That morning, Sehun cursed the fact that he didn't own a single turtle neck because that would have been the perfect way to camouflage Junmyeon's stupid hickey. In the end, he settled on a hunter green woolen scarf which he draped loosely around his neck.

 

It wasn't that he was trying to conceal the thing from Baekhyun. He had every intention of showing it to him; he just preferred to tell him later that night in the privacy of their own home rather than reveal it to him in the heart of Hongdae where he would most likely overreact. And Baekhyun seemed to have a particular distaste for Kim Junmyeon. Sehun sighed; he was not looking forward to the confrontation. But he would go through with it because he wasn't planning on hiding anything from Baekhyun. Ever again. 

 

They had agreed to meet outside the Engineering Faculty Building at 3pm and Sehun was kicking the ground with his hands rammed into his pockets when Baekhyun showed up. Baekhyun got his attention and Sehun turned to greet him, smiling. They had agreed to have their overdue talk over some coffee at the Caffe Bene nearby. They walked alongside each other, shoulders touching, talking and laughing and just being. 

 

All around them cherry trees were festooned with flaming red and gold leaves and the air was crisp and bracing. Years of friendship made for easy conversation, although as always, loquacious Baekhyun did most of the talking while quiet Sehun did most of the listening. But it was their way and neither noticed or minded if one spoke too much while the other spoke not enough.

 

They were across the road from the cafe when the autumnal breeze suddenly picked up. The wind whipped Sehun's hair into his face and eyes and cut through Baekhyun's light jacket and sweater, making him shiver violently. 

 

"Wait, hyung." Sehun unraveled his scarf and wrapped it around Baekhyun's slim neck. The scarf was still suffused with the warmth of Sehun's skin and Baekhyun reveled in the comfort it brought him.

 

"Thanks, Sehun. And now I can finally see that mole of yours again," Baekhyun teased as his eyes openly searched for the tantalizing black dot on Sehun's neck. But instead, he found his eyes drawn to an ugly dark bruise on the left side of his neck. He placed three fingers on the mark, expression hardening as Sehun tilted his head to the side a little.

 

"Is this a hickey?" Baekhyun's voice was quiet but menacing.

 

"Yes."

 

"But I didn't give you that."

 

"No, hyung, you didn't."

 

"Was it that Kim Junmyeon?!" Baekhyun's voice was getting louder.

 

"Yes. It happened during the movie-"

 

"I told you not to go out with him but you wouldn't listen!" The gesticulating had started. When Baekhyun became overexcited, he always started waving his arms around. And when he got like that, Sehun usually just kept quiet and let him rant and ride out his anger. But not anymore.

 

"But that's the point, I don't have to listen to you, I'm 21 years old and I know what I'm doing. You need to remember I don't need your protection anymore. I know you looked out for me a lot when we were in high school but I'm not your dongsaeng anymore. I'm not." Sehun was starting to get angry himself now. And by this time, Baekhyun was incandescent with jealous rage.

 

"You call this knowing what you're doing? Have you seen the size of that thing?! So if you knew what you were doing, that means you wanted him to do it? To mark you like that?" He was shouting now as he pointed furiously at Sehun's neck. Passersby were turning to look because Baekhyun had gone past caring and was not making any attempt to lower his voice.

 

"I never said that!" Sehun's fists were clenched at his sides as he yelled back, albeit not as loudly.

 

"He's not the kind of guy who does relationships and you're the sort to get attached!" 

 

"I never wanted that hickey! It was the end of the movie and I was concentrating on the screen when he started on my neck. I pushed him off straight away but it was too late. And you're right, I am the kind of person who gets attached - I've been attached to you for three ing years but you were just too ing blind to notice! The only person I want to give me hickeys is you, hyung, you ing ! I could care less about Kim Junmyeon! Didn't you see those sketches I made of you? You saw them, didn't you?"

 

"I ... yes, Sehun, I did. I'm sorry I looked. I had no right to look in your stuff." Baekhyun's jealous rage was dissipating.

 

"Well, I wouldn't want you digging around my in future but I was going to show you those drawings anyway because I don't want to hide anything from you anymore. I hid how I felt for three years and it damn near killed me. I wasn't planning to show you the sketches so soon but that's ok. You know when I first knew that you weren't just a hyung to me? When you started going out with Kim Ryeowook. I hated him so much.  I don't even know why I've liked you for so long. You're not exactly desirable, you know. You're cranky, impatient, bossy and you nag me all the damn time that my ears hurt - almost as much as my heart hurts. I must be insane. But I guess you can't pick who you like." it was the most Baekhyun had ever heard Sehun say in all the years they'd known each other. He never said much, Sehun, but when he did he always made it count, because Baekhyun's heart hurt too now.

 

"I'm so sorry it took me three years to figure things out. I don't know what to say," Baekhyun's eyes were sad.

 

"Then don't. Don't say anything," and Sehun dragged Baekhyun by the wrist, steering him into a narrow alleyway between two nearby buildings, "Don't say anything. Just show me how you feel," 

 

And that's when Baekhyun kissed Sehun passionately, held him close, and tried to convey three years of regret through his caresses and kisses and whispered words of love ...

 

-----

 

Ten minutes later, Baekhyun and Sehun strolled into Caffe Bene - ravenous and desperate for coffee. They were looking for a table when Sehun spotted Kyungsoo waving to them to come to his table by the window. Jongin and Ga In were seated at the table too, helping themselves to  large glass bowls of patbingsu. For some reason, Kyungsoo looked tense and highly strung.

 

"Baekhyun oppa, Sehun oppa!" Ga In hugged them excitedly, "I haven't seen you in forever!" They both laughed at the gross exaggeration, then asked her how she'd been and whether she'd been in any dance recitals. She babbled on happily while the men at the table all nodded indulgently. 

 

Jongin caught Sehun's eye and asked in a low voice, "Was I right? That time?"

 

"Yeah, dude, you were right."

 

Just then, Ga In told her brother she needed to use the toilet. And she had barely disappeared from view before Kyungsoo launched his verbal attack.

 

"What the hell is going on with you guys? I saw you yelling on the street 15 minutes ago. And it looked pretty intense to me which is kind of weird because you guys NEVER fight and Sehun hardly ever gets angry about anything even if you get angry over everything, Baek. And I texted you both but you didn't answer. So what the hell? And why are your mouths all swollen like you've been making out?!" Kyungsoo's earlier anxiety had bubbled over into an uncharacteristically long and invasive tirade. 

 

"Probably because we were." Sehun answered in that deadpan way of his and Kyungsoo burst out with an incredulous "WHAT?!" while Baekhyun shoved Sehun, looking mortified. And Sehun just chuckled in that low key way of his. 

 

Jongin grinned and rested his chin affectionately on Kyungsoo's shoulder, "Calm down, hyung. Everyone looks like they're in one piece."

 

"I want explanations now." Kyungsoo refused to be deterred. Jongin whispered something in his ear and his eyes widened in surprise. Then, glaring at the pair in front of him, he repeated, "Explanations. Now. And talk fast because I have a Hydraulics Project hanging over my head like the Sword of Damocles."

 

"I said I'd help you type it," Jongin reminded him but Kyungsoo ignored him. Kyungsoo's concentration was currently focused fully on the pair in front of him - Sehun looking serene and unaffected while Baekhyun looked like fifty shades of sheepish. 

 

"Sehun moved in and I saw him shaving ... and realized he wasn't a kid anymore and things kind of escalated from there and so now we're kind of ... together." Baekhyun answered awkwardly.  He was the one who usually did the interrogating in any given situation and he clearly didn't enjoy having the tables him. 

 

"Did he bully you into this?" Kyungsoo asked Sehun sharply.

 

"I would never!" Baekhyun protested, looking extremely aggrieved.

 

"No, Soo, I think it actually might have been more the other way round." Sehun chuckled, "I'll tell you one day but not today because I don't think the queue in the ladies is long enough."

 

"So you guys are good?" Kyungsoo still looked uneasy.

 

"We're good." Baekhyun answered.

 

"Well it's about ing time! I thought I was going to die if I'd had to watch Sehun moon over you for one more semester, and watch you being completely oblivious for one more semester. For someone who's so alert about everyone else's business, you seem to be completely blind to your own!" 

 

"Soo, you knew?" Sehun asked, surprised.

 

"Not at first. I started noticing around last year. Don't worry, you weren't obvious about it - just that we've known each other for so long and I realized things had changed for you. But you didn't seem to want to talk about it so I just let you be."

 

"Thanks. I really wasn't ready to talk about it with anyone."

 

"You sure you guys are cool now? You're not going to be tearing into each other the moment we leave? Because I'm about to break out in hives now. My project! I need to get back to it. Damn you, Kim Jongin! I'm never going to finish it in time."

 

"I'll be helping you, hyung, of course you'll make it." Jongin wrapped his arm around Kyungsoo's slim shoulders.

 

"What are you guys talking about? Why's everyone so serious?" Ga In was back from the toilet. 

 

"We are debating whether hazelnut latte is superior to vanilla latte." Jongin informed his sister in all seriousness.

 

"Of course hazelnut is superior." Ga In shook her head, "Everyone knows that!" And all her oppas had to laugh at the unshakeable conviction in her voice.

 

"You don't even drink coffee!" Jongin laughed and Ga In punched her oppa in the arm.

 

-----

 

When Chanyeol was told that Baekhyun and Sehun were dating, he was pissed. For about 3 minutes. Then he whined about how he was always the last to be told when anything happened. Then he congratulated them and said it was a good thing Baek had finally opened his eyes because he would have killed them both if he'd had to watch Sehun moon over Baek for one more semester while Baek went around clueless for one whole semester.

 

"Wait, did everyone know except me?" Baekhyun complained, his voice rife with disbelief.

 

"I guess so. And I thought I wasn't being obvious." Sehun shook his head, "But why didn't you ever say anything, Yeol? You're not exactly the most discreet guy on campus."

 

"Are you kidding? We're guys. Guys don't ask other guys about their feelings. Noooo. If you want my advice, you can ask me. I'm not asking  anyone to talk about their feelings. I have enough trouble figuring out my own. Thanks, but no. Although ...  if you guys hadn't sorted yourselves out by December, I would have said something because dude, it was painful to watch!" Chanyeol gave Sehun a pitying look, and Sehun responded by kicking him in the shin.

 

"So all it takes is to move in with someone and you get lucky? Man, I have got to find me a willing female roomie." Chanyeol theorized and everyone groaned at the lame logic. 

 

Sehun looked across the table at his friends. They were in Namsan BBQ House again like they had been on the first day he moved in with Baekhyun. Kyungsoo and Jongin were still sitting with their knees touching and not quite touching, and whispering to each other and laughing over private jokes like they always did. And Chanyeol was still talking crap like he always did. And Baekhyun was still giving his opinions about everything like he always did. 

 

Things seemed the same and yet they weren't. He no longer felt the same kind of sad helplessness he had the last time they were here. And there was no envy when he saw what Jongin and Kyungsoo shared. He looked down at his pale hand, curled underneath Baekhyun's smaller palm, which Baekhyun had rested on his jean-clad lap.

 

"You ok?" Baekhyun whispered in his ear, squeezing Sehun's hand.

 

"Yeah, I'm good." He squeezed back and smiled his lazy smile. 

 

Not everything had changed but sometimes all you needed were the little things ...

 

-------

 

And so ends the tale of the two best friends who became something more to each other. I love this two and what they have together and I hope you enjoyed their story too. 

 

This chapter was so tough to write because I didn't want to let the characters down and my readers too. Sorry it was so long but i couldn't help it cos feels. I hope I didn't mess up the ending, orz! 

 

Love and hugs, LotusK