell Jake anything I tell you—some stuff, Jake doesn’t know yet. I want Sunghoon to talk to him.”

Riki nods. He’s good at keeping secrets.

“What do you know so far?” Sunoo asks.

“I saw them making out at Heeseung’s party. Heeseung told me later Jake was crying the next morning because Sunghoon ghosted him after they slept together.”

“Mhm. That’s... not far off.”

“Sunghoon had been flirting with Jake even before that party. Two weeks earlier, at Jake’s party, I wasn’t feeling well, and Jake helped me. He was drunk and told me about him and Sunghoon. Asked me for advice. Said he wasn’t sure but wanted to give it a chance.

So they slept together at Heeseung’s party. And when Jake suggested getting closer... Sunghoon told me Jake’s exact words were, ‘I can imagine getting closer to you. I feel a deep attraction toward you, Hoon.’
And Sunghoon—my idiot best friend—told Jake he didn’t see him as more than a hot hook-up. Jake got hurt. They fought. Then Sunghoon left.”

Riki just nods.
“Damn. Your best friend’s kind of an asshole.”

“He totally is. He didn’t tell me what he said to Jake at first. I only found out when he got drunk and started crying in front of me from guilt.”

Riki glances at Sunoo.
“But someone who says something that mean wouldn’t feel that guilty, right?” Riki says.

“Exactly. That’s the thing—Jake doesn’t know the full story. Sunghoon just sucks at communication.”

Sunoo pauses.

“He struggles with his sexuality. He knows he’s into guys, says he’s bi, wants to end up with a girl. He’s scared people will remember him as a gay dancer, not for his talent. And when he came out, his parents told him to keep it secret. Date girls.

I wouldn’t say he’s exactly gay—he likes women too—but I know he can’t picture dating one.”

“Ohhh,” is all Riki manages.

“Yep. He didn’t tell Jake because... well, he’s scared of being vulnerable. Thinks it’s embarrassing. I had to get him blackout drunk before he told me.”

Riki nods slowly.
It reminds him of... himself.

He starts to speak:
“And you want Sunghoon to open up to Jake about his feelings?”

“Exactly,” Sunoo nods.
“That’s very unrealistic, considering you said Sunghoon hates opening up—and Jake doesn’t even want to see him right now.”
Sunoo’s face drops slightly.

“I know, and it’s frustrating me so much.”
“You’re a really good friend. I can’t even imagine caring that much about my best friend’s love life,” Riki says with a chuckle.  

“I’d be a better friend if I could help them solve it somehow. They’re both sad about this,” Sunoo says.

“It’s not your responsibility to fix Sunghoon’s mistakes, though. You’re not his mother,” Riki says in a confused tone.

“But he helps me all the time. And I don’t want Jake to be hurting either. He was there for me when I had a hard time too, and now I feel like I’m not doing anything for either of them,” Sunoo admits.

“And I wouldn’t even be walking here with you if it weren’t for Sunghoon, Riki,” he adds quietly.
Riki just nods.

Sunoo really is the angel Riki saw in him the first time he watched him play piano.
“Come on, don’t be upset,” Riki says gently, ruffling Sunoo’s hair with his hand.

“It’ll get better eventually. And if you want to help them, don’t force it. If you need anything for that, you can ask me. Being friends with Jake might actually be helpful,” Riki says.

Sunoo blushes again as he nods.
Is it because I’m touching him?

“Thank you, Riki. We haven’t done much together yet, but I really appreciate you.”
“I appreciate you too, tomato,” Riki says with a chuckle.

“What? Am I red?” Sunoo asks in shock.
“Very,” Riki replies with a smile.
Sunoo groans.
“This is so embarrassing,” he says, turning his face away so he doesn’t have to make eye contact with Riki.

Riki leans in a little closer to Sunoo’s ear.
“I think it’s cute,” he whispers.
And Sunoo jumps.

“Stop messing with me!!” he says.
Riki just chuckles.

Chapter Text

It’s Monday.
Sunoo’s friends have been teasing him about his “date” with Riki.
Before the first lesson, they said things like,
“Ohhh, how sad that your boyfriend isn’t walking you to school.”
During their breaks, they added,
“Sunoo, you can go spend time with your boyfriend. Don’t feel guilty about leaving your friend group.”
Sunoo kind of likes it. It reminds him of how much his relationship with Riki has improved. But it’s also a little annoying.

So, during lunch break, Sunoo tells them he needs to go home to pick something up—and escapes to the library.
He had seen Riki earlier that day, and the boy had smiled at him once. It was heart-melting.
Now, Sunoo is going to the library hoping to find Riki there again.

When he arrives, he sees a boy leaning over a table, head buried in his arms.
Is he sleeping?
Sunoo sits down beside him. Yep—Riki is really asleep.

Wow, the break just started and he already fell asleep, Sunoo thinks.
He must be tired.
The thought makes him pout.

Since he doesn’t plan on waking the taller boy, he pulls out a book from his bag and starts reading.
The atmosphere is quiet and comforting. For once, it really feels like a break.
Having your crush peacefully sleeping beside you while you’re reading a book feels warm, cozy, and relaxing.

He takes off the cardigan he’d been wearing and gently drapes it over Riki’s back so he doesn’t get cold.

Suddenly, Sunoo is deep in thought.
This really feels like we’re dating already, he thinks.

He starts to imagine a future where he and Riki live together.
Where Riki comes home from work and takes a nap.
Where Sunoo makes sure he’s warm.
Where Sunoo kisses his forehead.

Well… that’s the part he can’t do yet.

He’s pulled out of his daydream when Riki shifts a little—just turning his head, still fast asleep.
But now his face is turned toward Sunoo, who can see every little detail up close.
His eyelashes. His full lips. The moles scattered across his skin.
Sunoo starts counting them.

There are nine.
This boy was made with so much love. Every mole placed so perfectly, Sunoo thinks.
He wants to kiss the ones under Riki’s eyes.

Then Riki slowly opens his eyes, blinking himself awake.
Sunoo is still staring. It’s really embarrassing—but he can’t look away.

When Riki catches him staring, he closes his eyes again and smiles.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Sunoo says softly.
He’s probably blushing again because of that smile.

“Why are you here?” Riki mumbles, eyes closed.

“I knew you’d be here,” Sunoo replies. “You looked a little lonely, so I sat down. Took the chance to read a book.”

Riki just keeps smiling.
Sunoo wonders how he hasn’t run away yet.

“You can sleep some more if you need to, Riki,” Sunoo adds.

No response.
Is he already asleep again?
Whatever. Sunoo picks up his book again.

Then Riki turns his head once more, facing the other way.

“Your moles are beautiful,” Sunoo says—quietly, unsure if Riki will hear.
But at least he’s trying to make a move.

The last ten minutes of the break, Sunoo gently shakes Riki awake.
“Riki, class starts in ten. I know you’re tired, but you have to wake up, hm?” he says softly.

Riki stirs slowly, sitting up straight. Then he notices Sunoo’s cardigan over his back.
“You thought this would keep me warm?” he asks with a chuckle.

Sunoo pouts. “I tried my best, okay? I didn’t have anything else.”

“The thought’s enough,” Riki replies.

“Do you have an alarm or something? How do you wake up when you’re alone?” Sunoo asks.

“I usually just sleep for twenty minutes. Somehow, I magically wake up then. That was when I first woke up just now, but when I saw you I thought I’d sleep a little longer.”

Sunoo just nods. “What makes you so tired though? Pulled an all-nighter or something?”

Riki blushes slightly. “Just… fell asleep late. Had a lot on my mind,” he says, his voice a little unsure.

“You really okay? Staying up all night because you’ve got a lot on your mind doesn’t sound great,” Sunoo says, concerned.

“Oh no, I’m alright. Don’t worry,” Riki says quickly.

He’s still red. What’s that about?
Did I say something wrong?

“You’re probably the type who doesn’t like hearing this, but if you ever need someone to listen—you can talk to me,” Sunoo says, avoiding eye contact.

Riki stays silent for a second.
God, was that cringe?

“Thank you, Sunoo,” he says finally, picking up his bag. He ruffles Sunoo’s hair before walking off.

Sunoo just sits there in disbelief.

“You coming?” Riki asks, looking back.

Sunoo nods quickly, throwing his things into his bag to follow.

When they enter the classroom together, it feels like everyone is staring.
Okay—maybe it’s just Jake and Jungwon. But that’s already too much.

Jake gives Sunoo a smile and winks.
God, that’s so awkward.
Does he also think there’s something going on between us?

Sunoo quickly sits down beside Jungwon, deliberately choosing to avoid him at first.
He knows Jungwon will make some kind of comment anyway, and—yeah ignoring him doesn’t help.

“Both your hairs look a mess. Did you guys make out somewhere?” Jungwon whispers.

Sunoo goes red instantly.
“No. He was just sleeping. And maybe he ruffled my hair once. That’s it,” Sunoo says firmly.

“Sure,” Jungwon replies with a smirk.

Then the teacher walks in.

—

After school, Sunoo walks outside with his friends.
They joke around a little before saying goodbye, each heading off in a different direction.

Then Sunoo spots Riki with Heeseung.
Jake is already walking ahead.

He wonders if Heeseung will split off soon—that would give him the chance to walk with Riki.
But isn’t that too much?

I already bothered him in the library... maybe I shouldn’t...
Sunoo’s thoughts are interrupted when Riki walks right up to him.

“Come on, let’s walk together,” he says.

Sunoo hadn’t even noticed that Heeseung had already gone a different way.

They start walking.
Unlike yesterday, when the games gave them something to talk about, just walking home together feels a little awkward.

“You got an invitation to Matthew’s party?” Riki asks.

Matthew is in Jay’s class, also on the basketball team, and he’s throwing a party this weekend.

“Well, not exactly,” Sunoo says. “He invited Jay and Jungwon when he saw them and told them Sunghoon and I could come along too.”

Riki nods. “I was asking because... obviously Jake will be there too. And I thought maybe, if Sunghoon comes with you, you could… I don’t know, try to fix things between them?”

Sunoo laughs. “Since when do you care about this?”

“It’s getting on my nerves how much this is affecting Jake. I don’t wanna listen to his endless crying anymore. It’s annoying,” Riki says.

“Oh, come on. You’re just sad because your best friend is sad. It’s not embarrassing to care about your friend’s feelings,” Sunoo says, nudging Riki’s shoulder.

Riki is quiet for a second.
“Did you even think about what I said?” he asks.

“Yes, yes, sorry,” Sunoo replies, rubbing his shoulder.
“Makes sense. But how am I supposed to do that?”

He looks at Riki for a moment.
“Get Sunghoon drunk so he opens up to Jake, and get Jake drunk so he doesn’t hate Sunghoon as much and actually listens?”

Riki grins and nods quickly.

“Nope,” Sunoo says flatly.

“Well, to be fair, getting Sunghoon drunk might actually work. But I don’t know if Jake would understand anything if he’s drunk too,” Riki says.

“How do you want Jake to listen to Sunghoon then?” Sunoo asks.

“We make Sunghoon cry and lock him in with Jake until he forces his apology out?” Riki suggests.

“And how do you plan to lock them in? Throw them in the garden?” Sunoo replies.

“Seven minutes in heaven,” Riki says with a grin.

Sunoo’s face drops. “Definitely not.”

“Oh, come on. We throw them in a room, Sunghoon cries his heart out, and they make out.”

“You’re not exactly socially smart, are you?” Sunoo teases.

“Don’t think so,” Riki says.

—

They arrive at Sunoo’s place.

“Thanks for walking with me,” Sunoo says with a smile.

“No problem,” Riki replies gently.

Sunoo gives him a small wave.

Just as Riki turns to leave, Sunoo calls out, “Riki?”

Riki looks back.

“Are we like... friends now?” Sunoo asks shyly.

“Sure. If that’s what you want, I’ve got nothing against it,” Riki says with a grin.

But Sunoo pouts.
If that’s what you want doesn’t sound very convincing.

“Sunoo, I’m really glad to be your friend, yeah?” Riki says—almost like he’s reading Sunoo’s mind.

“Goodbye. See you tomorrow, Sunoo.”

And with that, he walks off.

Sunoo’s heart is racing.

Chapter Text

It’s Wednesday evening.

Sunoo has been waving at Riki in the hallways lately — and Riki doesn’t mind one bit. Sunoo always flashes him that soft, warm smile. Sometimes they make eye contact during class. 

Today, Sunoo even came to the library during lunch again. He didn’t disturb Riki’s nap, just quietly read beside him and gently woke him before class started. 

Riki never feels pressured to talk around him — it’s like just being there is enough. With other people, he always feels like he has to perform, keep the conversation going, be entertaining. Only his family and Sunoo are different.

Riki sits at his desk, supposedly studying — but in truth, he’s daydreaming. He’s pulled out of it when his phone buzzes.

Piano Prince:
“Can we make a plan about the thing with Jake and Hoon? I know I’m annoyingly serious about this, and if you don’t want to participate, that’s totally fine.”

Riki chuckles.
He’s so cute, Riki thinks.

He types back:
“It doesn’t bother me. I mean, it’s not as serious to me as it is to you, but I’m down to help. Though I don’t think you even need a full plan. If you push them a little, I think it’ll just happen on its own.”

Piano Prince:
“Yeah, you’re probably right. How are you feeling about the exam on Friday?”

“I’m studying for it right now. I think it’s kind of complicated, but nothing proper studying won’t fix,” Riki replies.

Piano Prince:
“I’m scared. I didn’t really get the topic in class, so I’ve been studying, but there are still so many parts I don’t understand. This exam is so important… if I get a bad grade, it wouldn’t be great.”

Riki feels a pang of sadness. He hates that Sunoo’s so worried.
He checks the clock — 6:00 p.m.

“I don’t know if it’s possible, but you could come over right now? If it’s not too late for you. I’d suggest tomorrow, but I think you have piano class, right? I don’t want to stress you. We could study together, and I could explain the parts you’re stuck on.”

Piano Prince:
“Really? But wouldn’t that bother your parents? I mean, it’s already kind of late. I’d love to come over — you’d be such a help.”

Riki chuckles again.

“It’s no problem at all. You can come over whenever.”
He adds a smiley: “:)”

—

When the doorbell rings, Riki jumps up and rushes to open it.

And then — there he is.

God, why does he always wear the cutest clothes? I’m going to die, Riki thinks.

Sunoo’s wearing a slightly oversized white sweater that makes him look even more huggable.
When he smiles and gives a soft, “Hi,” Riki can’t help himself,

He pulls him into a quick hug.

“Hey, nice to see you,” he says, pulling away before it gets awkward.

Sunoo steps inside and takes off his shoes and jacket.

“Want anything to drink? Maybe a snack?” Riki offers.

“I’m okay… Or maybe just a glass of water?” Sunoo replies shyly.

He’s so adorable when he’s unsure, Riki thinks and nods, heading to the kitchen.

While Riki’s gone, Misora comes downstairs. Must be his little sister, Sunoo guesses.

“Hi,” she says.

“Hello,” Sunoo replies.

“Are you a new friend? I haven’t seen you before.”

“Yeah, I guess I am,” he says with a gentle smile. “And you’re his sister, I assume?”

“Yep, that’s me,” she answers. There’s a pause. Then she squints at him.

“You’re totally Riki’s type. He might fall for you,” she says with a giggle — and just walks away.

Sunoo’s face flushes red just as Riki returns.

“You’re red. Did she say something weird?” Riki asks.

“Nope. I’m fine,” Sunoo says quickly.

They head up to Riki’s room.

—

The atmosphere in Riki’s room is… intense.

Riki is sitting really close, occasionally leaning over to explain something with his low voice — God, since when was studying this hot? Sunoo wonders.

An hour in, Sunoo’s concentration is gone. The topic’s already tough, and having his crush so close isn’t helping.

“Can I take a break? I need some fresh air,” Sunoo says.

Riki pauses mid-sentence — his mouth was basically next to Sunoo’s ear.

“Oh— yeah, of course. Sorry if I was overwhelming. I just really want you to do well on the exam…” His voice trails off with every word.

Sunoo smiles.

“No, it’s really sweet of you,” he says, looking over at the window. “Can I open it?”

Riki nods.

He walks up to the window, opens it and leans out, looking at the quiet street. It’s already dark.
Riki joins him.

“I could use a cigarette right now,” Riki mutters.

“Wait — you smoke?” Sunoo asks, surprised.

“Not anymore. I did for two years, but my teacher told me to quit. So I did. Or… I’m trying.”

“Is it hard to stop? I’ve never smoked.”

“Not really. I could’ve quit earlier. But sometimes I still crave it — in certain places, or when I’m stressed.”

“Are you stressed right now?” Sunoo asks, a little concerned.

“I wouldn’t call it stress. More like… nervous.”

“Nervous? About the exam?”

“No.”

“Then about what?”

“You.”

Sunoo goes red.

“Uhm— sorry, I—” Riki stammers.

“Are you nervous about me in a good way or a bad way?” Sunoo asks, surprised at his own boldness.

“In a good way,” Riki says unsure.

“I’m nervous about you too,” Sunoo replies softly, smiling. “In a good way.”

“Let’s keep going,” Sunoo says after a second, walking back to the desk. “I still have a lot to learn if I want to get a good grade.”

—

It’s 10 p.m. A storm’s started, but neither of them noticed. They got too caught up talking — studying long forgotten. Now Sunoo’s sitting on Riki’s bed, telling him how Jungwon and Jay got together.

“So when Jungwon told me that he—”

A knock at the door interrupts him. It opens slowly.

“Hey boys…” It’s Riki’s mom. “I don’t want to interrupt, but it’s 10 already, and it’s storming out. Would your parents be able to pick you up?”

Sunoo’s eyes widen. “Oh my god, I didn’t even notice the time. I thought it was like… eight? My mom’s probably asleep already. She wakes up at four for work…”

Riki’s mom frowns. “I’d drive you, but the car’s at the mechanic.”

Then Riki speaks up. “You could stay the night.”

Both their heads snap toward him.

“I mean— if that’s okay with you. I don’t think my mom would mind.”

“Not at all,” she says warmly. “I wouldn’t want you getting sick.”

“Are you sure?” Sunoo asks.

“Absolutely,” they both say at once.

“You can sleep in my bed, I’ll take the floor,” Riki adds.

Sunoo smiles. “Okay… I’ll text my mom. But I’m not taking your bed — I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“I insist you take Riki’s bed,” his mom says. “And I’ll scold him if I find you on the floor.”

“Okay,” Sunoo giggles.

—

They’re still sitting on Riki’s bed, now talking about everything from how Sunoo started dancing to how Riki made it into the basketball team.

Currently: Matthew’s party.

“Do you like drinking?” Sunoo asks, after they’d been talking about getting Sunghoon drunk for the plan.

“I think it’s fun, but I don’t drink much outside of parties. What about you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with a drink.” Riki says.

“I handle it okay. Takes a while for me to get tipsy. But I don’t drink at parties — only when I’m with close friends. Sometimes Jay brings fancy wine from home and we all sit on the floor, telling stories, talking about life.”

Riki nods. There’s a short pause.

“I only like alcohol when it softens the atmosphere. At parties, it just makes things more chaotic. I can’t really handle that.”

“You’re not much of a party person, are you?” Riki asks.

Sunoo hums. “No, I’m really not. I prefer sitting in the corner, keeping an eye on Jungwon if Jay isn’t already. Just watching everyone have fun.”

Riki nods again.

“Being in the crowd stresses me out. I get panic attacks sometimes, so I try to avoid triggering them.”

“Then why do you still go?” Riki asks gently. “Wouldn’t it be easier to stay home and avoid all that?”

Sunoo takes a breath. “Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean I want to miss out. I don’t want to be boring, or feel left out. If my friends are having fun, I want to be part of that too. And if something were to happen to them and I wasn’t there… I’d feel awful.”

He pauses, then continues.

“And maybe I also feel like I have to go. Otherwise, they’ll talk about it and I won’t know what they mean. Hearing how much fun they had — while you weren’t there — it sucks.”

He falls quiet again.

“First of all,” Riki says, “your friends can take care of themselves. They’re not babies. Second — if parties give you panic attacks, that’s valid. You shouldn’t force yourself to suffer just to avoid feeling guilty.”

He looks at Sunoo.

“And who cares if you miss out? Your friends love you. If they’re worth it, they’ll make sure you don’t feel left out. And if not — we can hang out instead.”

Sunoo looks up.

“I don’t need to be at any party — especially not if I get to spend time with you. So if you ever want to leave, take me with you, and we’ll do something better.”

Sunoo lights up.

“You’d really skip a party just to hang out with me?”

“Of course. If it means you’re not panicking in a crowd, that’s my preference. And hanging out with you sounds… pretty great.”

“Riki, you’re so sweet. I don’t know how to thank you. I’m always the one comforting others — but with you, it feels like someone’s finally lifting the weight off my shoulders.”

“No need to thank me,” Riki smiles. “I just think a boy like you shouldn’t have to worry so much.”

“Come on,” he says, standing up. “It’s late. Let’s get ready for bed.”

“Uhm, I don’t have—” Sunoo begins.

“I’ll give you some clothes,” Riki says. “Don’t worry.”

—

Sunoo stands in the bathroom, changed into Riki’s clothes, and slowly losing his mind.

It smells like Riki. I’m sleeping in his bed. That also smells like him. What if I get a wet dream?

God, he thinks, you can’t wake up in your crush’s bed with a hard-on in HIS shorts, Sunoo, get it together.

A knock on the door interrupts his spiral.

“You good? You’ve been in there a while.”

“Yes! Sorry — I’ll be right out,” he calls.

He opens the door and finds Riki leaning casually against the wall.

“You look cute. Shirt’s a bit big, huh?” Riki says with a smirk, pulling the fabric back up from where it slipped off Sunoo’s shoulder.

Sunoo says nothing, face flaming red, and rushes past into the room.

Riki follows, flicks off the light, and settles onto the mattress on the floor.

“Goodnight, Noo.”

“Night,” Sunoo replies.

—

It's quiet. Maybe ten minutes have passed, but to Sunoo, it feels like three hours.
He glances over at Riki—his eyes are still open.
"Riki?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you give me another hug?"

"Right now?" Riki asks.

"Please," Sunoo adds softly.

Riki sits up, gently pulling Sunoo into a sitting position before wrapping his arms around him.

Sunoo rests his head against Riki’s chest, holding onto his waist tightly.

"Thanks," Sunoo murmurs, unsure.
"You sure you're okay? You're making me worry," Riki says, running a hand through Sunoo’s hair.

"I don’t know. I just needed this right now. Sorry if I’m being weird," Sunoo mumbles, burying his face deeper into Riki’s shirt.

"I’ll give you a hug whenever you need one—just stop asking like an idiot. Just come to me, okay? I need this too…"
The last sentence comes out a little quieter.

"Okay," Sunoo whispers.

Chapter Text

Saturday has come.

The exam went well — thanks to Riki.

And right now, Sunoo is getting ready for the party together with Jungwon.

It’s 7 p.m., and Jay said he’d be there by 7:30.

Jungwon has been dressing Sunoo up nonstop ever since this “thing” started with Riki.

Well, that’s what Jungwon calls it.

But Sunoo thinks the atmosphere between him and Riki is a little different — it doesn’t feel like just a “thing.”

They’re not treating it like one.

Sunoo knows that Riki is probably somewhat attracted to him — otherwise, none of this would make sense.

But he’s not going to pressure Riki about it.

And he won’t pressure himself either.

For now, he’s leaving it at friendship.

He’s pretty sure Riki hasn’t even thought about taking it further.

Still, Sunoo likes what they have.

Riki is the first romantic interest who hasn’t just been lusting after him.

He simply treats him well — with respect, boundaries, and comfort.

And it all leaves this warm, fuzzy feeling in Sunoo’s stomach.

⸻

Jungwon is doing Sunoo’s makeup.

“Why am I even dressing up for him? You think I need to look pretty for him to like me?” Sunoo asks, eyes closed as Jungwon traces a brush along his eyelid.

“Absolutely not. You’re hottest when you wake up, hair messy in your pajamas.

 But you know—it’s fun to dress up. And the reactions are even more fun to watch” Jungwon says.

“How long did it take for you and Jay to get together again?” Sunoo asks.

“The first few weeks were fun and flirty. You know that we weren’t even official when we agreed not to flirt with anyone else. And honestly, when I asked him to be my boyfriend, I wasn’t even nervous—I knew he’d say yes. Our relationship didn’t change much, really. So yeah, we took like two months after we started flirting. But our friendship had already existed a bit longer. You know that.”

Sunoo hums.

“What would you say Riki and I are right now?”

“Are you overthinking again?” Jungwon asks.

“No, I’m just curious.”

“I can’t answer that,” Jungwon says. “I can only tell you that he’s head over heels for you and makes you feel good about yourself. But how you feel about him—and how close you two are—that’s something only you can define.”

“That’s not helping,” Sunoo sighs.

“What if he gets the wrong idea? Like what if he— I don’t know.

What if we rush into something?

What if he’s actually just into my body and I’m being delusional?”

Jungwon lightly slaps the back of Sunoo’s head.

“If you don’t want to rush things, tell him. You need to communicate that you need time, Noo.

And stop saying that shit. I know the difference between horny idiots and genuinely sweet boys. Riki is definitely the second one.”

Sunoo sighs.

“Okay. I’ll trust your intuition.”

“If you ask me, you should open up to him a little more. Maybe he’ll do the same, and you won’t end up misunderstanding each other.

I’m not saying you have to tell him everything right now—but build trust. And let him trust you, too.”

“What even—?” Sunoo starts.

“I’m talking about your bastard of a father. And your shitty ex. I just worry Riki won’t be able to treat you right if you—”

“Okay, I get it. Don’t ruin my mood, Won,” Sunoo cuts in.

⸻

Sunoo isn’t sure about his outfit.

Tight black shorts. Black tights underneath. A tight black shirt.

It’s a great party fit, and Sunoo knows he looks damn good in it.

If he actually puts on the boots Jungwon picked, it’ll be perfect.

But… is it maybe too much?

Definitely not.

Most of the girls wear even more revealing stuff.

Still, Sunoo feels a little shy about it.

While he’s staring into the mirror, Jungwon walks past.

“Come on, slut. You look sexy. Jay just arrived,” he says, giving Sunoo a playful smack on the butt.

“You’ve been overthinking every single thing lately. Just turn your brain off for once.”

“You planning to drink tonight?” Sunoo asks.

“Or planning to make babies with your husband?”

Jungwon shakes his head in mock disappointment.

“I was planning on doing both, but I can skip the alcohol if you’re not feeling confident.”

“No, it’s alright. I don’t wanna be a burden,” Sunoo replies.

“Shut up,” Jungwon says, grabs Sunoo’s arm, and pulls him out the door.

⸻

When they arrive, Matthew greets them warmly.

He maybe glances Sunoo up and down once (he has a girlfriend..) and tells them where to find the drinks, the bathroom, and everything else.

The party hasn’t gone wild yet. It’s still early, and most people are just arriving.

Everyone’s getting settled, grabbing their first drink.

Sunoo doesn’t see Riki yet—he probably hasn’t arrived.

Then he spots Sunghoon sitting on the couch, chatting with some friends.

Jay and Jungwon went to grab drinks, so Sunoo walks over.

“Hi.”

“Oh hey, didn’t see you—” Sunghoon says, about to give him a quick hug but then pauses, giving Sunoo a once-over.

“Trying to impress your crush?” he teases.

“Oh, come on. Jungwon put me in this outfit,” Sunoo whines.

“I’m afraid you might attract more than just your crush,” Sunghoon grins.

“Fuck off,” Sunoo mutters, then greets the other guys.

⸻

It’s 9 p.m. Most of the guests have arrived.

Sunoo is sitting on a couch between Sunghoon and Jungwon, surrounded by a small group of people having a conversation.

But Sunoo can’t focus.

Riki still hasn’t shown up, and Jake’s nowhere to be seen either.

That can only mean they’re arriving together—Jake isn’t the type to be late.

Sunoo pulls out his phone and opens the chat labeled handsome boy🎀.

“When will you arrive?” he texts.

Riki replies instantly.

“Missing me?”

Pff, Sunoo thinks, chuckling.

“Maybe. But that’s not the point. Jake hasn’t arrived, and I’m assuming you two are coming together.”

“We’ll be there soon. Jake just decided to take extra long tonight. For some reason, he insisted on styling me?”

Sunoo sends a laughing emoji.

“Jungwon insisted on styling me too.”

“Then I’m curious to see the result.” Riki replies.

And there it is again—that warm, fuzzy feeling in Sunoo’s stomach.

“I feel like they’re enjoying this. You won’t be the first person to stare at me.” Sunoo types.

“Then I’ll stare a minute longer than the others 🤷🏻” Riki responds, then goes offline.

Sunoo likes the message.

Riki’s flirtier than usual.

And Sunoo’s not sure he’ll be able to handle it.

—

About twenty minutes later, Sunoo spots Matthew heading toward the front door. He didn’t hear the doorbell—between the loud music and the growing crowd, that’s no surprise. But then he sees them: Riki and Jake walking in.

If he didn’t know better, he’d think they were a couple.

Jake looks like a total badass.

Sunoo glances back at Sunghoon and thinks,

Seriously, Sunghoon? What the hell is wrong with you to reject someone like Jake? He’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But he doesn’t want to start anything with Sunghoon tonight. He’ll make sure they talk—and then stay far, far away.

Then his gaze shifts again.

He hadn’t even realized how Riki looked.

He was too distracted by Jake and Sunghoon to notice the 6-foot-something boy who’s been messing with his head.

Leather jacket.

Prada tank top.

Hair slightly grown out and styled perfectly.

Black shades.

Piercings that tie the whole look together.

Sunoo wasn’t planning on getting laid tonight, but one glance at Riki and—

Enough, he tells himself.

He gets up and walks over to them.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hiii, I love your fit,” Jake grins, pulling him into a quick hug.

Sunoo hugs Jake first—because he notices Riki completely freeze when he sees him.

God, Jungwon, I love you so much, Sunoo thinks.

He nudges Riki’s shoulder.

“You good?” he asks with a small giggle.

“Yep,” Riki replies—and casually places a hand on Sunoo’s waist.

Nope.

I’m dying. This is it. I’m actually dying, Sunoo thinks.

The touch sends a tingly warmth through his stomach.

Even when Riki pulls away, the heat lingers where his hand had been.

—

Jake stands in the corner talking to Heeseung and a couple others—a group of girls is very clearly trying to flirt with Heeseung.

Sunoo watches closely. He has to make sure something happens between him and Sunghoon tonight.

He spots Riki alone, grabbing drinks, and walks over to him.

“So, Sunghoon’s already on his second drink. One more glass and he’ll be pretty drunk.”

Riki nods.

“Can you help me with Jake? You’re his best friend, so maybe you could get him outside or something. Just somewhere they can talk. I’ll make sure to get Sunghoon in position.”

“Sure, I can do that. But what do you mean by ‘get him in position’? Are you giving him a script or something?” Riki laughs.

“Uhm, no… well, kinda. It’s brutal, but I’m gonna make him emotional. Maybe even cry. Jake won’t walk away if the guy who broke his heart shows up crying, right?”

“Definitely not,” Riki says, amused.

“Then we’re set. I’ll text you when Sunghoon’s ready, and you make sure Jake is alone.”

Sunoo is about to walk away when Riki starts mumbling something.

“Sunoo, can we maybe—?”

But Jungwon appears.

“Getting drinks for Jay and Hoon,” he announces.

“Oh, good,” Sunoo says quickly and walks off.

—

Sunghoon is on his third drink now, and Sunoo wonders how he’s going to drag him away.

Then again, he doesn’t need to drag him. He knows all he has to do is ask.

He’d talked to Matthew earlier—he said no one would bother them in the backyard since most people go out front to smoke or hang.

Sunoo taps Sunghoon on the shoulder once he decides he’s tipsy enough.

“Hoon, can we go outside for a minute? I want some fresh air. And I don’t know where Jungwon or Jay are,” he says.

“Sure,” Sunghoon shrugs, tells the others he’ll be back, and follows Sunoo outside.

They sit on the small steps near the garden.

“Everything alright, Noo?” Sunghoon asks, voice a little slow from the alcohol.

Sunoo has to be careful now.

“If I ever get together with Riki—I mean, just if that happens…”

Sunghoon just nods.

“I’m scared I’ll have to choose between him and you. He’s always with Jake, you know?”

Sunoo pouts.

“And I’d way rather we could all just hang out together.”

“Oh, Noo, come on. Don’t get involved in this,” Sunghoon says, starting to stand.

But Sunoo grabs his arm and holds him in place.

“Don’t you want to be happy? I know how much Jake still matters to you. You never show it, but I see it, Hoon.”

He knows how to push Sunghoon’s buttons.

Sunghoon never talks about his feelings. It’s always Sunoo who has to pull them out of him.

“I’m not trying to tell you what to do. But you and Jake are both miserable because of this. I get you, Hoon. I really do. But you need to talk to him.”

Sunghoon’s eyes start to water.

“I would. But he hates me,” he says quietly, burying his face in his hands.

“You haven’t even tried, though,” Sunoo says softly, rubbing his back.

“I know Jake. If you give him the chance to understand you, he will. He’ll understand better than anyone else.”

“You’re always right. That’s why I listen to you,” Sunoo says. “You know me best. You know what I should do.”

Sunoo hears him sniffle.

“Let me be the one to help you for once, okay?”

Sunghoon doesn’t reply.

“No matter what happens after. No matter what you tell your parents, or what kind of relationship you end up having. I just want you both to be happy,” Sunoo says.

“Do you think this is easy?” Sunghoon asks his voice is shaky.

“I know it’s not, Hoon.”

Fuck. Sunoo’s eyes are watering now, too.

“I know it’s not,” he repeats, voice trembling.

“But like this, you’re not the only one hurting. You’re dragging someone else into your pain. And that’s not fair.”

Sunghoon lifts his head and nods.

“I’ll talk to him.”

Then he stands up and walks off before Sunoo can say another word.

Sunoo quickly calls Riki.

He answers.

“I convinced him. He’s looking for Jake. Can you make sure Jake’s somewhere private so Sunghoon can talk freely?”

“Yeah,” Riki says. “We’re outside. Jake got distracted by the neighbor’s dog and is playing with him right now,” he laughs.

“Okay, thanks. I’ll go tell Sunghoon.”

“Sunoo, wait a sec—”

But Sunoo already ends the call.

He catches up with Sunghoon and leads him outside.

“I think Jake’s out there. I saw him heading that way,” he says.

“Look, Hoon—there he is.”

When Riki sees them, he walks over briefly. Sunghoon heads straight toward Jake.

“You think this is gonna work?” Sunoo asks nervously.

“Let’s not watch them, yeah?” Riki says, putting an arm around Sunoo’s shoulders and gently pulling him back inside.

“How was Jake’s mood?” Sunoo asks.

“I think the dog calmed him down a lot,” Riki chuckles. “He might actually listen to Sunghoon.”

“But seriously—what did you say to him? He looked like someone told him he’d never be able to dance again.” Riki says with a laugh.

—

When they step inside, the noise hits Sunoo like a wave.

He hadn’t noticed it earlier—his mind was too focused on his “mission.” But now, everything crashes in at once. The music is pounding. People are laughing, yelling, stumbling around. The lights feel too bright.

Everything is too much.

Sunoo stands still. Riki lets go and disappears toward the kitchen.

Sunghoon is outside and he doesn’t know where Jay or Jungwon are. 

Suddenly, Sunoo feels like he’s not really there. The sounds blur together. His vision tunnels in and out of focus. He hears Riki’s voice, but it’s muffled—like he’s underwater.

The crowd. The bass. The pressure in his chest.

He can’t breathe properly.

Someone’s speaking, maybe even calling his name.

“Sunoo?”

He blinks. The room tilts slightly.

“Sunoo, are you okay?” Riki’s voice sounds closer now, more direct—but still faint, like it’s coming from far away.

“I… I’m sorry. I just…” Sunoo swallows, trying to find his voice. “I got carried away for a second.”

“You sure you’re good?” Riki asks, placing a hand on his arm.

But that touch—

Sunoo flinches hard and steps back.

He gasps.

Riki’s lips are moving but he can’t make out the words anymore. His mind detaches again.

Suddenly, it’s not Riki’s voice anymore.

It’s his voice. That voice. Cruel, low, threatening.

Sunoo’s stomach turns violently.

“You look like a whore,” the voice says.

No.

That’s not real.

“Come on, slut. Don’t fight me, you want this.”

Why is the room spinning?

Why is someone so close to him?

He feels pressure—hands on his body. Burning touches. No warmth. Only pain.

Everything burns.

His chest aches. He can’t breathe.

Why is this happening?

Then—

“Sunoo?”

“Hey. Sunoo, are you listening to me?”

“Please talk to me. Sunoo?”

Riki’s voice slices through the fog again, this time with fear behind it.

“Please stop touching me,” Sunoo says—barely a whisper.

“I’m not touching you,” Riki says softly. “Let’s get out of here, okay? Come on. I think you need some air.”

—

When Sunoo comes back to himself, he’s sitting on the wooden bench in Matthew’s backyard.

Cool air. Stars above. No music.

He’s leaning against Riki. His hand is resting over Riki’s chest.

He can feel a heartbeat.

It grounds him.

“Riki…?”

Riki looks at him carefully. “Yeah. You’re okay. You’re here.”

“I— I’m so sorry,” Sunoo says, his voice trembling.

“Hey. It’s okay.”

Riki’s tone is quiet. Gentle.

“You said not to touch you, so I didn’t. I just got you outside. I once read that feeling someone’s heartbeat can help with panic attacks, so I let you hold onto me like that. Did it help?”

Sunoo nods weakly, eyes still unfocused.

“What… what happened?” he asks.

“Well,” Riki says softly, “we went inside, I left for just a second to get water. When I came back and tried to talk to you, you kind of froze. You weren’t answering. And then you said that, so I brought you out here.”

Sunoo’s throat feels tight.

“You didn’t touch me?”

“No. I didn’t. I promise,” Riki says. “You looked scared, Sunoo. I didn’t want to make it worse.”

Sunoo’s eyes well up, and he pulls his hand away from Riki’s chest, curling in on himself, head resting on his arms.

“Hey, hey,” Riki says quickly, still gentle. “It’s alright. I’m here. You don’t have to explain anything if it’s too much. I’ll just sit with you.”

There’s silence for a moment. Then a small laugh breaks out between sniffles.

“You can touch me again. It’s over now.”

Instead of touching his back or hugging him immediately, Riki simply reaches for Sunoo’s hand—and laces their fingers together.

Sunoo turns his head, eyes wide and glassy.

“If you want to talk about it,” Riki says, “I’ll listen.”

Sunoo nods slowly, takes a shaky breath.

“It’s because of my ex,” he starts, voice small. “I had a lot of… really uncomfortable experiences with him. And I think what happened in there triggered something. I saw… things. Felt like I was back there. But it was your face I saw… which scared me more.”

“You’re afraid I’ll turn out like him,” Riki says, not accusing—just understanding.

Sunoo just nods again, ashamed.

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be,” Riki replies immediately. “You’re trying to protect yourself. That doesn’t make you weak or wrong.”

Sunoo bites his lip and exhales.

“I got with him when I was 15. My dad had just left, and I was looking for attention. I didn’t understand the difference between love and… lust. So when he asked for things—nudes, sex—I thought that meant he loved me.”

Riki squeezes his hand a little tighter, grounding him.

“When I had my first time, it… it hurt. It wasn’t what I wanted. But I told myself it was normal. That I was just too sensitive.”

He pauses, collecting himself.

“I didn’t tell anyone back then. And when I started setting boundaries, he said I’d become boring. Then he dumped me. I thought it would hurt. But it didn’t. It felt like breathing again.”

Riki’s thumb strokes gently across the back of Sunoo’s hand.

“Every time we talk seriously,” he says softly, “I realize just how strong you are. I wish I could take all that pain off your shoulders.”

Sunoo smiles through the tears.

“Can I give you a hug?” Riki asks.

Sunoo nods.

And when Riki wraps his arms around him, it’s warm and careful and safe.

Sunoo lets himself lean in fully.

“I want to trust you. I don’t want to rush it.” he whispers.

“Then we’ll take our time,” Riki whispers back. “I’ll wait as long as you need.”

—

After Sunoo calmed down a little, they headed back inside—mostly because the cold started to get to him. They asked Matthew for a quiet spot, and now they’re sitting on the floor in his little sister’s room.

“It’s kinda cute in here,” Sunoo says, looking around at the pastel-colored walls and the shelves full of plushies.

“Yeah,” Riki replies, sitting beside him. “Reminds me of Misora, though she’s grown a lot lately.”

Sunoo rests his head gently against Riki’s shoulder. For the first time tonight, he feels warmth without pressure.

“You look really handsome, by the way,” Sunoo says, his voice soft.

“I like the leather jacket,” he adds with a little giggle, “but you could totally take it off and show off your muscles a bit.”

Riki raises an eyebrow. Then, wordlessly, he starts taking the jacket off.

“Wait—God, Riki, I was joking!” Sunoo blurts out, flustered.

But the jacket’s already off. Instead of flexing, Riki drapes it carefully over Sunoo’s shoulders.

“You like it better on you anyway,” he says with a small grin.

Sunoo hums in response, hiding the red in his cheeks.

A beat of silence passes.

“What do you think happened to Jake and Sunghoon?” Riki asks.

“Oh my God—I totally forgot about them,” Sunoo says, sitting up straighter, worry flickering in his eyes. “And I don’t know what Jungwon and Jay are up to either. What if something happened to them? What if—”

“Hey,” Riki cuts in gently. “They’ll be fine. They’re almost adults. And honestly? Tonight, I just want you to focus on being here—with me.”

Sunoo exhales slowly. “Focus on me for tonight” sounds like something from a movie. He chuckles.

“That sounds… kind of seductive, you know?”

Riki rolls his eyes. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

There’s a small pause.

“Are you a virgin?” Sunoo asks suddenly. His voice is careful but curious, he’s been holding the question in for a while.

Riki turns his head toward him, a little surprised. His cheeks flush a soft pink.

“I guess I am,” he answers. “I got a blowjob once. It was—meh. I wasn’t into her. It just kind of happened. Curiosity, I guess.”

“A girl?” Sunoo asks, tilting his head slightly.

“Yeah.”

“So… you’re bi?”

“Yeah. You?”

“’m gay,” Sunoo says quietly.

Riki nods.

“Why’d you ask me if I’m a virgin though?” he adds with a teasing tone.

“I thought it’d be fair,” Sunoo says, “since I told you I’m not.”

Riki laughs softly. “Okay, true.”

“But… you’ve had your first kiss, right?” Sunoo asks.

“Yeah,” Riki replies. “It was during some stupid party game in seventh grade. Didn’t mean much.”

Sunoo’s eyes are fixed on him now, searching.

“I’d let you kiss me,” he says, voice quieter than before. There’s a flicker of nervousness in his expression. “If you ever wanted to.”

Riki freezes for a moment, processing the words.

“What makes you think I don’t want to do that all the time?” he murmurs.

Sunoo’s breath catches.

In one small, instinctive motion, he shifts—legs sliding over Riki’s thighs until he’s straddling him. His hands are resting lightly on Riki’s chest, heart racing.

Riki places his hands carefully on Sunoo’s waist, waiting.

“You… you were serious?” he asks, voice low.

Sunoo only nods, face flushed, but eyes steady.

So Riki leans in—slow, intentional—and presses his lips to Sunoo’s.

The kiss is soft at first, almost shy. Riki’s hands tighten just slightly on Sunoo’s waist, grounding both of them. Sunoo’s fingers find Riki’s hair, curling into it.

Then Riki pulls back just enough to rest his forehead against Sunoo’s.

“Can I… use my tongue?” he whispers.

Sunoo feels his stomach flip, but nods.

“Yeah,” he breathes.

The second kiss is deeper. Riki gently slides his tongue past Sunoo’s lips, slow and cautious, not taking more than what’s given. One of his hands moves up to trace Sunoo’s spine lightly, sending a shiver down his back.

They pull apart eventually, lips flushed and breathing uneven.

“Let’s stop,” Riki says softly. “If we keep going… I might not be able to hold back. And I still want to respect what you said before, about taking things slow.”

Sunoo nods, smiling faintly, and cups Riki’s face with his hands.

“Let’s just stay like this,” he whispers. “I like being close to you.”

He buries his face in Riki’s shoulder, arms wrapping around him tightly. And Riki holds him—quiet, steady, and warm.

They stay like that for a long time. No rush. No pressure. 

Just two boys, finally letting themselves feel safe in the embrace of the other.

Chapter Text

“If you don’t place first this time, I’ll take away your piano. It’s only distracting you from becoming a better dancer.”

What is he even saying?
All I hear is muffled noise…

—

“I should’ve never let you start doing this gay hobby. And now you’re quitting just because it’s ‘too much’? Pathetic.”

It’s disgusting.

The smell of alcohol is suffocating, and my head is pounding.

—

“Do you know how much money I’ve wasted on your crap? Stop acting like you’re suffering, you little brat!”

Mom’s door is open.
I can hear her crying.

Why is she acting like she’s the one in pain?

—

“If you keep acting like this, I’m going to leave you.
You’re the worst thing that’s ever happened to me!”

“Dad! Please don’t leave! I’ll fix it, I swear—just don’t go!”

…

Riki woke up about 20 minutes ago.

Sunoo is asleep, his head resting on Riki’s lap.

The alcohol from last night is giving Riki a slight headache.

As he thinks back on everything that happened, one moment keeps echoing louder than the rest—that kiss.

It’s messing with his head.

How did that even happen?
Why was it so… incredibly hot?

I’m losing it. He literally sat in my lap and pulled my hair while we fucking kissed.

But it felt good.

Comfortable, even.

Like Sunoo trusted him—opened up about something serious, let himself be vulnerable.

He had a panic attack from something traumatic… and then trusted me to hold him close like that.

Does that make me a god or something?

What did I even do?

Forget it, he tells himself.

He just feels lucky to have been there for Sunoo in that moment.

Though he’s pissed.

Completely.

Without question.

Furious.

He held it together when Sunoo told him, he didn’t want to freak out and make it worse.

But that guy—whoever he was—must have a death wish.

Riki glances down at Sunoo again.

He’d fallen asleep on Riki’s shoulder while still in his lap last night.

When Matthew came to check on them, Riki had asked to stay a little longer so Sunoo could rest.

It’s 8 now.

Sunoo had passed out around 2.

Riki spent the next few hours just watching him breathe.

Memorizing his face.

Sunoo had woken up briefly around 4.

Asked what time it was.

Then kissed Riki again—on the cheek this time—shifted into his current position, and fell right back asleep.

By now, Riki’s pretty sure he knows every detail of Sunoo’s face by heart.

He carefully brushes his fingers through Sunoo’s hair.

Sunoo shifts slightly.

Shit, did I wake him u—? Riki thinks, but then hears:

“I’m sorry.”

A quiet mumble.

“…Dad.”

Oh.

“No…please….”

He’s trembling.

His voice is strained and panicked.

Riki gently shakes him.

“Sunoo.”

…

“Sunoo, wake up.”

Sunoo jolts awake with a sharp gasp, breathing heavily.

“Hey, you alright?” Riki asks, voice calm and concerned.

Sunoo’s eyes well up with tears.

“God, why is this always…” he sniffles,

“…happening whenever I’m finally doing okay?”

“Why can’t they just leave me alone for once?!”

His body shakes as he cries.

Riki pulls him in, wrapping his arms around him.

Sunoo’s freezing.

“It’s okay, Sunoo. I’m here, alright?
It was just a bad dream. It’s over now.”

Sunoo nods weakly.

“I don’t want to be such a crybaby in front of you,” he mumbles.

“Yesterday was already too much.”

“Sunoo, come on. It’s fine. I want to be here for you.
Honestly, I’m glad you let me.”

“Mhm…”

—

About ten minutes pass.

The trembling stops.

His breathing slows.

The tears stop falling.

He gently pulls away from Riki’s arms.

“Thanks…”

Riki smiles softly and nods.

“I should call Jungwon. I have to check if he's okay.”

Another nod from Riki.

“Oh… he called me seven times…”

“Guess he was the one who had to worry this time, not you,” Riki says with a little laugh.

Sunoo chuckles.

That’s good.

Make him laugh.

Make him forget.

“Hi Wonie…”

“Oh my god, SUNOO!!! Where the hell were you?! I was so worried!! After I left yesterday, I figured you’d go home since you seemed fine. But then you didn’t answer any of my calls?! Are you insane?! I thought something happened to you!!”

Sunoo winces and pulls the phone slightly away from his ear.

Jungwon is so loud that Riki hears every single word—even without speakerphone.

“I’m okay, Jungwon… But I was worried too. You could’ve at least told me where you went!”

Riki chuckles.

He’s never had a best friend who treats him like that.

“You sound like you’ve been crying, Sunoo. Don’t lie to me. You’re not okay.”

“No, really, I’m fine. Riki’s with me.”

“Oh my god! Don’t tell me you guys f—”

Sunoo immediately hangs up.

Riki bursts out laughing.

“I’m so sorry! He’s so weird!” Sunoo says, blushing.

“It’s fine, Sunoo. But you should probably call him back before he screams at you again,” Riki says through laughter.

“Why’d you hang up? Can he hear me?”

“Jungwon, you’re so loud, of course he can hear you,” Sunoo replies, annoyed.

It’s kind of cute.

Riki’s surprised how much he enjoys Sunoo’s sass now.

A couple weeks ago, it used to get on his nerves.

Falling in love really is weird, he thinks.

“I’m still at Matthew’s, Jungwon. But where are you right now?”

“In Jay’s bed.”

“Oh wow. Why did I even ask?”

“He could’ve been in my bed too!! You never know!!”

“Bye, dumbass,” Sunoo says, rolling his eyes.

“Make sure to use protection!!” Jungwon shouts, but Sunoo already hung up.

“That was payback. I said the same thing to him last weekend,” Sunoo mutters, leaning against the wall beside Riki.

“He’s growing up and it’s driving me crazy. He’s got opinions now, thinks he can handle everything on his own.
But I can’t let go of the Jungwon I first met. He used to be so soft. Now he’s a brat.”

“You sound like you’re his mom,” Riki laughs.

“That’s because I am his mom. But I’m seriously considering putting him up for adoption.”

“You shouldn’t. I’ve never had a friendship like that. You should worship what you two have,” Riki says.

“Okay, now you’re the one sounding like a mom.”

Riki just smiles at him.

“Speaking of your friends—what’s up with Sunghoon? Is he like your bodyguard or something?”

“Huh? Why?”

“He’s creepy. He stares at me every time I look at you.”

“You look at me?” Sunoo smiles.

“That’s not the point,” Riki says quickly.

“But if you’re that curious—I do.”

Just as Sunoo’s about to respond, Riki goes on:

“Anyway, I’m just saying—Jake might get jealous. Sunghoon is acting like he’s your overprotective boyfriend or something.”

“I don’t think Jake is the issue here. I think you’re the one who’s jealous,” Sunoo says with a playful giggle.

“Okay, fine, maybe a little. But I mean—he gets to stand next to you and glare at people who look at you.”

“You could take his place if you wanted to,” Sunoo says with a cheeky smile.

Riki just grins.

Then he stands up and holds out a hand.

“Come on, let’s stop hogging this room. I’ll walk you home.”

Sunoo smiles and takes his hand.

“Sounds good.”

—

When they arrive at Sunoo’s door, they stand there for a moment.

Unsure what to do.

Unsure how to say goodbye after such an emotional night.

“So… see you at sc—” Riki starts,

But Sunoo cuts him off by hugging him.

As tight as he possibly can.

He buries his nose in the crook of Riki’s neck.

At first, Riki freezes.

But then he softens—hugging back even tighter, inhaling his scent.

“No one’s ever made me feel as at ease as you do, Sun,” Riki says.

Sunoo blushes.

It feels like he’s unlocked a path to that beautiful part of Riki’s soul he always imagined was there.

“I’m sorry if I overwhelmed you with all that last night,” Sunoo says.

“But you can always text me or talk to me, Riki.
I’m glad I make you feel like that.”

He gently ruffles his hair.

“If you need someone to talk to, I’ll be there for you, yeah?”

Riki nods.

“You said that at the library too.”

“Because I mean it,” Sunoo replies.

They slowly let go.

“Go home now. I’m sure you’re tired.”

“Okay, Sun,” Riki says with a smile.

As Riki starts walking away, Sunoo calls out,

“Bye, handsome.”

“See you, gorgeous,” Riki replies.

Sunoo goes red.

—

When he enters, he closes the door and leans against it.

“Finally made it home?”

His mom calls from the other room.

Sunoo doesn’t respond.

Then she walks over.

“You stayed out pretty long. So I assume everything went well for once?”

“Mom…”

“Oh god, don’t tell me you slept with some guy!”

“Mom, I—”

“Of course you did! I mean, look at your outfit! And your makeup is all messed up!”

“God, can you listen for a second?!”

“Ugh, fine. But tell me you at least used protection.”

“I didn’t sleep with anybody!
Besides—you’ll actually be happy when you hear what did happen.”

”Then take off your shoes and come to the living room.”

Just as she’s about to turn away Sunoo starts talking;

“He kissed me.”

“The boy you were talking about earlier?”

“Yeah. That boy…”

“Oh my god—so is he your boyfriend now?!”

“Uh… well, no. But I think he’s kinda into me?
I can’t believe I’m even saying this right now.”

“Of course he’s into you! You said he was the one who kissed you.”

“Mom, it was so hot I’m going to die,”

Sunoo says, burying his face in his hands.

“And you two just kissed? He didn’t… expect more?”

“Mom, he’s such an angel.
I told him earlier that I don’t want to rush anything,
So he stopped and said he wanted to respect my wishes.
And then I literally fell asleep in his lap.”

Sunoo’s mom smiles.

“That sounds really good…”

“Right?!”

“But I want to meet him before you even think about doing more with him!”

“Mommm!!” he yells, face red as he storms to his room.

—

He washes his face first.

Terrified by how his makeup looks after all that crying.

Then he changes out of his clothes.

Puts on a shirt and walks toward his bed.

But as he passes the full-body mirror, he stops.

He’s only wearing his calvin klein briefs and the oversized shirt he just threw on.

Damn… this actually looks kinda… sexy, he thinks.

Would he think this is sexy too? he wonders.

Then he shakes off the thought.

But still—knowing that someone finds you attractive…

It makes you want to be even more attractive for them.

That’s what Sunoo tells himself.

He plops down onto the bed.

Grabs his phone.

And takes a few pictures.

Not sure if he’ll ever send them to him.

But for now,

He’ll keep them.

Chapter Text

When Riki arrives home, the house is quiet. Everyone’s still asleep.

He tiptoes through the hallway toward his bedroom, careful not to make a sound — but then a door creaks open. His father steps out, eyes half-closed from sleep.

“You’re just getting home now, son?” he murmurs.

Riki nods quickly, hoping to avoid a scolding.

“Sorry, I—”

“Did you have fun?” his dad interrupts.

A small smile tugs at Riki’s lips as he nods again. “Mhm.”

“That’s good.” His dad yawns. “I’m heading back to bed.”

But as he turns around, Riki hesitates.

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“I really like him… Like, a lot.
I think this might actually work out.”

His dad gives a tired but genuine smile.

“That’s really good.
I know you can do it, Riks.”

Riki smiles to himself as he heads to bed.

⸻

Sunlight slips through the blinds, slowly waking Sunoo.

He shifts under the covers, blinking against the light.

It’s been a while since I felt this good waking up , he thinks. The nap had helped — last night was chaotic.

He grabs his phone. 1:00 p.m.

Notifications. He opens them.

Wonie 💞 :

SUNOO

OMFG SUNOO

CHECK YOUR FUCKING PHONE IDIOT

RIGHT NOW

COME ON

CHECK INSTA

WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU

JAKE’S INSTA STORY

GO LOOK AT IT

Seriously?

That’s an aggressive way to break news, but alright.

Jake’s Insta story? Why would I—

“Shit. I forgot about Hoon and Jake,” Sunoo realizes. He taps straight into Jake’s private story.

What he sees makes his breath catch.

Jake. Shirtless. Lying in bed.

A black-haired boy curled against his chest —also shirtless.

Jake’s wearing a grin. Hickeys mark his collarbones.

And Sunoo instantly recognizes the boy lying on him.
⸻

The Day before.
Saturday. 11 p.m.

Sunghoon walks toward Jake, heart racing. His mind’s a mess — spinning with thoughts, nerves, fear.

But he knows one thing:

He has to do this. Now or never.

Jake is crouched on the ground, giggling as a puppy twirls at his command. That smile —it’s so Jake.

“God, Riks, look! He spins when I tell him. He’s a genius.”

Then Jake looks up.

His expression drops.

He stiffens.

The dog’s owner calls, and the puppy runs back through the neighbor’s gate. Jake stands.

“What do you want?” he asks, flat and irritated.

“I don’t even know where to start—”

“Then don’t. I’m not in the mood for your shit. Go away.”

But when a passing car’s headlights illuminate Sunghoon’s face, Jake falters.

“Wait… Were you crying?”

Sunghoon clenches his fists. A tear slips down his cheek. He nods.

“If you’re here to cry because Sunoo’s gone and you need someone to vent to, I’m not the one. Go find someone else. And you’re drunk.”

“No, Jake. I don’t want anything from you,” Sunghoon says, his voice cracking.

“I just want to fix what I broke.”

“Oh, because you can’t stand the guilt anymore?”

Jake’s voice is sharp, angry. The wound still bleeds.

“No,” Sunghoon says, breathing through the pain.

“I want to do it for you . Because you didn’t deserve that. I…”

“You what?” Jake snaps. His voice wavers now.

“I want to apologize.”

“I don’t care if you forgive me. I just… I needed you to hear it.”

Jake’s expression changes, just slightly. His eyebrows twitch.

“Did You really mean it when you said I was just a one-time thing?”

His voice is soft now. Breaking.

Sunghoon steps forward, just a little.

“Can we go somewhere else? Somewhere quiet?”

Jake hesitates… and nods.

“My place. It’s close.”

⸻

They sit on Jake’s porch, moonlight soft around them.

“So,” Jake says. “Why’d you lead me on? Why make me believe I was finally more than just a sextoy to someone — just to rip it away?”

His voice is biting.

Sunghoon swallows. His head pounds, the alcohol mixing with nerves.

“I— It’s hard to explain. I don’t know how to—”

“Don’t act like a child,” Jake snaps. “I deserve to know. I’m the one you hurt the most.”

Sunghoon closes his eyes. The shame digs deep.

“What would you do if you finally made it… because of your talent, and then a few days later, everyone hated you because you liked guys?”

“I’d say, ‘Fuck the haters. I don’t need them,’” Jake says.

“And you know damn well I’m not like that,” Sunghoon whispers.

“I’m sorry for what I said at Heeseung’s party. I panicked. I was trying to run away from the situation — from my feelings.”

Jake flinches.

“You said that because you didn’t want to ruin your precious image?”

“No! God, Jake — being with you is something to be proud of. But my parents… When I came out to them as bi, they told me to keep it quiet. To never date a guy. But I…”

He pauses. His voice breaks.

What If I‘m embarrassing myself right now?

What If he doesn’t care at all?

But when Sunghoon looks back into Jake‘s eyes there’s this gaze.

It shows that he cares. He’s willing to understand.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to love a girl. I’m just so… pulled toward the idea of being with a guy,
of being with you , Jaeyun.”

He buries his face in his hands.

“I don’t want to be like this…

I never asked for this.”

Jake says nothing.

But when Sunghoon peeks up, Jake’s crying too.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I wanted to. I just— It’s hard. I don’t even know how I’m saying all of this now.”

Jake exhales.

“So you’re scared… of what your parents or the world might say if you’re with me?”

“Mhm,” Sunghoon sniffs.

A silence.

“I’m so sorry, Jake. You meant so much more to me than just a hookup. I was furious with myself. I hated what I did. If you want to never talk to me again, I understand… but I’m hoping we can be okay again.”

Jake stays quiet, thinking.

“Sunghoon, use your words. What do you want from me now?”

“I want you, Jaeyun. I want to make you happy.”

Jake blushes slightly.

“And you won’t run away this time?”

“I won’t.”

Jake sighs, then chuckles.

“Get inside and fuck me before I regret forgiving you.”

Sunghoon laughs. He stands — but Jake pulls him into a hug first.

“I don’t know what this means for us,” Jake says softly.

“But I want honesty. Always. And I’ll protect you from anyone who talks shit about your sexuality.

 Also, I hate your parents. Just so you know.”

“They’re… okay. Except for that part.”

“If they were so great, you wouldn’t be this emotionally constipated,” Jake mutters.

Sunghoon grins, pulling him inside.

They make their way upstairs.

“My parents aren’t home,” Jake says.

“Good,” Sunghoon replies.

⸻

Inside Jake’s room, Sunghoon pins him to the door and kisses him.

It’s slow this time — not rushed or conflicted like before. Just soft and real.

“God, I missed this,” Sunghoon whispers between kisses.

He deepens it, grinding gently against Jake. Their breathes grow heavier.

“I want to blow you. Because… you did last time.”

Jake laughs.

“This part of the apology?”

“I’d do it anyway. But yeah, tonight it is.”

As Jake guides him down, he knows:

This will be the best sex I’ve ever had.

⸻

Sunoo immediately calls Sunghoon.
Jake picks up.

“Heyyy Sunoo. Hoon’s sleeping.”

Of course it’s Jake.

“What the fuck happened between you two last night?”

“He apologized….. And we fucked. We’re good now. Heard you encouraged him to talk to me, so thanks, I‘m sure he wouldn’t have if you didn’t tell him that it was the right thing to do.”

“It’s okay! I just didn’t want you to keep suffering. You didn’t deserve that.”

Jake giggles.

“Is he okay though? I think I made him too sad yesterday…”

“He’s fine.
Well, after round one, he had some emotional moment, and we had to stop for a bit. But it was good. He let it out.”

“God, I was so scared I made things worse.”

Silence.

“So… you guys official now? Or….?”

“Not sure. I think he still needs time. But that’s okay — as long as he doesn’t change his mind again.”

“Thank you for keeping him safe, Jake.”

“You sound like a mom.”

“Why does everyone say that?? I just want my friends to be cared for.”

“You should find someone who’ll care for you, too,” Jake says warmly.

“…And I think I know who could.”

“Not the topic right now.”

Jake laughs.

“Alright. Thanks again. See you tomorrow?”

“Bye, sunshine.”

Jake ends the call.

Sunshine, Seriously?

Only my mom calls me that…

When Sunoo opens KakaoTalk again to respond to Jungwon, he notices that he doesn’t only have messages from him—but also from Riki.

“I’m pretty sure your mission was a success, pretty boy.”

Sunoo blushes.

I’ll never get used to him flirting with me.

“But it was a little disgusting to see that, ngl.”

Sunoo chuckles and starts typing:

“Let’s just hope they go on healthily this time. If Sunghoon finds someone else he can trust, like Jungwon did with Jay, I won’t have to worry so much about either of them anymore, and I can finally focus on myself.”

He adds a playful emoji at the end.

Riki comes online instantly and reads his message.

It warms Sunoo’s heart—how Riki is always willing to pause whatever he’s doing just to answer him.

“Does focusing on yourself include working on your mental health?”

Sunoo frowns.

“What’s that supposed to mean? ;(”

“No seriously,” Riki replies,

“I was hoping you’d start taking care of yourself more. You spend so much time overthinking about others that I feel like you never really deal with your own problems.”

Sunoo reads it quietly.

“Well… that’s sweet.”

he replies.

“You’re sweeter.”

Sunoo goes red.

He doesn’t respond for two whole minutes.

“Oh, come on. Shut up. You’re really messing with me.” he finally types.

“Just stating facts.”

Sunoo giggles.

He’s kinda silly like this.

—

Over the week, they keep texting more and more.

They spend time together at the library, but Riki doesn’t nap anymore.

His words:

“I’d rather spend my time on something that’s worth more.”

They’ve been flirting—but they’ve never really talked about what they are .

What they mean to each other.

The only things that happen sometimes are the little touches—

knees brushing,

heads resting on shoulders,

hands ruffling hair,

soft pats on the back.

And Sunoo loves it.

It feels soft.

Unrushed.

Like he’s allowed to fall for Riki a little more every day.

—

Jake and Sunghoon, on the other hand, are now practically glued together—acting like two chopsticks.

And it’s always Sunghoon invading Jake’s personal space as much as physically possible.

Whenever he sees him, he walks straight up and doesn’t leave his side for at least the next three hours.

Sunoo isn’t sure he’d like that kind of clinginess himself.

But Jake doesn’t seem to mind at all.

“Hoon, you can’t just go from ‘I don’t want to be with you because I don’t wanna be out’ to ‘I’m the biggest PDA freak ever.’”

Sunoo says, as they walk to the soccer field behind the school.

They agreed to meet Riki and Jake there during break.

“I have to fix the heartbreak, Sunoo.”

Sunghoon replies in a serious tone.

“He already accepted your apology. Besides, since when do you care so much about people’s emotions?”

Sunoo raises a brow.

“Sounds cheesy, but I really think falling for someone changes your personality.

Like—how would you explain Riki suddenly being the nicest, most caring guy ever with you? That boy had a whole personality switch.”

Sunoo pouts.

“Maybe you guys were just too blind to see that side of him.”

“Anyway, as long as he makes you happy.” Sunghoon says.

A moment of quiet passes.

“Are you sure you’re okay with being this open about your relationship with Jake? I mean… rumors will spread.”

Sunoo asks, his voice tinged with worry.

“They already did after Heeseung’s party.

Besides, even if I tried to hide it, people would find out eventually.”

Sunghoon sighs.

“I just want to focus on him.”

“What about your parents? What if they find out? Think they’d be… angry?”

“I don’t know, to be honest.

Every time I thought about them, I just pushed it away.”

“And what if the public finds out?”

“Can’t you let me enjoy falling for someone I actually like for at least a week?

I don’t want to think about all that yet.

I’ll worry later…”

Sunghoon says, clearly troubled.

“Okay, Hoon. Whatever makes you feel comfortable.

But just so you know, our place is always your second home.

And I’m here if you ever want to talk.”

Sunoo says gently.

Sunghoon ruffles Sunoo’s hair in response

until he spots Jake.

And just like that, he runs off.

He throws his arms around Jake and hugs him tightly.

“You look hot in that,” Sunghoon grins.

Jake’s wearing an old soccer uniform.

Sunoo hadn’t even known Jake used to play soccer—until Riki told him about it.

Speaking of Riki…

As soon as he sees Sunghoon, Riki turns around to check if Sunoo’s there too.

And when he spots him—

his whole expression shifts.

His eyes light up.

They sparkle.

Maybe he really did change.

Because he never used to look at me like that.

—

Chapter Text

It’s Friday.

And Riki didn’t go to school.

He wasn’t feeling well — or maybe he just didn’t want to go.

Sunoo was sick, which left Riki with no real reason to show up either.

What he didn’t expect, though, was for Sunoo to be texting him all day.

Sure, they’d been texting a lot lately, but ever since Sunoo got sick, he’d started updating Riki on literally every little detail of his day.

Whether it was a picture of the breakfast he made for himself or close-up selfies with a pout and the caption “I hate being sick.”

But Riki already started saving every photo in a special album in his gallery—
so no, he doesn’t mind it at all.

Their closeness is nice.

Really nice.

Riki feels completely at ease around Sunoo. He’s started showing him sides of himself he usually hides — the weird, childish ones. The ones nobody else gets to see.

They were in the middle of texting when Sunoo suddenly called.

“Hiiiii. We’ve been texting for a bit and I wanted to draw, so calling is easier,” he said.

“Yeah, sure, that’s alright. You can always call me,” Riki replied. “I like hearing your voice anyway.”

Silence for a second.

“What were you drawing?”

“Oh—uhm… a… flower?”

Weird. That seemed to catch him off guard.

“Can I see?”

“No, it looks bad.”

“You have an A in art class. I doubt it looks bad.”

“Okay, shut up, I’m drawing you.”

Somehow, Riki expected that.
But hearing Sunoo admit it out loud is still different.

“Why?”

“I… once drew you because I liked a picture of you. And then I realized drawing your proportions is actually really fun…”Sunoo says it shyly.

“Oh, so you’ve drawn me more than once?”

Riki’s voice turns teasing.

“Can we change the topic?”

“Sure, pretty boy.”

“God, you’re so shameless.”

“How about I come over and sit in front of you? I mean, if you’re already drawing my face.”

“I’m sick.”

“Then you should make me sick too.”

“I regret calling you.”

It’s fun teasing Sunoo.
Because he always reacts.

“Would you really come here?”

“Yeah.”

“Be quick.”

And Sunoo ends the call.
It’s cute how fast he gave up being mad.

Riki gets up, throws a hoodie over his tank top and pulls on some joggers.

Tells his mom he’s heading out.

Then leaves.

—

When Riki arrives, he takes a breath before ringing the doorbell.

When the door opens, he sees Sunoo — and it hits him.

He’s wearing a soft cardigan slipping off one shoulder, a white top underneath, just the strap showing.

Shorts that are way too short for Riki’s brain to handle.

And those damn glasses.
Those fucking glasses.

I’m not okay, Riki thinks.

When he found out he liked boys, he didn’t think he’d fall for one this beautiful.
Sunoo is prettier than any girl he’s ever seen.

“Hiiiii,” Sunoo smiles, tilting his head.

When he sees Riki looking him up and down, the smile fades a little.

“Oh—uh, yeah. Sorry, my look isn’t very flattering…”  
He waves it off awkwardly.

But Riki just hugs him.

“No. You look really cute, actually…”

Sunoo stiffens, clearly not expecting the hug or the compliment — but then softens.
He wraps his arms around Riki’s frame and whispers, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Sunoo,”
Riki murmurs, pulling back a little.

“Come on, let’s go to my room. You promised you’d pose.”

Riki groans.

“That was just an excuse to come over!”

Sunoo giggles.

“I don’t care. I’m still gonna make you sit there for hours.”

He grabs Riki’s hand and pulls him toward his room.

—

Riki sits backwards on Sunoo’s chair.

Sunoo is curled up on his bed, sketchbook resting on his legs, pencil in hand.

“Do you draw a lot?”
Riki asks.

“Sometimes. It calms me down… but usually I don’t find the time.”

Riki nods.

“Any other secret talents I haven’t discovered yet?”
He chuckles.

“I can make a flower with my tongue.”

Sunoo sticks his tongue out.

Riki laughs.

“That’s actually kinda cute.”

“Did you ever notice how many moles you have on your face?” Sunoo asks suddenly.

“Uh… no, not really. I know of two?”
Riki says, unsure.

“You have nine, Riki.”
Sunoo says it like it’s obvious.

“Why’d you count them?”

“Not to be cheesy, but I think they make your face stand out more than it already does,”
Sunoo says, focused on the sketch.

“Interesting…”

“You owe me boba seven times for the ones you missed.”

“Seven?! That’s a lot.” Riki groans.

“I was joking.”
Sunoo smiles.

“I could kiss you seven times.”
Riki says, not sure if he should’ve.

Sunoo goes red and stays quiet for a moment.

“…That’s a fair solution.”

A smirk grows on Riki’s face.
He rolls the chair closer to the bed and slowly pulls the sketchbook away.

“Why wait then?”

“I’m sick, Riki.”

“And I told you, I don’t care.”

Sunoo scoots forward, letting his legs fall off the bed.
They’re close now, only the chair between them.

Riki gently takes Sunoo’s glasses off, folds them, and sets them aside.
Then he reaches up, placing a hand on the back of Sunoo’s neck.

“I’ve wanted to do this since Matthew’s party,”
Riki says.

“If you get sick, that’s on you,”
Sunoo whispers.

Riki leans in.
He can feel Sunoo’s breath — warm and soft.

Sunoo’s eyes dart between Riki’s, unsure, but it’s endearing.

Then Riki kisses him.
His lip gloss is sticky at first, but it melts away fast.

That same weird sensation in Riki’s stomach returns.
The same one he felt the night they first kissed.

When they pull apart, breathless, they just look at each other.

“You sure you still want to draw?”
Riki asks.

Sunoo slowly shakes his head.

Riki stands, pushes the chair aside, and climbs onto the bed, placing a knee between Sunoo’s legs.
He leans in again, cupping Sunoo’s face.

Sunoo leans back against the wall as they kiss deeper.
Riki slides in between his legs.

But then, Sunoo surprises him,
He suddenly pushes Riki onto his back and straddles his lap instead.

“You really like sitting there, huh? Second time you’ve done this.” Riki teases, still catching his breath.

Sunoo just looks at him.
And Riki notices the change — the look in Sunoo’s eyes is different now.

Intense, Needy.

Sunoo leans in,
but instead of kissing him, he trails kisses along Riki’s jaw.

Riki shivers.

Then down to his neck — kissing, licking, softly sucking.
Each touch sends a jolt through him.

“God, Sunoo, who possessed you?” Riki gasps.

He feels his pants tighten — and suddenly he panics.

“Maybe you should—this could get awkward, Noo—”

“I don’t give a fuck.”

Sunoo says, sitting up, hands against Riki’s chest.
Then, without warning, he grinds down on Riki’s crotch.

Riki lets out a sound and instantly slaps a hand over his mouth.

When he looks down, he sees that Sunoo’s hard too,
and he feels relief flood through him.

“Riki… you’re so hot I can’t even—”

Before he can finish, Riki tugs Sunoo down by the neck and kisses him again.

Sunoo grips Riki’s shirt tight as their tongues tangle.
He keeps grinding slowly, and Riki can’t tell if Sunoo’s doing it on purpose or if it’s just instinct.

Riki wishes this moment could last forever.
But that wish dies the second Sunoo’s phone starts ringing.

He pulls away and checks who’s calling.

“Sorry, it’s Sunghoon. I can’t ignore him,” Sunoo says.

“Don’t worry,” Riki replies.

But the situation is a little awkward now —

Sunoo still sitting on his lap, Riki’s hand on Sunoo’s waist, his eyes watching his movements.

“Yeah?”

Riki can’t hear what Sunghoon is saying,
but Sunoo’s reaction tells him enough.

“What? How did that happen? Are you okay?”

…It’s clearly not something good.

⸻

Riki’s not sure how he ended up in this situation,
but here they are, on their way to find Sunghoon.

Apparently, Sunghoon’s parents found out about him and Jake.

And Sunghoon ran away in the middle of the discussion,
because he couldn’t handle what they said.

When Riki heard that, he could only think: Does he always run away?

And of course, Jake is away for the weekend.

That leaves Sunoo as the only person he could turn to.

⸻

Sunghoon is sitting on the porch of some old house.
Doesn’t seem like anyone lives there.

As soon as Sunoo spots him, he runs over.

“Are you okay?” he asks, in that motherly tone of his.

Sunghoon just hugs him.

Riki can’t see his face,
but by the way he buries it in Sunoo’s shoulder and clenches his fists on Sunoo’s back— Riki knows he’s crying.

“Sorry he’s here too,” Sunoo says softly. “I didn’t want to send him home.”

“It’s okay…” Sunghoon mutters.

Riki doesn’t know what to think about Sunghoon.

Does he hate me?
Do I even like him?
Well, I feel sad for him. But that’s just basic human empathy, right? Ugh, whatever.

“Hoon, what did they say, hm?” Sunoo’s tone is worried.

“What do you think? Of course they scolded me.”

Sunoo nods. They pull apart, and Sunoo gently makes him sit back down.

“Was it really bad or…?”

“I’m not sure…”

Sunoo nods again.

“That dummy Jake gave me a party invitation titled ‘Invitation for my boyfriend’.” Sunghoon sighs.

“Which my idiot self carelessly left on my desk,
and apparently my mother found it while ‘cleaning’ .
But you know she never cleans my room — I hate when they touch my stuff.”

“So you think they found out by snooping through your things?”

Sunghoon nods.

“And what did they say…?”

“Well, my mom was the first to know.
She could’ve kept it quiet and just scolded me silently,
but no — she had to tell my dad.
Because she knows he’s better at manipulating me.”

Sunghoon is visibly angry.

“They told me to stop talking to him, obviously.
Some ‘we agreed you could date a girl if you ever wanted to’
and some ‘you’re staying home and not allowed to see him.’

God, Sunoo, how am I supposed to explain all this to Jake? I’m trying so hard to fix my past mistakes, and he’s finally happy.
I can’t ruin that.”

Riki speaks up.

“Sunghoon, you’re not a baby, you’re literally turning eighteen this year.
Just bear with it for now — or move out already if you can’t take it.
You have enough reason to talk to child protection agencies.”

Sunoo and Sunghoon both look at Riki for a second — clearly unsure how to respond.

“Look. I don’t know the whole story.
But I know you’re smart — smart enough to deal with them. You’re just not emotionally ready to speak up, because they’re your parents.”

Sunghoon bites his lip.

“Do they maybe tell you that you’re nothing without them?”

“They say they’re the reason for all my success…”

Riki scoffs.

“Great. Classic way to manipulate your child.”

“I fear your parents are trying to profit from your success — trying to make themselves known through you.”

“That… sounds like them,” Sunoo says quietly.

“Sunghoon, I need an honest answer.
Are you really scared of being openly gay because you don’t want to be,

or because they made you believe you shouldn’t be?”

Sunghoon doesn’t answer,

but his lips tremble.

“The past week with Jake — it was amazing, wasn’t it?
You liked not hiding.”

Sunghoon nods slowly.

“You need to understand that coming out doesn’t make you a monster.

You’re an artist.

Kids will look up to you.”

Sunghoon’s eyes slowly soften.

“Your parents made you believe you couldn’t be successful if you were out, just because they didn’t want to be known as the parents of a gay son.
They wanted you to fear your own identity.

And look — now you do.
But you can change that.

You can show that you’re not just a gay dancer.
You’re a talented dancer — who happens to be gay.”

Sunghoon nods.

“I never thought I’d say this… but you’re right, Riki.”

Sunoo smiles at Riki —

(which makes Riki want to violently make out with him, 
but now’s really not the time for that).

“You don’t even have to talk about it. Your love life is private. But at least you won’t live in fear of people finding out.”

 “How do you handle it?” Sunghoon asks.

“Why should I talk about who I fuck?”

Riki shrugs.

“That’s nobody’s business.
I’m not going to hide it, but I won’t make it a headline either. And if you have haters, you’ll always have fans. That’s how it works.”

“Did that help, Hoon?” Sunoo asks gently.

“Yeah… maybe it was a good idea to bring him,” Sunghoon replies.

Sunoo smiles and nods.

“So… are you going to talk to your parents?”

“I’ll try talking to my mom.
It’s hopeless, but she might at least try to listen.
My dad won’t.”

“So are you ready to go back?
You could come hang out with us if you’re not feeling okay.”

“No, I actually feel more confident now.
I’d rather go before I start overthinking it.”

Sunoo smiles.

“Okay then, you can always come to me, or even go to Jay or Jungwon, okay?”

Sunghoon stands and hugs Sunoo.

“Remind yourself that you’re strong and smart enough to stand up to them, Hoon.
You don’t have to let them do this to you.”

“Mhm.”

As he pulls away, he looks at Riki.

“I’m starting to trust you, Nishimura. Thanks. 
And take care of Sunoo.”

He starts walking away.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?! I’m not a baby!”
Sunoo yells.

But Sunghoon ignores him.

Sunoo sighs and turns back toward Riki.

He leans his forehead against Riki’s shoulder.

“I never thought you’d handle this better than I would.”

“You can’t always be the one to save everyone, Sunoo. Eventually you’ll need help — a sidekick.
Someone to take care of you.”

“And that’s you,” Sunoo says.

“Yeah. That’s me,” Riki replies, bringing his hand up to softly caress Sunoo’s hair.

—

They’re walking to Riki’s place—Sunoo insisted on walking him home, since Riki is usually the one doing that.

“Sorry that we had to stop… uh, what we were doing so suddenly,” Sunoo says.

“Hm? What are you talking about?” Riki teases.

“Shut up,” Sunoo replies, cheeks turning a little pink.

Riki just chuckles.

“You could make it up to me by coming over tomorrow, if you’re feeling well. My family isn’t home. They’re visiting my aunt for the weekend.”

“And you’re very mean for not going with them,” Sunoo says, narrowing his eyes.

“I don’t like my aunt. She thinks I’m a bad kid just because I’m a boy. She prefers my sisters over me,” Riki says with a chuckle.

“Who could ever prefer anyone over you?” Sunoo says, rolling his eyes.

“Are they away the whole weekend?”

“Yeah, they’ll come back Sunday afternoon.”

Sunoo smiles.
“Then I’ll stay over.”

“Sure,” Riki says, trying to sound casual even though his heart is beating like crazy.

They arrive at Riki’s doorstep.

Sunoo pokes his finger against Riki’s chest and looks him dead in the eyes.

“That means we’re continuing where we left off, Nishimura Riki.”

The look on his face is serious. Bold. Hot. And Riki wants to melt.

That’s.
So.
Fucking.
Hot.

Riki just stares at him in stunned silence. Sunoo smirks, presses a soft kiss to Riki’s cheek, then turns to walk away.

“Bye~”

—

When Sunoo arrives back home, his mother is already back from work.

“You totally missed the chance to meet him—he came over,” he says.

She sighs. “If only my work hours weren’t so inconvenient…”

He gives her a gentle hug, rubbing her shoulder softly.

“You’re doing your best,” he says, then pulls away with a small smile.
She smiles back.

He heads upstairs to his room.

—

“Wonie, the thing is… I’m kind of confused about him and me. You know we’ve never seriously talked about it, so I don’t know if I should go any further without making sure we’re on the same page.”

Sunoo is talking to Jungwon because ever since he decided to sleep over at Riki’s place, he’s been feeling self-conscious again.

“You’re still not sure if he likes you back?” Jungwon asks, sounding a little annoyed.

“I’m just scared of misunderstandings… I mean, judging by the way he acts, it would only make sense for him to, you know… like me too… but I’m so unsure about us. I’m scared I misread everything.”

“Nope. You’re just overthinking it.”

“And I’m also worried he might want to go further tomorrow…”

“Well, you told him you’d continue where you left off. That’s on you, Sunoo.”

Sunoo sighs.
“I didn’t think before I said that…”

“Sure, you gave him the wrong impression. But if you’re honest, he’ll understand if you’re not ready yet.”

“But what if he thinks I’m pushing him away? Wouldn’t that ruin things?”

“That guy stopped kissing you while he was literally drunk because he didn’t want to go too far. He doesn’t care about sex—he cares about you .”

There’s a pause.

“And if you ask me?” Jungwon continues, “Tomorrow’s the perfect chance to finally talk about your relationship. Seriously.”

“I mean… I’ve thought about it. But I’m not sure…”

“I think you two need some honest conversation. And cuddling.”

“Mhm…” Sunoo hums in agreement.

“By the way, is Sunghoon doing okay?” he asks.

After the disappointing talk with his parents, Sunghoon had decided to go to Jay’s place and stay there until Jake comes back.

“Jay’s been making the worst dad jokes to cheer him up. But somehow it’s working. I guess Hoon’s too emotionally drained to roast him right now.”

“I see… well, Jay’s dad jokes are kind of funny when you’re sad.”

“I mean, I’m glad Sunghoon feels safe here, but I did plan to spend some quality time with my boyfriend…”
Jungwon groans.

“You get quality time with your boyfriend every weekend, Won. He’s being a stand-in dad for Sunghoon right now because his real one sucks. You should act like his mom, too. Hm?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Go to the kitchen and make your son some food, mother!” Sunoo teases.

“Shut the fuck up.”

…

“You should come over too. I doubt Sunghoon will be able to sleep tonight, so we thought we’d watch a movie or play some games to distract him.”

Sunoo checks the time. 6 p.m.

Not too late.

“And it’s fine if I make you guys sick?”

“Yeah it is.”

“It’s been a while since the four of us had a sleepover… so why not?”

—

They’re all in Jay’s room, already in their pajamas and sitting on the floor. They played Uno for a while, but it got boring.

Sunghoon went to the bathroom, and Jay and Jungwon are cuddling while watching TikToks on Jay’s phone.

Sunoo, surprisingly, is texting Riki.

Sunoo:

Sunghoon is doing pretty well right now.

I’m sure if he stays away from his parents for a few days, they’ll start to miss him and apologize.

Riki :

I’m glad to hear that.

How’s the mood over there? Are you guys having fun?

Sunoo snaps a picture of Jay and Jungwon and sends it.

Sunoo:

The lovebirds are doing their thing.

We were just playing Uno.

Not sure what we’ll do when Sunghoon comes back—maybe watch a movie or something.

Riki:

You guys should drink.

Sunoo:

We’re trying to make him forget.

Alcohol would only make all the emotions resurface.

Riki:

Makes sense.

Do you like baking?

Sunoo:

Random, but Yeah, I do. Why?

Riki:

It’s Misora’s birthday on Sunday, and I thought I’d make her some cupcakes.

Sunoo giggles — that actually sounds really cute.

Sunoo:

Sure, why not? Trying to fulfill your big brother duties?

Riki:

She likes my cupcakes, that’s all.

…And baking with you sounds fun.

Just as Sunoo is about to answer Riki starts typing again.

Riki:

We could make out on the countertop while we wait for the oven.

Sunoo’s eyes widen and his face turns red.
He slams his phone shut and tosses it aside.

“Did something happen?” Jungwon asks.

Sunoo looks up with a dumb grin.

“Don’t tell me he sent you a dick pic.”

“Why is that always your first thought?!”

“Well, because that’s how I’d react to one!”

“Oh shut up, your reaction would be to send one back,” Jay says.

“Yeah, after I take a minute to process what I just saw,” Jungwon adds.

“Guys, I really don’t need to know about your nude-sending rituals.” Sunoo groans.

“Jungwon has sent me the craziest stuff in the worst possible moments,” Jay starts.

Sunoo shudders.

“Okay! That’s enough!” He sighs dramatically.

“Sunghoon! Come back, they’re talking about their sex life again!”

Sunghoon reappears.

“Oh no! I’ll save you!” he says dramatically, wrapping an arm around Sunoo.

“How dare you two talk like that in front of our innocent princess Sunoo?”

Sunoo bursts into laughter.

“Sunghoon! Show some respect to your elders!” Jay protests.

Sunoo laughs even harder at their bickering.
Somehow, they always know how to make me laugh.

They help me worry less.

They love me unconditionally.
And I love them too.

After a while, they’re all curled up in blankets and pillows. Sunoo hugs his favorite plushie to his chest as they snack and chat.

“I’m curious,” Sunghoon says, just as the topic shifts to relationships again.

“I mean, I kinda know your stories already, but I’d love to hear them properly—how did you guys come out to your parents?”

Jay starts talking right away, and Sunoo realizes he’s never really heard Jay’s story either, so he listens closely.

“Well… I didn’t really know I liked guys until I got together with Jungwon, so I didn’t have to keep it hidden for long.”

“My parents are really nice, as you know, but also kind of conservative.
So I wasn’t sure how to tell them.

I was scared they’d be shocked or disappointed, especially because I’ve always been the type to follow the rules.  
They used to praise me in front of others all the time.”

Sunghoon groans. “Yeah, yeah. We know what a good son you are, Jay.”

Jay rolls his eyes.

“No, seriously—this is important. I used to hide every little mistake because I didn’t want to be a burden. 
I was so used to being perfect that the thought of doing something ‘wrong’ scared me.”

He pauses for a second.

“So yeah… coming out was terrifying. But I think the fact that I already had a boyfriend made it easier.”

Jungwon reaches for Jay’s hand.

“If I had just told them I liked guys, they probably would’ve said something like, ‘It’s just a phase, you’ll grow out of it.’

But when I came out, I promised them I’d show how much Jungwon means to me. 
I told them there was no reason to be upset if he was a respectful, kind person.”

He says it like he’s making a strong case. But to Sunoo, it just sounds like another beautiful reason Jay deserves someone like Jungwon.

He helped Jay open up. 
He helped him accept himself.

“Of course they were disappointed at first,” Jay continues, “but they couldn’t be cold to someone as sweet as Jungwon. My parents aren’t like that.
So they gave him a chance. And eventually, they started to really like him.”

He smiles, glancing at Jungwon.

“Yeah,” Jungwon chuckles, “your mom texts me every time I leave your house to make sure I got home safely.”

“My parents changed because of all this—and I’m glad they did,” Jay says.
“They learned that ‘different’ doesn’t mean ‘bad.’”

“I see,” Sunghoon says quietly.
“Do you think my parents would be nicer if I introduced them to Jake?”

Sunoo giggles.

“Jake holds grudges. Do you really think he even wants to meet your parents?”

“Well… I was mad at Jay’s parents too,” Jungwon says with a smirk, “but I acted like everything was fine because they did.”

He looks at Sunoo.

“I’m sure Jake can fake it.”

“Then give it a try,” Sunoo says.
“But stick to the plan. I think being away from them for a few days is good for you. And they deserve to worry a little.”

Sunghoon nods.

“Alright. Jungwon, it’s your turn.”

“Oh yeah, right… my coming out,” Jungwon says, thinking for a moment.
“I had my first boyfriend in elementary school, Sunghoon. They knew from the start.”

He giggles.

“I was never the type to hide my feelings. I was just a shy kid. But my parents are a lot more open-minded than yours, I guess. 
Being gay was never a big secret.”

“There was this one conversation when I was like fourteen. 
I was telling my mom about a crush, and she went, ‘So… it’s really not a phase, huh, Jungwon?’
And it was so funny because I really didn’t expect her to say that.”

Jay looks at him with a smirk.

“‘It’s really not a phase, son?’” he teases.

Jungwon bursts out laughing.

“Anyway, my mom adores Jay because he helps her carry groceries,” he adds with another giggle.

“It’s your turn, Sunoo,” Jay says.

They’re acting like they don’t already know everything, Sunoo thinks.

“Well… I never came out to my dad. His reaction to me wanting to do ballet already told me that coming out would be a terrible idea.”

He sighs softly.

“I only managed to tell my mom after my dad left—because that’s when I finally knew he couldn’t find out anymore.”

He pauses.

“But she already suspected it. She just never said anything to him because she didn’t want to give him another reason to scold me.”

Jungwon slips out of Jay’s arms and scoots closer to wrap his arms around Sunoo.

Sunghoon joins in, and so does Jay.

“Who cares about parents?” Jay says gently. “We’ll be fine as long as we have each other.”

Sunghoon immediately makes a disgusted noise.

“Ugh, you’re so corny.”

“Shut up,” Jay shoots back.

And Jungwon laughs at both of them.

Chapter Text

When Sunoo woke up , Jungwon was curled into his side, Sunghoon was lying next to him—looking like an art piece as always—and Jay had latched onto Jungwon’s back, hair completely messy like he just lost a battle.

The couple was originally supposed to sleep in Jay’s bed, but while watching the movie, they all ended up curled together on the mattresses on the floor—the ones that were actually meant for Sunoo and Sunghoon.

The position wrecked Sunoo’s back a little, but he didn’t complain.
Getting to fall asleep like this, all tangled up with the people he loves, isn’t something that happens every day.

Right now, Jay is in the kitchen making breakfast, Jungwon watching him with stars in his eyes. It’s cute how they can’t stay apart for too long. That’s also why Sunghoon and Sunoo agreed to pretend to be very busy with skincare—just so the lovebirds could have a minute to themselves.

Sunoo had originally joked about Jungwon whining that he never gets Jay to himself anymore, but he actually knows it’s important for them. It’s how they recharge each other.

In the bathroom, Sunghoon is brushing his teeth, and Sunoo is combing his hair. When Sunghoon finishes and spits into the sink, Sunoo turns.
“I’m sorry you can’t stay at my place this weekend,” he says. 
“I know Jake will be back soon, but I still feel bad. I’m leaving you here with Jungwon and Jay just because I want to spend time with a boy I’ve only just gotten close to.”

Sunghoon chuckles.

“I’m happy I have a place to stay, Sunoo. Doesn’t matter if it’s with two idiots who can’t keep their hands off each other — or one idiot who keeps thinking he’s a burden.”

Sunoo pouts.
“You’re mean.”

“And you’re mean to yourself,” Sunghoon replies. “I’m really fine. Don’t worry about me — just enjoy it.  
You deserve some time with your lover~.”

He says the last word teasingly.

Sunoo just hums.

“I never said thanks,” Sunghoon adds.

Sunoo looks over.

“For?”

“The party. Jake. Dragging me outside. Pushing me into emotional turmoil. Classic Sunoo hero arc.” Sunghoon laughs a little.

Sunoo smirks. “I do have a habit of forcing people to deal with their shit.”

“No, really. If you hadn’t made me talk to him… I’d still be pretending I didn’t care.”

Sunoo says nothing — just applies his face cream. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jake look at someone the way he looks at me,” Sunghoon says.

“He really does love you,” Sunoo replies.

Sunghoon’s voice drops quiet. “I know.”

Sunoo glances over.

“You scared of that?”

“Very,” Sunghoon admits.

Sunoo nods. He understands.

“And you? Riki?”

Sunoo laughs softly. “Don’t change the subject.”

“No, seriously.”

“It’s weird,” Sunoo says. “It’s easy, and terrifying at the same time. I feel like he sees all of me — even the parts I try to hide.”

“You like being seen?” Sunghoon raises an eyebrow.

“Only by him.”

A pause.

“It’s hard for both of us, isn’t it?” Sunghoon says.

“Yeah,” Sunoo sighs.

⸻

Riki is lying on his bed.

After texting with Sunoo the night before, he got little to no sleep.

He’s been thinking about what Sunoo told him— “We’re going to continue where we left off.”

That one sentence has been looping in his head for hours, messing with him in all the worst and best ways.

All kinds of scenarios played out in his mind, one after another, not giving him a moment of peace.

So the whole night turned into something between a restless jerk-off marathon and a very unfun kind of insomnia.

He’s lying there now, legs kicking slightly, phone in hand, eyes on the ceiling—tired, wired, and still stuck in his head—when suddenly the doorbell rings.

He shoots up immediately.

—

“Hey,” the shorter boy says with a soft, genuine smile.

His hair is a little curlier than usual, his T-shirt cute, jeans nicely fitted— and he’s way too handsome for Riki’s poor heart.

Riki pulls him into a hug.
“Your hair looks different,” he says.

“Yeah… I decided to style it a little after showering,” Sunoo replies with a small nod.

“For me?” Riki grins.

“Do you like it?” Sunoo asks instead of answering directly.

“I love it,” Riki says—just like that.

Sunoo blushes a little. “Then yeah. I did it for you.”

He steps inside, takes off his shoes, and turns back toward Riki.

“Let me take your backpack to my room,” Riki offers, already slipping it off Sunoo’s shoulders.

Sunoo almost starts to protest, but Riki cuts him off with a quick smile,

“You can head to the living room. Feel free to do anything—my family’s already gone.”

Sunoo watches Riki walk up the stairs. He stays standing for a moment before heading into the living room.

He’s been here once before, but he didn’t spend much time in any room other than Riki’s. Back then, the house had been louder—busier.  
Now it’s quiet.  
It’s just the two of them.
Only them.

The thought sends a little shiver down Sunoo’s spine.

Sure, they were alone yesterday too, but this time it’s different. They’ve planned a whole sleepover.
He’ll be here for the entire day and night.  
The idea makes him grin.

So much time.

So much space.

Just for them.

He’s still lost in thought when he spots a photo on the cabinet near the dining table. 

It’s Riki—maybe around thirteen, Sunoo guesses.

Then he notices another one with his sisters.  
Riki looks even younger in that one.

His older sister used to be taller than him.  
Now, she’s shorter.

How much he’s grown…

There’s another picture—Riki on his first day of elementary school. A huge grin across his face, eyes full of light.

It’s different. So different from now.

Sunoo doesn’t even notice Riki coming back until his voice pulls him out of his thoughts.

“Want a copy of those pictures? You’re staring pretty intensely,” Riki says with a small chuckle.

“You can send them to me if you have them on your phone,” Sunoo replies with a smile.

“You were such a cute kid. I can’t help but notice—you used to smile way more.”

The smile on Riki’s face fades slightly.

“Isn’t that the case for every teenager?” he says.

“I think I still smile too much. I’ve got ugly smile lines to prove it…” Sunoo trails off, as usual letting his thoughts fall out without much filtering.

“Smiling raises your dopamine levels—it’s not a bad thing,” Riki says. “And your smile is contagious, anyway. You radiate sunshine.”

Sunoo smiles again, instinctively.

“And I never noticed your smile lines until you mentioned them,” Riki adds. “Don’t think about it so much. It just means you’re a joyful person.”

With that, he turns and heads into the kitchen.

Sunoo stays there for a second longer, quietly smiling to himself.

“You coming?” Riki calls. “I’ve still got thirty muffins to make.”

Sunoo laughs softly. “Yep.”

⸻

Sunoo is stirring the batter while Riki searches through the cabinets for the muffin tray. His sleeves are rolled up, and judging by Riki’s expression, Sunoo probably has flour somewhere on his face.

“Stop grinning like that and help me clean it off!” he protests, cheeks turning red.

“You look cute, don’t worry,” Riki replies. “Besides, I can’t find the tray. If I don’t find it soon, we’re eating cookie batter instead.”

“You could’ve prepared it, knowing we’d bake today,” Sunoo says, rolling his eyes.

“Oh—wait, found it!” Riki says triumphantly, pulling the tray from a lower shelf and setting it on the counter. He gently places the muffin liners inside.

“Let’s get the batter in.”

He walks over to Sunoo and stands behind him, arms lightly wrapping around him as he reaches for a spoon. 
Sunoo finds himself trapped between Riki and the counter, his breath catching as he feels Riki’s warmth against his back.

“Wow. The consistency’s perfect,” Riki says, impressed.

“That’s all me,” Sunoo replies with a little pout.

“Sure it is,” Riki chuckles.

Even though they’d practically climbed all over each other yesterday, Sunoo still feels shy in their current position.

Riki is so casually close, so gentle in his movements—it’s disarming.

When Riki finishes spooning the batter, he taps Sunoo’s waist lightly so he can move aside. Sunoo steps away as Riki opens the oven.

“Now we wait twenty minutes and pray they turn out edible,” Riki says, sliding the tray in.

Sunoo grabs his phone. “Siri, set a timer for twenty minutes.”

They exchange a look when Riki stands back up.

“So… what now?” Sunoo asks.

“Maybe clean the counter and get started on the frosting?”

Sunoo glances at the mess they left behind. “Okay, wow. Yeah, we really do need to clean that.”

⸻

Riki starts gathering the frosting ingredients while Sunoo takes a break, hopping up onto the countertop and scrolling on his phone. Just as he’s about to get down to help, Riki gently taps his thigh.

“No need to help. You’ve already done enough.”

And somehow, Sunoo stays seated. Normally he’d argue—but something about Riki makes him want to listen.

He watches him for a second. The rolled-up sleeves. The broad shoulders. The way his hands move with focus.

“You look really handsome like that,” Sunoo says, voice shy.

Riki looks up slightly, smirking. “Yeah?”

Sunoo nods, feeling his stomach do a little flip.

Why is he so goddamn hot?

He doesn’t get to recover because suddenly Riki dips a bit of frosting on his finger and holds it up.

“Look. Nice and creamy,” he says proudly.

“Bet it tastes good too,” Sunoo says—and leans in to lick it off.

As soon as he does it, he regrets it.
But the frosting is sweet, and so he hums softly, trying to play it off.

Riki just blinks, stunned—before a slow smirk grows on his face and turns into a chuckle.

⸻

The muffins are cooling on the counter now, and Riki is preparing the piping bag for the frosting.

He glances over at Sunoo. “Wanna try?”

Sunoo nods and hops off the counter. When he stands in front of the counter, Riki steps behind him again, guiding his hand gently.

“Just like that…”

If Sunoo weren’t seeing exactly what they were doing, he’d think very different thoughts. The way Riki is pressed up behind him—calm, close, patient—it’s too much. He’s blushing like crazy and not even sure if he’s frosting the muffins properly anymore.

What surprises him most, though, is how gentle Riki is. How focused. He wants the muffins to be good, but he’s not demanding about it. When Sunoo messes up a little, Riki just chuckles and helps him fix it.

It makes Sunoo feel warm.

After a while, he sighs, his patience starting to fade.

Riki notices immediately and lets go of his hand.

“I can take over if you’re tired.”

Sunoo pouts for a second, but then nods. “Okay.”

He hops back up onto the counter and just… watches. Watches Riki concentrate, pipe frosting, quietly focused.

“It’s very cute of you to make these for her,” Sunoo says softly.

“It’s just something I’m used to. My parents would be mad otherwise,” Riki shrugs.

“Oh, come on,” Sunoo whines. “You do it because you want to make her happy.”

The corner of Riki’s lips lifts slightly.

“It’s normal to want to be an affectionate big brother on her special day. Nobody’s judging you,” Sunoo says with a warm smile.

Riki doesn’t reply—he just smiles softly.

—

Riki is sitting at the kitchen table while Sunoo carefully decorates the cupcakes with different kinds of sprinkles. Riki had gotten tired and handed the job over to Sunoo, saying he always messes that part up. Luckily, Sunoo is good with anything that requires patience and detail, so it suits him.

He’s focused on his phone when Sunoo suddenly calls, “Look, Riki! I’m done!”

His voice is joyful—it’s adorable. Like a kid showing their mom what they made in school.

Riki stands up and walks over to the counter. The cupcakes do look really cute.

He chuckles softly, then lifts his hand and ruffles Sunoo’s hair.

“You did a good job, Sun,” he says.

Sunoo turns his head, looking at him—and that’s when Riki realizes just how close they’re standing. Their eyes meet, and Riki sees every detail of Sunoo’s face.

“You think so?” Sunoo asks.

Riki hums and takes a small step back, flustered.

“Come on, let’s put them in the box,” he says quickly, grabbing the plastic container.

Before he can even open it, Sunoo pulls out his phone to snap a few pictures.

A few minutes later, Riki gets tagged in an Instagram story that says “baking went well 🫠 ” . Underneath it, he sees his own username— “@nishi_riki10 💞 ” . He didn’t expect that Sunoo would add a heart though.

His stomach does a flip.

—

They’re both lazily sprawled on the couch, half-covered in blankets, talking about movies.

As expected, their movie tastes couldn’t be more different. They’ve spent the last ten minutes arguing over how romance dramas are very emotional and super realistic (Sunoo’s opinion) and how action movies are way more engaging because they transport you to a world you’d never live in (Riki’s opinion).

The one genre they do agree on is horror. Especially when you watch it with friends who get terrified.

“It’s such a sleepover vibe,” Sunoo says, giggling. “Jungwon always curls up to me like a little cat, and Jay just glares at me like, ‘Great, now you’ve scared my boyfriend into cuddling you and not me.’”

Riki laughs.

“Jake always pretends he’s not scared, but then he can’t sleep after. He always wants to cuddle but I’m not doing that.”

“Aw, poor Jake. You should help calm him down if he’s scared,” Sunoo says with a teasing pout.

“That’s why we’ve been inviting Heeseung lately,” Riki smirks. “He doesn’t mind the cuddles. Actually, I think he’s so love-starved, he’d probably kiss anyone who offered.”

Sunoo bursts out laughing. “He doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

“No idea why. They keep messing with him. Flirt, fuck, disappear,” Riki says, shrugging.

“That’s rough…” Sunoo says with a pout.

“Well, that’s his penalty for radiating fuckboy energy. If he’d just accept he wants something serious, he might actually find it. But he’s scared of responsibility. He’s hooked on hook-up culture.”

Sunoo just nods slowly, then looks at Riki curiously.

“I just realized—I’ve never asked. Have you dated anyone before?”

“I have. Nothing serious though. Situationships that ended with them picking me apart,” Riki says. “I guess I just don’t love enough.”

Sunoo frowns. “I don’t think that’s true.”

“Some people just… they love so easily. You especially. You’re full of love, sunshine, warmth. I’m not built like that.”

“I don’t think it’s about how much you love,” Sunoo says gently. “You’re just… different. You don’t fake your feelings. You only show what’s real, and when it’s safe . That’s not cold—it’s honest.”

Riki tilts his head. He’s confused.

“I didn’t get it at first either. Honestly, I thought you didn’t like me at all,” Sunoo admits. “But then I realized it’s just how you are. You show appreciation by being present, by sharing things with me, by listening. Some people think love is only words, kisses, gifts, sex. But for you, it’s not. And that’s okay.”

Riki nods slowly, taking it in.

“And to be honest,” Sunoo adds, voice softening, “just because I act all bubbly and happy, it doesn’t mean I am . I fake it a lot.”

Riki looks over, unsure of what to say.

Sunoo panics slightly. “Not in front of you though! I’m always real with you.”

Riki just laughs.

“It’s just… something about you makes me want to be real. I show you sides of me I usually hate.”

“I get that,” Riki says. “Happens to me too, with you.”

“…Do you really feel appreciated by me?” he asks.

“Totally. You’re the reason I’m mentally surviving right now,” Sunoo says with a laugh.

Riki hesitates. “To be honest… I don’t know how I feel about us. I’m kind of overwhelmed.”

Sunoo freezes. He didn’t expect that .

“In what way?” he asks carefully. “Do you feel… uncomfortable?”

“No,” Riki says quickly. “It’s not that I don’t like it. But… are you sure I’m someone you should lean on this much?”

“I’m not leaning on you, Riki. I’m trusting that you’ll see me for who I am.”

“What if I can’t keep appreciating you the way I do now?” he says, low voice uncertain.

“Riki… I don’t expect anything. You respect me. You care. That’s more than enough.”

“What if you get tired of me? What if the spark dies out once you’ve had fun?”

Sunoo’s expression shifts.

“Why do you always assume people will leave you?” he whispers.

“I can’t have this conversation right now…” Riki says with a sigh

He stands up suddenly and heads out onto the balcony.

Running from his feelings.

Just like Sunghoon used to do.

Sunoo gives him a moment, then follows.

There’s smoke in the air.

“You should put that out,” he says softly. “That’s not a good way to deal with stress.”

He leans next to Riki, shoulder brushing his.

“Do I make you worry, Riki?”

“No,” Riki replies. “You just… dig too deep. You reach parts of me I didn’t think were still there. Somehow, your stupid smile makes me think about things I swore I’d never feel again.”

He doesn’t look at Sunoo.

“You’re changing me. All those years I spent burying that child—I thought he was gone. But you’re pulling him out. You’re holding him, even though the last hug he got was supposed to be from his mom.”

Sunoo doesn’t know if this is good or bad. But maybe it’s necessary.

“Your height makes me want to pet your head. Your hands—always shining with your rings and your neat nails—make me want to hold them forever.

Your collarbones make me wonder what else you’re hiding that’ll keep me up at night.

The way you look when you play piano.

The way your voice sounds when you talk about your friends.

The way you pout when I mess with you.

I hate it so much.

I hate how much I’m drawn to you when I swore I’d never care about anyone more than I care about myself.

But you’re just so… fucking precious.”

Silence.

Too long.

Riki stares at the floor. The ash falls from his cigarette.

“…Fuck,” he whispers. “If you want to leave, you can.”

Sunoo’s voice rises, emotional and loud.

“Are you serious, you idiot?! Why would I leave after that ?”

Riki turns—and sees tears on Sunoo’s face.

“Why do you always assume I’ll walk away when I won’t ?! I’m not your past! And if you feel this much toward me, then don’t walk away from it!”

He’s trembling now.

“I’ve been through so much. But I’m still giving this a chance because I trust you. My instincts were wrong before—but they’re not wrong about you.”

Riki says nothing.

The warm breeze cuts through the tension. He glances at Sunoo’s amber eyes, glowing.

“…Then I’ll ask you for the same thing you asked from me,” he says finally.

“Give me some time. So I know I won’t hurt you with my own fear.”

Sunoo nods. “Take all the time you need. I won’t leave—because you didn’t either, when I asked you to stay.”

Riki can’t hold back anymore.

He tosses the cigarette to the floor, still burning, and cups Sunoo’s cheeks with both hands. He pulls him in and kisses him, desperate and intense.

Sunoo’s cheeks are warm. Riki’s hands are freezing.

Compared to the other times, this kiss is different.

It’s not flirty.

It’s not curious.

It’s raw .

Riki starts to pull away—

But Sunoo grabs a handful of his hair and pulls him back.

“Don’t stop,” he whispers.

——

Riki is lying on Sunoo’s chest, face tucked into his neck. Sunoo is gently caressing his hair as they talk about their emotions.

Mid-make-out, they’d both decided to stop—agreeing it wasn’t the right time to go further, not with all the emotional weight still sitting between them.

So they chose option two: cuddling.

Now they’re laying in Riki’s bed, his lips and nose are pressed against Sunoo’s neck.

Every time he speaks, it makes Sunoo giggle—the vibrations tickle.

“I think it’s crazy how you don’t let yourself feel things,” Sunoo says softly. “Why are you being so tough on yourself?”

“Well… I think it just comes from my childhood,” Riki begins, voice muffled against his skin.

“I was always the weird kid. No one really wanted to hang out with me. And in middle school, I forced myself to become like everyone else. That’s actually how I started smoking—just trying to be like those ‘cool’ guys I looked up to back then.”

He pauses. “I realized a little too late that they weren’t even cool. They didn’t care about me—they just used me. Took advantage of the fact that I was innocent.”

Sunoo listens quietly, his fingers gently running through Riki’s hair.

“That’s when I started finding comfort in being different,” Riki continues. “I wanted to be cold. I wanted people to be too intimidated to come near me.
I’d given up on real friendships by then. Anytime someone cared, it backfired—either they’d leave or use my weaknesses against me.”

He lets out a slow breath. “That’s why it was easier to become friends with Jake. I had a set personality already. I could hide all the soft, childish parts of me. But somehow, he managed to break through anyway.”

There’s the smallest smile in his voice.

“I’m glad he did. Jake—and Heeseung too—they’re not like the others. They’ve made me more confident, you know? That’s probably why I’ve felt less anxious about being around people lately.”

Sunoo hums again. Still listening. Still gently playing with Riki’s curls.

“Oh, my pretty boy. You’ve been through so much,” Sunoo says softly.

Riki pushes himself up, looking down at him—his necklace swinging gently between them.

“How about you fix all of it?” he asks his eyes wandering.

“How? You want a blowjob or what?” Sunoo laughs.

“God, Sunoo. No, of course not,” Riki replies, rolling his eyes. “It’s already enough if you just hold me.”

Sunoo giggles, then gently tugs on Riki’s necklace, pulling him closer.

“I will,” he whispers. “I promise I’m not leaving.”

Riki’s eyes stay locked on his, completely drawn in. Then Sunoo tugs again, a little harder this time. It stings for a second—but somehow, Riki finds it hot.

Their lips meet in a soft peck.

“But you should consider the blowjob sometime,” Sunoo adds, his voice low against Riki’s lips. “I’m very good at that.”

And Riki loses his mind.

But all he does… is lean back in.

Chapter Text

It would be an understatement to say that Riki is hanging on Sunoo like a keychain.

Ever since their sleepover, Riki’s personality has shifted—not entirely, but enough that he’s been following Sunoo around to the point where Sunoo sometimes fears Riki might actually step on his heels.

Back when Sunoo would gush to Jungwon about the things he dreamed of doing with Riki, when his crush was still just that—a crush—Jungwon would always tell him he was delusional. That those things would never happen. But now Sunoo finds himself pulled into empty classrooms during every break.

And honestly? It’s amazing.

Maybe Jungwon was right about the whole “deep talk and cuddles” thing making them more comfortable around each other, but Sunoo hadn’t expected things to change this much.

Riki picks him up to walk to school together. He communicates with him in class through hand signs. He pulls him into secluded corners to kiss him. He spends every break with Sunoo—whether in the library, the cafeteria, or on the football field. He walks him home. He texts him about every little part of his day.

And what Sunoo likes most is how Riki started sending him pictures.

Right now, Sunoo is sitting in art class—one of the few times they’re separated—and all he can think about is the picture Riki sent him last night. A mirror selfie at the gym, tank top clinging to his body, skin shiny with sweat, muscles sharp under the perfect lighting.

It hasn’t left Sunoo’s mind at all.

“Sunoo-shi, are you listening?”

The teacher’s voice pulls him out of his daze.

“Yeah, sorry.” He flushes, face heating.

—

Wonie💞:
Wanna hang out today? Jay’s out with some basketball friends. We could finally have some quality time together.

Handsome Boy🎀: 
Practice got canceled and my parents are out with Konon. You could come over.
My little sister’s home, but she won’t bother us.

Sunoo groans, burying his face in his hands.

Now what am I supposed to do?

Class ends. He’s packing up when someone steps beside him.

“You look bothered. Everything alright?”

It’s Heeseung. They aren’t exactly friends, but they talk sometimes—mainly because neither has anyone else in their art group.

“I don’t know if I should gossip with you about your friend, Heeseung…”

“Did Riki do something dumb?” he asks, curious.

“No, but… Jungwon and Riki both asked me to hang out. At the same time. And now I don’t know who to say no to.”

“Well, you spend a lot of time with Jungwon, don’t you? I mean, not to sound like I’m backing Riks, but you’ve known Jungwon for much longer.”

“You’re right… but Jungwon and I haven’t had time alone lately because of Jay. I get it—they’ve found each other and like being together. But Jay won’t be there today, so it’s a good chance for me and Jungwon to have proper best friend time, you know?” Sunoo says, throwing his backpack over one shoulder.

Heeseung shrugs. “Sounds like you really want to be with Jungwon. You can hang out with Riki anytime… well, now that he’s all about you,” he adds with a chuckle. “But seriously, if you don’t get much time with Jungwon anymore, I’d go for it. I’m sure Riks will understand.”

Sunoo hums quietly.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Heeseung continues. “What’s… going on with you and Riki? He gets all embarrassed when we ask, so I figured I’d ask you.”

Sunoo giggles at the image of Riki being shy.

“Honestly? I’m not sure either.”

Heeseung nods slowly.

“So… you’re not, like, boyfriends?”

Sunoo blushes. “No…”

“But it looks like that could happen?”

“Maybe? I don’t know,” Sunoo replies, unsure.

“I’m sure it will. Riki stares at you as if you’re the only important thing in his life.”

Then Heeseung spots his friends.

“I’ll catch you later. Have a good weekend!” he says, walking off.

Sunoo smiles after him, then sighs.

Riki’s waiting for him at the gate.

“Heyyy,” Sunoo greets, smiling as Riki pulls him in for a hug.

“You coming over?”

Great. Nice first question to hit him with. Sunoo thinks.

He steps back slightly, meeting Riki’s eyes.

“Look… I really want to, but Jungwon invited me too…”

Riki’s smile falters.

Sunoo panics. “I’m so sorry! Jay’s not there today and I haven’t had alone time with Jungwon in ages.” He reaches for Riki’s hand.

Riki nods slowly. “It’s okay.”

“You’re not mad?”

Riki wraps an arm around his shoulders. “Why would I be? It’s fine. I’m not the jealous type. You’ve got your own life.”

Sunoo softens.

“But I can still walk you home right?” Riki teases with a smirk.

“Sure.”

And when they reach Sunoo’s place, they make sure to kiss enough to make up for the time they’ll be apart.

Until Sunoo’s phone rings.

“Why’d you leave me on read? Are we hanging out now?”

It’s Jungwon.

—

They’re on Jungwon’s couch, and they’ve been watching YouTube for hours.

“Let’s go out,” Jungwon suggests, rubbing circles into Sunoo’s shoulder. “We could grab street food and maybe meet up with Jay and the others.”

Sunoo sighs. “I’m not really in the mood. And if we meet Jay, you’ll be all over him and I don’t really know the other guys he’s with.“

Jungwon pouts, eyes wide. “I’ll stay with you. Promise. I just missed you. We haven’t had fun together in so long.”

“Maybe because you got yourself a boyfriend to replace me?” Sunoo replies with a dramatic pout.

“I invite you to everything Jay and I do—unless it involves sex!” Jungwon yells.

Sunoo nods slowly. “Okay… fair.”

He stares at the wall for a moment, then sighs. “Let’s grab something good to eat first. Then I’m in.”

Jungwon lights up. “Omg, yayyy!”

—

In the bathroom, Jungwon lines Sunoo’s eyes with pricey eyeliner.

“You’ve been doing my makeup a lot lately,” Sunoo giggles.

“Your eyes are too pretty not to,” Jungwon grins.

It’s sweet. Jungwon always says something about his eyes.

Sunoo still remembers—

11 years ago.

“Class, listen up!” the teacher says, gently holding a small boy’s shoulder. “This is Yang Jungwon. He’s transferring into our class today. Let’s welcome him… You can sit there.”

She points to the seat next to Sunoo.

Jungwon walks over, avoiding Sunoo’s gaze. But Sunoo stares a second too long.

“Do I have something on my face?” Jungwon asks with a missing tooth.

Sunoo panics. “Uh… your… eyes…”

“Something wrong with them?”

“You look like… a cat?” Sunoo blurts—and instantly regrets it.

10 years later.
When Jay and Jungwon were about to become a couple.

“When we were lying in bed, he stroked my hair and said my eyes make me look like a cat,” Jungwon says, blushing. “Then he said it was cute… But I don’t get it. I don’t think that I look like a cat.”

Sunoo just smiles.

“Yeah… you don’t get it.”

You’ll never understand how captivating those cat-like eyes of yours are.

—

Jungwon puts Sunoo in a tight shirt.

“Why does your closet scream ‘body show-off’? I feel half-naked every time you style me.”

“Baggy clothes don’t do that waist justice. You’re tinier than me! I choose my gems for you.”

Sunoo sighs, but turns to the mirror. The grey baggy pants balance it out.

And somehow, Jungwon’s outfits always make him feel good.

“Let’s go. It’s already eight.”

—

“I haven’t laughed like this in ages!” Sunoo wheezes, tears in his eyes.

Jungwon had dared him to talk to strangers and act like they were long-lost relatives.

An old man had yelled, “I’m not buying your bullshit, youngster!” and they couldn’t stop laughing since.

Walking down the streets of Hongdae, tanghulu in hand, Sunoo feels a strange peace.

“Jay texted—wanna join him and his friends?” Jungwon asks.

“Who’s with him?”

“A big group I think—oh wait, he’s calling.” Jungwon picks up. “Heyyy!”

Then: “I think Sunoo has questions. Here.”

Sunoo takes the phone. “Hiii?”

“You two should join us!” Jay’s voice is soft as ever.

“What are you guys doing?”

“There was a random dance battle we came across… and then we tried to find one-night stands for some of the bus,” Jay laughs. “Now we’re walking. Maybe karaoke?”

“Who’s there?”

“Around 9 people? Jake and Sunghoon just joined, you definitely won’t be left out.”

It’s sweet how Jay tries to make him feel included.

“Okay, we’ll come,” Sunoo says with a smile.

—

Jay catches Jungwon by the waist the moment they arrive.

“Yahhh! What a pretty boy I have here,” he beams, spinning Jungwon around slightly.

Sunoo chuckles, then spots Sunghoon and Jake—and the way they’re holding hands makes his heart melt.

“God, I can’t believe my two best friends aren’t mine anymore,” he says with a giggle. “Stop stealing my friends, guys.”

Jake gives him a look and nudges his side. “Ey, you’re one to talk. Aren’t you stealing my best friend at the moment?”

Sunoo just smiles and waves him off.

“But seriously,” Jake adds, tone softening. “If you don’t mind me saying… I’m kinda confused about you two.”

It reminds Sunoo of what Heeseung said earlier.

Jake lets go of Sunghoon’s hand and drapes an arm over Sunoo’s shoulders.

“Riks always avoids the topic when we ask. Not sure why.”

And for the first time tonight, Sunoo feels a subtle knot form in his stomach.

It’s probably just shyness… but if it were only that, why would his friends even be asking?

“Why do you guys wonder?” he asks quietly. “Heeseung asked me the same thing. Today, actually.”

“Well… I just found it awkward how he dodged the question. But maybe that’s just Riki, so don’t worry,” Jake says gently.

Sunoo nods slowly, but the feeling doesn’t leave.

“What exactly did he say?” he asks.

“Thursday afternoon, we were all at Heeseung’s playing games. After a while we ended up snacking and talking, and eventually we were talking about me and Hoon—so I asked Riks how it’s going with you, obviously.”

Jake pauses. “He just nodded and said ‘good’ in this super normal voice. That was it.”

Sunoo blinks.

“That’s it?”

“Yeah. Just felt off,” Jake shrugs. “But really, don’t overthink it. You know how he is.”

Jake pats his shoulder and returns to Sunghoon.

“Where are we heading?” he asks.

“We figured that the others are going to leave now, but maybe the five of us could still grab a drink and keep wandering around,” Sunghoon says, Jungwon nodding along.

Jay turns to Sunoo with a questioning look, silently asking if he’s in.

Sunoo nods. But he isn’t fully there. Something lingers.

What if he isn’t as sure about us as I am?

The others start walking ahead. Jay lingers behind and notices.

“You okay?”

Sunoo snaps out of it. “Yeah, don’t worry.”

“Everything okay, right?” Jay asks, gently placing a hand on his back to get him moving.

“Yeah, I was just in my head,” Sunoo says softly. Jay nods.

—

Jake is practically falling asleep on Sunghoon’s back now. They’ve been walking and chatting for a while, Sunghoon giving Jake a piggyback ride since he noticed that Jake started stumbling.

“How’s it going with your parents?” Sunoo asks.

“My mom’s softened up a bit. She calls sometimes. Said I could come home if I wanted. But I’m actually comfortable at Jake’s. His mom’s really sweet.

Sunoo nods slowly.

“I’m sorry you’re going through this. Sometimes I feel like it’s my fault… for pushing you two to talk again.”

“Sunoo, I’m happy. Really. It’s not easy, but I’ve never felt this free. And being with Jaeyun has helped me mentally more than anything.”

Sunoo smiles gently.

“But you,” Jake mumbles, eyes half-shut, “still should be more careful with your words sometimes.”

Sunoo bursts out laughing, not expecting the sudden jab. Sunghoon just smiles, not denying it.

Then Jungwon’s voice calls from behind, “Guys, wait for us!”

Jay and Jungwon catch up, hand in hand.

“Why were you walking so slowly?” Sunghoon asks, slightly annoyed.

Jungwon glares but doesn’t answer.

After a moment, Sunghoon yawns and says, “I think we’re heading home.”

Jake slowly nodding, nuzzled against Sunghoons shoulder.

They wave and slowly disappear into the night.

Jay exhales deeply.

Jungwon leans against him, and Jay glances down. “You tired too?”

Jungwon just hums in response.

Sunoo watches them with a soft smile.

“Then we’ll head off too,” Jay says. Jungwon steps up and hugs Sunoo.

“Thanks for today. And thank you for doing what I asked.
Next time, we’ll do whatever you want,” he murmurs sleepily.

Sunoo hugs him tight.

God, what’s up with that voice? He sounds like a baby.

He scrunches Jungwon’s hair affectionately before they part.

Jay gives him a quick hug too. “See you Monday,” he says.

Sunoo nods and waves them off.

—

As if the universe is following him, his phone buzzes. He smiles immediately when he sees the contact name.

“Heyyy~” he answers sweetly.

“Hii. What are you doing?” the deep voice whispers through the line, sending butterflies straight into Sunoo’s stomach.

“I’m walking home right now. Was with the boys—Jake was there too.”

There’s a soft hum on the other end.

“Where are you? If I’m close, I’ll walk you home. I was out taking a walk.”

Sunoo sends his location.

And somehow, Riki is just two blocks away.

—

Two minutes later, Riki jogs up the street. His hoodie is pulled over messy hair, cheeks a little red from the cold.

He slows when he sees Sunoo, falling into step beside him as if they’ve been walking together all along.

“Were you stalking me or something?” Sunoo teases.

“No, I swear,” Riki says quickly. “I really was just walking. Didn’t think you’d actually be nearby.”

Silence settles between them. But it’s not uncomfortable at first.

The breeze is cool. Sunoo wraps his arms around himself.

“You stayed out late,” Riki notes.

“It was nice. I needed that. My brain’s been busy lately,” Sunoo replies.

Riki glances at him, hands in his hoodie pockets.

“Your brain’s always busy.”

Sunoo chuckles. “Yeah. Can’t help it. Guess it’s part of the Sunoo charm.”

Riki gives a faint smile.

They cross a quiet intersection. Only the sound of their footsteps keeps them company. But something feels different.

Sunoo steals a glance.

Riki is… quiet.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

Riki exhales slowly. “Yeah.”

Another pause.

Sunoo bumps his arm. “You’re acting weird.”

Riki looks over, giving him a lopsided smile. “Sorry. Just thinking.”

Sunoo opens his mouth to ask what about—

But then Riki stops walking.

They’re near the corner of Sunoo’s neighborhood. The usual place where they’d say goodbye.

Riki turns to face him, that unreadable look on his face—the one that always makes Sunoo a little uneasy.

“I know I’ve been… clingy lately,” Riki says.

Sunoo blinks. “Clingy? No. I like it.”

"I'm just not very sure.”

Sunoo’s heart skips.

“…What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. I think I’m scared I’ll mess it up.”

“You’re not messing anything up,” Sunoo says quickly—maybe too quickly.

Riki looks down, then meets his eyes again.

“I wish I could love you the way you deserve.”

Sunoo’s breath catches.

“…Why would you say that?”

Riki gives a tired smile. One that doesn’t reach his eyes.

Then he leans in and kisses him.

It’s soft. But it doesn’t feel right, not like it usually does.

When they pull away, Riki’s voice is barely audible.

“Goodnight.”

And he turns and walks away—

Leaving Sunoo standing in the cold,

with a storm quietly building in his chest.

Chapter Text

Hi guys!
First Off im sorry if I disappointed any of you by making you think this is a new chapter.

I wanted to talk about this work of mine as i haven’t updated it for a while now.
I really love this story but lately I haven’t had any motivation to write as I developed an artist block, meaning this didn’t only apply to writing but also to my other hobbies such as drawing and dancing…
I always told myself I had to continue sometime because some of you guys really made my day with your lovely comments and I didn’t want to leave y’all hanging. But by pushing the date I’d continue to write I only made you guys wait even more.
One of the reasons I didn’t really feel like writing was that I wasn’t satisfied with the story anymore, as I got used to writing, my expectations got higher, making me feel unsatisfied with the first chapters.
And by pushing myself to update asap, the story developed into something I didn’t know how to continue.

I’m not sure what exactly I’ll do as I’m mid exam season once again and I can’t tell you guys a set time for another update.
But I plan to either rewrite this work, which means I’ll take my time with it, so I can make it as good as possible- or I’ll leave this work the way it is and try working on new ideas, as I miss writing.

But I haven’t made up my mind about that, meaning that I could also just start pushing it again and update you guys in 3 months…(hehe I’m sorry)

Anyways, I’m curious who is still checking in and will see this. I hope you are doing great. Love y’all, byesies💕