Broken but not Forgotten

Chapter 9 - Destiny Had A Plan

"Ugh, we should have made those punks stay and clean up." Sooho expresses his displeasure to Shieun as they all settle down at a table, following the cleanup and restoration of the restaurant. 

"I'm so h." he begins again.

"If you say you are hungry one more time, I will hit you with a coke can." Shieun threatens, taking a cold coke can and placing it in front of Sooho. 

Instead of responding, Sooho just gives him a pitiful look and rubs his stomach. Shieun cut a look at the guys who were laughing at their interaction, but Sooho wasn't paying attention to them. His eyes are drawn to the food Jin has just brought out. Shieun rolls his eyes as he watches his lover stuff a lettuce wrap into his mouth, before the plate even touches the table. 

Seeing him roll his, Sooho asks, "What!? You want one?" Sooho intends to insert one into Shieun's mouth, but Shieun pulls back. 

"Stop, I washed my hands. You saw me do it. Besides you." but Shieun interrupts Sooho's sentence before he could finish. 

"Don't." He says as he grabs another coke can and pops the top ominously. 

Hoomin threw his head back laughing, "I've always liked you Shieun, but no doubt about it, Sooho brings out a whole different side out of you." The other guys nod in agreement as they too were grabbing food and stuffing their mouths. 

"Yeah, who knew that Shieun could actually say a lot. I mean, it was mostly yelling and curse words, but we wouldn't have known that without Sooho." Jin snickers, but he quickly stuffs his mouth when Shieun and Sooho glare at him. 

When they had come back through the door, they had encountered his friends. Standing there with varying expressions of astonishment and amusement. Having come because of hearing the loud noises, just for him and Sooho to come in still putting their clothes back together. Shieun was too relaxed to really feel anything, not that either one of them were prone to getting embarrassed anyway. Instead, they simply nodded and walked past them, leaving them standing there stunned as they put two and two together. Especially considering they had Shieun's previous vocals to go by.

"Where's dad? And why are you standing?" Sooho inquires, while he shoves food into Shieun's mouth.

Shieun stares blankly at his lover because he is unable to respond because the idiot has just put food in his mouth. Sooho gives him a sheepish look after reading Shieun's face and realizing why he wasn't answering him. 

"Your dad is back in the kitchen eating with mom. He said something about having enough of teenagers already." Jin answers for Shieun, the response making everyone laugh. 

Shieun glances at the vacant seat situated adjacent to Sooho, he would rather not sit there. It still felt too far away from Sooho. Looking at his friends, he mentally shrugs and directs a piercing gaze towards Sooho. Without even looking at Shieun, Sooho stuffs more food into his mouth while he scoots his chair back. Sooho then grabs Shieun and pulls him down into his lap. Place Shieun in a position where he can comfortably lean back against his chest. Subsequently, he reaches around Shieun's waist to create another lettuce wrap, which he then serves to Shieun. Shieun continues to relax and accept the care, basking in the touch and connection of Sooho. The guys stop eating to watch all this unfold. 

Juyang inquires with a mixture of confusion and anticipation, "I've got to know the story."

Shieun can understand their curiosity. To say they were different would be an understatement. He was unsure how to explain, though because he didn't even know himself. 

"There was a strong attraction between us, we fell in love, became friends, and then Sooho kissed me. That was that." He tells them in his normal monotone voice. 

Hoomin pinches the bridge of his nose, while Jin lays his head on the table. Juntae reaching over to pat him on the back. The others leaning on each other as they snicker. With Juyang saying that he understood now where the cute came in. 

"What? That's how it went." He informs them while merely gazing and blinking.

Once Sooho bulldozes into his life, he can't go back. Not that he wants to. Sooho had squeezed into the spot where Shieun's void used to be. Sooho provided him with a sense of completeness, bringing color to his gray surroundings.

For Sooho's part, he was steadily feeding Shieun and himself, but pauses to tell them that they were classmates at Byuksan High. 

"Honestly, I can't remember much. It seems as though the coma erased that year, yet I have never forgotten Shieun. I have a collection of pictures, as if my brain took pictures to remember things. I remember having caused his pencil case to fall, and he gave me the haughtiest look. Thinking, how can someone this pretty and adorable make such a face." Sooho tells the nodding guys and then stops to laugh at himself. 

Reaching out to give Shieun more food, but he shook his head. Shieun was lost in the thought of know that Sooho had even then found him pretty and adorable.

Sooho sat back, arms around Shieun still. "After that, I remember watching him because he reminded me of my mom. She gave off a sense of warmth while being reserved. I always appeared where he was, but I'm not sure if it was intentional or not. I know that he captivated me even before our friendship began. Then it developed naturally." Sooho tells them matter-of-factly, as if this was not all new information for Shieun. 

The influx of new information was causing Shieun's world to shift. He was astonished to learn of this, particularly of his similarity to Sooho's mother. Sooho has always been there when he thinks about it. Even when Sooho punched him, it was because he was looking out for him. He was uncertain as to why he had not come to that realization sooner. His gaze became misty as he continued to gaze at Sooho, who must have felt it as he was turning to look at Shieun. 

"What?" He asks, face and voice full of confusion. 

"I began falling in love with you when you gave me those fingers hearts. You were on your delivery bike, honking like an idiot, when you pulled up next to my bus. Telling me that we must have been married in a past life because we keep meeting and then giving me finger hearts before driving away. That's when the attraction started for me." Shieun informs him.

Sooho stares at him with an expression of incredulity. 

"When did we fall in love?" he asks in a slightly pleading voice, like he was desperate to know this answer.

As if he'd been struggling with putting a puzzle together. Shieun realizes that this question must have been bothering Sooho. He chuckles, which causes the guys to freeze and look at him.

A smile blossoming on his face as he tells him, "At the restaurant. When you fed me." Sooho seems to take a moment to think about it and then smiles back. 

The event of falling had of course already been transpiring prior to the restaurant, like a gradual descent into an abyss from which neither would be capable nor willing to climb back up. When their hands slipped off the cliff, however, was when he took Sooho's hand. From that single touch, Sooho had mentally never let go. Then they arrived at the restaurant, and Shieun observed who Sooho really was as a person. The unintentional drop of his barrier allowed Sooho to establish a connection between them that bonded them.

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That evening, with their legs intertwined and his hand resting on Sooho's heart, he begins contemplating everything that Sooho has said. Shieun starts to believe in destiny because he can't explain them any other way. Perhaps Sooho was correct, and it is possible that they were married in a previous life. Now he realizes that Sooho was just as lonely as he was when they met. Due to their inability to overcome their loneliness, fate continued to bring them together. Until, finally, they came together, falling in love. Then Sooho was hurt. It had been the worst day of Shieun's life. He believed he would have to say goodbye, but destiny once again had other plans. 

"Sooho, do you believe in soulmates?" Shieun was unable to help but ask Sooho.

Sooho turns his head and tenderly kisses him. "How could I not?"

                                                                                The End