Taekwoon had walked home slowly, deep in thought, and arrived at his home a lot later than promised. His father had been worried when he called, Taekwoon had heard by how irritated he sounded on the line. He understood him, he normally never stayed out this long. But he had friends now. He smiled at the thought, pulling off his shoes in the hallway. His father had left already, had called him after checking his bedroom before leaving to work at his usual night shift time, only to find his son still gone. The apartment was dark and quiet. Taekwoon felt comfortably sleepy as he padded slowly towards the bathroom, dreading his early morning workout the following day. But he felt no regret.

Toothbrush in mouth, he almost swallowed all his toothpaste as the silence of the empty apartment was suddenly disrupted by the doorbell ringing one, two, three times. Frozen in his spot, Taekwoon stared at the open bathroom door. The bell rang a fourth time and his feet moved on their own.

Their apartment was fairly new, and conveniently enough; by their toilet was a home system computer displaying the video of a pacing Wonshik waiting in front of his door. He frowned, curious to why he had come over. Taking the brush out of his mouth and spitting into the toilet, he pushed the speaker button.

“Wait a minute, Wonshik.” He said shortly and moved to rinse his mouth. The video showed the other stopping to stand still in front of the door, waiting.

With quick steps he moved to the front door to open it himself, curious and worried. Wonshik looked apologetic as the door opened and they made eye contact.

“What’s up?” He asked. Wonshik was chewing his lips, giving him a pitiful look. Taekwoon moved his body to the side before he could speak and gestured the other to enter. A thankful look was given as he shuffled past him and out of his shoes. His clothes were drenched, the predicted rain having arrived minutes after Taekwoon’s return home. He noticed the other was breathing heavily, trying hard to recover his breath.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to-“ Wonshik rambled nervously. He was dripping water onto the floor. He tried to smudge the droplets with his sock, which were also soaked through, only smearing it out on the linoleum floor made to look like wood.

“What’s wrong?” Taekwoon cut him off. Wonshik stopped talking and chewed his lip once again. For a moment Taekwoon thought he looked ashamed.

“Two of the bullies were waiting by my house.” Taekwoon inhaled a sharp breath. “They were drunk, so… I-“ He cut himself off. Water was dripping from his bleached hair as well. Taekwoon waited for more information as he looked him over, tense and nervous.

Did he fight them?

He found no sign of injury but the fading bruise on his eye.

Did he win?

“I ran away.” Wonshik, shoulders heaving as he was still fighting for breath, looking at the floor. Taekwoon did not understand what the other was feeling. He looked ashamed, but he had done what everyone had asked to. Not to fight. He frowned in worry and held back his questions.

“Good.” His voice was tight with several emotions of anger and frustration; despite the relief he was feeling it was making him sound strict without meaning it. Wonshik looked up as he walked past him towards his bedroom beside the kitchen area. He followed silently, his breath finally evening out. He stopped at Taekwoon’s door, leaning on it as he watched him open his closet.

“Can I sleep on your couch?” He asked hesitantly – so carefully that Taekwoon’s heart kicked him in the chest with affection.

“No.” He answered, his slight smile not showing behind the closet door he was hiding behind, looking for clothes Wonshik could sleep in. He heard the other inhale sharply. “You can sleep on the bed.” He emerged from the closet with a blank face despite the lame joke, sweatpants and t-shirt in hand. Wonshik looked at him in surprise before relaxing into a smile. Then a chuckle as he shook his head and rubbed his neck.

Just like that Wonshik’s ty mood had disappeared in an instant.

--

Not trusting his heart to be quiet due to his involuntary nervousness, Taekwoon didn’t dare sleeping next to a completely sober Wonshik. After giving the other the clothes and his own bed, he walked away with a silent ‘good night’ and slept in his parent’s bed. His father would be at work until he was already gone to gym anyway.

The mere thought of having Wonshik in his apartment again was enough to have his heart beating, but he was too tired for it to keep him awake. Sunlight threatened to break through the blinds as he fell asleep almost instantly.

--

Sunday morning arrived sooner than Taekwoon wanted, and a thundering headache from lack of sleep welcomed him as phone alarm woke him up. He had to go practice. Getting out of his parent’s bed with much difficulty, he moved with heavy steps towards the kitchen and much-needed coffee and medicine. Sunlight was furiously illuminating the apartment, making it hard for him to keep his sensitive eyes open. His bedroom was located straight across from his parent’s, kept apart by the kitchen area of their rather spacious livingroom. From his own room he could hear the faint sound of Wonshik’s snoring and he couldn’t help the snort that escaped him.

A warm cup of coffee was consumed slowly while staring mindlessly out of the window and down at the park near their building, their apartment located on the fifth floor of a rather new but not very tall building surrounded by identical buildings. Setting down his now mostly empty cup back on a kitchen top, he went to wake up his snoring friend.

His bedroom has no windows. A fact he absolutely loved, because sunlight was his biggest cause of waking up or not being able to fall asleep at wrong times. He was met with total darkness and stuffy air when he opened the door. Wonshik had actually stopped snoring for the moment, but he could hear his quiet breathing anyway. Stepping up to stand in front of the bed, he saw the other had buried his entire body beneath the covers, head included.

“Wonshik, wake up.” He tried, raising his voice slightly but apparently not enough. No reaction at all. He sighed, moved over to the bed and kneeled on the mattress. Tapping the lump of covers, he located something that he guessed what the other’s shoulder and grabbed hold, shaking lightly.

“Wonshik, wake up.” He tried a little louder and was awarded with a grunt, but not much more. He sat up, letting the shoulder go. They had barely gotten four hours of sleep, he thought to himself. “Might as well let you sleep it out, right?” He mumbled as if the other would answer him and moved off the bed and over to his desk. He the desk lamp and scribbled down a note for the other to read in case he woke up before he could come back.

At gym.
Food is in the fridge. Help yourself.

He paused, tapping the pen against his forehead, thinking. He chewed his lip for a little while before finally adding

Don’t leave.

at the end. He threw away the pen and turned off the lamp before he could change his mind, and stuck the note on his bedstand, feeling slightly shaky. He stared at the note for a full minute before rushing out of the room, grabbing his bag of gym clothes on his way.

--

Wonshik woke up after what felt like a perfect night of sleep, to a completely dark bedroom that did not belong to himself. He looked around, slightly confused, before realizing he had gone to Taekwoon’s apartment during the night. He looked at the nightstand and saw a digital clock blaring bright numbers at him. 1.23pm. He groaned, fumbling for a switch to get the nightlight going.

Once the light was on and he had struggled himself out of his den of bedcovers, he noticed the note waiting for him on the nightstand. Picking it up, he struggled slightly with understanding the handwriting, then smiled.

“Don’t leave.” He read out loud, chuckling. “Ok, I won’t.”

He got up from the bed and walked over to the door. His muscles ached from yesterday’s strains. The soccer had taken its toll, but sprinting to Taekwoon’s house had sealed the deal. Especially his legs protested with every step he took. Slightly worried someone else would be in the apartment at the time; he opened the bedroom door slowly and peeked out his head to look.

The rain from the night before had been replaced with sunlight, instantly attacking his eyes as he peeked through. Wincing, he adjusted to the light and saw no sign of life in the livingroom. He stepped further out to peak at the kitchen area hidden by the door.

“Good morning Wonshik.”

He gasped in surprise, almost jumping back into the room but stopping himself as he initially recognized the voice as Taekwoon’s father.

“Or should I say afternoon?” He opened the door entirely with an insecure smile and saw the man standing in the kitchen, leaning back on a kitchen bench with a mug of - what he assumed was tea - in hand and a smirk on his face. He bowed deep in greeting, showing respect.

“Coffee?” He offered him. Wonshik straightened and shook his head. “I don’t drink coffee, sorry sir.” Mr. Jung hummed in understanding, then leaned over to open the fridge beside him. The fridge door had a smaller door that he opened, revealing several bottles of water. He grabbed one and offered it to Wonshik. “Here.”

Wonshik hurried over and grabbed the bottle from him with both hands, giving him a quiet thank you and another slight bow. The man looked really tired, he noticed, heavy bags under his eyes, face dreary. Dread filled his gut. “Did…did we wake you last night?” He really hoped the answer was a no. He hadn’t even considered that Taekwoon didn’t live alone when he rang the doorbell. Four friggin times you stupid . His hand twitched as he almost moved to hit himself on the head.

Mr. Jung only smiled at him. “I was at work. I just got home actually, so don’t worry.” He assured. “I was on my way to bed, but please feel free to grab some breakfast.” He pointed at the fridge as he set down his cup and straightened up. “Ohh, and there are towels in Taekwoon’s closet if you want to shower.” He gave his shoulder a light tap, then left to the bedroom across from Taekwoon’s. Wonshik’s shoulder felt warm where the man had tapped him, the gesture a moment’s reminder of his own father.

“Don’t worry Wonshik! Grades aren’t everything you know. I didn’t even finish High School and I’m doing just fine, see? You’ll figure something out, I’m sure.”

His father would always encourage him whenever he felt down, tapping his shoulder lovingly and even though the gesture was so simple - it gave Wonshik the strength he needed.

He stood frozen for several minutes, staring at the bedroom door as emotions washed over him, before he returned to reality and moved back to Taekwoon’s bedroom to grab the mentioned towels. He was going to take a long shower, he decided, feeling especially sticky and nasty after being drenched in both sweat and rain the day before. His hair most likely looked like it had been drenched in butter, considering how it felt in his hands as he ran them through it.

--

True to his usual schedule, Taekwoon returned to his apartment around 2.30pm. He had walked home from the gym with much more hurry than usual, anticipating Wonshik’s presence in his home. His father had texted him earlier, reporting that Wonshik had awakened and was still alive. Taekwoon had texted him on his way to the gym, warning him that his friend would most likely be in the apartment when he returned from work. His father had sent a simple ‘ok’ in return and he was grateful for the lack of questions. He knew his father had many he wanted to ask.

His training session had gone quite horribly. He was exhausted from the lack of sleep, and distracted by the thought of Wonshik in his home and figuring what to do when he returned. He didn’t really know how to hang out, and he doubted Wonshik would be fit to play soccer again already. The thought of how sore the other would be when he woke up distracted him enough to be punched in the face by his punching bag, drawing laughs from the others at the gym and his face turning into fire from embarrassment.

“Taekwoon! Where is your head today?” His trainer had barked at him, frustrated with his unusual behaviour. He answered he must have left it at home. With Wonshik. He had thought to himself, stomach tightening.

As he stopped in front of the door to his apartment, his heart was racing. Both from walking fast and other reasons he did not want to think of. Taking a deep breath, calming his panting, he punched in the code and entered the apartment.

Not wanting to wake his father, he didn’t call for Wonshik, but found him quickly as he looked into the livingroom. He was seated on the couch, playing with his phone; completely immersed with the game. The door closed with a smack and Wonshik looked up, face brightening.

Having no sense at all, he shouted “Hey!” as he waved. Taekwoon immediately shot up his hand and hushed the other with a finger in front of his mouth. Wonshik made a comical face of regret, hands coming up in surrender and mouthing an apology before he got up and moved towards him. He kicked off his shoes and moved to leave his gym bag right inside the bathroom door, located beside the entrance.

“Did you eat breakfast yet?” He asked quietly. Wonshik shook his head. “I figured I’d wait for you.” Taekwoon hummed and motioned for the other to follow him to the fridge.

Having a father who worked mostly at night and through the mornings, Taekwoon had learned to make some foods for breakfast before school. He couldn’t say he knew much, but he knew enough to prepare them both a very quick fried rice from the cold rice left in the rice cooker from the day before, some sauce and various vegetables he found in the fridge.

 Wonshik watched him in awe, making him blush slightly as he prepared the food in silence. Occasionally he would put the other to work, like making him mix two eggs, finding them two bowls and preparing kimchi in a separate, small bowl. As he finished up and placed a bowl in Wonshik’s waiting hands, the other’s eyes were practically shining in admiration.

“You’re like a real chef” He commented, seemingly baffled. Taekwoon ducked his head, embarrassed. “No, I’m not.” He denied and walked over the kitchen table to sit, Wonshik following right behind him, peeking over his shoulders. Something he did easily, being slightly taller.

“You sure? ‘Cause this smells pretty amazing.” He shook his head, but his mouth twitched. Keeping his head down and eyes focused on the food, he refused to show it.

“Eat.” He commanded. Wonshik didn’t hesitate a second. He chewed once before eyes widened and he exclaimed a moan, making Taekwoon blush even further. “Oh, man. This is so good.”

Taekwoon huffed, never knowing what to do with himself whenever he received praise. His face and neck would catch on fire, and sweat starting to form on his back, making him shift around uncomfortably. He hated it and loved it at the same time, happy the food was enjoyed, hating the reactions the compliments drew out of him. All he could do was huff, resisting fanning himself and making it too obvious.

And Wonshik just wouldn’t stop . As he ate Taekwoon’s mediocre fried rice, sounds just kept tumbling out of him. He had never noticed the other was such a loud eater. He couldn’t help but stare secretly as the other was too distracted to notice. Taekwoon found himself almost too distracted to eat; only half done when Wonshik’s bowl was empty. He had even given the other more than himself.

With his bowl empty, Wonshik settled on watching Taekwoon eat; who now started eating diligently to escape the attention as quickly as possible. His heart started beating again under Wonshik’s calm gaze. Food gone in no time, he escaped by grabbing both of their dishes and walking over to the kitchen to wash them. He could hear Wonshik following behind, the chair scraping the floor, soft sounds of socks meeting the floor. Taekwoon felt so hyper-aware of his surroundings he was sure he would crack at any sudden movement or sound.

“I can wash those.” Wonshik stepped up beside him as he was lowering the dishes into the sink, the sound and presence sudden enough for him to drop the bowls and make a loud ‘clank’. He huffed, tense, but backed away when Wonshik gave him a slight nudge in the side to move over.

He couldn’t understand why he was so worked up. Wonshik was comfortable. Calming even. His body was not reacting accordingly. It was so confusing. And he felt so stupid.

He managed to calm everything down as he watched him wash the bowls carefully, avoiding noises the best he could. By the time Wonshik dried his hands on a piece of paper towel, Taekwoon felt normal again. Giving a quick smile when Wonshik turned to face him, he indicated towards his bedroom with a nod and moved past him.

“Were you serious about joining the music club, by the way?” Taekwoon finds himself asking as they enter his room, Wonshik shutting the door behind them. He hears the other sigh.

“Yeah…kinda? I’m not sure…” He frowns at that.
“Why?” He asks as he sits down on his bed, legs folded under himself. Wonshik moves to take a seat on his desk chair, rolling it closer to the bed. He could see him chewing his lips.
“I don’t even know how to play.” Wonshik shrugs. He seemed to have given up on the idea already.
“…and?” He gives Wonshik a questioning look. “That’s kind of the point of joining the music club, you know. They’ll teach you how to play.”

Wonshik meets his eyes at that, looking surprised. “Ohh…” He exhaled in realization. Taekwoon can’t stop himself from smiling warmly at the other.

“What about you? You need to join at least one club at some point.” Wonshik asked him after a slight pause. Taekwoon nodded thoughtfully. He had been considering it ever since he found out about the lack of a soccer club. “I think so, yeah.” I he answered, and was awarded with a bright smile from the other. “Let’s join together.” Wonshik suggested with an adorable grin, making Taekwoon’s face feel warm.

“Do you know how to play?”

Taekwoon nodded. “I know some piano, but I’m not any good.” He shrugged. He hadn’t touched the piano in a long time, their apartment only containing a small, simple keyboard. Wonshik eyes shone with admiration anyway, like he had just said he was a piano prodigy or something. He couldn’t look at him anymore, feeling self-aware.

“I really want to learn guitar.” Wonshik admitted. “It looks so cool.” He let out a deep and breathy chuckle. Taekwoon’s chest fluttered at the sound, face hot as his eyes stared at his own hands. He could easily picture Wonshik with an acoustic guitar on his lap, the checkered shirt he was wearing a perfectly complimenting feature to the fantasy. With his blonde hair he would perfectly fit the look, he thought. “Yeah, you would suit it, I think.” He admitted out loud, rocking back and forth happily on his bed. Wonshik blushed at that, hand coming up to rub at his neck again. “Really?” Wonshik didn’t sound so convinced.

“Yeah, really.” He encouraged and Wonshik accepted it with a hesitating nod. He wished Wonshik would have more confidence, and he was having a hard time understanding how the boy had such a low opinion of himself in the first place. To him Wonshik seemed pretty perfect. Why didn’t everyone see that?

The thought brought him to the night before.

“What happened last night?” He asked carefully. Wonshik looked at him for a moment, then shrugged and sighed. “They were just bored, I guess.”

“Do they come to your house often?” He asked, getting worried. His mind immediately started thinking of ways to help the other. Talking to his dad, talking to their teacher, talking to the bullies…

“Sometimes… I’m usually already home, so I just lock the door and ignore them until they give up.” Wonshik shrugged, like it was the most natural thing in the world. It made Taekwoon’s heart ache to see how adjusted the other was to his situation. He had simply accepted that he was a victim. At times it almost seemed like he thought he deserved, which gave Taekwoon a bitter taste in his mouth. Nobody deserves to be treated like this.

He couldn’t help but huff in frustration, making Wonshik look at him with worry. As if he had said something wrong. “Why are you so casual about this?” He asked hurriedly so he wouldn’t misunderstand, and realized his frustration was clear. It made Wonshik flinch a little. He chewed his lip a little while Taekwoon watched him, waiting, before shrugging once again. “It’s just how it is.” He admitted. “There’s not much I can do about it.”

Taekwoon’s frown deepened. “Of course there is.” He promised. Wonshik looked at him again at that, analyzing him. He could see he wasn’t convinced.

“I’m not letting them near you again.” He declared, straightening his back. Wonshik’s brows rose up in surprise, but his look gave him away: that he didn’t believe there was anything Taekwoon could do to help him.

But Taekwoon was stubborn and determined.

--

AN: I’m leaving you a small gift below here: the drawing I have of Taekwoon’s apartment to help me keep things in order. Have a nice one!

- Viking