Chapter Text
“You like Gunwook, don’t you?”
Matthew chokes on his water bottle. Actually chokes. Full splutter, eyes watering, the whole dying-seal routine.
They’re sat in the student cafeteria—bright fluorescent lighting, floors that feel both sticky and suspiciously shiny, and the faint lingering smell of burnt oyster sauce no matter where you sit. Hanbin had insisted on eating here instead of at a restaurant off campus. Said it built “communal resilience.” Whatever that means.
But it’s fine. Gunwook’s at football tryouts anyway. And it’s not like Matthew can cook. He’s barely figured out how to turn on the hob without summoning Satan. So yeah. Cafeteria dinner it is. Death-by-fried-rice and now, apparently, death-by-gay-accusation.
“That’s slander,” Matthew manages between coughs. But he knows how Hanbin got there. That’s what Matthew gets for telling him about the post-it notes and the comment Gunwook made about him looking good in a crop top.
Maybe there is a part of him that wants to sneakily check out what Hanbin’s thinking.
Because, come on.
Gunwook winked.
Winked.
Hanbin just smirks over his chopsticks. “Thought so.”
But Matthew would be damned if he’d admit to anything. “We’re simply two homo sapiens cohabiting in a modest, LED-lit habitat.”
“Emphasis on homo.”
“Oh my God.” Matthew drops his head to the table with a thunk. The plastic surface smells vaguely like bleach and regret.
He lifts his head again. “Listen! In my defence, he is very, very hot.”
“Objectively.”
“Like, unfairly so. If he weren’t so nice, I’d probably hate him. But I don’t. And he did hold my hand. And he was, like, very OK with me sharing his bed. And I did—unfortunately—witness the Great Morning Wood Incident of 2025. And, lemme tell you, it’s freaking hu—”
“Boundaries,” Hanbin says, holding up a hand, expression flat. “I don’t need to know everything. Anyway, you two move fast.”
“Me?! I’ll have you know I’ve been completely innocent. Practically a nun. A gay, extremely flustered nun.”
But, seriously… Matthew shouldn’t. Spiral, that is. He shouldn’t start mentally designing their wedding invitations in Canva. Shouldn’t picture Gunwook holding a rice cooker lid like a trophy and looking at Matthew like he’s not a walking red flag in khaki shorts and Pikachu socks. Shouldn’t reread his texts to check if any of them sound flirty. (They’re not.)
Just eat your dinner and talk about literally anything else, for God ’s sake.
“How many post-it notes did you stick up again?” Hanbin asks, still grinning.
Matthew shrugs, poking at a suspiciously orange dumpling. “That was just a friendly, bromantic gesture.” He pauses. “And Gunwook’s probably just… weirdly comfortable with physical touch. Yeah. That’s all.”
Uh-huh. Totally that. Just a completely normal, extremely buff, emotionally slow, domestic angel of a roommate who makes him toast and calls him cute when he messes up the washing machine. No biggie.
Not a crush.
Definitely not.
Maybe just a tiny crush.
Like, a casual, background-process crush.
Because it’s Gunwook, so who wouldn’t have a crush on him?
“Anyway, let’s talk about you. Someone who actually has successfully found love. Teach me your ways, Psychology Cupid.”
Hanbin smiles wryly. “I wouldn’t say successfully.”
Matthew freezes.
Oh, God.
That sounded like…
Like real feelings.
And Hanbin has them.
Real, negative feelings.
Which is normal, Matthew supposes. Hanbin’s a human being, after all, and human beings have feelings. And that’s OK. What’s less OK, though, is him wanting to share them with Matthew. Not because Matthew wants him to be miserable, but because Matthew isn’t particularly skilled in the talking-about-feelings department. He prefers to bury them. Deeply. After beating them with a shovel. But he could hardly advise Hanbin—a Psychology major—to do the same. So, he hesitantly asks, “What… what do you mean?”
Hanbin sighs, poking at his rice. “Never mind. I shouldn’t talk about Hao behind his back. That’s not very ethical.”
Relief floods through Matthew. Still, to not be a complete dickwad, he says, “Well, you’re not his therapist, are you? You’re his boyfriend. Who cares about ethical?”
“But you haven’t met him yet. I don’t want your opinion to be coloured just because I’m in some feelings and need to complain.”
Matthew gives Hanbin a look. “You do know who you’re talking to, right? I mean, it is an absolute miracle that you’re still sat here at this table with me being my friend. Like, we’re talking Eighth World Wonder type of miracle.”
Hanbin chuckles. Something warm spreads in Matthew’s chest. At least he made him laugh.
“I’ll tell you some other time,” Hanbin finally decides. “After you’ve met him.”
“OK then!” Matthew quickly replies, feeling like he’s just escaped death row.
The dorm smells of grass, dirt, and sweat.
Gunwook’s peeling off his socks, one leg propped on his chair, velcro on his shin guards ripping like a gunshot.
“Hey bro,” Matthew says, kicking the door shut behind him. “How did tryouts go?”
Gunwook lights up immediately, bouncing to his feet. “I made the team!” He bounds over to Matthew.
Before Matthew can react, he’s being crushed into a very damp hug.
“Whoa, OK. Alright. Yup. Well done, well done. Go, you!” he says, patting Gunwook’s back with both hands like he’s burping a toddler. Gunwook doesn’t seem to notice. His whole face is lit up like a stadium.
“And Coach even gave me a nickname,” he says proudly.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Dorito.”
Matthew chokes on his own spit and laughs. “You’re joking.”
“Nope. And he even called me first.”
“Well, excuse me, do I live with a celebrity now?” Matthew pretends to ponder, stroking his chin. “Hmm. Do you think I could ride your coattails into a free meal plan?”
Gunwook laughs, then shoves him gently. “You’re so funny, hyung.”
Matthew grins, lowering his gaze, smiling at the floor like a complete idiot.
“Oh!” Gunwook says suddenly. “Thanks for the post-it notes!”
Matthew flinches like he’s just been caught with his diary open. “Oh. You saw those?”
Gunwook nods enthusiastically. “When did you even put them up?”
“Uh—this morning. Before class.”
“You did? But I was here.”
“Yeah. You were, like, humming and rearranging your notebooks. It was kind of impressive how oblivious you were.”
Gunwook stares at him. “Wow… That must’ve taken you ages.”
Matthew shrugs. “Not really.” He scuffs the floor with his sneaker.
Gunwook tilts his head, serious all of a sudden. “Why’d you do it?”
The question hits harder than it should. Matthew hesitates. For a second, he thinks about lying. About saying something dumb like “just a bit,” or “I was bored,” or “I needed to practise my handwriting.”
But Hanbin’s earlier attempt to share honest feelings must’ve corrupted him, because Matthew scratches the back of his neck instead and says, “You do a lot for me. I wanted to return the favour.”
Gunwook frowns. “But that stuff’s easy. Teaching you to use the washing machine? Making you eggs?”
Matthew lets out a breath of a laugh, eyes dropping to the floor again. “Yeah, well. Saying nice things isn’t always easy for everyone.”
That makes Gunwook stare again. Tiny wrinkle between his eyebrows. Head slightly askew.
Matthew’s heart kicks in his chest. His palms are sweating. His ears are hot.
He doesn’t know what he expects.
Another thank-you?
A joke?
A hug?
Because, the reality is, it’s not even about being nice or about returning the favour. Not really. And Matthew knows it.
Deep down, it’s about wanting to say the exact right thing. About seeing someone and wanting them to know it, without actually saying it. It’s about being scared Gunwook will hear too much in it. ‘Too much’ meaning the actual truth of it all. The quiet longing underneath. The gratitude.
You make this dorm feel like home.
But Gunwook doesn’t say anything. He just… looks at him.
Matthew carefully shoots a glance upwards. He can’t tell what the look means. It’s open. Gentle. A little intense. But maybe that’s just his imagination twisting it. Maybe he wants to see something that isn’t there.
God, this is getting dangerous.
Life threatening.
Finally, Gunwook just says, softly, “They made me really happy.” And it sounds sincere in that devastating, uncomplicated way only he seems to manage.
Matthew meets his eyes. There’s something so wide and earnest in them it kind of hurts to look at.
“Good,” he says. It comes out rougher than he means it to.
And for a moment, it’s like everything in the room stops. There’s a pause. A different kind of silence. The kind that notices itself.
Then Gunwook blurts, “Oh! The cheerleaders did manage to find their first male cheerleader!”
Just like that, the moment skitters away like it never happened.
Matthew blinks. “I’m sorry—what now?”
Gunwook rambles on about the squad, about the boy with bleached hair doing flips.
Matthew listens, but his pulse is still thudding. And when Gunwook goes to shower, he finds himself glancing at the desk, where the post-it notes are laid out like trophies.
A shy smile forms on his face.
Later that night, Matthew lies on his back in bed, arms flung out like he’s been struck by divine revelation.
Or maybe a stroke.
Across the room, Gunwook is brushing his teeth while reading his timetable for tomorrow like it’s a sacred scroll. He spits, rinses, pats his mouth dry, then turns off the bathroom light. His shoulders are bare—he's wearing a tank top the size of a napkin—and his hair's still damp from his shower. He stretches once, spine cracking like bubble wrap, smiles at the blue LED hue in their dorm.
Matthew stares at the ceiling.
He is not crushing on his roommate.
He’s not already imagining their future home.
He’s definitely not going to lose his mind if Gunwook keeps doing that stretch where his arms go behind his head and his entire torso does that muscle ripple thing.
Gunwook climbs into bed, tucks the blanket up to his chest like a good little soldier, and sighs in contentment.
Matthew grabs his phone and rolls onto his side, facing the wall. He taps his chat with Hanbin.
Matthew 🍁
okay so
small update
i might be dead
Hanbin 🐹
what did he do
smile at you again?
say thank you in that horribly sincere way?
Matthew 🍁
yes actually
also he hugged me
right after tryouts
sweaty, shirt sticking to his back, full-body tackle
i think i briefly saw god
Hanbin 🐹
i take it tryouts went well then?
Matthew 🍁
he made the team
of course
the coach even gave him a nickname
dorito
and he was so proud??
Hanbin 🐹
...like the crisp?
Matthew 🍁
yup
no further questions
anyway he was glowing and beautiful and i congratulated him like a normal person except i’m pretty sure my brain melted halfway through
Hanbin 🐹
you did not say something weird did you
Matthew 🍁
no!!
well. maybe.
i told him the post-its were my way of being nice
and then he looked at me
like REALLY looked at me
and said they made him happy
and i think my heart actually burst like a microwave burrito
Hanbin 🐹
you’re hopeless
Matthew 🍁
i know
but it’s not a crush
Hanbin 🐹
oh no
Matthew 🍁
definitely not a crush
Hanbin 🐹
completely casual
Matthew 🍁
exactly
who wouldn’t torch the earth for their uni friend?
totally normal roommate behaviour
Hanbin 🐹
agreed
Matthew 🍁
i mean
if he asked me to elope tomorrow
would i say yes????
of course
Hanbin 🐹
sure
Matthew 🍁
i’d even pack snacks
Hanbin 🐹
how long have you known him again?
a week?
Matthew 🍁
yes but he smiles like he’s never faked one in his life
and he says thank you for everything
and he showers after football without complaining and drinks actual green juice and makes breakfast
who does that??
he’s so dumb. and sweet. and hot. and sincere.
i want to scream
Hanbin 🐹
have you considered therapy
Matthew 🍁
you’re my therapy
now soothe me
Hanbin 🐹
here’s some soothing:
you’re allowed to like him
just… don’t spiral
see where it goes
Matthew 🍁
that’s surprisingly good advice for someone who called me a homo in the cafeteria
Hanbin 🐹
i stand by it
also
hao’s got his violin recital next friday
you wanna come? i can save you a seat if you want
Matthew 🍁
you’re inviting me to meet the boyfriend 😳
does that mean i’m friend-approved?
Hanbin 🐹
you’re on probation
but your life is literally a sitcom so you’re passing for now
Matthew 🍁
rude. but fair
also yes
i’d love to come