Six

The Third Time

Kai snored.

It wasn’t the first time Sehun discovered this fact about his friend and roommate. It had kept her awake many nights. When Kai began to talk in his sleep, Sehun gave up any hope finding some respite in his bed. He kicked back the covers, groaning as the snoring started anew.

The hallway was dark when he stepped out of the bedroom. It would be seven paces to the stairs which Sehun counted in the dark. his foot touched the first step, then the next, until he was in the kitchen. One there, he finally a light. He filled the tea kettle with water as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the light. Once the pot was on the stove with a flame underneath, Sehun took a seat at the table and let his head rest against the wooden top.

The grandfather clock in the living room chimed twice just as the kettle whistled. It was two o’clock in the morning, and Sehun was sitting in the kitchen instead of being asleep in his bed. Sehun shook his head; it wasn’t really his bed. It was supposed to be Kyungsoo’s. But he’s still in the hospital with his ankle injury.

Sehun really didn’t know why he agreed to keep Kai company in his room. Suddenly, footsteps caused the stairs to squeak. Sehun looked up to see Luhan coming towards him. 

“What are you doing here?” he asked, pouring water into his cup before selecting another cup for Luhan.

Luhan yawned before answering. “My room is too quiet without Lay there. Since he’s been taking the shifts for us to visit D.O, I’ve only slept a few nights because I can’t take the silence.” Lay has been to bust taking care of Kyungsoo that it left Luhan lonely.

“Silence. Must be nice,” Sehun grumbled, retaking his seat. “Kai snores. Loudly.”

Luhan laughed. “You grew up with him for almost two years.” He replied, stirring a teaspoon of sugar into his tea. “I’ve been thinking about looking for a roommate, you know. Since Lay isn’t planning on coming back for a while.”

The tired maknae nodded in agreement, fiddling with his spoon. He began to wonder why he suddenly hoped Luhan would ask him to take his spare room. The logical part of his mind told him it was because he recognized his need to leave Kai’s room. The male part of him told him it was because he may have developed a slight crush on Luhan.

“Yeah, I was going to offer it to Xiumin.” Sehun’s eyes snapped to Luhan as he spoke. He smiled briefly before continuing. “But he really likes the room he shares with manager hyung. So, I think the idea is out.”

Silence settled over the pair as they continued to drink their tea. Luhan yawned again and stood, taking his cup to the sink. “I think I’m gonna head back up to bed.” He announced. Sehun nodded and gave him a short wave. He was halfway up the steps when he stopped. “You know the room is your if you want it.” He was gone before Sehun could respond.

The next afternoon, Sehun stood outside of Baekhyun’s and now Chanyeol’s joke shop with a suitcase and backpack in his hands. It took several deep, fortifying breaths before he pushed open the door and made his way to the checkout center. Chanyeol stood behind the register ringing up customers, but asked another employee to take over one he spotted him.

“Sehunnie! What’re you doing here? Came to buy something?” Chanyeol placed an arm on Sehun’s shoulder and dragged him to where Baekhyun was.

“Bacon! Look who’s here!” Baekhyun’s head suddenly whipped and a smile came to his face.

“Sehun!” he said before running over and pushing Chanyeol away so he could put an arm on the maknae’s shoulder.

“Hey!” Chanyeol said with a flushed face. Baekhyun blew a raspberry at him before dragging Sehun upstairs. “Go back to the register!” he said to Chanyeol before the two disappeared upstairs.

“I know why you’re here,” Baekhyun said with a chuckle. “Luhan told me that you wanted his room upstairs, right?” Sehun nodded. Baekhyun slowly took out a pair of keys and passed it to Sehun. “The room’s yours.” Without another word, Sehun bowed in front of his hyung and went inside but stopped. He grabbed Baekhyun’s wrist before he could go back downstairs.

“What is it?” Baekhyun asked with curiosity. Sehun has never done this before. At least, that’s what he thinks.

“Is Luhan coming here?” Baekhyun snorted.

“Of course he’s coming here! He lives here! With all of us!” Baekhyun said with a laugh before retreating downstairs, leaving an embarrassed and flushed maknae frozen in his place.

Sehun went in and saw Luhan and Lay’s room filled with food. A lot of food. Mostly Lay’s part but Sehun thinks Luhan left his snacks on Lay’s bed purposely. He saw a third bed in front of Luhan’s and guessed that was his place.

It was not long before his stuff was all fixed and Sehun was lying on the bed with a magazine on his face, asleep.

Luhan arrived three hours later. He spent the day with Lay since he hasn’t seen him all week. He missed Lay a lot. Luhan sighed and went inside the joke shop of their dorm. Baekhyun saw him and smirked before strutting beside him.

“Sehun’s here,” he said and took Luhan’s shopping bags. “What’s all this for?” Apparently, the bag was filled with snacks and four bubble teas. “You’ve already bought six pounds of snacks and stack it on Lay’s bed – “ Baekhyun stopped talking when Luhan gave him a bubble tea. “Never mind. Thanks!”

Luhan shook his head before calling Chanyeol. Chanyeol walked over to see his hyung in a pair of shades, looking as handsome as ever.

“Luhan! Sehunnie’s here. Ooh, bubble tea. Where’s mine?” Luhan smiled and gave him his bubble tea.

“Oh! Luhan!” Baekhyun called.

“Sehun’s been here since three o’clock.” Luhan’s eyes widened. He didn’t think Sehun would arrive that early. He mumbled a ‘thank you’ before running upstairs and hurrying towards his room.

He sighed when he saw Sehun’s body on the third bed and his face covered with a magazine. He carefully shut the door and sat beside his sleeping friend. Sehun must have felt something since he moaned before grabbing the magazine off his face and sitting up. Upon seeing Luhan, his tired face lit up and he smiled at his hyung. Not long was the smile on his face wiped off and was replaced with a pout.

“Where were you?” he asked. “I wanted to spend the day with you but I couldn’t find you.”

Luhan sighed. “You should’ve called me.” Sehun glared at him.

“You didn’t pick up.”

“I didn’t?” Luhan checked his phone before noticing 6 missed calls from Sehun and 13 new messages from Sehun, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun. Luhan laughed nervously before putting his phone back.

“Sorry. I must’ve placed it on silent mode.”

“You think?”Sehun answered sarcastically.

“Sorry. But I got you bubble tea.” Sehun sighed before smiling again. “Forgive me?”

“I could never get angry at my hyung.” Luhan smiled before looking around.

“So, what do you think? Is it okay?”

“It’s great,” he told Luhan. “Thank you.”

“Well, you’re welcome. I’m sorry I didn’t get to spend the day with you since I spent the day with Lay.”

“It’s okay. But who’s watching Kyungsoo?”

“Kai. He’s been wanting to go see D.O since MAMA.”

“Yeah, do you think…?” they both knew what the question was. Silence came before…

“Nah. Kai’s probably just concerned.” Luhan waved it off. Sehun agreed before standing up and heading downstairs with his bubble tea. He could hear Luhan’s footsteps behind him.

“Where are you going?”

“I haven’t really been to the joke shop so I wanted to see what Baekhyun and Chanyeol were selling. And since you spent the day with Lay, I will spend my day with Chanyeol and Baekhyun.” Sehun said before going out the door.

Luhan sighed. There was only one thing he could do to make the maknae forgive him.

By the end of the day, Sehun came back upstairs and was greeted with the smell of ramen. “I’m back,” Luhan emerged from the kitchen with two bowls of ramen in his hands. “You cooked? Is this safe?”

Luhan rolled his eyes. “Suho taught me, don’t worry,” he admitted, holding out a bowl to him. Sehun took a hesitant spoonful of soup, chewed the pasta slowly, and declared it edible. “I made that for you, you know.” They spent dinner discussing the daily goings-on of the joke shop. Luhan told Sehun about Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s latest projects, the newest, best-selling inventions, and the comical outcomes of customers who tested the products without buying. Sehun filled him with his favorite stuff their friends were selling downstairs.

With the dinner dishes set aside for the moment, Luhan leaned back into the comfort of his couch and closed his eyes. He heard Sehun rise ad collect the dirty plates before taking them to the sink to rinse. It wasn’t until he returned, sitting beside him and crossing his legs.

“Money for your thoughts?” Sehun offered, watching the fire burning brightly in the hearth.

The sleepy hyung shrugged. “How much money you got?” Sehun laughed, bringing a smile to Luhan’s face. “It’s nothing. I was just wondering if you and Lay would let me stay here until Kyungsoo’s better.”

Luhan was silent before smiling. “Sure, but you have to tell me what’s wrong.” Sehun sighed.

“But hyung, I don’t want to!” he started hitting Luhan before both have fallen to the floor.  Both laughed before Sehun sighed and began.

“My mom is on me to get a girlfriend. My brother did it, my cousins did it, heck, my fourteen year old nephew got one before I did. She’s been bugging me ever since she found out that people were criticizing me.”

Luhan waited for him to continue. Sehun sighed again before continuing.

“She wants me to get a girlfriend before my contract end or I’ll be forced to have an arranged marriage. I’m not ready to get a girlfriend. I still got a lot to live in my life. I haven’t even discovered myself yet. And it’s just frustrating that she wants me to get one so bad.”

“I know how you feel. My mom was like that once. But I told her that I haven’t found anyone yet.”

“It’s hard. Especially since it would hurt our fans’ feelings.”

“I know. That’s what I’ve been worrying about, too.”

“I’m not mad anymore, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Luhan nodded in agreement and leaned over to kiss his cheek. Sehun smiled. “Thanks for listening to me,” Sehun murmured, standing up. “I’m going to go to bed. Sleep tight.”

“Sehun?”

“Yeah?”

“You can stay.”

“Thanks.” Sehun began to get inside his bed.

“You reckon this was a date?” Sehun asked when he got comfortable under the covers. Luhan laughed before getting in his own bed.

“Not a date,” he informed the maknae with a slight eye roll. “Go to bed.”