I've edited the previous chapter so that it reads a bit more fluently. The story started writing itself here so it's a bit longer than originally intended ^^

Because You Smell Nice

Monday 5^th November

Siwan sat in Geography, his concentration drifting as the teacher went over their homework from the previous week. Every time his concentration drifted these days, it reverted to the moment under the tree. Siwan couldn’t seem to get it out of his mind. He couldn’t escape what had come to be one of the most confusing moments of his life. Heechul had walked away. After slamming Siwan against a tree, assaulting his senses and generally bewildering him, he had walked away with a smirk on his face.

Siwan wanted to hate him for it. Ever since, that moment had been on replay in his mind. Yet he still had no answers to explain what had happened, and he was no further in understanding exactly what was supposed to be between the two of them.

Geography slipped past as it always seemed to. The teacher prattled on, and Siwan mindlessly copied down what was written on the board, his concentration elsewhere, specifically three seats to the right and one row behind him.

As the minutes ticked close to the ringing of the bell, the teacher cleared his throat for an announcement. Siwan gritted his teeth, watching the clock. He hoped this would be quick.

“I’m setting you all a project which will be due in before the Christmas holidays.” The teacher droned. Siwan watched the minute hand clunk closer to the end of the day. “I’ve paired you up and set you a topic, so be prepared to hand it in at the end of the term.”

The minute hand clunked again. Siwan felt the familiar shiver that indicated Heechul was staring at him again. He tried not to let his reaction to become visible, instead focussing on the clock, waiting for the teacher to reach him and give him his partner and project.

Siwan blinked as the teacher leaned over him, uncomfortably close. He passed Siwan an A4 sheet with details of their project and looked down the list in his hand. “You’re with Jung Heechul.” He said and moved on.

Siwan froze. He blinked. He took an unsteady breath. If he couldn’t concentrate when Heechul was merely in the same room as him, there was no way this project would be up to his usual standards of work.

Siwan watched the clock until the bell rang, moving slowly to pack his bag up in his stupor.

A shadow fell across his desk and Siwan looked up.

“We’re partners.” Heechul said, without a smile. Siwan blinked stupidly. Heechul continued. “I was thinking that it would be best if we get this thing done sooner.” Siwan nodded saying nothing. “I’d offer my house, but I have two younger brothers and they’re brats so...”

Heechul trailed off looking down at Siwan expectantly. “Ah.” Siwan coughed, kicking his brain into gear. “Yeah, you can come to mine.” Siwan smiled. He scribbled down his address and phone number handing it to Heechul. “Are you free on Wednesdays?”

“Yes.” Heechul grinned, his teeth showing. “I’ll see you then.”

As he walked away, Siwan let out a breath.

Wednesday 7^th November

Siwan got home after school to find Heechul huddled under the small porch, the torrential rain falling in sheets. Siwan ran from his car to join Heechul in the cramped space as he fished out his key from his bag.

“Sorry.” Siwan apologised as the door swung open and the two of them stepped inside. Siwan shook his head to remove and excess water from his hair. “I was talking to Kwanghee; I didn’t mean to make you wait.”

Heechul rolled his eyes. “You have a nice house.” He commented. “Are you an only child?”

“Nah.” Siwan motioned Heechul to follow him and led the way upstairs to his room. “I have a sister but she’s away at university.”

Siwan let Heechul into his room, and watched as he walked past him to dump his bag on the bed. His white shirt had gone transparent from the rain, sticking to his back, outlining his muscles which rippled as he bent down to search for his notebook. Siwan swallowed. His eyes stayed stuck on Heechul’s back until he realised he was staring at a chest, and that Heechul had turned around and was watching him.

Siwan blushed as Heechul smirked at him. “Should we get started?” Siwan asked through gritted teeth. Heechul raised an eyebrow suggestively. “On the project?” Siwan clarified, rolling his eyes. He chucked a textbook at Heechul who only laughed.

“You’re cute.” Heechul pinched Siwan’s scarlet cheek. Siwan scowled, slapping his hand away.

“Want to do some Geography?”

Wednesday 21^st November

It was the third week that Siwan had come home to find Heechul on his doorstep. He hurried over to the door, trying not to drop the books in his arms, his breath visible in front of him in the cold air. Siwan scrabbled in his bag to find his key, his thin jacket providing little resistance from the biting wind that whipped around the pair of them.

Siwan’s hand shook as he tried to insert the key into the door, letting out a frustrated yelp when he dropped the key on the ground. As he tried again, he felt Heechul wrap one arm around his waist, his other hand enveloping Siwan’s shaking one, and he calmly manoeuvred the key into the lock.

“You need to get a thicker coat.” Heechul said, his warm breath tickling Siwan’s ear, his lips touching Siwan’s earlobe.

Siwan watched as his breath bloomed like an icy cloud in front of him. He leant into the warmth that Heechul provided, his face turning instinctively towards the hot breath that ghosted across his cheek. Heechul’s hand gripped his harder and turned the key in the lock. The door swung open and Heechul practically pushed Siwan inside, chuckling as he stumbled and hit the small table next to the door.

“Seriously,” Heechul added as he slammed the door shut. “Get a new coat, or at least some gloves.” Siwan scowled as Heechul walked past and straight up the stairs.

Siwan rubbed his thigh where it had been stabbed by the corner of the table and followed Heechul up the stairs.

When he reached his room, Heechul was already lying on his stomach on his bed, notebook open in front of him and a pen in hand. Siwan dumped himself in his desk chair and chucked the books he was carrying on the bed next to Heechul’s head. “I got them from the library, so start reading.”

Siwan was typing on his computer when he heard Heechul moving around his room behind him. This had happened every week so far. Eventually Heechul would get bored and start exploring Siwan’s room. Siwan could expect that Heechul would also start complaining of hunger soon enough. When Siwan had refused to move from his spot last week, Heechul had dragged him out of his chair and pushed him down to the kitchen, about how his stomach was caving in on itself as he was so hungry.

To avoid the repetition of such an incident, Siwan finished his last sentence and saved the document. He glanced at the clock, noting that they’d been working solidly for two hours. He rubbed the back of his neck as he swivelled round to see what Heechul was doing. He found him flicking through the clothes in his wardrobe.

Siwan’s clothes collection was vast as fashion had always been an interest of his. Heechul turned around grinning. “You have so many clothes, yet you don’t own a warm coat.”

Siwan rolled his eyes. “Do you want some food?”

“You read my mind.”

Monday 10^th December

Siwan was working in the library, desperately trying to work through leftover homework from the previous week. His parents had taken him on a surprise trip to see his cousin in the countryside and he had been on babysitting duties for the entire weekend which resulted in a pile of unfinished work. Siwan was worried, they had end of term tests looming and there weren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.

He was in the middle of particularly tricky maths problem when the bell rang. He glanced up. It couldn’t be lunch already, he hadn’t done enough work. When the bell continued ringing he realised that it wasn’t a bell to signify the end of the period, it was a fire drill.

Siwan gritted his teeth. He didn’t have time for this. Regardless, he walked out of the hall and entered the stream of students all heading in the same direction.

The frost from the morning had thawed, but the temperature was only barely above zero, the wind carrying a much colder bite. Siwan shivered violently, pulling his jacket sleeves over his hand. He was starting to think that maybe he should listen to Heechul and get a warmer coat.

As he stood in the crowd with the other students, not really knowing where he was supposed to be, he felt arms wrap around him and a warm chest press against his back.

“What did I say to you about that coat?” Heechul voice rumbled around him.

Siwan smiled and turned around to face him, slipping his arms inside Heechul’s coat and wrapping them around his waist. He buried his cold nose under Heechul jaw. “I’ll go shopping this weekend.”

“And what will you do right now?”

Siwan chuckled. “I have my own personal heater. It’s portable.”

“And temperamental.” Heechul added, pinching Siwan’s waist.

Siwan yelped, drawing some stares from the surrounding students. Teachers began to herd them towards what Siwan could only assume was their correct place. Unwillingly, Siwan stepped back from Heechul rubbing his arms and trying to retain as much of the warmth as possible. Siwan spotted Kwanghee in the crowd and hurried after him, throwing a small smile and a muttered thanks over his shoulder to Heechul.

In the cafeteria at lunch, Siwan jiggled his legs, still trying to warm up from where they had been forced to stand in uniform silence in the biting cold for twenty minutes as they were counted, before being let back into the building. He vowed that he would buy a coat this weekend.

Minwoo dropped in the seat opposite him and leaned forward on his elbows, a knowing smile lighting his face. “You cannot deny there is something between you and Heechul now.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Minwoo.” Siwan said. “How was your weekend?”

“No need for such sarcasm!” Minwoo pouted. “I was just pointing it out; you two looked pretty close, wrapped in his coat.”

Kwanghee choked slightly beside them. Siwan handed him a bottle of water, but didn’t take his eyes off of Minwoo. “What are you saying exactly?”

“I’m saying, the between the two of you is horrific, so just let him bend you over and have his way already.”

Kwanghee spat out the water he was drinking. Minwoo scowled as he was showered with a mouthful of lukewarm water.

Siwan rolled his eyes and chose to ignore the second half of Minwoo sentence. “It’s not that bad, you’re being dramatic.”

“You haven’t stood between the two of you.” Minwoo argued wiping water off his face. “It’s horrendous, so do something about it!”

Siwan chose to ignore him again and ate his sandwich instead. Kwanghee spluttered beside him and Minwoo smirked, perfectly satisfied with himself.

Friday 14^th December

Siwan stopped in front of Heechul’s desk at the end of geography, avoiding the awkward gazes that came from his classmates. “The project is due in on Tuesday.”

Heechul glanced up from packing his bag. “Do you want to work on it tonight? Try and get it finished?”

“I do, but my parents are having a dinner party so you can’t come over.”

“You’ll have to come to mine then.” Heechul paused to think. “You might as well stay the night.” He scribbled down an address and shoved it at Siwan. “See you later.” He winked and left the room.

Siwan blinked, suitably shocked. He noticed one of Heechul’s friends eyeing him weirdly, and hurried to grab his bag. Kevin smirked at him as they both walked out of the classroom.

“You know that you’re blushing, right?”

“I am not!” Siwan felt his cheeks with the back of his hand, finding them rather warmer than he would have hoped.

“There’s really no point denying it anymore.” Kevin laughed lightly.

Siwan could only scowl, wishing his emotions weren’t so easily read.

After Siwan had stopped by his own home to grab an overnight bag and leave a note for his parents, he drove to Heechul’s house, trying not to freak himself out on the way. Heechul’s house was semi-detached on a quiet street near the edge of town, not too far from their school. It was smaller than Siwan’s own, with a front garden that had grown slightly wild. As Siwan walked up the short path to the front door, he noticed that there was some potted plants which had been abandoned along the border.

Siwan pushed the doorbell, silently praying that he had indeed got the right house. The door opened to reveal a panting eleven year old. The boy looked at Siwan and then yelled over his shoulder into the house. “Heechul! Your date’s here!” The boy ran off again and Siwan blushed furiously, unsure whether that was an invitation to step into the house or not.

Heechul appeared at the bottom of the stairs, casually dress in jeans and a t-shirt. “Come on in. Sorry about my brother.”

Siwan smiled. “I don’t mind.”

“I told you they’re twats.” Heechul slammed the front door shut and gestured for Siwan to follow him up the stairs.

Siwan padded after him, passing a dark bedroom with a snoring teenager that Siwan could only assume was Heechul’s second brother.

Heechul’s bedroom was small and cramped, with only room enough for a bed, a desk and a chest of drawers. “There’s more space to work downstairs,” Heechul dumped himself on his bed, “but you’ve met one brother, so it’s probably best to stay up here. They get worse the longer you spend with them.”

Siwan laughed settling himself at Heechul’s desk, shaking the mouse to get rid of the screensaver that was bouncing round the screen. “Do you have the files on here?”

“Yeah, I’ll show you where.”

They both worked through the evening, only stopping when the project was finally finished and the cuckoo of the clock chiming 9 was almost drowned out by Heechul’s complaints that he was ‘dying of starvation’.

“I’m seriously about to collapse and die and it will be all your fault because you didn’t feed me.” Heechul whined, his head dangling off the end of the bed, clutching his stomach in pain. Siwan rolled his eyes.

“It’s your house. Do something about it.” Siwan stretched his arms and yawned widely, trying to work his muscles after having sat still for so long. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Heechul who was watching him in his upside down position. Heechul’s eyes snapped away and he pulled himself upright.

“Let’s go see what’s in the fridge.” Heechul mumbled, leading the way out of the room.

More than slightly puzzled, Siwan followed him downstairs, trying to quieten his own stomach’s growling.

They spent the evening on the sofa in the living room, eating slightly burnt pizza, due to neither of them having any adequate cooking skills, and watching crappy TV until the early hours of the morning. As the time passed, they seemed to gravitate closer to each other, until Siwan could feel Heechul’s hot breath blowing gently on his ear, warmth emanating from the hand that Heechul had swung over his shoulder.

Siwan’s head fell backwards onto Heechul’s shoulder and his eyes began to droop as he grew more and more tired. He felt Heechul breathe deeply and then a pair of warm, wet lips were pressing against his own.

Siwan eyes opened wide and Heechul stared back at him, their faces mere centimetres apart, noses touching. Siwan blinked fast, trying to force some semblance of thought into his mind that didn’t end with the pair of them entangled on the floor in a compromising position. “Why?” He managed to utter breathily. “Why did you do that?”

Heechul’s brows creased slightly and he sat back against the sofa. Then he smirked. “Because you smell nice.”