“So, how were things last night?” Minhyuk asks Hoseok as he downs half his can of coffee. The older down the beverage in surprise, pulling the can back as he coughs due to it flooding his windpipe.

“Wh-Wh-What do you mean?” Hoseok asks in return, beating his chest to clear his throat. Minhyuk gives him a curious glance, but decides not to question the reaction. The older seems incredibly tired, dark circles lining the bags of his eyes. Clearly, he didn't sleep well the night before. That’s most likely what’s wrong with him today.

“How was Kihyun after Hyunwoo broke up with him?” Minhyuk records the question, seeming to put Hoseok's mind at ease judging by his lowering shoulders. He selects his own drink and waits for it to be dispensed, opening it and taking a big gulp immediately. He hadn’t slept well the night before, either. The sight of Hyunwoo sleeping so closely to him, even if it was across the room, was enough to set every nerve-ending Minhyuk has on fire, making it impossible to sleep.

“As fine as you'd expect,” Hoseok answers, doing his best to not sound defensive. “He was heartbroken last night. He didn't eat anything, and I doubt he slept much.” He decides to leave out the attempted suicide bit, knowing full well it isn't his place to say anything about it. Minhyuk hums thoughtfully, nodding.

“Hyunwoo was... surprisingly calm,” Minhyuk responds. “I mean, he was pretty quiet all night, sure, but other than that he seemed fine. He was more lethargic than anything.”

Silence wraps itself around them, each getting the feeling the other isn’t telling as much as there is to say. Hoseok feels guilty for not telling Minhyuk about what happened, but not guilty enough to make him tell. He knows it’s Kihyun and Kihyun alone who should tell whoever about his situation, about what he tried last night.

A sudden shiver goes through Hoseok at remembering how pale Kihyun had been the previous night, his hair wet and stringy, stuck to the sides of his head. His chest aches as he remembers the panic and terror he felt, scared lifeless at thinking he’d lost Kihyun.

“I hope they’ll talk things through,” Minhyuk says, yanking Hoseok out of his memories. Hoseok nods, unable to keep from feeling grateful to the younger for pulling him out of his thoughts.

“I have a feeling they will,” Hoseok tells him. “We should probably give them some time, though. They probably won’t start right away.” Minhyuk nods himself, sighing as he sits down on the floor beside the coffee machine. Hoseok follows suit, sitting beside his best friend.

“This is such a sticky situation,” Minhyuk murmurs, resting his head on Hoseok’s shoulder. Hoseok chuckles, thinking that to be the understatement of the year. He leans his head atop the younger’s, having to bite back a sigh of his own.

“Things will sort themselves out,” Hoseok says, hoping that if he can convince Minhyuk of this, then he has no choice but to believe it as well.

The friends then fall into another silence, sipping on their coffees until they feel they’ve given the ex-lovers enough time to sort things out.

“Did you believe that I loved you?” Kihyun asks hesitantly. He drops his gaze on the older immediately after saying this, unable to meet his eyes any longer. He feels ashamed for even needing to ask, but after his session he isn’t sure of anything anymore. He isn’t even sure if he wants to know the answer to his own question, regretting his words as the older sighs.

“For a while, yes,” Hyunwoo answers slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. “I would’ve sworn to the ends of time that you loved me, and that I loved you. But, I don’t know… I’m not really sure when I changed my mind.”

“You mean—?” Kihyun asks, his eyes snapping back up at the older’s. Hurt shines within his eyes, a cry clogging up his throat. Hyunwoo’s eyes widen slightly, as if realizing what he’d said.

“I’ll always care about you, Kihyunnie,” Hyunwoo tells him, closing the distance between them in one step. He grabs Kihyun by his shoulders, staring earnestly into the younger’s watery eyes. “I don’t want you to ever question that. I just, I meant that I realized the love I feel for you isn’t really the kind of love I thought it was… Does that make sense?”

Kihyun pauses for a moment, relief flooding his heart. He lets loose a chuckle, though he isn’t sure what he’s laughing at. Hyunwoo’s grip on his shoulders loosens in surprise at his reaction.

“Sorry,” Kihyun sighs, sniffling slightly. “It just… It’s such a relief to hear you say that.” He then leans forward, wrapping his arms around the older’s waist. Hyunwoo seems taken aback by the gesture at first, but after a moment he returns the embrace, squeezing Kihyun tightly. “Thank you, hyung. I’ll always care about you, too. I’m… I’m really sorry to have put you through all this. You didn’t deserve any of it.” Kihyun pulls away, stretching up on his tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek. “I hope you find someone that deserves you.”

Hyunwoo opens his mouth to reply, but suddenly the door opens. Kihyun darts away from the older, although he isn’t too sure why. He looks towards the door, seeing Minhyuk and Hoseok standing there with unreadable gazes glued onto them. Kihyun feels a blush begin to creep it’s way up his cheeks. He glances up at Hyunwoo, and sees a blush much stronger than his own flaring up on the older’s face.

“Did we interrupt something?” Minhyuk asks, a forced cheerfulness to his voice.

“Just saying goodbye,” Hyunwoo answers, stepping away to gather his bags. Minhyuk moves to help, and then stands patiently at the door. Hyunwoo pulls the key out of his pocket, and is about to put it on the table beside the door. He pauses, glancing over at Hoseok. He then looks over at Kihyun, the anxious blush on the younger’s cheeks, and can’t help but chuckle knowingly. He walks towards Hoseok and hands him the key, grasping his hand tightly. “Take care of it,” he mumbles, low enough for only Hoseok to hear. He then backs away, moving towards the door. Hoseok coughs surprisedly, choking on his own spit. He feels the older is speaking of more than just the key, though it’s impossible. How would he know? “We’ll see you guys later,” he says casually, leading Minhyuk out of the dorm.

Minhyuk hovers for a moment, shooting Hoseok a questioning glance, whose eyes are now three times their normal size. He pouts, wanting to stay behind to demand answers but knowing he should go with Hyunwoo to let him into the apartment to unpack his things. He glances at Hoseok, silently telling the older he’ll be hearing from him later, and follows Hyunwoo away. Kihyun sighs, returning to what he was doing in the kitchen. He doesn’t even know what he was making in the first place, but judging by the ingredients, it was kimchi stew.

“S-So,” Hoseok says, Hyunwoo’s earnest tone still echoing in his ears, “did you and Hyunwoo-ya talk while we were gone?” Hoseok tightens his grasp on the key, moving to stand beside the younger as he cooks.

Kihyun hums his reply, a sense of contentment filling him. He’s glad to have cleared the air with Hyunwoo, and is fairly certain they’ll remain friends after all this. He feels indescribably happy at that, for it’s more than he feels he deserves after what he had put the older through. He doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve such benevolence from Hyunwoo, but he’s thankful for it nonetheless.

Hoseok watches him, waiting for an explanation. Though, the shorter doesn’t seem like he’s willing to share. Eventually, Hoseok just sighs. He slips his new key into his pocket and leans against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest casually.

“What’re you making?” he asks, deciding that to be an easier topic to discuss.

“Kimchi stew,” Kihyun answers, picking the lid up from the boiling pot and stirring the contents within. A wondrous smell fills the air, causing Hoseok’s mouth to water. He can’t remember the last time he’s had that, and his stomach suddenly growls at the thought of doing so.

Kihyun glances over at the rumble surprisedly, his face breaking out into a wide smile. He breathily chuckles at the older, leaning back as a hyena-like laugh escapes him. Hoseok blushes, embarrassed by his own stomach, but can’t help but smile at seeing Kihyun laughing so wholeheartedly. His heart warms at the sight.