Kihyun sits numbly on the couch, sipping from his too-strong drink. It's been two weeks since Hyungwon's all-too-brilliant departure, and it hasn't gotten any easier for the older. He's been dragged out to Minhyuk's end-of -term bash, and it hasn’t done the slightest to better his mood.  

Throughout the most painful weeks of Kihyun’s existence, he’s barely been able to eat or sleep. He eats when told to, which isn’t very often, and lies awake most hours of the night thinking of all the things he’s done to bring this on himself.  

He’d never believed all those sappy love songs about heartbreak before, thinking them overly dramatic and outright ridiculous. Surely someone couldn’t affect you that much, right??? Well, now, he sees the validity in every syllable of these songs, them speaking to his damaged soul like no other could.  

His physical condition has worsened. His dyed hair obviously isn’t maintained as it should be, there’s atrocious—as Minhyuk so kindly calls them—bags under his eyes, and he’s beginning to look a bit thinner.  

So, with all this in mind, his ever-annoying friends have kidnapped him and brought him here. They’d done so in an effort to get him to forget about everything, but it isn’t exactly helping to improve his mood. This party only serves to remind the boy of his lost love, and that's something he doesn't need any help with at all.  

It doesn't matter what he does, or where he is. Everything reminds him of Hyungwon. He passes by a cat cafe and he remembers how much the younger one day wants a kitten to call his own. He'll be humming a tune under his breath, and then realize after too long that it's Hyungwon's ringtone. Hell, he'll just be cleaning his damn house and he'll suddenly be reminded of how much he used to get onto the younger for how little he cleans his own apartment. 

"A cleaning lady comes once a week," he'd always say, shrugging as if it meant nothing to him one way or the other. "I don't see what the big deal is." 

"A lot of filth can pile up in a week, Wonnie," Kihyun had insisted, sweeping up the kitchen anxiously. "God, just look at all this dust! I don't even think this cleaning lady of yours does her job properly. My house is cleaner than this on a regular basis, and I do all the cleaning myself!" Hyungwon had chuckles then, an adoring light shining in his eyes. 

"Then I guess it's a good thing I have you now, isn't it~?"  

Kihyun groans in dismay under his breath, chugging his drink as his mind snaps back to the present. He absolutely refuses to think of Hyungwon any more tonight, as he's fairly certain the younger isn't thinking about him at all... 

"Whoa there, hyung," Jooheon suddenly says, appearing beside Kihyun with a drink in his hand. "Pace yourself, we've still got at least three more hours here." 

"Aren't I supposed to be the hyung, here, Jooheonney??" Kihyun demands, his aggravation spiking. He'd already been in a sour mood before coming here, and now being here, at this party that's so similar to the one where he and Hyungwon had first begun to grow closer at... It definitely isn't helping. 

Jooheon, however, chuckles, as if what Kihyun had said was actually funny. How dare he?? Kihyun is pissed, dammit, and he'd meant to sound as much... it, he'll just blame that failure on the three drinks he's had already. It'd be a believable enough excuse, as Minhyuk had made them and that boy apparently doesn't believe in a drink that isn't at least 50% liquor. 

"Make yourself useful and bring me another drink, dongsaeng," Kihyun suggests, waving Jooheon off. Jooheon laughs wholeheartedly at this, cocking up a brow. 

"Here, hyung, have mine," he says, sounding much too helpful. Kihyun eyeballs it for a solid second before taking it. He's pretty sure if the boy is so willingly giving him another drink that it'll be water. He decides to just go ahead with it, not really caring enough to throw it back in Jooheon's face and go get himself another drink. Besides, he honestly isn't too sure he could make it to that table by himself right now... So, with that in mind—and with the fullest intention to get just as drunk again later if this sobers him up at all—he drains the cup in one huge gulp. 

He makes a sour face, gagging. Yep. Definitely water. 

"Your attempts to sobermeeee up have failed, Lee Jooheonneeey," Kihyun slurs out, for some reason feeling much more intoxicated than before. He stands, wobbling slightly. "I'm going to get two drinks to make up for that, and even some shots, which yoooouuu are going to do with me. So hAH!" Kihyun then hobbles off for the drink table, where Hoseok and Changkyun are currently chatting away.  

He narrows his gaze on the tequila bottle, picking it up and getting two empty cups. He then realizes that was stupid, as he still needs to make himself two more drinks, and sets the tequila down as he mixes up whatever the hell he grabs, not really in a picky mood. 

"Kihyunnie..." Hoseok's voice suddenly interjects, sounding a bit hesitant. Kihyun's head snaps up, pursing his lips at the older's cautious stare. "You uh... gonna leave some for the rest of us?" Kihyun chuckles lowly at this, returning his gaze to his most important quest of his entire life. 

"Heonney and I are doing shots!" he yells over the music, his blood roaring in his ears. "He gave me water instead of vodka, and for that he must paaaaaay." 

"Isn't Jooheonney-hyung driving you two home tonight?" Changkyun asks all too quickly. Kihyun scoffs and rolls his eyes. God, why have all of his dongsaengs suddenly forgotten their place??? 

"We can just crash here," he grumbles, quickening his pace to get out of the interrogation. "Minhyuk-ah won't mind." Hoseok doesn't look incredibly convinced, but Kihyun is just drunk enough to not care as he finishes his work. He just barely manages to gather it all on his own and stumble back over to where he'd left Jooheon. He sits down with a heavy plop, almost spilling his drinks, and opens the tequila bottle with a focused pout. 

The younger would laugh if he weren't so worried for his friend. 

"Thtop thtaring at me like that, dongthaeng," Kihyun tells him, the alcohol doing absolutely nothing to help him hide his lisp. It's all Jooheon has in him to not coo, as he's pretty sure that'd make Kihyun blow up at him. Kihyun pulls out the cork with an all too satisfying pop, and messily pours out a shot each into the empty cups. 

"TO KOREA!" Kihyun declares, lifting up his cup after Jooheon grabs his own. Jooheon halfheartedly taps his cup against his hyung's and downs the tequila, wincing at the strong taste. Kihyun giggles as his face contorts adorably in dismay, and pours them both another shot. "TO THUMMER!" he shouts, not even waiting to clink before downing his shot. Jooheon watches wearily as Kihyun hastily pours himself a third shot, raising the glass to no one in particular as a dark light overtakes his eyes. 

"And to ING JAPAN!! AND ALL 926 KILOMETERTH BETWEEN UTH AND IT!!!! Is this enough space for you, you dumb prick??" He asks the question more to his cup than anything else, glaring down at its contents before downing it. Jooheon can't help but sigh, putting his cup down and standing.  

"Come on," he says, turning to offer Kihyun his back. "Party's over." Kihyun looks around, utterly confused. How could the party be over? He still has drinks to drink! There's still people talking! The music is still cranked!! This is most definitely not the definition of a party that's over. 

Still, Jooheon seems so sure, and the younger's never led him wrong before... So, trusting the younger, Kihyun wobbles up only to land with a soft 'oof' under his breath against Jooheon's back. He scrambles up onto it, clawing onto his shirt like a kitten trying to get its footing. 

"Wonnie loves cats..." he mumbles before he can stop himself, his heart breaking all over again at the mention of the younger's name. Jooheon sighs loudly, replying with a gentle "I know" before gripping Kihyun's thighs to ensure his safe passage and walking them both out the room. 

Hoseok and Changkyun watch as they go, glancing at each other skeptically. 

After pausing only to tell Minhyuk they're crashing for the night, Jooheon takes Kihyun into one of the older's many guest rooms. He locks the door behind them after gently setting his friend down on the bed. He returns only to sit beside Kihyun, his gray hair fanned out around his face and making him look absolutely angelic.  

"You've been tho thweet to me, Jooheonney..." Kihyun mutters, his voice light and airy. Jooheon's heart claws into his throat, and he gulps hard around it. "Really... I don't know what I did to earn a friend like you..." 

"Just sleep, hyung," Jooheon instructs gently, doing his best to keep his tone light despite just being hardcore friend-zoned. Kihyun hums in reply, a genuine smile dancing its way across his lips for the first time since Hyungwon's departure.  

Jooheon remains awake for a few hours later, just making sure the older doesn't need anything. He plays with Kihyun's hair, straightens out his clothes without awakening the older... Just makes sure that he's comfortable and okay. 

He eventually falls asleep, though, hugging Kihyun close, and doing his best to ignore the growing guilt in his heart.