Minhyuk has officially pushed all thoughts of his dear friends out of his mind, as he's currently on a date with his dearest and most precious Hyunwoo. They're currently at Minhyuk's favorite arcade, and even if Hyunwoo is only there for moral support, he's the best kind of moral support Minhyuk could've asked for. 

So, imagine his surprise when he's glancing at his phone for the time only to see a message from Hyungwon declaring he'll be back by tomorrow. 

"Aga!!!" Minhyuk practically screeches, shoving his phone into Hyunwoo's face. Hyunwoo calmly leans back enough to be able to read the message. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and his gaze flicks back to Minhyuk. 

"Wow..." he mumbles, his deep voice reverberating through Minhyuk's very soul. "I honestly thought it'd take longer than this." Minhyuk chuckles in an almost conspiratory manner, pulling his phone back to type out a quick reply.  

"He doesn't want us telling anyone," he goes on to explain as more messages begin to come in. "He needs us to pick him up from the airport and take him to his apartment, and then I guess to Kihyunnie's? Sorry, he isn't making much sense right now... I think he's excited." Minhyuk says the last bit fondly, a gentle smile playing at his lips. Hyunwoo finds himself smiling, as well, his heart warming at the sincere affection in the younger's eyes. 

"He'll probably just want to go straight to Kihyunnie's when he gets here," Hyunwoo tells him. Minhyuk hums in agreement, and then sighs as he slips his phone away. 

"He started spamming me with texts about making some big gesture," Minhyuk explains, taking Hyunwoo's hand and leading him away. "Once he calms down I'll reply again, but for now he's just brainstorming. C'mon, let's go get some pizza~" Hyunwoo hums, already moving to follow the younger. 

He'd honestly follow Minhyuk to the ends of the world, if he asked. 

Hyungwon's parents don't really seem to understand his sudden need to get back home as soon as possible, but, when he explains he'd left something unfinished with someone special to him, they understood just enough to make quick work of getting him a plane ticket. He decides to leave the part out about this special someone being a boy, as he highly doubts they know he's gay yet—mainly because he hadn't told them—so when his mother asks who it is, he just vaguely answers that she'll meet the someone eventually, if he can fix things. 

This seems to spur her on even more, immediately going to begin packing his things herself. He chuckles as he follows her to his room, shaking his head at her excitement. First they rush back to the apartment, a day early from their business endeavor, and now she's running around in a hectic flurry of activity to help get him where he needs to be. 

She pulls his bags out from the closet, and starts firing off a list of things she'll send with him. She then begins going through his clothes, but pauses at sighting a sweater she doesn't recognize stuck in the far corner, away from all the other clothes. She turns to Hyungwon with a knowing sort of smirk, quirking up a brow as she pulls it out. 

Hyungwon immediately snatches it from her, stuttering out some lame excuse as he folds it as quickly as possible with his hands shaking like they are. She merely hums in reply, going back to her work. The boy pushes out a small breath, hiding his embarrassed face as he turns to gently set the item of clothing into a suitcase. 

"… Do you really think it'd be okay for me to try it all with someone else while Wonnie's gone?" Kihyun asks, his voice faint in the dark room. Jooheon turns his gaze away from the only light in the room, that of the television, scared to even breathe. Kihyun pulls away slightly, as he'd been using Jooheon's shoulder as a pillow for a good bit of the passed hour, a curious light sparkling in his eyes. 

Jooheon can see his two options as clear as if they were written out before him. On one hand, he could tell Kihyun no and tell him it'd be better to wait for Hyungwon's return. It'd be less drama for when his boyfriend did come back, and everyone would be happier that way if he did... Or, on the other hand, he could say yes. He could say that it's absolutely okay, and then gently ease Kihyun into the kind of relationship he's been craving from the other for years. 

Suddenly, images of them together, happy, laughing, holding hands, and just doing whatever the hell it is adorable couples do flash before his eyes. His heart thumps about madly in his chest at the mere notion of such a future with the older, and before he can even think to do differently, he's leaning forward to kiss Kihyun square on the lips. 

Kihyun's lips are soft and pliable beneath his, and taste faintly of the wine they'd cracked open earlier to have with dinner. He pulls away after a moment too long, his head absolutely spinning. He feels the blush creep all the way up from his neck to the tips of his ears, and he can barely bring himself to meet Kihyun's gaze. 

When he finally manages it, it's only to see a tear falling down Kihyun's cheek. His lips are pursed together, and his eyes shine with heartache. 

"Heonney..." he says, his voice breaking as he physically folds in on himself. Jooheon immediately pulls him in for a hug, petting his hair and telling him it's okay. He closes his own eyes as he buries his face in Kihyun's hair, breathing in the familiar scent to try and calm himself.  

Kihyun's presence is always so calming for him... 

"Thank you," Kihyun whispers, crying softly into Jooheon's shirt. He sniffles and, as if sensing Jooheon's confusion, adds, "Thank you for showing me that I couldn't care about anyone like I do for Wonnie, would only be finding someone else to get back at him for leaving me..." 

Jooheon's heart falls at the response... Is that truly what Kihyun thought he'd been going for?? That there's no way Jooheon would be kissing him because of some actual attraction???? He wants to pull away, explain that he loves Kihyun, will always love Kihyun, and that he could make the older happy if only given the chance. 

However, he can only hold his friend tighter as he cries, knowing that's not what he needs right now. So, instead, he just lets Kihyun cry as his own heart shatters into a billion pieces.