Kyuhyun POV

I heard the shouting and slamming of doors from within the confines of my room.  Donghae had been yelling, his voice thick with obvious anger and sadness and frustration.  He was yelling at Sungmin.  My Sungmin.

The anger that bubbled up in the pit of my stomach was deafening.  It roared in my ears and clouded all rational thought.  No one was allowed to yell at him, least of all Donghae.  He had been the one to leave Min. 

Donghae had no damn right to attack Sungmin’s heart; not after what he put him through.  I knew better than anyone how broken Sungmin had been when Donghae left him.  It was like he lost a part of himself.  Someone like Sungmin, who was perfect and innocent and flawless, did not deserve to be treated the way Donghae was currently treating him. 

Donghae continually aimed his anger right at Sungmin, again and again, with endless, merciless blows.

Only I was allowed to do that.

I was so selfish.  He wasn’t my property.  Why did I constantly want to punch anyone who put Sungmin in any kind of pain, yet did so myself without the blink of an eye?  I grimaced at the irony of it.

I had already chosen to wait for when Sungmin was ready.  I didn’t want to rush him.  If I really loved him, I’d be able to understand that his heart was still mending and couldn’t afford to be handled carelessly.  Doing anything too drastic with me would simply push him over the edge.

I had an obligation.  It was my job to make sure no harm came to Sungmin, and I had been doing a pretty ty job of it.  As much as I wanted to, I would never be able to save Sungmin from himself, and the pain he brought upon his own heart.

Sungmin blamed himself for what happened between him and Donghae.  I saw through him enough to know that much.  The ridiculous notion that he was at fault made me even more angry.  I subconsciously aimed mental daggers at the very thought of Donghae ever laying a hand on my Min again.

I regretted blowing up at Sungmin.  I couldn't erase it from my mind - the look on his face as he walked out of the room.  I had to fix things.  I couldn't leave things tense and uncomfortable, the way they had been for the past two days.  It did no good to anyone, especially Sungmin, who was already struggling to cope with his issues with Donghae.

I got up from the bed and headed straight to Sungmin's room.  My body was stiff and sore, as if I had been moving violently while I was asleep.

You were probably moving while you had that wet dream, hm?

That dream...what made my head come up with something like that?  Not only did it disturb me that I had thought it was real, but it reinforced the reality that none of what happened while I was dreaming would come true any time soon.  My acceptance of that was reluctant.

Without bothering to knock, I tugged on the handle that led to Min's room. The door swung open smoothly, revealing Sungmin, who was shaking uncontrollably with sobs that almost seemed to slice through the thin, empty air.

My heart nearly ripped itself out of my chest to go and comfort him.  The sight made moisture leak into my eyes.

No, don't you dare cry.  It's not about you.  It's never been about you.  It's about Sungmin, now.  You best make use of your love for him and comfort the kid.  He needs you.

I had to get a grip.  I had to ignore my own feelings and help ease the deep aches that had for so long tainted Sungmin's happy go-lucky character.

My heart broke for him.  Seeing him lying there - hopeless and devoid of all the joy that usually followed him around - was enough to make me admit to myself that our relationship needed to be strengthened and reinforced.  He needed to know how much I really did love him.

Who needed intimacy?  That wasn't was love was about.  Just knowing that I loved him, and that he loved me back...just knowing that was enough comfort to last a lifetime.

"Sungmin-ah.  Sungmin."

He didn't answer.  His sobs filled the entire room, darkening the atmosphere, making the world feel like a miserable place.

A approached slowly, crawled onto the bed, and took him in my arms.  As carefully as I could, I rolled him over so I could see his face.

My heart twisted into a knot.  I barely recognized him.  Sungmin's face was so contorted with grief, it took everything I had not to look away.  It's normal warm flush of pink was missing.  The sparkle in his childlike eyes was nowhere to be found.  It was almost too much to see him like this.

What did Donghae say? I asked myself in horror.  What did he say that made Sungmin like this?

"Sungmin, I'm so sorry."  My voice was gentle and soothing, a complete turnabout from the tone I had used when yelling at him back in my room.  "Please, please don't cry anymore.  You need to stay strong."

Easy for me to say.  I wasn't the one who's heart had gotten broken twice by the same person.  Donghae's words had obviously taken a toll on Sungmin.  It didn't take a genius to figure that out.

"D-Donghae said t-that love is...is..."  His voice was weak, and it trembled, as though speaking sapped all of his energy.  I felt him shudder underneath my touch.

"What did he say, Min?  You can tell me.  I'll get you through this.  I promise.  Let it all out."

Little by little, I coaxed everything out of him.

"Donghae s-said that you'll l-leave me.  That y-you won't stay by m-my side.  He said l-love is a j-joke."

I could barely understand what he was saying, he was shaking so much.  I couldn't tell whether it was because he was cold, because of his sobs, or simply because he would hurting too much to stay still.

"And you believed him?"  My voice was tight.  If that seriously thought he could get away with saying these things to Min, he had something coming.

"I d-didn't want to.  I just imagined for a moment w-what it would be like without y-you.  It was too painful to think a-about."  His tears didn't stop, no matter how often I wiped them away.  The flow kept coming.

"Sungmin, you listen to me.  I will never, ever leave you, so don't think for a second that it's even a possibility." 

"T-that's what Donghae said, too."  Sungmin shut his for a split second, as if the memory was ripping through the emotional walls he had around his heart.  "He promised that he wouldn't leave...but he did anyway."

I'm not Donghae.

"Do you want me to name the reasons why I know I'll never leave you?"  I ignored how he compared me to Donghae.  I could afford to be patient for now.

Sungmin looked up at me with his huge, selfless, eyes and nodded.  I felt my expression relax into an expression of pure love and warmth.

"Because I love you, and I know I always will."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Sungmin's lips.  His cheeks were starting to gain their color back.

"I love you, too."

I brought my head down and kissed him lightly on the lips.  The intent behind the kiss was to soothe Sungmin's nerves and hopefully get him to relax.  That intent was forgotten as Sungmin deepened the kiss, his hand moving feverishly to the back of my neck, keeping my lips in their rightful place, wrapped up with his.

I could taste his sadness and loneliness.  And yet, I could also sense his resolve.  The feeling that surrounded our intimate moment seemed to make Sungmin decided something.

We broke apart, both of us panting.  His tears were starting to dry.

"Kyuhyun, will you sing for me?"  His voice was a hopeful.  He was so beautiful, in every possible way.

He snuggled closer to me as I began to sing...

"So I lay my head back down, and I lift my hands and pray to be only yours.  I know now, you're my only hope..."

Warmth flooded my body as I gazed down at Sungmin, who was already drifting off.  Did I really deserve someone like him?  What did I ever do that made me deserve him and made him love me back just as much as I loved him?

"At the top of my lungs, I'm giving it back..."

In that single moment, I perfectly and inexplicably happy.  Sungmin was safe in my arms, and our love for each other was strong enough to withstand anything.

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A/N:  Heartwarming, wasn't it? I like writing happy stories...makes me wonder why I settled for such a depressing plot.  Oh well...anyway, I hope I'm updating enough for you guys! To my subscribers, thank you<3 To my silent readers...i guess I should be grateful that you're taking the time to read this at all, so i guess i love you guys too~ Keep on subscribing, supporting, and commenting! Look forward to the next update!