“Sungmin-hyung,” Donghae uttered.

Sungmin was now standing on Donghae’s bed, clearing out his shelves. He was slightly pissed off at the fact that Donghae called for him to clean meaning “you clean and I’ll sit here and supervise.”

Sungmin gave a soft “hm” signaling Donghae that he heard him. His attention was fixed on the books he was clearing out of the shelves.

“Was Eunhyuk ever a pain to you?”

Sungmin coughed. He did not expect that. “Well,” he did not know how to answer Donghae. Memories of Eunhyuk haven’t haunted him for a while and now Donghae just had to start and remind him how much of a pain the man was. “Define pain.”

“I don’t know,” Donghae answered simply, like you get asked about your ex-lover every day.

“Well,” Sungmin stiffened. “Where’s he, by the way?” he tried to change the subject.

“I don’t know.”

 Sungmin nodded. He did not want to continue a conversation that could lead to anything dangerous. He did not want to remember the days when he had his “Hyukkie” for himself. Sure, he had speculations of Donghae and Eunhyuk dating, and he’s happy for the two of them. Sure, he was over his love for Eunhyuk. But the pain the boy caused him was unforgettable. It was something he tried and tried to forget.

“Is there anything going on between you and Kyuhyun?” Donghae asked as he took one sip out of the hot chocolate Sungmin made for him.

Sungmin winced at Donghae’s question. That was another thing he was not expecting. “Didn’t you already ask that?”

“Yeah,” the man in his PJs crossed his legs and smirked. “But you were too embarrassed to admit it in front of Kyuhyun.”

Sungmin jumped off the bed. “Why would I be dating that,” he paused, trying to think of the right words to describe how horrible of a human Kyuhyun was, “idol?” He failed at life.

Donghae looked up at him with a blank expression. “There’s nothing wrong about dating an idol, hyung. As long as you don’t do anything foolish and let others know.”

“It’s not that,” the older boy defended, “the man’s a jerk!”

“Sometimes when you love someone, you ignore their bad characteristics and only see their assets. Kyuhyun-ssi has a lot of assets.”

“And I,” he tried to think of something that would change Donghae’s supposition on him and Kyuhyun. “I’m not over Eunhyuk yet,” he gasped and covered his mouth a few seconds after saying that.

They look at each other for a few seconds with Sungmin wide-eyed and Donghae expressionless.

Donghae laughed just when his eyes started to feel dry and sore from staring too long. “Or you could just say ‘no, there’s nothing going on between us.’”

The older boy looked away from his dongsaeng blushing. He realized he was being too defensive.

“Hyung, just so you know. I don’t believe you,” Donghae winked at Sungmin playfully.

Sungmin cringed. He felt embarrassed but he couldn’t bring himself to be mad at Donghae. The latter was just too cute. “Yah, Lee Donghae! Get me something to eat!” instead of nagging his dongsaeng for being nosy, he ordered him ily.

“Okay,” Donghae stood up from the couch he was sitting on, setting his mug down on the coffee table. “It’s the least I could do. What do you want to eat?”

Sungmin looked up at the ceiling, thinking of ways to word out what he was craving for. “I want something sweet, but not too sweet, maybe something cold. I don’t know.”

“Want me to freeze the fish broth I had last night?”

Sungmin wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Gross, go get me pickled strawberry icecream.”

Donghae dropped his jaw. He gawked at his hyung for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. He couldn’t even picture anyone eating the kind of food Sungmin was craving for.

“What?”

“Are you gestating?”

&&

Yesung unlocked the door to his home and walks to his room like how he normally does  every day – normally as in stripping down a piece of clothing after the other as he walks to his room to go to sleep. He was chest and ping his jeans when he bumped into something weighing slightly heavier than air.

“I was not looking!” Ryeowook shrieked, turning around to face the direction opposite from Yesung’s. He gasped when he felt Yesung’s cold arms wrap around him.

“No need to be shy,” he whispered huskily to Ryeowook’s ear.

“I,” the smaller boy felt shivers down his spine when he felt Yesung’s hot breath brushing through his skin. He savored the moment until he smelt something that smelt like melted paint and scorched wood.

“Something’s burning,” Yesung whispered again, making more shivers run down the smaller boy’s spine.

Ryeowook unwillingly broke away from Yesung’s arms and ran straight to the kitchen and to his burning… no one could even what he was cooking anymore. “You’re such a child abuser.”

“You love it, though,” Yesung followed Ryeowook to the kitchen, shirtless and proud. He leaned to the counter beside Ryeowook.

The younger boy had to fight the urge to run his hands down his lover’s torso. Those are some toned pecs, he shook his head at the thought. Why is this man making me feel so sinful?

“Where are you staying, anyway?” Yesung grabbed a glass from the cupboard and dispensed some water into it.

“I don’t know,” Ryeowook successfully got his attention shifted to washing the soot away from the frying pan he used to cook, or burn, his supposed-to-be mid-lunch.

“You should go take care of your brother,” Yesung suggested. “I’m not saying I don’t want you around. Just that he needs you. And who knows? Kyuhyun might hurt him.”

“How do you know about Kyuhyun?” Ryeowook asked thoughtlessly, his gaze still on the dishes he was washing.

“I read your inbox.”

“What?” Ryeowook retorted, his head shifting quickly to Yesung’s direction. He gulped when the first thing he saw was the horizontal lines on Yesung’s long, y neck, then his well-toned chest, and then down to the fine hairs under his navel leading to happy land. “How could a school nurse be so hot?” he accidentally spoke his mind out too loud.

“Admit it. You like it.”

&&

Sungmin was sweeping the floor in Kyuhyun’s pad when the latter made it home. “Home so late?” he asked without even looking at Kyuhyun, “it’s ten.”

“What are you?” Kyuhyun chuckled, “my wife?”

Sungmin recoiled at Kyuhyun’s statement. Wife? He continued sweeping, ignoring the thought.

“Sungmin, let’s go sleep,” Kyuhyun stood beside busy Sungmin. For some odd reason, ever since Kyuhyun started sleeping together with Sungmin, he couldn’t find himself sleeping alone anymore. He just didn’t want to do so anymore. They did seem like husband and wife and Kyuhyun didn’t mind. Kyuhyun didn’t see Sungmin as someone more than a friend, but Kyuhyun did like how he had Sungmin to come home to and cascade his frustrations down to. Just like a wife.

“You can go sleep, I’ll finish this.”

“Why are you just doing that now?” Kyuhyun sat on the couch not far enough to lose Sungmin in sight, “what time did you come home?”

“Donghae and I had some major cleaning day,” Sungmin put a lot of emphasis into his last three words. “So yeah, I kind of just got home.”

“Leave the cleaning for tomorrow, let’s sleep.”

Sungmin stopped sweeping and stood there for a bit, brushing aside the strands of hair on his forehead with the back of his hand. “You can sleep alone, Kyuhyun.”

“I want to sleep beside you,” Kyuhyun said sloppily, his side falling to the cushion beside him, “I can’t sleep without you next to me.”

Sungmin was surprised at what Kyuhyun said. Maybe what was between them wasn’t actually “nothing,” unless having once and kissing to the point of almost doing it for the second time equates with nothing. Maybe there was something more to their relationship than Sungmin thought.