Waking to quiet murmuring, Daehyun opened his eyes, finding his hospital bed empty and his doorway full. Yongguk seemed to be having a heated discussion with his other visitor, the words too hushed for him to make out. After a moment, they seemed to realize he was awake and his mystery guest stepped around the man that had been blocking his path.

“Hey Dae. Sorry for walking out earlier.” Approaching him, Jongup held up a plastic bag and grinned, the unease they had parted ways on seemingly forgotten. “I brought cheesecake, your favorite flavor. Forgive me?”

“Jongup... I...” Sighing, Daehyun shook his head slowly before allowing himself to smile at his friend. “You haven’t done anything wrong. What could I possibly forgive you for?” Before Jongup could sit beside him on the bed, Yongguk was slipping onto the mattress. A blush crossed Daehyun’s cheeks as he looked up at his... What would he call him? His ex? His boyfriend? His... Were they really even anything at all? Just because steps had been taken to mend what had shattered between them didn’t mean Yongguk was going to take that path again. For all Daehyun knew, Yongguk’s love for him had been tainted forever and things would never be the way they were before.

“Yeah...” Seeming to flinch away from Daehyun at Yongguk’s stealing his usual perch, Jongup fished out the cheesecake and a plastic fork before sitting in the chair beside him. “Here. Open up and I’ll do all the work, okay?”

“I could do it.” Yongguk shifted beside Daehyun, wrapping his arms around the man’s waist and Daehyun yawned, leaning into him.

“I’ve got it covered, thanks.” Voice dry and almost annoyed, Jongup shot Yongguk a look Daehyun couldn’t quite comprehend before offering a bite of cheesecake to him. The smell of the treat overwhelmed his senses and he almost forgot he and Jongup had company as hunger and his strange love for the snack he was offered took over. Allowing Jongup to push the fork past his lips, Daehyun let out a small noise akin to a moan, closing his eyes as the flavor washed over him. How long had it been since he had eaten this? Since his last hospital stay? Maybe six months... Suddenly it felt far too long.

“Mn~ Jongup~ It’s so good~” Opening his eyes, Daehyun looked up at his friend, taking the next bite offered to him without much coaxing. Reacting more strongly than he had before, the arms around him tightened and Yongguk’s presence was brought back to his attention.

“DaeDae, don’t eat too fast, you might get a stomach ache.” Voice soft, Yongguk nuzzled his ear and, while Daehyun blushed, reveling in the attention from the man he loved the most, he couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment, wanting badly to devour the whole slice of cheesecake right on the spot.

“He’s fine. This isn’t our first time in this situation, Yongguk.” Jongup leaned closer, offering him another bite that Daehyun couldn’t help but take. “I know what I’m doing and I would never do something to make him ill.”

“Fine...” Thumbs rubbing Daehyun’s hips, Yongguk seemed to watch them closely, as though he were nervous of something. What he could be so apprehensive about escaped Daehyun, as Jongup had always taken great care of him.

“Open up, Dae.” Humming softly, Jongup held the fork to Daehyun’s lips again, smiling as Daehyun ate it. “Lets eat it all up so you can get some more rest. You know that you need it to get better.” Letting out a soft snort of annoyance, Yongguk got up, much to Daehyun’s confusion, and left the room. Instantly, Daehyun’s apatite dissipated and he slumped against the pillows,, tears springing to his eyes. Had he done something wrong again? Maybe... Maybe Yongguk though he was making himself fat again...

“I... I’m not hungry anymore, Jongup.” Shaking his head when more cheesecake was offered to him, Daehyun wrapped his arms around himself and stared up at the ceiling, trying to will the tears away before they could spill over his eyelids and worry Jongup.

“Hey. Dae...” Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jongup ran his fingers through his hair, trying to soothe him as he always had. “Daehyun he’s not mad at you, okay? He’s jealous because he doesn’t like me taking care of you...”

“But... But you’re my best friend...” Sniffling, Daehyun chewed his bottom lip, watching the door, hoping Yongguk would come back in. “You’re the only one I have...”

“I know, baby.” Lips brushed against his forehead, eliciting a sob from him as his emotions bubbled over. “I can go, if it will make things easier.”

“You shouldn’t... You shouldn’t have to...” Reaching up, his fingers wrapped around Jongup’s wrist, afraid to be left alone. “I just... Things really are broken and it’s all my fault... I did this with my own stupidity and-”

“Jung Daehyun, none of that is true.” Jongup’s voice was soft but stern, the tone he always used when he wanted to affirm to Daehyun that he was wrong about himself. “You did everything you could to protect him and you paid a far greater price for it that he paid hearing your words.”

“Jongup...” Letting out another cry, he hid his face against Jongup’s chest as the man held him tightly, rocking him gently in his arms. The soothing gesture soon began working with his physical exhaustion and Daehyun found himself slipping unintentionally back into sleep, his thoughts entirely on Yongguk. After all this time... All he wanted was to be good enough.

~~~

Gathering his thoughts, Yongguk glared at himself in the bathroom mirror. Why had he acted so impulsively, with so much anger? Daehyun was probably a wreck over his selfish actions and Jongup... That probably thought he had won, that Yongguk had conceded defeat and handed Daehyun off to him. But he hadn’t, he never would. He loved Daehyun and he wasn’t going to let anyone get between them ever again.

With a heavy groan, he shook his head and departed the restroom. Making his way down the quiet hospital corridor, he couldn’t help but wonder just how many times Daehyun had been inside these walls, not to accompany his mother, but as a patient himself. Had Yongguk really damaged him so badly that he’d face death rather than eat, to seem imperfect when all he had ever been from the start was perfection at its finest? Didn’t Daehyun realize that he had always been beautiful?

“Shhh.” The quiet hiss that met him when he entered the room was fast to piss him off. Jongup lay in bed, the spot he had previously vacated, holding onto the man Yongguk loved. It was a place, an action, that he felt belonged exclusively to him and seeing the other man do so instead made him stomach clench in anger.

“Move.” Stepping closer, he was irritated to see the other man hold his ground, not even seeming to contemplate following his orders.

"Why are you even here?” Running his fingers through Daehyun’s hair, Jongup didn’t bother to spare him a glance and he had to fight the urge to remove him from the bed by force.

“I’m here because I love him.” Nodding toward Daehyun, Yongguk crossed his arms over his chest and glared the other man down. “Not that you would know what that means.”

“Since when did you love him? When you walked away without even giving him a reason? When you came back and called him names and made his eating disorder and his depression worse? You can’t decide you love him again out of guilt. That isn’t fair to Daehyun.” Provoked, Jongup untangled himself from Daehyun, slipping out of bed without waking the slumbering man. “You’re the one who doesn’t understand what it means because you don’t do what you did to people you love.”

“I have always loved him. I loved him back then and I loved him when we were apart and I love him now and I will continue to love him until my heart stops beating entirely.” Stepping closer, hoping to intimidate Jongup out of the room, Yongguk growled out his words like a wolf issuing a warning to its rival. “Besides, Jongup. Maybe what isn’t fair is how you act like you love him and treasure him, but really you’re just a dog begging for my scraps.”

“Your scraps? Is that all he is to you?” A harsh laugh escaped the other man and the two found themselves face to face, the threat of violence strong between them. “You ing left an angel alone and broken. You left him for dead, Yongguk. And trust me. I lost count of the times he’s almost died. All because you were selfish and you were stupid. Daehyun wouldn’t be alive if I hadn’t begged for your scraps and the world would be a worse place because of it. Because of you. Nobody has ever hurt Daehyun as badly as you did. And what’s worse? The really sad part? Nobody could hurt him the way you did because you were the only person he ever fully trusted with his heart and you ing threw him away like garbage.”

“He’s never going to love you, Jongup. So why don’t you quit begging and just leave?” Doing his best to ignore the sting that Jongup’s words had left him with, Yongguk smirk, feigning confidence as best as he could. “I’m here to take care of him now. He doesn’t need you anymore. Nobody does.”

“He deserves better than you.” Jongup’s hands tightened into fists and Yongguk braced himself for any blow the man may aim his way.

“But he’s mine, Jongup. You can’t ha-” His taunt was cut off by a voice, quiet and exponentially sad, startling him into silence.

“Shut up...” Daehyun was sitting up in bed, shaking and with tears streaming down his cheeks. How long had he been awake? How much had he heard? Dread began to fill Yongguk as he thought over the word he had said in selfish anger.

“Dae...” Taking a step toward the bed, Jongup’s own anger had dissipated as quickly as Yongguk’s had.

“, baby I’m sorry if we w-” Concern flooding his voice, Yongguk did his best to sooth Daehyun’s unhappiness.

“I SAID GET OUT!” The shout startled him and he found himself taking a step back. Even when he had been taunting Daehyun, the man had never raised his voice, only getting hallow and distant. It was something he wasn’t sure he had ever seen from him, to be honest. “I don’t want to be around either of you right now... I’m not some ing object for two children to fight over... I need you both to go.”

“Daehyun...” Jongup shifted from foot to foot, clearly anxious.

“DaeDae, Babe, come on.” Moving closer to the bed again, Yongguk held his hand out for Daehyun only to have it smacked away.

“I will call security.” The edge in Daehyun’s voice made his heart drop and Yongguk stepped away again.

“Alright, Dae. I’ll go. I’m sorry...” Jongup was at the doorway, giving up far easier than Yongguk was willing to. Yet another reason, in his eyes, that it was clear Jongup didn’t clearly love Daehyun.

“Daehyun.” Shaking his head, Yongguk stood his ground again, not wanting to walk away while Daehyun was angry with him.

“Yongguk... Get out of my hospital room.” Refusing to look at him, Daehyun’s words seemed less angry then, only holding an incredible amount of exhaustion. “Your scraps are tired.”

“I didn’t mean it like th-” Flinched when he realized Daehyun had heard those brutal words, he looked away, ashamed of himself.

“And yet those are the words that came out of your mouth. Now you need to go.” The pain seeping into Daehyun’s voice made him sick, churning his stomach with the knowledge that he had caused that emotion.

“Dae, let me explain.” Frantically shaking his head, Yongguk took a step closer, holding his hands out in a type of surrender.

“Like you let me explain? Yongguk. What I said was to protect you... What you said...” Daehyun glanced at the door before looking back at Yongguk, tears staining his cheeks. “Was to hurt the only person that kept me alive.”

“Daehyun.” Attempting to argue his case, Yongguk reached out for him again.

“Jongup, please?” Daehyun hadn’t even bothered to slap him away again, only calling for his sidekick to help him.

“Yongguk, come on. Or I will personally go get hospital security.” Jongup’s hand landed on his shoulder, his grip harder than Yongguk would have thought he could manage.

“Fine. But...” Pausing for a moment longer, Yongguk’s eyes met Daehyun’s. “I love you.”

“Do you?” There were no more emotions in Daehyun’s voice, only an empty quietness, and it was a tone that scared Yongguk.

“Daehyun!” Shaking his head, he reached out for him again, but Jongup’s grip tightened and Yongguk found himself being steered out of the room, much to his own protest. Why? Things had just been healing between them. Why had he let his own jealousy, his own ego, get in the way?