Serendipity (A BossNoeul story)

Situationship

"Boss? We are still in this together."

Noeul felt his face flush as he said the words. This was not what he was expecting when he probed to discover the thing that had been eating away at his friend. He was a swirl of emotions himself now, but every problem had a solution. Boss's shocked expression was fading as he began to blink at last, his chin still pinched between Noeul's fingers.

"We'll figure this out together. Come inside and we can talk about it, ok?" He let his hand relax and drop back into his lap.

Boss was still processing the interaction. Noeul knew it well; that look he had when something needed to not only sink in, but be analyzed before he could answer. Noeul had teased him many times about his software needing an update when he looked that way. He couldn't help but think of his friend fondly in that moment, he really was very sweet and sensitive. It gave Noeul a warm feeling as he placed his hand on Boss's knee and repeated the invitation.

"Come, on."

"'Eul..." Boss sighed.

Noeul removed the key from the ignition and unfastened Boss's seatbelt.

"I can't carry you all that way, you need to help." Noeul said with a teasing smile and a nudge.

****

Five minutes later they were seated on Noeul's small sofa, with one small lamp illuminating the room, and only the hum of the air conditioner to break the silence.

"Ok, so let's just break things down. So that I can understand better," Noeul said in a calm voice with open hands. "Did you always feel this way?"

"No," Boss said, looking at his lap. "I don't know an exact time I wanted to... you know... it happened gradually, I guess." He reached up to let his hair loose as he ran a hand through it, still not looking up.

"Is it cause of Rain?"

"What?" Boss turned to his friend, his hair flipping as he moved.

"I mean, you always said Rain was so cute, and you would go on about Rain, maybe you're just..." Noeul made a vague hand swirling gesture that signaled his inability to come up with the exact words he wanted to explain.

"I already thought of that," Boss huffed a bit as he refastened his hair into a low knot. "I don't feel like Payu. I feel like me."

"Ok, we can figure this out." Noeul returned to a calm voice you might use with a scared animal.

"I don't need it figured out. I need you to forget I said anything. I need you to just pretend this was just some fever dream and wake up tomorrow like we're normal." Boss stood, slapping his knees, as if to say case closed.

"Boss, don't leave it like that, you're gonna give yourself an ulcer from overthinking. We can work it out." Noeul looked up at him with furrowed brows.

"There isn't a way to work it out, 'Eul. I feel like this...and you... don't. I'll deal with it."

Noeul watched Boss move towards the door with his shoulders slumped. Just as he tried to rise from the sofa, Boss turned back to him.

"Just, don't change, ok? Just wait for me. I'll make it okay. I didn't want to mess things up for you."

Noeul was on his feet now. Boss's strides were longer, but he was moving with the weight of his emotions slowing him down. Noeul caught his hand before he had managed to get to his shoes. Tugging his arm, Noeul forced Boss to turn. Without an understanding of his own motivations, Noeul reached up to cup Boss's cheek in his hand.