He didn’t like it. 

He couldn’t really explain why… but Seungho didn’t like the idea of Joon in the entertainment industry.  Was it the entertainment aspect of it?  Or maybe it was the unnecessary exposure to the public?  Or maybe it was the possibility that Joon might forgo his GED exam?  Whatever the reason, Seungho didn’t like it. 

When he’d expressed his disapproval, Joon suddenly became assertive.  In the two months that they had lived together, Seungho had almost never seen Joon push him about anything.  This time, though, he’d pushed about wanting to enter KTA.  He argued that the extra money could help Dara.  And he insisted that Seungho stay in school.

Seungho sighed as he shuffled into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.  He glanced at the clock; it was nearly midnight. 

The two had returned home after their hospital visit and fixed supper.  All the while, they discussed, conversed, and even argued about KTA.  Seungho’s baseless worry and dislike of the agency was firmly pushed aside by Joon’s solid argument about needing money.  As the two washed and dried the dishes, they’d bickered about it until Seungho finally gave in.  After all, he couldn’t even explain why he didn’t like the idea so how did he expect to convince Joon?  Especially when the kid suddenly developed a knack in arguing back?

Satisfied that he’d gotten Seungho’s approval, Joon sat down to do a bit of studying while Seungho showered.  Before they knew it, it was nearly midnight.  Ushering the boy into the bathroom to shower, Seungho had considered his argument again as he waited for Joon to finish.

Joon’s main concern had been Seungho quitting school.  He didn’t like the idea and thought it was also unnecessary given he could also help shoulder the financial burden.  Seungho was grateful that Joon was so concerned for him.

He chuckled to himself as he sloshed the water in his cup.  Joon was becoming more and more like a wife figure.  He cooked, cleaned, and tried to support Seungho in any way he could.  And now… he was even getting involved in Seungho’s financial problems.  Joon’s assertive personality was finally starting to surface now that he’d shed his timid nature somewhat.  And what a difference it was from the first day he’d moved in.  That day he didn’t speak, would barely eat, and flinched every time Seungho got close.  And now… the kid had the balls to argue with him.

Seungho smiled to himself.  He liked this Joon much better.  He liked it when Joon showed his unhappiness rather than burying it away inside himself.  He liked it when Joon disagreed and argued with him.  He liked that Joon allowed him into his personal space… that he didn’t recoil when they accidentally brushed hands.  He also liked that Joon smiled more.  When he smiled, something lit up inside of Seungho that he couldn’t quite describe.  He found himself wanting to see more smiles and wondering what other expressions Joon was capable of.

He often caught himself staring as Joon studied the night away at the coffee table.  There was something fascinating about him that Seungho couldn’t explain.  Sure, the kid was good looking… but that wasn’t it.  There was something about the way Joon frowned when he came across a problem he didn’t understand… the way he poked his chin with his pencil as he considered a problem… the way he sometimes nibbled on the eraser at the back of his pencil.  Times like that, Seungho had caught himself staring from his seat at the kitchen table.  His mouth would hang open and his fingers would be hovering over his laptop keyboard in mid-type.

It happened during dinner too.  Mid-chew, Seungho would suddenly realize that he was staring at Joon as he took bites of his dinner.  His eyes would often land on Joon’s mouth as his lips pursed together and his jaws shifted.  Occasionally, Joon would catch him staring and would quickly wipe his mouth to get rid of the stains he thought Seungho was looking at.  Playing it off cooly, Seungho would snap out of his stupor and quickly shovel the rest of his own dinner into his mouth.

“Hyung?”

Seungho looked up from his glass.  Joon had come out of the shower dressed in a T-shirt and oversized pajama pants.  His hair was still wet with water droplets dripping off of some strands.  His feet were bare as he shuffled into the kitchen, wiping his hair with a small towel.

“Done?” Seungho said, distracted by the scent of shampoo wafting into the kitchen.  Was it really the same shampoo he used himself?  Why did it smell so different on Joon?

“Hmm,” Joon replied, leaning against the counter.

“Do you work tomorrow?” Seungho asked absentmindedly as he watched Joon shake his wet hair.  He noticed a drop of water slip from a few strands of hair and disappear into the neck of Joon’s shirt.

“No,” Joon said, frowning.  Seungho smirked at the frown.  Most people would be glad to finally get a day off.  Not Joon though.  He was too concerned with earning more money.

“You should take a break,” Seungho said, taking another sip of his water, “You’ve been working for the past six days.”

“I was thinking,” Joon said slowly, glancing at Seungho, “of getting in contact with KTA tomorrow…”

Seungho stared at his glass and contemplated for a while in silence.

“Hyung…” Joon started again when Seungho didn’t reply.  “I thought we already agreed-”

“We did,” Seungho said, nodding, “If you want to meet with them, I won’t stop you.”  He placed his glass in the sink and walked towards the living room.

Joon placed a hand on his arm as he passed.  Timidly, Joon squeezed lightly and asked, “Are… Are you mad?”

Sighing, Seungho turned to him and placed a hand on his wet hair.  “No,” he said softly, unable to resist rubbing the soft strands of hair in between his fingers, “Of course I’m not mad.  You’re trying to help; I appreciate that.”  Unconsciously, he let his hand slide from Joon’s hair to rest on his neck.  When he’d realized what he was doing, he was surprised to see no discomfort from Joon.  The boy had clearly grown so accustomed to Seungho’s presence and touch that he didn’t think anything of the fact that Seunghos fingers were touching a very delicate part of his neck.

Joon nodded, looking relieved at Seungho’s answer.

The small movement from Joon felt strange under Seungho’s fingers.  His thumb brushed the corner of Joon’s jaw just under his ear lobe.  It felt… sensual.  Seungho found himself, once again, staring at Joon’s face.  He took in the way Joon’s gaze fell to the floor in relief, the way his brows had relaxed and the way he’d his lips.

Seungho quickly pulled his hand away, surprised and disturbed by his own unexplainable actions.  Clearing his throat, he motioned towards the couch.  “We, uh,” he said, staring at it like it would help formulate his thoughts, “We should get you a bed.  You know, cause you can’t sleep on the couch forever.”

“Eh?” Joon said, thrown off by the sudden topic, “A-A bed… I… the couch is fine.”  He looked perplexed at Seungho.

“No, no,” Seungho said, “It’s way too uncomfortable.  Besides, you’ve been on it for two months.”  He pointed at it like he was accusing it of a crime.  “It’s lumpy and old and…” he trailed off, not sure of what he wanted to say, “Anyways, we… you need a new bed.”

“Beds are expensive…” Joon said, amused, “I’m fine on the couch-”

“No, no, no,” Seungho said, unsure of why he was pushing this subject.  It was as if his mind couldn’t recover from his strange thoughts about Joon and the only thing it could process was the fact that Joon needed a bed.

“Okay…?” Joon said, letting out a small chuckle.

Seungho nodded, flustered at his own blunder.  He must’ve been so strange just now…  “Okay, we’ll go tomorrow.  I have a morning class…” he continued, not sure of how to get off this absurd topic, “We’ll go look at beds after.  Okay?”

“O-Okay,” Joon said, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. 

“Hyung…” Joon called, walking behind him.

“Impossible,” Seungho muttered as the two of them shuffled down the aisle lined with mattress after mattress, “There has to be one I can afford.”

“Hyung, I’m really fine on the-” Joon started but was cut off when Seungho shook his head as he stared at another price tag.

“No,” Seungho said firmly, throwing down that price tag as well, “I promised you a new bed.  I should have gotten you one ages ago.”

Sighing in exasperation, Joon glanced at the price tag closest to him.  He couldn’t help but laugh at the absurd price.  “I appreciate the thought,” he said, “I really do.  But these prices are just…”

“How do they expect people to pay for beds?” Seungho muttered, “I almost need to pay for this in installments!”

Laughing at his outburst, Joon walked over and tugged his sleeve.  “Really,” he said, “I’m fine-”

“A man shouldn’t go back on his word,” Seungho said, frowning.

“Oh is this about pride?” Joon asked, raising an eyebrow, “I thought you were buying me a bed because the couch is too lumpy.”

“No,” Seungho said quickly, taken aback by Joon’s quick wit, “It’s definitely about the lumpy couch.”

Joon couldn’t help the smile that crept up on him.  It was a first, seeing the usually composed Seungho so flustered.  It was strange… Joon recently developed a taste in pushing his boundaries.  He knew it probably wasn’t the greatest idea to irritate one of the few people that were kind to him but… it was so fun to see Seungho’s surprised face every time Joon said something without holding himself back.

“Okay then.  If it’s really about the couch, then don’t worry about buying me a new one,” Joon said, jokingly, “Just let me sleep in your bed.”  He couldn’t help but laugh as Seungho’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline and his jaw dropped in surprise.  “What?  You have a queen sized bed,” Joon laughed, as Seungho blinked.

“You like the idea that much, huh?” Seungho said, frowning.  The corners of his lip also began to curve as Joon’s smile became contagious.

“I’m only joking,” Joon said, smiling, “Let’s go.  There’s nothing here.”

Sighing, Seungho nodded and let Joon usher him to the door.  As they waited for the bus, Joon glanced at Seungho, who was still frowning at the ground. 

Joon smiled to himself.  The way Seungho took care of him made him feel warm inside.  He had no responsibilities towards Joon whatsoever… but his actions were so tender and caring.  Joon couldn’t describe the affection he felt towards him.  Seungho had helped him shed the walls that Joon had built around himself and bring out this quirky new Joon that was foreign even to himself. 

Sometimes, when Seungho got close, his heart would beat a little faster.  His breathing would quicken and his skin would become hypersensitive to touch.  Like the night before, when Seungho had reached out and touched his wet hair… he had tried his best to remain unreactive when, in reality, his heart had raced.  The brush of Seungho’s fingertips on his neck had felt so electric that he was sure Seungho could feel the pulse under his skin. 

Times like that, Joon wondered what it would be like to kiss Seungho.  He wondered what it would be like to feel Seungho’s hands and fingers brush over the places that Jang Daeho used to touch.  Would it feel the same?  Would his hands also feel rough and callous?  Or would they send the same electricity as they did when he’d touched Joon’s neck? 

Joon was sure that with Seungho would be different.  Unlike Jang Daeho, Seungho never intimidated him.  He never raised his voice against him, and most certainly never raised a hand to him.  Although it would probably still be painful, Joon was sure that Seungho wouldn’t do it on purpose.  He wouldn’t get a kick out of seeing Joon in pain, and he wouldn’t enjoy making him cry.  Because he wasn’t Jang Daeho…

“I’m fine with you sleeping with me,” Seungho said abruptly, looking at Joon.

But could he really let the kid sleep with him?  After having all those strange thoughts?  Could handle it?  Seungho frowned as he argued with himself.  Why couldn’t he?  It wasn’t as if he had dirty thoughts about Joon… right?  And what was he trying to question here, exactly?  His uality?  That would be absurd.  After all, he was a straight man.  And straight men liked women.  He was just fond of Joon because he was a good boy. 

Nodding in agreement with himself, Seungho straightened up and turned to Joon, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. 

“I’m fine with you sleeping with me,” he said firmly.

Joon looked up in surprise.  “Eh?” he asked, taken aback.

“It’s settled,” Seungho said, nodding to himself, “No more couch.  You sleep with me.”

“Ah, no, I was only joking,” Joon said, shaking is hands, “I didn’t really mean-”

“No, no,” Seungho said, dismissing Joon’s protest, “You’re right.  I have a giant bed; it doesn’t make sense for you to sleep on the couch.”

“Actually,” Joon said, amused, “It makes a lot of sense…”

“You don’t want to sleep with me?” Seungho asked, frowning.  Did he come across as erted?  Did Joon discover his strange staring habits?  Did he think Seungho was disgusting?

“Eh?  No,” Joon said quickly, before realizing that it could be misunderstood, “What I mean is no, that’s not what I meant… I mean…” He sighed, and restarted.  “What I mean is, no, I don’t not want to sleep with you, but it doesn’t make sense that I… don’t… sleep with you?” he said, getting confused in his own stuttering. 

“So…” Seungho said, getting confused as well, “It’s decided?”

Unable to sort out his own thoughts, Joon looked at him in confusion and nodded hesitantly.

Satisfied, Seungho leaned back into the bench.  He was going to get over this infatuation he had with Joon.  He was going to prove to himself that he wasn’t having erted thoughts about the innocent and naïve boy.  What better way to do it than to share his bed?

Author's Notes:

A nice, fluffy chapter for you ^^  I wanted to begin developing Seungho and Joonie's relationship a bit more and focus less on advancing the plot.  Also, Joonie is finally breaking out of his shell!  I just couldn't resist uploading this chapter this soon.