Kibum sat on the couch with his knees drawn up to his chest. He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to push all thoughts out of his mind. His body was trembling slightly, an effect of the withdrawal symptoms. He’d been experiencing many of the symptoms lately, but he’d been really good about the no drug rule. Instead he dealt with insomnia, headaches, the constant trembling, nausea, etc.

Heechul glanced over at the younger boy sympathetically and patted his back softly. He knew that this was really difficult for Kibum. He was sure that it was going to get even harder because later today Donghae was coming back home and Mir was coming home to stay for a few days.

“Kibum, do you want to go to the store with me?” Heechul asked after awhile. Kibum looked over at him and nodded quickly, not wanting Heechul out of his sight. He’d been clinging to the older man a lot lately, he felt really anxious and nervous if Heechul wasn’t constantly by his side.

They got off the couch and went to the front door, Heechul handed Kibum one of Donghae’s jackets since the air was starting to get chilly as autumn progressed. They walked out of the apartment complex together and as soon as they were outside Kibum immediately grabbed Heechul’s hand and walked close to him.

As they strolled towards the market, Heechul began to think about the constant clinginess from Kibum. At first he had thought it was because Kibum was just scared about being in a new home, but then he would freak out if Heechul wasn’t constantly in his sight. Not that Heechul minded too much, but he had decided that he was going to seek some insight from a psychologist about what was going on with Kibum. He needed to know what he was dealing with and what was going to help Kibum feel better.

They were getting many strange looks as they walked to the market, since it was quite unusual to see a teen holding hands with an adult. Kibum kept his eyes glued to the ground as they walked forward. He felt really uneasy to be out in public and all the weird glances were making him feel uncomfortable. When they entered the store, Heechul pulled his hand out of Kibum’s grasp so he could hold the basket while they shopped. Kibum stuck to him like glue and followed him through the aisles.

“What do you want, Kibum?” Heechul asked as they headed into the snack aisle.

“I don’t want anything,” Kibum replied, scooting closer to Heechul as another shopper walked by.

“Kibum, you’re barely eating. That’s not healthy. And with you feeling nauseous from the withdrawal symptoms I’d feel a lot better if you had something in your stomach to actually throw up instead of dry-heaving. Trust me, the sick feeling go away if you actually vomit,” Heechul told him.

Kibum nodded and pulled a box of cookies of the shelf and put them into the basket. It was his favorite type, oatmeal chocolate chip. He stared at the box as they walked into the next aisle, thinking back to a few months before Dayeun’s death.

“Oppa, can we make cookies for my tea party?” Dayeun asked, tugging on her brother’s shirt. Kibum looked down at her and smiled.

“Tea party? Only if I’m invited too,” He said, holding her hand as they walked into the kitchen together.

“Noooo, oppa! It’s only for girls!” Dayeun objected.

“But why should I make cookies for a tea party I’m not invited to?” Kibum asked playfully as he crossed him arms with a pout.

“But oppa, tea parties are for girls! But I guess you can come as my date then, I know Miss Bunny would be so jealous! She has a huge crush on you!” Dayeun exclaimed excitedly, bursting into giggles. Kibum laughed and pulled out the recipe book from the cabinet where the baking supplies were.

“Okay, I’ll be your date then. Now, what type of cookies do you want to make?” He asked his sister as he opened the book to the pastry section.

“Chocolate chip! Oatmeal kind because that’s what Kibum oppa likes!”

“Kibum?”

Kibum snapped his head up and looked at Heechul, not realizing that he’d been talking to him.

“What?” He asked, sounding a little confused.

“I asked if you wanted anything else,” Heechul told him.  Kibum shook his head and folded his arms together comfortingly. He frowned at the sudden surge of sorrow and just wanted to go back home now. Heechul sighed, sensing the gloom from Kibum, and headed up to the counter to pay. He handed one of the bags to Kibum and they headed out of the store. Kibum used his free hand to clutch hold of Heechul’s again as they walked down the sidewalk together.

When they arrived back home Kibum helped put the groceries away and start making dinner. He noticed that Heechul was making more than usual but thought nothing of it. After that was done and set to cook, Kibum walked out and went to go sit on the couch. He curled up into a ball and stared blankly at the floor. His eyes watered up and he quickly wiped a tear away; the increasing depression caused by the withdrawal was really getting to him.

Heechul came over and sat down next to him, putting his hand on Kibum's shoulder.

“Want to tell me what’s wrong?” He asked softly. Kibum shook his head and wiped away a few more tears as they fell.

“No,” He whispered.

“Kibum, you don’t have to go through this alone. If you talk about it, things will get better,” Heechul advised wisely.

“Nothing will get better, she’s dead,” Kibum snapped irritably.

“It will get better,” Heechul promised him. Kibum was silent for a few minutes, trying to press down the sudden anger he was feeling. He bit his lip and clenched his eyes shut, willing away the bad sentiment. Heechul slowly wrapped his arms around Kibum and held him close. Kibum shivered slightly at the touch; he was still getting used to this. After being alone for so long, he'd forgotten what it was like to be so close with someone. But it was Heechul so he was okay with that; his trust was slowly growing more.

He leaned into the embrace and closed his eyes, slowly relaxing with each passing minute. His body stopped trembling eventually and he began to calm down. He found that Heechul had that effect on him, he always felt better when Heechul was close by.

They stayed together for about an hour, but the day was growing late and Heechul needed to pick up Mir soon before Donghae got home. He was a little worried about how the two would react to Kibum’s presence, and how he in turn would handle their boisterousness. They were all polar opposites and he knew that might cause a problem. Kibum was shy. quiet, and extremely reserved. On the other hand, Donghae and Mir were endless balls of energy that had no sense of personal boundaries. It was going to be a long night, that was for sure.

“Do you want to come with me to pick up Mir?” Heechul asked him after glancing at the clock on the wall. Kibum pulled away from him and shook his head no; he’d had enough of the social world