Cute sunbae

---◊◊◊---

[ Hey kiddo, it's me ]

"How much times do I have to tell this guy to stop calling me a kid..." You sigh at the message he sent you and unlock your phone as you decide to give a witty reply back.

[ I've been wondering if after all those year's you'd like to meet ]

[ Adele again, seriously? ]

Suho is a sunbae you've known since childhood until today, as high school sophomore and junior. He's been calling you a kid ever since he laid eyes on you, and it's been bugging you from when you entered middle school, when Suho decided to call you 'kid' across the whole corridor searching for you.

You've been regretting your life choices ever since.

[ You called me kiddo. ]

[ ... oh. T^T I forgot. ]

But then, you didn't, because you knew that you always had a soft spot for Suho. Though he was one years older than you, he was the one who pestered with the aegyo, he was the one who made you mumble 'cute' to your phone as he attached emojis onto his messages. Yes, you like Suho. Since high school started, in fact.

[ Don't next time. ]

[ ^o^ promise! ]

You, be a female or not, are not the very aegyo type; you were always the cool type, enough to get the nickname of 'tsundere' in middle school. You always have trouble expressing your feelings, sad, happy, in love, whatever. You also happen to look upon life in a very cold, realistic way.

Coincidentally, the opposite of Suho.

[ Are you free? ]

[ Yeah, why sunbae? ]

[ Let's go out for dinner. ]

"Didn't he just say he had a lot of homework...?"

[ Please~? o3o ]

[ Yeah okay sunbae. Where should I meet you? ]

[ I'm right in front of your house actually. ]

"In this cold!?" You hurriedly go to your window, and there you see him, Suho wearing only a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, running his fingers through his pink swept hair, waiting for you. God, he was handsome. 

You quickly wash yourself, dress out of your pajamas into a comfy sweater and jeans, apply a bit of tint and wear your sneakers as you run to Suho and you arrive, panting.

"You didn't have to prepare so fast." Suho chuckles, and you snap in response. "You were going to die of hypothermia, sunbae. It's freezing December." Suho ignores your reply and looks at your face for a long time, which gets you a little nervous. "...Do I have something on my face, sunbae?"

"No, I just realized you applied tint." How did this person never forget to recognize every makeup and changes you made to your appearance?

"It's a nice colour." Suho smiles cutely, and you can't help mumble,

"Cute."

"What?"

"Nothing, sunbae. Where to?"

He blinks in thought then his eyes widen as he remembers our main topic. Idiot. "I found a very good japanese restaurant nearby, and I know how you fawn over sashimi." Well, at least someone knew your taste. "Do you want to go there?" You can't help but crack a smile. "Sunbae, you just said yourself that I fawn over sashimi, of course that's a yes." Suho smiles and tussles your hair. "Good, because I don't want to ruin our first date."

...Did I just hear correctly?

Suho nudges you. "Come on, let's walk." Suho casually runs his hair through his fingers, and you can't help but notice that one piece of his hair is poking out.

"Sunbae, don't move for a second."

"Hey, why-" Suho stops talking as you walk towards him and gently use your fingers to smoothen the hair, and you smile. "That's better." You look at Suho, and you realize that his ears a little red. "Are you cold, Suho?"

"U-uh? No, no, I'm okay." Suho awkwardly smiles and tussles your hair. "Come on kiddo, to dinner."

"I'm not a kid!"

"...sorry. Habits."

You and Suho are walking down the pavement that are still coverend in a thin layer of snow from the early snowfall yesterday.  You can feel the cold soon seeping thorugh the knitted holes in the sweater, and you unconsciously blow warm air into your hands and rub them.

"I told you not to hurry. See, you're cold." Suho then smiles, and gently grasps your left hand, and you can't help marvel at his warm, big, soft hand. "I didn't know I'd be holding your hand like this... but this isn't too bad."

...Excuse me?

"Come on, {your name} -ah!" Suho smiles sweetly. "Let's go quicker, it's warm in the restaurant."

And the whole way, you could never forget his warmth that came from his fingers.

---

"Two plates of sashimi, with a bowl of udon noodles please." Suho speaks to the waitress, and she bows and leaves. Your hands are cupping the warm cup of tea, but what makes you feel heated is the hands that are surrounding yours.

Suho smiles as he glances at your hand. "Your hands are getting warmer, that's a good sign." Hoping that Suho can't see your reddened face, you avoid his eyes and look around the restaurant. The restaurant has a wooden background with pictures of the sea in a traditional-looking japanese drawing, giving you a cool , relaxed feeling to this place.

" {your name}-ah!" Your eyes go back to Suho, who pouts ever so slightly, making you feel hopeless to the cuteness. "Don't look anywhere else but me."

"Why not?"

"Because... um... they're not pretty?" You laugh at Suho's lame but cute excuse. "Really, sunbae?" Suho sighs in defeat and pouts. "Fine, do whatever you want."

You smile at Suho's childish behaviour and you hold his hands. "Aigoo, sunbae, I swear you act like a child."

"I do?" Suho replies, not able to act angry and arrogant for long and looks at you, his eyes sparking with curiosity, and you can't help but smile.

"You do, sunbae, and I promise only to look at you, okay?" Suho smiles happily as he eagerly replies, "Okay!"

Aigoo. Cutie.

[ Byun talking! ]

[ o3o tsundere senpai! ]

You smile at the incoming message. Byun Baekhyun is your first friend that you made in high school. Well, the first time you met him, you hated him - he was too noisy, too bubbly. But after his accident, you realized what Byun Baekhyun was to you - a friend you couldn't live without how much you hated him. He helped you get through so much things that it always felt like you owed him so much.

You swipe to unlock your phone as your hands leave Suho's and reply to Baekhyun's talk.

[ Hi Baek. ]

[ Short reply as usual. o3o Wassup? ]

[ Dinner with Suho sunbae. ]

[ Oh? (눈 ͜ 눈) ]

[ Shut up Byun Baekhyun ]

[ I didn't say anything! ] 

[ I saw that face ]

[ =3= Fine. ]

"Who are you talking to?" You blink from the screen and see Suho leaning above. "Friend." "Male?" "Mhm." Suho pouts. "You just said you'll look at me!" You chuckle at his behaviour. "Arrasso, I'll tell him I can't talk to him."

[ Suho sunbae says not to talk to you ]

[ (눈 ͜ 눈) of course see you later senpai! ]

[ ...//sigh// fine. see you. ]

You close your phone and then, Suho's face brightens up. Who couldn't find him cute?

"Your food has arrived." The waitress speaks, and the plate of sashimi lands each in front of us and the udon noodles between us. "Hope you enjoy your food."

"This looks really good." And it did! The sashimi looks really fresh and delicious, and the udon noodles are steaming with slight smoke, and you could see Suho's smile and his pink hair behind it. "I'm glad. Tuck in."

"Since this is a japanese restaurant... Itatakkimas." You say in thanks to the fishers who would have caught the fish that was in front of you. "Itatakkimas!" Suho says brightly in front of you. This boy was born with aegyo, seriously. You hold a piece of fish with your chopsticks, dip it slightly in soy sauce and it enters your mouth-

You swear you could taste the salty water of the sea as the fish just melts in your mouth without having the effort to chew.

"Ohmygoditssogood." You say after your first bite. Suho smiles, he seems like he hasn't taken a bite yet. "I know right? They just opened but I think they'll have a lot of customers soon."

"I hope not." You remark. "I want this place to be where we can come and eat."

"Just the both of us?" Suho asks, and you smile. "Why not." Suho coughs and his ears, you realize, turn a little red. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah, it's just I choked on the fish." You furrow your eyebrows. "Hmm, fine. Be careful, arrasso?" "Arrasso." Suho smiles. "I just realized you do care a lot about me."

You almost choke, but then stop yourself. He realized? "What makes you think so?"

"You care when I choke, when I'm outside waiting for you, when I have a lot of homework, when I'm sick, so on."

"Of course I do, sunbae. We've known each other since like, ages."

"But like, more than my friends, more than Minseok."

"Sunbae, don't get any weird thoughts, it's not like I'll disappear off the face of earth if I don't." You put on a smile and eat another sashimi, and you see Suho not moving but looking at the table as if in deep thought. You watch him slightly worried, until he finally speaks.

"{your name}-ah, am I only a sunbae to you?"

You almost choke again. Man, did he hit personal. "Why do you ask sunbae?"

"...Can't I just be a bit more?" Suho's face reddens a little, and you have to smile. He's just so cute. "Arrasso, but then what do I call you?"

Suho brightens at your reply. "Suho oppa!" You really choke this time on water, and you cough violently and Suho quickly pats your back. "Sorry! I shouldn't have asked..." You wave your hands, saying that it wasn't his fault. "I'm okay sunbae, it'll take time though, and you'll have to remind me."

"Suho oppa." When you told Suho something, he'd always do it immediately, and that was one of his strengths and something that you admired from him. You smile, trying to avoid saying that word. "I'll remember."

---

"Sunbae!" You complain as you walk outside the restaurant and Suho tucks his wallet into his back pocket of his jeans. "I could have paid for my food!"

"Suho oppa. It wasn't that expensive, kiddo." Suho winks. Seriously, who gave this cute sunbae the wrong thinking? "Plus it's not like its the first date."

...I'm sure I heard it wrong. I need help listening.

"But anyways... since it's a little too early to go back home, can we go to our school, please?" Suho immediately makes puppy eyes. "I left my textbook there which I really really really need... But I'm scared to go alone." Suho, could you get any cuter?

"Why don't you ask Minseok?" "He'd tease me about it." "And I wouldn't?" Suho pouts. "Pleeease~" "Arrasso, let's go, sunbae. This is topping off for the food you paid today, okay?" Suho nods happily. "Thank you {your name} -ah!" You smile at him. "You're always welcome."

---

"I regret this." You say when you arrive to the school. You, be or not be a tsundere, is afraid of the dark, and afraid of ghosts. The school was dark and big, and you never knew what were lurking in the corners.

"It's okay, {your name}- ah!" Suho smiles. Didn't he say he was scared a couple of minutes ago? "Come on, let's go quickly." You nod, scared of ghosts but not willing to lose your pride in your tsundere personality.

You and Suho go into the school, and you find yourself holding the hem of Suho's shirt. It was really dark, and all they had as a light was the flashlight from Suho's phone. You shift closer to Suho, who gently wraps a shoulder around you, making you feel less scared. "It's okay, I'm here." You nod slightly as you and Suho carefully climb up the stairs to Suho's tutor classroom.

"Wait outside here, okay? I'll only take a minute." Suho promises you and smiles. "If I don't come back quickly, you're allowed to punch me in the stomach. Deal?" You nod, and Suho runs to his classroom and into there, as you wait at the stairs. You carefully sit on the stairs and blink at your phone. 7:30. You try and ignore the things that possibly might be hunting you and will Suho to come faster.

But a minute past, and you feel the time ticking away, and you checked your phone again. 7:40. You become worried and you send him a text message.

[ Where are you? ] 

Only after a couple of minutes, Suho replies and you exhale in relief.

[ I found my book! I found that I left it in the 5th floor conference room... can you come? ]

[ Be there soon. ]

You turn on the flashlight of your phone as your legs and arms tremble, walking up the stairs. You inhale and exhale deeply, trying to regain control and trying to not let the dark and your fear get to you.

After what seems like ages, your feet finally reaches the top floor, and you see the conference room just in front. You exhale deeply, forming your disapproving face as you bang open the door - "Yah Kim Jun-"

Your line stops in mid-sentence as you realize that the room is dimly lit by candles that seem to be on the conference desk, and it makes traces of a silhouette of someone. You blink, wondring where on earth this was going.

"Hey, kiddo." The familiar, soft voice echoes in the room. "I'm sorry, I can see your face from here, it's disapproving me." Suho chuckles softly. "I'm sorry for making you feel scared... but I need you here, right now...

... because I'm about to do something that might change us."

You feel half dreading half curious about what this thing maybe... and your heart starts to skip a beat, wondering if this was, what you want after all.

But it couldn't be.

"I know you prefer electronic and rock songs, but I'd like you to listen to this song... because it says what I want to say to you."

Then a light is shone upon the silhouette, and there, you could see Suho smiling bashfully at you, with a microphone in hand, and he opens his mouth to sing:

[ Tell You Something - Alicia Keys ]

You blink and realize that tears were streaming down your face...
Just trying to imagine Suho thinking so deep just for you was so thankful, and you...

you felt so loved...

"{your name}-ah!" Suho's voice calls you worried. "Ah? I wasn't supposed to make you cry! I'm so sorry!" Hearing him worried make you smile and let out a choked chuckle as tears still roll down your face. Suho sees you smile and seems to feel better and Suho looks into your eyes shyly. 

"Well.. uhm.. I've been wanting to tell you this... I wanted to tell you until I matured... but I can't wait...

I've known you since a child, the child who was exceptionally bubbly, cute, and you were my younger sister I never had, back then. You would do everything with me, you had set me as a role model when you had to draw your inspirational figure in primary school... I never forgot about it, ever.

I thought it would stay that way until we entered middle school, but then Mina had... passed away. All I could do was watch, as the bubbly child closed itself away in a wall, no longer the kid I knew but the girl who acted like if she didn't know me, hated me for calling her nicknames I called her as a child. 

I thought we were going to end then... but something crazy happened.

I still felt attracted to the girl who changed.

The way she, even though she closed herself away, smiled at me when I tried to make her laugh, the way she still cared for me even though she told me a thousand times she hated me till the end of the earth.

Then one day, I saw you with your classmate, Hojun, conversing casually, and I felt something fiercely burning, something that wanted me to tear him off you and instead replace him with me.

That was when I realised I liked you.

No longer as a sister, but as a girl, a woman.

And as we matured and entered high school, you had Baekhyun by your side, I had Minseok... and we were slowly drifting apart again.

But I still kept holding on our old relationship.

I've acted cute and bubbly because, okay, it might be part of my personality, but it was my attempt to see the old {your name} again... the cute, bubbly girl that I loved since I laid my eyes on you.

I've been waiting since middle school to say this...

...{your full name}, will you go out with me?"

As Suho finishes his speech, you erupt into tears and sobs and feel something that haven't been in you since ages.

Real sadness.

Real happiness.

and...

Real, sincere love.

"{your name}-ah!!" Suho runs across the room and encases you in a warm, comforting hug, which makes you cry harder. "Don't cry, please, it breaks my heart..."

"Pabo." You manage to utter a word. "Mwo?" Suho says. "Pabo, pabo, pabo!!" You hit his chest with a weakly gripped fist then hug him tightly sobbing. "I like you too, pabo, liked you since freshman. I thought... I thought you never liked me... and only saw me as a sister...But you'll have to go to the army soon... and I didn't want to risk our relationship that I've treasured since childhood... I never asked." Your words come out tumbling from your mouth, as if you're ranting, and you could feel your bottled up feelings and thoughts pour out of you, making you feel light and so much better.

"...can I count that as a yes?" You look to Suho, who seems to look genuinely confused if that was a yes or no to his question. You crack a smile and start laughing.

"pabo. of course that's a yes..

...suho oppa." Your cheeks flush as you call him something you haven't called him since you entered middle school, since Mina left you. You hide your face in Suho's shirt. Suho chuckles softly, and gently touches your forehead with a feathery kiss.

"I'll make sure that, before I go to the army, I'll love you so much that you can't even think about leaving me.

I love you, kiddo."