“You need to stop making so much food.”

Suho doesn’t even bother to look up from the pastry he’s plating, delicate hands continuing to squeeze out drops of chocolate sauce in artfully placed corners of the dish. “That’s kind of my job, Kris: to make food. I’m the head chef, remember? You’re head chef?” only then did he look up, hands and elbows carefully pulled away from his creation, to smile brightly at his hovering boss.

Groaning, Kris ran a hand roughly down his face. “There’s a difference between cooking as a chef and….well this!” waving his arms dramatically around the kitchen, or what once could be called one. Trays of pastries, noodles, vegetables, rotten fruit, and more covered every inch of counter space, even part of the tile floor. Flour dusted even the most hidden corners and they could faintly hear the sound of something dripping next to the stove…

“Oh…” Suho’s flushes slightly, even he could see the mess that his working space had turned into. “I’m a chef, “ Suho repeats, a little less force this time around.

“How many dishes were ordered tonight, Suho?” Kris asks, his face back to its long, dead-pan self.

“ About 60, but-“

“And exactly how many dishes did you make tonight?”

“Well more than 60, but seriously Kris-“

Kris breathes heavily through his nose, his hands clutching harshly at his hair. “So why would you even think to make more than the 60 dishes that were ordered?!?”

Looking down and playing with his dough covered hands, Suho thinks back on his reasoning for his creations. “Well for one, I suddenly remembered an ingredient that should be, possibly could be, added to the escabeche, to make it, you know, less fishy? And that pan over there is a new Éclair recipe with 20% less sugar, and there’s that pot with a new type of cream and-“

“Wait, is that sushi?” Kris interrupts, looking incredulously across the room at the large plate of delicately cut raw fish.

“Yeah! It is! See there’s this new technique I found that’s supposed to be better for the environment and-“

“Suho, you do know this is a French restaurant, right? We serve French cuisine. Not. Sushi.”

Not that Suho didn’t already know this for a fact. Being the head chef at one of the nicest French restaurants in Korea was one of Suho’s finest accomplishments, something that he liked to remind himself whenever he was feeling particularly unconfident. “I know that. I just figured I’d make some new things for you guys to taste and try and tell me how they were.”

His boss sighed, and placed his large hands onto the countertop next to the chef. “That’s the problem, Suho. Okay, you’re a great chef! You just can’t keep making so much extra food that we can’t use.”

Perhaps it was the heavy gaze of the elder that finally brought Suho to realize that his boss was serious here, and he frowned slightly. “But you can eat it. You and Sehun and Kai and even….” This time Suho didn’t even need to be interrupted as he watched Kris pat his stomach and scowl at his words.

“You can’t keep feeding us all of your creations, Suho… We’re starting to think you’re fattening us up”

“Oh…”

Kris smiled slightly, straining to get rid of his usual scowl, failing to notice the way his chef’s body and face began to droop at his words. “You need a girl, Suho. A nice, pretty girl who can eat all of your new recipes and try things out for you. You could cook for her all the time!”

At those words, Suho turned away, attempting to distract his thoughts with a flurry of his hands across the messy dishes in front of him. It didn’t work.

“Yeah…yeah I should do that.”



Suho used to have someone who lived for trying the new things he made. Perhaps Suho took Kyungsoo for granted at the time, how he would always ask about his inspiration for a dish and give feedback on anything and everything Suho would push toward him. It made the chef feel special, appreciated, that he could create something on his own that could make someone feel good. That was his reason for becoming a chef at the beginning, and to this day, he lived on the high of giving someone food that he made especially for them. Not cooking extra food for someone…just didn’t seem right…



“It’s kind of like you’re peacocking”

Suho shouldn’t be surprised at his normally sassy roommate and best friend’s remark at dinner later that night, but he still snorts part of his drink at the abrupt words. “I’m sorry I think I misheard you…did you just say-“

“Yes, peacocking,” Luhan slams his glass down on the table in emphasis while Suho tried to control his wince at the action. “When you like someone, you try and get their attention with new recipes and creations and push them on them, like a peacock only, you know, gayer” –snorts- “But since you haven’t liked anyone In a long time or had anyone to be your little peacocking guinea pig, you’ve just been overcompensating and making too much food for nothing!”

Stirring his noodles slowly, Suho grumbled, “I don’t think it’s that big of a problem.”

With a huff, Luhan leaned over to swipe at the head of the younger. “Yah, you’re starting to carry this overcompensation over to our apartment. You made 4 different meals for dinner tonight, Suho! Just because you wanted me to try all of them at once!”

Flushing at the memory, Suho’s head dropped lower.

His face stuffed full and sauce running down his chin, Luhan finalized the argument in his head, “You need to get laid, Su.”

And perhaps, both he and his boss were right.



A week passed and Suho attempted to curb his “peacocking” as Luhan had oh-so-eloquently described it. No more creating unneeded dishes in the kitchen to be later pushed upon one of his friends later (or at least, Suho kept the times he did hidden from the prying eyes of his boss and roommate). And for a moment, the chef began to think that he had solved the problem on his own, that he didn’t actually need someone to appreciate what he created all the time. That he wasn’t lonely or sad or just…missing something… But nothing could ever be that simple…

“It’s winter, everyone, and you know what that means right?!”

Kris’s overly excited speech was only met by unamused stares from the workers of the restaurant, the group bundled into their boss’s small little office for a “Team Meeting” before the restaurant opened up for the night. 

Kris took the hint and carried on without a response from the crew. “It meanssss, that we will be at our busiest! So we all need to keep carrying out weight and do the best we can! No slacking of dicking off-“ Kris stopped his pep talk to throw a rather large cook book in the direction of the two youngest employees giggling in the corner. “I swear to god, I will fire you both, Kai and Sehun!”

The rest of the employees hid their smiles behind their hands or coughed into their fists. Everyone was used to the three’s squabbling by now. 

After glaring heatedly at the two maknaes for a seemingly acceptable period of time, Kris continued on. “Anyways… to try and help everyone with the work load, I’ve hired another part time waiter. Guys, this is Jongdae”

“You can call me Chen, actually”, a mischievous voice called out from the doorway, catching the attention of the whole room. “I can’t wait to start serving all those pastries and snails!”

Perhaps it was because of the ridiculous words he was speaking, or maybe because Suho wasn’t expecting the new worker to be so small and…good-looking, but either way, the introduction of Chen caused the head chef to have an extremely unattractive coughing attack from his position against the wall. Finally, with the assistance of a rather large thump on the back from Kris, Suho regained his composure, only to look up and meet the eyes of Chen’s, squinting and sparkling as if trying to repress a joke or a laugh. 

Oh yes, things were never just simple for Suho…


Suho would like to think that his newfound interest in the part-time waiter was because he was younger, a dongsaeng to take care of. It only made sense, and it would explain his need to observe Chen’s every move in the restaurant, and even his sudden and strange jealousy of the other waiters for being able to be around him more. Obviously, that was it. He was just being a caring hyung, making sure he was doing okay with the new job. 

The chef continued to “care” for Chen even weeks into the job, long after his last dish spill or mistake with the orders. And not surprisingly, the other employees started to take notice of Suho’s interest, which, if Suho had really thought about it more clearly, would explain the reason for Kris suddenly changing their break schedule, giving both Suho and Chen the same 30 minute break slot every night. 

This was good, Suho figured. This would be the first and probably only time he got to be alone with Chen. And perhaps then, he could finally verbally ask the younger if he was handling the new job well, if he was tolerating Sehun and Kai’s weird sense of humor, or if he ultimately came to realize (like everyone else that worked there) that Kris was as scary as a stuffed bear. This was the time to do it!

But like most things in Suho’s life thus far, they didn’t turn out the way he had planned. Instead of going into the break room confidently, questions cocked and ready to be fired at the younger; instead, those questions halted in his throat at the sight of Chen eating his dinner in the small little area. 

It’s not like Suho has anything against eating dinner or anything like that, but there are some things he just finds generally absurd. 

One of which he can clearly see before him: consuming convenient store bought ramen. 

Suho clutched his own lunch box tightly to his chest (filled with his own homemade risotto) and breathed heavily to try and control his sudden uneasiness. 

While Suho didn’t expect for the first thing he would ever really say to Chen would be “What in the world are you eating?!”, he certainly couldn’t find fault in his reasoning behind it at that moment. By god, it was ramen! 

Chen looked up quickly, a stray noodle stuck on his chin and Suho could literally see the grease and the salt from the broth on his lips when he spoke. “Hyung! It’s ramen! Want some?”

Suho jumped back reflexively from Chen’s offered chopsticks, his head spinning. “Uh…no. Ramen…. Do you know how many grams of salt are in that? How many calories?”

“A lot, I’m guessing”, Chen answered with a smirk, bringing back his hand to obnoxiously at one of his chopsticks. “The good stuff always has to be bad, right?”

It took Suho a whole ten seconds before he could school his faces into one that wasn’t disgust at those words. Shaking his head, he marched over and planted his lunchbox a good distance away from Chen’s mess of a meal. Needless to say, any thought of asking caring and comforting words to the younger was completely out of his head. “Here, “ Suho opened his lunchbox, bringing out his still warm risotto and nudging it toward the other, “Just…eat this instead…”

Chen looked at the food with disinterest, his hands somehow coming up to form a possessive wall around his cup of instant noodles. “I have my own food, hyung”. 

“That’s not food, Chen… it’s microwavable for god’s sake!”

“But it’s cheap”

It really wasn’t Suho’s fault that he ended up smacking Chen’s chopsticks out of his hand, pushing his meal even closer to him in emphasis. “You work in an expensive French cuisine restaurant… you shouldn’t be eating something you can get for less than a can of soda. Risotto, eat!”

Chen paused, still protecting his ramen and eyeing the risotto “…Isn’t that just rice…?” 

The anger within him finally peaked. “YAH!”, and for a second, Suho was worried. He was never one to yell, let alone not have control of his temper. With a guilty sigh, the chef started to rethink his ways, he figured it wasn’t TOO bad that the boy had been eating-

Chen laughed, the sound breaking Suho out of his thoughts of apologizing and he looked on in surprise as the waiter finally let go of his noodle dish to bring the risotto closer to his face. “Thanks, hyung. I’ll eat it well.” And with the same mischievous glint in his eye as the one he had when he was first introduced, Chen stuck his chopsticks into the risotto, bringing it to his grease stained lips to eat. 

Suho watched him eat, the same feeling of dread mixed with anticipation he got when people first ate his food started up. Seconds away from Suho ultimately conceding that Chen didn’t like what he made, the younger finally spoke up. “Wow! Who knew rice could taste so good!” 

Suho was unashamed to admit that those few words got him through with a kick of happiness for the rest of the dinner hours, his smile still stretching from ear to ear when he returned home later that evening. Luhan looked up from the T.V only to let out a loud victorious yell. “The peacock has finally found his mate!”

And perhaps it was a good thing for the both of them that Suho was too happy to appropriately respond back to that comment. 



It became a routine for the both of them: Chen bringing out a cup of noodles to eat, only to be immediately stopped and forced to share Suho’s meal with him. After a few times of this, Suho started to bring double of his usual dinner, for better sharing, of course. And after each and every meal together, Chen managed to give the chef a new and different compliment about his food. 

“Wah, I can’t believe you made something healthy taste sweet, hyung”

“Hyung, I could eat this forever!”

“How are you not famous yet, hyung?!”

There were times, too, of course, where Chen didn’t like what he made. (For one, he didn’t seem to care for snails, no matter how Suho attempted to season them) but all the same, the chef took the words of critique from Chen to heart, and it never discouraged him from trying to do more. 

Soon enough, that half hour in the break room became his favorite time of the day, him highly anticipating the words of encouragement from Chen and that same smile he would receive with it every time. Suho started to experiment again with his recipes. But instead of creating new things in the kitchen to be thrown away later after never being eaten, Suho was able to pack it up and share with Chen. 

Suho was the happiest he had ever been. After all, he was getting to cook and create new dishes and had someone there to not only try them out for him, but gave him feedback on what he made. The two even became closer, at first sharing only tidbits of information as they eat, then evolving to sharing full on stories from their days as they munched on Suho’s latest creation. Chen learned about Suho’s years of culinary school and his disappointed parents who were expecting a doctor in the family. Suho learned about Chen’s actual dream of singing, and that this job was something he was lucky to pick up to help him pay for the bills on the side. 

It was probably at those times, when the two were more focused on listening to the other’s story instead of eating, that Suho realized that these special moments for him of sharing what he created probably wouldn’t feel as good to him if it wasn’t Chen he was sharing it with… 

Chen made it special, with his glinting eyes and constant smirk. Even with his sass towards the elder sometimes. After all, he had other people try his food of course, there was Luhan, Kris, even Sehun and Kai. But none of them really gave him such a thrill when they gave him a compliment and continued shoveling in his food. It was only Chen, really… 

Suddenly Luhan’s theory of him “peacocking” his feelings on people with food and new recipes really made sense. (Suho mentally chalked that up on his board of one of the only times his roommate has ever been right). Because if he was honest to himself, that was exactly what he was doing. 

And as Suho made another one of his dinners for the two (this time a variation of steak and bacon of all things), he was aware to the fact that these meals were something more to him. But he carried on, finishing the dish and placing it into his lunchbox, ready to leave for work. After all, if he didn’t think about the implications of what he was doing, if he didn’t dwell on the feelings that had arisen because of Chen or even how he had started to think of the elder even after he had come home from the restaurant, then it would really all just…go away….
(Obviously.)

Spirits high, and anticipations for his dinner break later even higher, Suho stepped into the restaurant a tad earlier than he usually came, but nonetheless, he made his way over to his source of comfort: the kitchen. 

But just as he was about to enter, he heard voices within, and his hand on the door paused. It was curiosity, really, for why Suho continued to stand there, even as he recognized the voices within as being those of Chen’s and Sehun’s. And continue to listen even as he heard his own name mentioned. 

“I can’t believe Suho really makes you dinner every single night.”

“It’s ing delicious too.”

“Isn’t it kind of weird, though… him just…forcing you to eat what he makes all the time?”

Suho’s raised hand drops to his side, Chen’s laughter echoing loud behind the door. 

“Hyung is kinda weird. But hey, free food!”

The door finally opened, the two waiters bursting through comically, their arms wrapped around each other and smiles on their face, only to stop all together upon seeing Suho. 

For his part, Suho managed to pin the corners of his lips up in what he hopes looked more like a smile than the grimace he was feeling inside. “Hey…”

Eyes wide and mouth slightly open, Chen stared at the chef, and Suho could almost see the wave of guilt that crashed over him in realization. “Suho hyung-“

Suho forced his lips up higher, and stepped passed the two and into the kitchen. Without bothering to turn around, Suho spoke to the room before him, “You guys better hurry up. There’s still a lot of prep to do before we open.”

And he was proud of himself for waiting to fall against the counter until after the door shut softly behind him, separating himself from the boys once again. 

He should have seen it coming. Should have realized that Chen didn’t think those few moments sharing food were more than just that. Suho’s body slumped more, his hair falling into his eyes as he looked back on how he acted with the younger. Fool. Fool for thinking that because he ate your food and encouraged you to make new and different things that he must actually feel something for you. Fool for thinking more into a situation that wasn’t anything to Chen at all…

Kris found him minutes later still in that same position and he worriedly placed a hand onto the chef’s forehead. 

“You…you have a fever. You’ve never been sick. You’ve been working here for years and you’ve never once been anywhere close to being sick!”

Suho managed to finally raise his head to stare at his boss in what he hoped was a glare. He was still having trouble figuring how his body reactions. He must have been close enough, judging from the step Kris took away from him. 

“Go home, Suho. Go home and feel better.”

But even as the chef followed his orders without hesitation, grabbing his specially made dinner meant for two and heading back out the kitchen door, Suho knew that a couple hours of rest and a Tylenol wasn’t something that could fix what he suddenly had….


His fever grew during the night, waking Suho up sweaty and tangled helplessly in his bed sheets in an attempt to escape the warmth. His attempt at groaning failed as he clutched his throat in pain, noting the swelling after the fact. It took a few tries for him to sit up against his pillows, and once he did, he frowned sadly, remembering what had happened the day before. 

Work. Food. Chen. 

Suho brought a hand up to his hair and pulled in frustration. This fever was just a cherry on top, too. 

He somehow managed to call Kris and communicate in hoarse whispers in grunts that he was still sick. Feeling as if he had used up all his strength for the day with just that one call, Suho returned to his messy bed, turning his pillow over to rest his heated forehead against the cool side. Fortunately for him, exhaustion quickly overrode his brain, even as he began to think once again about his disappointment and utter embarrassment from before, and he fell back to sleep soundly. 

It was hours later before Suho finally stirred, his head banging along with the harsh knocking on the door of his apartment. He groaned, and internally called out for Luhan to answer the door. A squint at his alarm clock told him he had slept the whole day through, as did the dark sky outside of his window. Suho grabbed at his face, flinching once more at the heat before he slowly got up towards the still present knocking. Luhan never was a good roommate anyways. 

A small part of him worried about his state of dress before opening the door, after all his boxer shorts and a sweaty tank top weren’t exactly proper meeting-at-the-door attire. But maybe it was the fever speaking or just the fact that Suho’s had a 24 hours that prompted him to really not give a . Either way, Suho opened up the door without even a peek into the view hole, half expecting it to be Kris demanding he come back to work or even Yixing, Luhan’s best friend. 

But he definitely didn’t expect to see Chen on the other side of the door. The younger managed to stop midway knocking, his fist almost directly in front of Suho’s face, before he quickly dropped it to his side. If he was thinking a bit more clearly, Suho would have found it funny at that moment, as they seemed to suddenly switch roles. Suho suddenly acting confident and aloof, leaning against the doorway (the other didn’t need to know of course that he was merely unfit to properly hold himself up still). And Chen shyly standing before him, head down, cheeks pink, looking more embarrassed and unsure of himself than Suho has ever seen from him. 

Despite the words he heard yesterday and the hurt he still feels, Suho was instantly worried about him, and his hand twitched at an urge to life his down turned chin up. Chen was never like this. He should never be like this. 

Chen seemed to take his silence as displeasure, and he finally looked up into Suho’s eyes. “Hyung, I….heard you were sick.”

Suho only stared back. He wasn’t wearing his uniform, and it really shouldn’t have shocked him so much that Chen looked really really well in simple jeans and a hoodie. 

His eyes snapped up quickly when he heard the other sigh, suddenly afraid he had been caught obnoxiously ogling him, but Chen merely nudged him aside, shaking a plastic bag in his hand that Suho hadn’t noticed before. 

“I brought food.”

Suho blamed his fever for the way his eyes just couldn’t look away from the younger’s back as he stomped purposely toward the kitchen. And he definitely blamed the fever for not caring that Chen, CHEN, had just strutted into his house as if he owned it, in fact he had to cough to stop his face was smiling. Definitely the fever. 

Suho padded into his kitchen to find Chen unloading his plastic bag on the counter. Chen avoided his gaze instead looking intently at the cans before him then around the kitchen. 

“You are really stupid, hyung”, fumbling loudly with the silverware drawer, Chen finally pulled out a can opener, holding it up in the hand victoriously. “Really, really stupid.” Chen bit his lip in concentration as he attacked the can before him with the device, failing twice before hitting the top of the can hard in frustration. “If you just would have heard our whole conversation, I mean…” dropping to the ground to get into the lower pantry, bobbing up a couple of crashes later with a pot in his hand, Chen carried on. “You would of heard me talk about how much I just…really really like…”, the faucet , filling the pot halfway. “I mean, god hyung, you care enough about me to make me not eat ramen and ramen is ing delicious so that says something, alright.” Chen dumped the contents of the can into the pot before planting it down loudly on the stove. “How can you not see how much I like…ugh this is frustrating.”

Suho had long since given up on hiding his smile, and he openly grinned at the sight of a flustered Chen before him. For the first time in 24 hours, his hip leaning against the counter, and Chen rustling around in his kitchen, Suho actually felt content. Even coming from someone who was usually anxious about having anyone near where he cooks, let alone rummage around through his things as if he belonged. But this…felt right. 

Chen frowned down into the pot as it heated up, still unable to look up and into the other’s eyes. “And now you’re sick… And when you’re sick you need someone to make you food and I know I can’t cook and this is literally me making something from a can and you probably have something against canned foods like how you’re against ramen and it’s really just chicken noodle soup that I bought for a dollar at the convenience store and oh god you don’t like stuff bought from the convenience store either and I was just worried because you misheard me earlier and I was afraid you wouldn’t come back and -“ Breathing deeply through his nose, Chen finally looked up at Suho, his eyes wide and dark. “What are you still doing here, go lay down, hyung, I’ll bring it to you!”


Suho feigned a cough, bringing his hands up in time to cover his smile before letting Chen push him toward his room. Lying down in his bed, he buried his face in pillow, grinning widely. Minutes later, he was still replaying everything Chen had said in his head when he heard his door open. He sat up slowly, remembering that he was still sick and watched as Chen shuffled over to shove a bowl towards his face. 

“Here…. it’s supposed to make you feel better.”

And their roles were once again switched. Suho masked his facial expressions, holding back his smile as he looked up at the boy solemnly. “But, I already have food in my kitchen to have, Chen.”

Chen scoffed. “That’s not food, hyung. That’s five-star quality cuisine. You need something hearty…and cheap!”

Suho sniffed at the bowl, arms still at his side, refusing to still accept the bowl. “But all the salt…”

“YAH!” Chen slammed the bowl on the bed side table, the broth sloshing violently. “It’s just soup, okay. And I made it for you so it’s extra special. It’s always more special when someone makes it for you. I mean you’re the one who-“

Suho lifted himself as high as he could from the bed, brushing his chapped lips softly against Chen’s rapidly moving ones. He pulled back and smiled up at him, noting Chen’s sudden flushed cheeks and wide eyes. 

“…taught me that…” Chen softly whispered, bringing his hand up to touch at his mouth in shock. 

It was almost too easy for Suho to reach out and pull the younger onto the bed with him, steadying him by his shoulders until they were face to face. 


“You’re right… it means so much more that you made it for me…” Suho slowly reached his hand out, softly brushing the younger’s cheek before landing on the back of his neck, where he could feel the way he gulped at the words. 

“You mean… you don’t mind that it’s from a can?”

Suho laughed, pulling Chen closer by the neck to nuzzle their noses together, their breath mixing together as he shook his head against the other. 

Breathing heavily, Chen’s eyes fell down to Suho’s lips then back up to his eyes. “I like you, hyung… I like you a lot.”

The “I like you, too” was evident to both of them as Suho finally crashed their lips together, and the two immediately pushed themselves closer, chest to test. Suho lazily and away at the younger’s mouth, encouraged on by the soft mewls of pleasure escaping him. Biting down on Chen’s bottom lip, Suho used his gasp of surprise as momentum to topple them both over, ending pressed over Chen’s body, mouth now working along his neck. 

It was a high he had only ever found before from cooking; this feeling Suho was having as he traced nonsensical patterns up and down Chen’s sensitive neck, using his thighs and arms to keep him from squirming about. 

Suho let out a light laugh when Chen pulled him back up by the collar of his shirt roughly, forcing his lips up at the older wantonly. They kissed slowly, then with speed. They kissed with care, and then savagely. They kissed as if they had all the time in the world to do so, and then they kissed like this would be their very last chance. 

“Suho…”Chen pushed his hips up eagerly, tightening his hold in the other’s hair possessively, afraid to let go. Suho only hummed in his throat, the vibrations sent through both of their bodies. Without breaking stride in his progress with Chen’s mouth, Suho moved his knee up and over, pressing it down against his groin. 

Chen’s body arched up, keening deep in his throat and he started to buck up into Suho, the two starting a heavy rhythm of grunts combined with a grind. Their lips finally separated with a huff, hands and lower bodies taking up too much of their concentration to really focus on successfully kissing anyway. Neither were embarrassed to admit their full arousal from just simple ing, especially judging by the hands Chen shot out to at his hyung’s , bringing him down harder against him, and using him as better leverage to rut up into pleasure. 

They were teenagers again, too impatient to stop to take off clothes, let alone move so that they were more comfortably on the bed. Even Suho’s fever was long ago forgotten, with Chen getting used to the heat beneath the elder’s skin when he touched him. 

Suho eyes almost shut at the feeling, his hands now moved to lay flat next to Chen’s head for better momentum, but he forced them open wide as he saw Chen’s face scrunch up. With a final almost painful squeeze to Suho’s , Chen finally let go, and arching his head back. Suho took advantage of the exposed skin, biting mark after mark across the way before he too came undone on top of him. 

The two laid there panting for a few moments before Suho got the strength to roll off of the younger. Side by side, they looked up at the ceiling, identical grins stretched across their faces, hands blindly reaching out until they found one another. 

“Wow… well that was nice”

“Ugh… how did… you didn’t even touch my !”

Suho’s elbow jab to Chen’s ribs was well deserved, and they both laughed into each other. Chen rubbed his face into the crook of Suho’s neck and sighed happily. “I honestly didn’t expect for that to happen when I came over, I just wanted to make you that soup and- OH GOD” Chen shot up from the bed, and looked over sadly at the bowl still on the bedside table. Untouched and definitely not warm anymore. 

“The soup…”

Chuckling, Suho stayed lying down, reaching out to kiss teasingly at Chen’s hip. “It was a good thought, at least.”

Chen shot up from bed, Suho almost face planting into the sheets before catching himself to see the younger grab the bowl and head toward the bedroom door. 

“I’ll just heat it up!”

Suho groaned dramatically, holding his arm out and calling loudly, “Don’t LEAVE me!”

Chen turned around at the door, eyes glinting once more and cheeks pink from happiness. 

“Wouldn’t even think about it, hyung.”

Falling back into his pillows, Suho suddenly felt better than he’s been in a long long time. In fact, he probably didn’t even really need that soup anymore. He opened his mouth to tell Chen when he heard the distinct sound of the apartment door open, footsteps echoing in. Luhan. 

“Ah, so you must be the other peacock.”

Yes, Suho thought, throwing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes, breathing in the familiar smell of Chen in his room. Peacocking, indeed.