Seungcheol sighed and stood up. He padded over to the bar fridge and grabbed out a pancake before plopping down next to the coffee table.

"You didn't have to make so many pancakes," Seungcheol said through a mouthful of pancake.

Joshua shrugged and highlighted another section of his notes. "I didn't, but we bought so much of the ingredients."

Seungcheol nudged his shoulder into Joshua's affectionately. "Thanks, it means a lot."

"What does?"

"You trying to make sure I have stuff to eat." Seungcheol swallowed the last of the pancake and leaned back on his hands. "And Junghan 'left' some bodywash here. You two don't have to look out for me, y'know. I got by without you guys."

"You're our soulmate, we should look out for each other and try help each other as much as we can. If that means doing little things like making extra food and leaving it here or buying you bodywash, then that's what we'll do."

Seungcheol nodded, "I know -- I feel bad. I can't help either of you back."

Joshua snorted. "Trust me, you're helping plenty. Junghan's so needy it takes two of us to deal with it."

Seungcheol's front door opened.

"I'm not needy," Junghan protested. He closed the door and took off his shoes. "I'm high maintenance."

"Really? What's the difference?" Joshua asked. Joshua was curious what sort of answer Junghan was going to come up with.

Junghan shrugged. "It sounds less desperate."

Seungcheol nodded. "Fair enough, nobody wants to sound desperate."

Junghan grabbed a can of beer from Seungcheol's fridge and sat down next to Joshua. He scrunched up his face after he took a sip. "Your beer is so gross."

Seungcheol chuckled. Joshua tried to stifle his laughter to no avail. Junghan shot him a look.

"Seriously, why don't you get better tasting beer?"

"It's cheap and gets my broke arse drunk," Seungcheol answered simply.

Junghan's expression turned sullen. "Oh, right. I'm a picky, spoilt brat."

"Angel, it's fine. Don't worry about it, my friends complain about my beer, too. It's my own fault I'm poor."

Joshua looked up from playing with his highlighter. "Cheol--"

"I'd be in the same boat if it weren't for my parents," Junghan shrugged.

Seungcheol looked down. Joshua reached a hand out and ran it up and down his forearm in what was supposed to be a gesture of comfort.

"Exactly. If I'd done what my parents wanted I'd be in a better situation. They offered to pay for my degree, but I wanted to slum it up and try become a rapper." Seungcheol tried to sound nonchalant, almost joking, as he spoke but he couldn't hide the shaking in his voice.

"You're doing what you want to do, if it doesn't work out you can do something else." Joshua shrugged. "You're trying and you're scraping by."

Seungcheol looked up, the beginnings of a smile tugging at his lips, and met Joshua's eyes. "You sound like Jihoon."

Junghan sighed and mumbled something under his breath.

Seungcheol rolled his eyes. "Yes, angel, that's exactly what Jihoon tells me when he goes down on me." He sighed. "What makes you think my best friend and I are like that? We're friends, there isn't anything like that between us."

Junghan snorted. "I work with him, I've heard stories about what his best friend got up to. I know what you're like."

"Hannie, sometimes stories aren't right. There's more to Cheol than you've heard about from Jihoon at work, right?"

Junghan pouted, looking rather petulant, but nodded. "I guess."

Seungcheol gasped. "You're the coworker with the daddy issues and a list of one night stands a mile long!"

Junghan's eyes widened. "I don't have daddy issues! Why do people think that?"

"I've heard all the men you used to sleep with were old guys," Joshua chimed in with a teasing smirk.

Junghan groaned. "The oldest guy wasn't even forty! They weren't old and there weren't that many."

"Do you want to talk about your father, Junghan? And his absence from your childhood?" Seungcheol asked, his tone even to try emulate a psychologist's.

Junghan growled, then he leaned towards Seungcheol and bit his bottom lip. "Are you trying to get me to call you daddy, Cheollie? It's not something I'm into, but I'd be willing to give it a go for you."

Joshua couldn't help but laugh as Seungcheol's plan backfired, him becoming the one being playfully teased instead of Junghan.

Seungcheol shook his head. "No! Of course not, what -- no. I'm not -- do you want to have ?"

Junghan threw his head back in laughter. "I thought you'd never ask. You wanna join, Shua?"

Joshua felt like a deer caught in headlights. wasn't something he'd been anticipating when he'd asked if he could go to Seungcheol's.

"Angel, remember what it was like when you first had ? How sore your body was?" Seungcheol spoke up.

Junghan nodded. "I guess we should give Shua a break."

Joshua gestured to his notebook. "I've got to study, anyway, so it's a pass from me."

Joshua managed to get a decent amount of revision done despite the and gross noises coming from Seungcheol's couch. It was surprisingly easy to block it out as long as he kept his nose in his books.

After the noises came to an end, and they'd obviously finished, Seungcheol's window opened and Joshua heard Junghan murmur something -- probably sweet nothings; Junghan was very fond of romantic declarations and compliments after .

Joshua looked up to watch his soulmates lean out of Seungcheol's window, looking more intimate than Joshua had ever seen them during . They joked around, playfully shoving each other as they giggled. Joshua soaked in the after atmosphere, the gentle care and vulnerability.

It was his favourite thing about .

Seungcheol closed his window and Junghan's giggling trickled to an end. Seungcheol murmured something too low for Joshua to make out then padded over to his bed, climbing under the blankets. Junghan joined Joshua at the table, picking up a jacket on his way over.

With a peaceful sigh, Junghan leaned his head on Joshua's shoulder. "He always gets so exhausted after ." Joshua could detect the fondness in Junghan's voice.

"Yeah?"

Junghan nodded. "Yeah. It's kind of cute."

Joshua looked at Junghan, saw how he looked peaceful and like he felt loved. So different from the Junghan who, not long ago, had worried whether Seungcheol would like him.

"What were you two laughing about?" Joshua asked instead of bringing up Junghan insecurities.

Junghan's eyes glistened, his expression grew innocent (too innocent, the fake innocence Junghan tried to fit into when he was feeling particularly mischievous). "I was telling Cheollie about my theory -- how he had to be the kind soulmate and why."

Joshua raised his eyebrows. "Oh? Really? And why were you both laughing?"

Junghan's face split into a grin. "He made a joke suggesting he was the good in bed soulmate, I was the smart soulmate, and you were the kind soulmate."

"Why was that funny?"

Junghan shrugged. "The after glow? I more thought it was funny he thought I was smart."

Joshua tsked. "Junghan, there are different types of smart. You're people smart."

Junghan kissed Joshua on the cheek before standing up. "Thank you, Shua. I'm gonna go have a shower."

Joshua sat there, listening to the shower and Junghan's humming he could only just hear through the door. There was a definite feeling of warmth in his chest and he wondered if, maybe, that was what falling in love felt like.

The three slipped into a routine. They went to all of Seungcheol's rapping gigs, Junghan and Joshua often studied at Seungcheol's just to be around him, and all three spent most nights cramped into Seungcheol's fold out bed.

Joshua didn't realise how long it'd been since he'd last emailed or called his mother until she called him out of the blue.

He was at Seungcheol's, contemplating how much longer they could stretch out the food in Seungcheol's kitchen. Junghan wasn't due back from his shift at the cafe for another hour, and Seungcheol was still asleep from staying up the night before working on a track with Jihoon.

Joshua decided the food could probably last a couple of days before they'd have to go shopping again. His phone went off, and he pulled it out his pocket. His mother wanted to video call.

"Hi mum!" he greeted.

His mother craned her head around, trying to look at the room he was in. "Where are you?"

Seungcheol shifted in his bed, making the springs creak.

"I thought you said Junghan lived in a nice house with his parents? Do you need us to send you more money? We can afford to pay rent for you two if you --"

"Mum, you're sending over plenty of money. I'm at Seungcheol's," Joshua explained.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Seungcheol?"

Joshua nodded. "Yeah, mine and Junghan's other -- oh! I've been so caught up in everything I haven't told you. Junghan and I met our other soulmate. Seungcheol. I'm at his apartment."

His mother's expression lit up. "See? I knew going to Korea would be good for you! See what happens when you listen to your mother?"

Joshua nodded. He could hear Seungcheol groaning as he woke up.

"Shh, mum, he's trying to sleep."

She shook her head. "He's waking up, listen to him."

Joshua turned. Seungcheol was sitting up, scratching his stomach.

"My mother wants to talk to you," Joshua told him. She hadn't said it out loud, but to Joshua it was clear she wanted to.

"Sure," Seungcheol croaked, his voice thick with sleep. He patted the space next to him. "If your mum wants to talk, I'll talk."

"Right now?" Joshua asked.

Seungcheol shrugged. "No time like the present."

 "I like this one's attitude," Joshua's mum commented.

Joshua smiled at how Seungcheol sat up straighter at the comment, his shoulders dropped with confidence.

"Hello," Seungcheol said, a big, dopey, sleepy grin slapped across his face.

"Hello. Seungcheol, right?" Seungcheol nodded. "You're looking after my Joshua properly, aren't you?" Again, Seungcheol nodded. Joshua's mother's face relaxed, worry falling off her. "You know, I'm glad he's got you and Junghan looking after him. I worry so much about him."

Seungcheol laughed. "You don't need to worry about him, Joshua's responsible. He keeps me and Junghan out of trouble most of the time."

"He's got a nice smile, this one, Joshua. Are you happy with him?"

"Of course, mum. Why wouldn't I be? He's pretty much everything I imagined my soulmate would be like when I was little. He's kind and caring and makes me feel safe."

Seungcheol shifted so he was leaning against Joshua, then kissed him on the cheek. "Really? That's nice to hear. You make me feel cared for and important."

Joshua felt pride blossom in his chest. He made one of his soulmates feel important.

Joshua's mother laughed. "You youngsters. It's normal to feel those things when you first meet your soulmate -- it's keeping those positive feelings when the relationship's old that's the hard part."

"It was nice meeting you, Mrs Hong, but I've got to go pick up Junghan. It's pretty chilly outside tonight and he won't be impressed if he's got to be out in it." Seungcheol waved goodbye and got out of bed, fixing the blankets.

"Don't do that just to impress my mother," Joshua scoffed. "He never makes the bed, mum, he doesn't understand why you would if you're just going to climb back in it later."

Joshua's mum tutted. "Presentation, Seungcheol. It's usually the biggest mess and as long your bed is made the whole room looks tidier."

Seungcheol hummed in understanding as he fluffed his pillow.

"It was very nice to meet you, Seungcheol. Make sure my dear son calls and emails me more often -- he's apparently been too busy since he met you."

Seungcheol nodded and pecked Joshua's temple. "You can count on me. From now on, your son'll contact you regularly -- I'll make sure he puts it in his planner," he said, his voice growing in volume as he walked over to his front door. He rammed his feet into his shoes. "Do you need me to pick anything up while I'm out?"

Joshua shook his head. "We're all going shopping tomorrow."

"If you think of anything let me know -- I'll get Junghan to woo the cashier into giving us a discount."

Joshua laughed, and Seungcheol smiled fondly as he opened the door and stepped out his apartment.

"You two are sweet, you obviously care about each other a lot. And Junghan." His mum sighed. "I don't know how you ended up with two soulmates that care about you so much." She smiled. "But I'm glad you did -- two people looking after my little boy. I'll have to send you some money to buy them presents from me as thanks."

Joshua shifted. "Mum, you really don't have to. The three of us all look after each other, I don't want anyone else feeling like they have to buy things to say thank you."

Joshua's mum made a noise. "Fine, I won't. The Chois' hadn't mentioned you moved out."

Joshua's eyebrows furrowed -- he hadn't moved out. Why did his mum --

"You think I'm living with Seungcheol and Junghan? No, not yet. We haven't known each other very long, it'd be a dumb idea to move in together so quick."

Joshua's mother nodded. "Any plans being made? Have any of you started hinting?"

Joshua shrugged. "Not that I know of? Obviously it's something that'll happen eventually -- maybe when Junghan wants to move out from his parents' place? But, I don't want to rush into anything."

"I should probably let you go," Joshua's mum said.

"We can chat for a bit, tell me what's going on! What's been happening?"

Joshua's mum shook her head. "I'm tired, you've got things to do."

Joshua nodded glumly. "I promise I'll call soon."

"You better. We have to arrange it at a time you can talk to your dad; we aren't paying everything for you over there to not hear from you."

Joshua smiled. "Of course you aren't. Tell dad I miss him and I'm thankful for everything. Sleep well, mum."

They blew each other a kiss before hanging up. Joshua put his phone down on the bed -- he couldn't believe he hadn't realised how much he missed his parents. He could only imagine how much they missed him.

Junghan and Seungcheol came stumbling in not long after, laughter loud and filling Seungcheol's tiny apartment. Junghan rushed over and draped himself over Joshua's back, embracing him. He wiped away Joshua's tears.

"Seungcheol said your mum called. You must miss her so much. We'll have to make calling her a weekly thing. It might help."

Joshua nodded. He felt Seungcheol's chapped lips against his cheek, kissing away the couple of tears that slipped from his eyes.

"Junghan says you're not much of a crier. It's OK to cry, y'know? Especially in front of us. We're soulmates, us three." Seungcheol spoke lowly, puffs of his warm breath hitting Joshua's ear in a way that was comforting.

Junghan nodded, his chin sticking into the juncture between Joshua's neck and shoulder.

"We're here for you Shua, to help you from falling apart too much when you break."

Seungcheol hummed in agreement and grabbed Joshua's hand to draw patterns on it.

Joshua couldn't stop the sob that wracked through him. He wasn't sure that he would've wanted to, anyway.

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A/N:

I know, it's been ages since I last updated. I don't have any excuses, I've just been super lazy. I hope you enjoyed the (way overdue) update!