Tally Marks- soulmate au

Chapter Fifteen: Growth

"H-hi guys." Seungkwan spoke as he stood outside the couple's home. He stood there a bit timidly as the two just stared at him. They hadn't expected any of their former friends to show up after what had happened at the restaurant. So to have Seungkwan show up, at their home, they had no idea what to do or say.

"A-are you guys gonna let me in? It's kinda cold out here." Seungkwan let out, trying to interrupt the awkward silence.

Junhui moved closer to Wonwoo, almost trying to hide behind him. Both of them were on edge and Junhui was subconsciously trying to get closer to the only person left who could protect him.

"Look," Wonwoo spoke, his deep voice almost sounding intimidating but also incredibly soft. He sounded tired. "If you're here to harass us you can leave now. I think we've had enough for one day. Come back tomorrow, we'll be more rested by then."

Wonwoo began to close their door but Seungkwan pushed his hand against the door to stop him. "Please- can you- can you please just let me in."

Wonwoo sighed and moved aside to let the younger in and for some reason, Junhui felt violated. They had just let someone into their house, someone who, to their knowledge, hated them. He felt so, unbelievably uncomfortable. He just kept moving closer to Wonwoo, a person he considered his protector.

"Can we talk somewhere more comfortable?" Seungkwan asked.

Wonwoo nodded and lead him to their living room. Junhui followed close behind Wonwoo, making sure to stay away from Seungkwan. He hated the fact that he had to fear the people he considered his friends. No one should ever have to fear their friends.

Once they had made it to the living room, the three of them had sat down on the couch. Junhui sat, pressed to Wonwoo, on one side of the couch while Seungkwan sat on the other. There was a large canyon between them that was full of uncertainty and slight bitterness. The three of them sat in an uncomfortable silence until Seungkwan spoke up. His voice was shaky and he seemed incredibly nervous when he said. "Um- I'm sorry...about...about earlier." He didn't look at either of them as he spoke, but if he had, he would have seem identical looks of confusion splayed across their faces.

"I really wanted to stand up for you guys, but I was afraid. I- I was afraid of what they might do to me if I had said anything." He continued.

The couple didn't know how to respond, so they didn't. Junhui wasn't as tense as he as earlier though, he had loosened up a bit, knowing that he wasn't about to be beat up.

Still confused as to what Seungkwan was trying to say, Wonwoo asked, "Why would you try to stand up for us?"

Seungkwan began to get even more nervous than he was before. He started bouncing his leg up and down, and playing with his fingers while still not look at Wonwoo and Junhui. He seemed to open and close his mouth a few times, as if he started to say something but then stopped, trying to find the right words. After a couple of minutes he seemed to have found his words as he began to speak.

"Okay, so, remember how I told you about the new guy at the coffee shop?" This time, having found more confidence, he looked up and the pair. The both nodded and signaled for him to continue. "His name is Hansol and I think I might maybe kinda sorta like him." The longer that sentence went on the quieter Seungkwan's voice went, but considering there was no other noise coming from anywhere else, he could still be heard. And as he spoke the last words of his sentence, Junhui erupted into a squeal. He leaped over Wonwoo and tackled Seungkwan into a hug. Wonwoo groaned as Junhui did that and Seungkwan shrieked at the sudden burst.

"Oh, Seungkwan, you scared me! I thought I was about to lose everyone." Junhui pulled away from Seungkwan and allowed for everyone to sit up properly. After this revelation Junhui and Wonwoo felt more comfortable in Seungkwan's presence. They felt as if they could finally be themselves. So Junhui leaned back and rested all of his weight onto Wonwoo and Wonwoo wrapped an arm around his boyfriend. A small smile appeared on Seungkwan's face as he watched the couple relax.

"So," Junhui started, "Tell me all about this Hansol guy."

Just thinking about Hansol caused a light blush to appear on Seungkwan's face. Wonwoo and Junhui cooed at this and started lightly teasing Seungkwan for his crush, which only worsened his blush. And they talked and talked and talked. They talked about how happy Seungkwan was and how happy he was that he could finally tell someone about Hansol. And they all happily chatted about things they couldn't tell anyone else. Junhui and Wonwoo talked about their first kiss and when they realized they had feelings for each other. They talked about their ups and downs. They told Seungkwan their story and he told them his. And that night, while the stars were bright and the emotions were heavy, Seungkwan became their closest friend.

Within the following week Seungkwan had quit working at the coffee shop because he couldn't stand being around Joshua. But of course, that meant he would see Hansol less, so instead, Seungkwan started to come into the shop every time Hansol had a shift and they would talk and talk and talk. Junhui and Wonwoo had hired Seungkwan as their receptionist so that he could still have a job. And things went fairly smoothly. Of course, tension still rose between Joshua and everyone else, but nothing could really be done there. He had his opinions, and they were strong, and you can't always convince others you're right. Sometimes, you just have to accept that you're not going to get everyone to understand your perspective. So the three of them moved on with their lives. Because Seungkwan had quit, Hansol took over his morning shift and Joshua had to take the afternoon shifts, so Wonwoo and Junhui stopped going to the coffee shop and instead sent Seungkwan to get coffee for the three of them.

Seungcheol was a different story, however. They didn't know how he felt on the subject of them being together. They thought that he felt the same as Joshua about the whole thing, considering that's what most people felt at this time, but they were proven wrong. One day Seungcheol showed up while they were working. Junhui and Wonwoo were in the back working on a dress for a woman when he showed up. Seungkwan attempted to sort things out and make sure that he didn't cause any problems because Wonwoo and Junhui were doing fine despite the conditions and they didn't need him here causing problems. But eventually they came out to see what was causing a commotion and they ended up talking. Turns out, Seungcheol supported them. It took him a while to realize it, but they were still human beings and he really missed them being a part of his life. He begged them to forgive him and they did. So now, they got two of their friends back, which is better than none. Cheryl never showed up, but Seungcheol said that he had talked to her about it and even though she may not agree with everything, she thinks Joshua was a bit harsh. They never ended up talking to her or Joshua again though, which kinda sucked, but that's how life works sometimes. Sometimes, the people closest to you aren't the ones you that will be there for you.

About two weeks after the incident, Wonwoo and Junhui had their first fight. It was dumb, and about whether they should buy more fabric or start a savings account. Junhui really wanted to start saving money just incase their company didn't turn out the way it was supposed to, but Wonwoo needed more fabric for one of their customers and he thought that buying the fabric would insure that the customers would be happy and they wouldn't have to worry about the company not working out. Things escalated quickly and neither of them were thinking about the words they said. Bitter words fell from Wonwoo's tongue as sharp blades were spit out ofJunhui's. It ended with Junhui storming off to the bedroom and Wonwoo sleeping on the couch. Although, neither of them got the sleep they wanted. The following morning started off awkward, but they both apologized and ended up hugging and kissing, they really missed the other's warmth.

And within the month, their company had been getting a lot more attention than they expected. Seungcheol had started to help with marketing and they had really started to take off. Everything was going smoothly and they enjoyed that. They realized that bad things will come, but they will also go. They were growing, as a couple, as friends, as a company, and nothing made them happier than that.

(1521 words)