“That's my cue to get going I think.” Woohyun announced as he straightened up in his seat. The movie had come to an end. Eunji, who was now sitting in the middle, since Sungkyu had claimed the end furthest from him when he came back with the popcorn and some more beers, had fallen asleep, her head bobbing up and down. He cleared his throat when she showed no sign of waking up, but it was of no use. He could hear Sungkyu's quiet chuckles at the other end, clearly this was not the first time this had happened. There was something magical about Sungkyu's chuckles, they were like rain on a scorching hot summer afternoon, refreshing and invigorating.

“Emm... yeah... so ahm... just tell her goodbye for me then?” he told Sungkyu as he stood up, indecisively lingering around even though it was awkward.

“EUNJI-YA! WOOHYUN SAYS BYE!” Sungkyu shouted at the top of his lungs even though he was sitting right next to her. Eunji shot up like a soldier at roll call, almost saluting them too. Woohyun burst out laughing, he couldn't help it. He had obviously not meant for Sungkyu to deliver his message right away. What a jokester. A bit mean, but absolutely hilarious. Sungkyu couldn't hide the smug smile that was dancing on his lips, he clearly liked that he found him funny. Now that was a step in the right direction, at least there was something he liked about him.

When Eunji had had a few seconds to orient herself and piece together what had happened, she attacked Sungkyu head on, beating the living daylights out of him but they were both laughing like crazy. Woohyun envied them, not just because he wanted to be the one that was close to Sungkyu, but also because he had never really been that close with anyone, ever.

“Wait, you're leaving?” Eunji stopped hitting Sungkyu and turned to Woohyun with a question mark written on her face.

“Ah, yeah, uhm, it's getting late and all...” he explained, preparing to head to the front door.

“It's late alright, too late! You can't go now, you've been drinking so there's not a chance I can let you get into your car, and a taxi this late is risky, you could get ambushed by paparazzi, you don't know!” Eunji waved her hands around dramatically, she was still a bit drunk, but so was he. He had lost count of the beers that had effortlessly disappeared down his throat over the movie, feeling how it took a fraction of a second longer to blink, like he was in slight slow motion.

“Oh, it's okay, I'll just call Dongwoo.” he started fishing his phone out of his pocket, not having the best of luck though.

“Aww, he's probably having some much needed couple-time with Hoya, it would be a shame to disturb him. Just crash here!” she brightly suggested. Wow, she was more up to speed than he was. Did she know Hoya? Or was Sungkyu such a chatterbox? He was about to object, explaining that it was actually part of Dongwoo's job to pick him up whenever wherever, so he wouldn't mind, but then the annoying truth serum, by the name of alcohol, which was running through his veins at record speed alerted him to the fact that he didn't really want to go, he wanted to stay as close to Sungkyu as possible, he didn't want to give up on him.

“Oh, you don't mind?” he grinned, putting his phone back in his pocket.

“Eh, I mind!” Sungkyu objected, crossing his arms. “There's no room. I'm sleeping in the living room and it's cramped as it is, and Eunji has the only room so you obviously can't sleep there..” he fervently argued his case, eliminating every square feet of the apartment, but Eunji cut in.

“Oh, please! We're officially dating and then there's the fact that he's g..”.

“..grown up! We're all grown up here.” Woohyun interjected without really meaning to and without understanding why either. He knew what she was going to say, and it wasn't 'grown up'. But if she revealed that he was gay, she would also reveal that their relationship was fake and that scared him for some reason. If she took that thin veil of deceit away from him, then there would be nothing standing in the way between him and Sungkyu, except Sungkyu himself. The thought made him uncomfortable. He always had the most bizarre reactions when he was around Sungkyu, not feeling like himself at all. He wasn't a coward. He always went for what he wanted and got it, by any means necessary. It was his superpower. But the kryptonite in Sungkyu was strong, too strong. It rendered him not only powerless, but absolutely helpless.

Sungkyu just gave them a dejected nod, as if all the energy had left his body and there was nothing left but defeat. Woohyun could feel his heart turn blue, going on to pump the blue blood all through his body, instantly bringing him down. Why was Sungkyu so against him staying the night? Yes, the living room was tiny, but it could easily fit two people. And he was even against him sleeping in Eunji's room, it was not like he was in his way if he was in a whole other room. Could it be that he just genuinely hated his guts? But what about their date, they had had such a good time at their date before Sungkyu just shut him out for no apparent reason. Why? And earlier tonight, he hadn't moved his hand away, even when he started it lightly with his finger. That had to mean something, didn't it? Oh, and that time in the coffee shop's office where he could clearly feel Sungkyu's heart react to him. Yet he blocked his efforts right and left, rejecting him time and time again. Why? He was going insane with all these mixed signals.

Woohyun's heart sank deeper and deeper into the black hole Sungkyu's reactions had created inside of him. He could not figure that guy out. Eunji had been the perfect hostess, running around finding him clothes to wear, Sungkyu's in fact, much to Sungkyu's resent. They even smelled like Sungkyu, he thought as he breathed in his scent after changing into them. At the same time it made him feel closer to him, and further away somehow. She made a bed for him on the floor of her room, and she even gave him an unused toothbrush she had bought for herself.

Sungkyu resisted ever step of the way. Complaining that he didn't want his clothes to lose their shape by someone else wearing them, leaving Woohyun slightly offended. It was not like he was some 200 pound bear that would tear through his clothes, he was just going to sleep in them and that was it. Nothing one little wash wouldn't erase completely. Eunji shot him down by pointing out that she borrowed his clothes all the time. It was also a waste in Sungkyu's opinion to give him an unused toothbrush, since he would only use it once, but Eunji blocked him once more by suggesting they would keep it for the next time he would spend the night. The horror on Sungkyu's face at hearing 'next time' shot through Woohyun's heart like a poisonous arrow, infecting everything it came into contact with.

In the end, Sungkyu gave up fighting, and just stood there, with an empty, sad face. As if he had been robbed of something precious and he had lost all hope of ever getting it back. It hit Woohyun worse than all his insults. He looked so different from his usual snarky self. Like he was broken.

“What was up with Sungkyu earlier?” Woohyun asked Eunji in a soft voice when they were both tucked into bed.

“Oh, don't worry about it, he just had too much to drink, he always gets a bit cranky and lonely when he drinks.” she explained, not too concerned. “Good night.” she added and her side. Not long after, her overly loud breathing indicated she had fallen asleep.

Woohyun tossed and turned. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Sungkyu's broken face staring back at him. He just looked so lost and helpless, not his usual standoffish self. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he felt like he had seen a hint of something that lay beneath Sungkyu's harsh exterior, something soft and vulnerable, something that had already been shattered.

He couldn't sleep, and he was going insane just lying there, obsessing over Sungkyu's sad eyes. He decided to go to the toilet, maybe get a glass of water. Anything to try and get his mind off things. Carefully, he sneaked past Eunji's bed and took his time opening the door to make sure it wouldn't creak. He didn't want to wake them up, that would only create more problems.

When he had cleared the door with full marks, he held his breath, concentrating on his feet, taking slow, calculated steps. After all, Sungkyu's bed, that a few hours earlier had doubled as a sofa, was right there beside him. The smallest sound could disturb Sungkyu. He didn't want to give him one more thing for him to hate about him. Even though he didn't get why he hated him in the first place. It was an uncomfortable feeling, doubting oneself. He had never before experienced it, not until he met Sungkyu. And still he was subjecting himself to it, as if he was some kind of a masochist. He knew he should have just moved on, he knew he should simply write Sungkyu off as an anomaly, but he couldn't. It was as if he had some unexplainable power over him, using it to destroy him from the inside.

Getting lost in his thoughts, he forgot about his foot for one fateful second, banging it up against a dresser, gasping from the pain but not letting out a single sound. The tears sprouted at the corners of his eyes like weed, one after the other. His eyes adjusting to the darkness as he jumped around on one leg, swallowing the pain, he saw a sitting figure huddled in the corner of the sofa-bed. Sungkyu.

“Oh, ehm, you can't sleep either, huh?” he whispered softly.

Sungkyu looked so sad and abandoned, like he was all alone in the world. He got an overwhelmingly strong urge to hug him and make it all go away.

“Can I...” he ventured, pointing at the spot next to him, wordlessly asking for permission to come closer.

Without any reaction, Sungkyu just stared at him for a while. Woohyun couldn't predict what would be his reaction even if his life depended on it. He never knew with Sungkyu. He felt like his heart was on display and Sungkyu was just looking at it, like a painting at a gallery, forming a critique in his mind. And he was the painter, desperately wishing for approval. He had never felt so exposed and vulnerable. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

Finally, Sungkyu nodded ever so slightly. It was so slight that Woohyun was worried he had imagined it, that it had been wishful thinking, but he was going to take what he could get. Carefully, he crawled into his bed, making his way to the corner. He planted himself right next to him, scooching as close to him as he dared. Since he was being brave, he decided to take it all the way, putting his arm around him. He could feel Sungkyu's whole body stiffen under his touch, still he didn't remove his hand, instead he held him closer.

They stayed that way for a while. Neither of them breathing a word. But then, catching Woohyun completely off guard, Sungkyu relaxed and leaned into his embrace, resting his head on his shoulder momentarily before sliding it right into the spot between his neck and shoulder. It felt like that spot had been created especially for him, he fit perfectly. He didn't realize how empty it had felt until now, like it had always been waiting for its owner to arrive, finally feeling complete. A wave of warmth crashed over Woohyun. They just sat there in the silence, but it was everything but quiet. All Woohyun could hear was his own heartbeat, though he felt like he could almost hear Sungkyu's heartbeat as well, imagining their hearts beating in sync.

His brain alerted him to the fact that this would be the perfect opportunity to take advantage and sleep with him. A chance to finish what he had started, finally ridding himself of all these strange feelings and reclaiming his freedom. A chance to become himself again. But to his surprise, it was the last thing on his mind. He didn't want to sleep with him. Not like this. He just wanted to comfort him, to be there for him and make him feel better somehow. But by doing that, he felt worse. It was as if Sungkyu's loneliness was being transferred over to him. The ache in his heart was gradually growing and there was this strange void in the pit of his stomach that kept eating at his insides, threatening to swallow him whole. Still he remained seated, right next to the source of all this discomfort. Where was his self-preservation? Why hadn't it kicked in already and told him to get the hell out of there? He was scared. Terrified, really.

He could hear Sungkyu's breath stabilize, the steady rhythm indicating he had fallen asleep. It was not the most comfortable of positions. His arm tingled, threatening to fall asleep if he didn't move. Yet, he didn't budge, not even an inch. He just sat there, in the dark, letting Sungkyu sleep, feeling his warm breath up against his neck, the void in his gut growing bigger with each and every one. He wondered whether there was going to be anything left of him in the morning or if the void would have had erased him completely. Would Sungkyu miss him? Probably not. He sighed and closed his eyes, the tiredness finally taking hold of him. Even so, he couldn't fall asleep. So he just listened to Sungkyu breathing, feeling oddly comforted by a sound he usually found annoying.