After the boys finish eating, Kihyun and Changkyun stay back to handle the cleanup. The others disperse, either going to their rooms or moving to the couch to watch a movie. Hoseok shuffles towards his room, too tired to even try and interact with the others tonight. Minhyuk watches how he walks, frowning at the obviously disheartened mood. He tries to remember if the older had said anything during dinner that might tell him what’s wrong, but can’t think of anything. A part of him assumes that it’s just because of Hyunwoo’s news at the beginning of dinner, but something tells him there’s more to it than that.

He stands, telling Hyunwoo and Hyungwon that he’d be back before following Hoseok into his room. Hoseok doesn’t even seem to notice he’s being followed. He enters the room without even glancing at Minhyuk, who slips into the room silently.

“Hyung,” Minhyuk calls, closing the door behind him. Hoseok visibly jolts, clearly surprised at the younger’s voice. He turns and, upon seeing it’s Minhyuk, tries for a smile. However, he doesn’t quite manage it.

“Hey, Minhyukkie,” he sighs, sitting on his bed. Minhyuk beams over at him, hoping his sunny smile will help the older be more susceptible to questioning.

“How’re you doing?” Minhyuk asks as he takes a seat next to the older. Hoseok shakes his head, clearing his throat.

“Not good,” he admits. He knows it’s no use to deny that something’s wrong. He’s known Minhyuk much too long to try and pull off that lie. “Lately I just feel like nothing’s good enough, Moongie. If the company overworking us isn’t enough, Wonnie and I…” He trails off, struggling with his wording. Minhyuk smiles understandingly at the older.

“Hyung,” he says, “I hate to break it to you, but the walls here are thin.” He pauses before adding, “Especially when you and Hyungwonnie spend the past four nights in a row shouting at each other.” Hoseok’s gaze drops down to his feet. He finds it incredibly difficult to even look at the younger, too filled with self-doubt and shame to try. “It’s okay, hyung. We all fight with each other. Kihyunnie and I alone—“

“It’s different than how you and Kihyunnie argue,” Hoseok says while shaking his head. “You and Kihyunnie are always fighting, yes, but you two can usually make up within the hour. It’s never anything serious.”

“And you think what you’re fighting with Hyungwon-ah about is serious?” Minhyuk asks surprisedly.

“He’s lost interest, Minhyukkie,” Hoseok begins. “He never looks at me like he used to. Whenever I speak with him, he just seems bored. I don’t want to be a bother, so I try and wait until he speaks to me, but that never happens anymore.” Hoseok gives a small, rueful chuckle. “I don’t know what I expected. I mean, look at me. Hyungwonnie deserves so much better.”

“Hyung,” Minhyuk breathes out, astonished by his train of thought, “you can’t think like that. If you just try talking to him about it—“

“I have,” Hoseok defends, glancing over at the younger desperately, “but whenever I try he brings up how much time I’m spending with Kihyunnie lately, as if it justifies his behavior. That’s how the fighting always starts.”

“Try again,” Minhyuk tells him, wrapping a supportive arm around his shoulders. Hoseok sighs again, pausing a moment before nodding that he would. Minhyuk hums in acknowledgment, and kisses the older on the cheek before getting up and leaving the room. As he nears the door, Hyungwon comes into the room. Minhyuk chuckles to himself, noting the perfect timing, and claps the younger on the shoulder as he passes him. Hyungwon watches Minhyuk go, frowning confusedly at the action.

“Wonnie,” Hoseok says, standing. Hyungwon glances over at the older, shaking his head with a tired sigh.

“Not now, hyung,” he answers. “I can’t do this now. I need to go spend some time with the others before we go at it again.” Hoseok has to fight the urge to give a suggestive eyebrow wiggle at the younger’s vague wording, knowing it wouldn’t be received well.

“I don’t want to fight,” Hoseok continues, “you know that. I hate fighting with you. I just want to talk.” Hyungwon pauses, eyes staring hard at the floor in thought. He gives the smallest of nods to signify that he’ll listen, and Hoseok breathes out a sigh. It sounds almost relieved.

“Things have changed between us, Wonnie,” the older says, and Hyungwon has to bite back an acidic remark. “I don’t know why, but I can only think it’s because of something I did… I… I don’t want you to ever be sick of me, or to aggravate you in any way, so, if that’s true, then I’ll just leave you alone.”

“Just ask Kihyun what’s the matter,” Hyungwon grumbles, continuing on his way to his own bed. “He ought to know, since you two are all buddy-buddy now.” Hoseok’s heart pangs dully in his chest, this being such a typical response.

“I want you to tell me,” he insists, standing his ground. He sees how Hyungwon’s shoulders stiffen, and he readies himself for yet another argument as the younger whirls about on his heel to face him.

“I don’t get why you keep pushing this, hyung,” Hyungwon tells him bluntly, a sneer curling up his beautiful face. “You obviously don’t love me anymore, so just stop this already!”

 

Changkyun glances back at the closed bedroom door, Hyungwon’s irate tones only barely muffled by the thin wood. The maknae glances nervously over at Hyunwoo, who only reaches out a consoling arm. Changkyun snuggles into the older’s side, sighing contentedly at the comforting warmth of his hyung. He’s sure the two will work it out, especially if Minhyuk has anything to say about it, but he wishes they’d do it sooner rather than later. He just hates when his hyungs are fighting like this…

He feels a pressure on his hip, and turns to see Kihyun using it as a pillow of sorts. An unreadable light flickers in his eyes, a pout contorting his lips. His gaze is unwaveringly set on the television, as if that’ll somehow distract him from his own mental turmoil. Changkyun recognizes the look easily: guilt. He nudges the older’s leg with his foot, and offers him a smile.

Kihyun merely glances over at the maknae, the faintest flicker of a grin his only reply, and returns his attention to the television. Changkyun pouts in dismay and snuggles even closer to Hyunwoo.

He knows the lead vocalist feels guilty for the rift between two of their visuals, though Changkyun doesn’t understand why. Those two had been inseparable ever since No.Mercy, so it’s only natural that they fight now. It’s sort of like the universe finding an equilibrium, or, at least, that’s how he sees it. After all, you can’t very well be happy all the time, or else you’d grow too used to it and be unable to recognize it anymore. You’ve got to take the bad with the good, for one without enough of the other results detrimental.

“You didn’t cause this, hyung,” Changkyun mutters faintly. It takes a moment for the maknae to even realize he’d spoken, and he quickly looks over at Kihyun in surprise upon noticing. “I mean…” he says quickly, knowing he should explain himself due to the older’s obvious confusion. “I know Wonnie-hyung is nervous about how much time you and Hoseok-hyung are spending together lately, but that isn’t your fault. You’re just someone Hoseok-hyung depends on, like the rest of us do, and Hoseok-hyung just needs to realize he can rely on Wonnie-hyung every once in a while, too.”

Kihyun chuckles under his breath at his dongsaeng’s words, and reaches over to pinch at his cheek teasingly.

“You’re so cute when you’re being insightful, Kkungie~” he teases with the slightest of smirks. Changkyun whines in his throat at this, and complains that his hyung never takes him seriously. Kihyun shakes his head, and snuggles closer to the younger before saying, “I know what the issue is, and it’s not that I really blame myself for it… I just can’t help but feel guilty. I feel like I’m sort of enabling Hoseok whenever I don’t turn him away, but at the same time I can’t turn him away, because I care about him and want him to feel like he can depend on me.” He sighs heavily, adding in a grumble, “It’s just another fun thing to figure out how to do, I guess.”

“God,” Minhyuk interjects in a boisterous tone, “we’re all in such a fun mood tonight…” He gets up from the couch, and returns from the kitchen a moment later with a beer for each in his hands. “If we’re going to be like this, I’m going to need a drink.” The others all chuckle at the typically diffusing behavior, and take a beer without a word. Minhyuk plops down next to Kihyun with a loud sigh and props his feet up on the table, half-leaning on his same-age friend.

“We’re going on a date this week,” he informs them all, “one way or another.”

“I’m not having you worsening your standing with the company for a date, Minhyuk-ah,” Kihyun tells him. “It was bad enough when you talked about them in our last Guilty fan-signing.”

“Don’t worry, Kihyunnie,” Minhyuk tells him with a low chuckle. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat… or get something we want from the company… or whatever.”

Changkyun smiles a little at his hyung’s wording, and can’t help the glimmer of hope that sparks within his heart despite himself. He knows Minhyuk will get them what they want, one way or another…