It had been three days since Kyuhyun had left the apartment. He’d spent the majority of his time sprawled out on the floor, intently watching Siwon write his story. The older had barely said more than a few words, only asking for a glass of water or a snack here and there. He hadn’t slept in their bed or gotten more than a few hours of sleep, leaving Kyuhyun to roll around uncomfortably and hardly get any sleep himself.

Kyuhyun knew better than to bother him about it though, it was absolutely against the rules to pester Siwon when he was in his writing mode. The younger knew that well, especially after the multiple scoldings he’d received in the past. Siwon never hit him, but his cold stare and bitter words were enough to scare Kyuhyun into silence.

He’d thought of going out and walking around the city for a while, catching some fresh air and maybe treating himself to some new clothes. He decided against it, knowing Siwon wouldn’t be too keen on letting him go out by himself. He’d thought of bring Sungmin, his best friend, with him, but Siwon didn’t completely approve of him either. Kyuhyun sighed wistfully from his spot on the couch where he’d been flipping half-heartedly through a book he’d read more time than he could count. He was bored out of his mind, wishing he’d taken normal college classes instead of online ones so he’d have an excuse to get out. Most of his decision to take online classes had to do with Siwon’s apprehension to him being alone all day, not being able to make sure he wasn’t doing something stupid or if other men were looking at him for too long.

Now that he’d mulled it over, he realised he really could blame his mild case of ennui on Siwon and his ridiculous rules. The older had called them ‘suggestions’, but Kyuhyun always had to deal with dreary lectures if he just so happened to not heed Siwon’s propositions. No matter how he looked at it, they were rules and he felt like a child having to follow them. There was so little he could actually do thanks to Siwon’s rules and, at least at the moment, he hated him for it.

The rules hadn’t been set immediately after they started their relationship; they’d actually had to go through several fights to come up with all of them. Siwon hadn’t written them out on paper which Kyuhyun was glad for, he’d probably had thrown a fit if he had, but he could list them all off in his head.

1. No boys as friends. Sungmin can be negotiated.
2. Don’t go out alone.
3. If you do happen to be alone, call me or text me frequently and let me know you’re alive.
4. Don’t talk to Key.
5. Do not interrupt me while I’m writing unless there is an emergency i.e.; fire, robber, murderer.
6. Keep the apartment neat. Pick up after yourself.

They were ludicrous, just another of Siwon’s ways of craftily projecting his insecure personality that he liked to hide. Kyuhyun had to admit that the older’s over protective and possessive ways could be quixotic and even a little y at times, but right now, they were killing him. He wanted to go out and see actual people and breathe fresh, outdoor air instead of sitting in the same spot every day, slowly succumbing to cabin fever.

“Siwon,” Kyuhyun started quietly.

Siwon hummed in response, hand still scrawling across the current sheet of paper.

“I know you told me not to bother you when you’re writing, but I want to ask you something.” Kyuhyun shrunk back in his seat, wincing as Siwon dropped his white pen onto the desk and turned to face him.

“Ask me then.” Siwon said. He didn’t sound even vaguely interested.

“W-would you mind if I went out for a while? Just for a little while, not long.”

“With who?” Siwon asked, eyes sceptical.

“Well, I was thinking I could go by myself. If you want, I could call Sungmin and see if he’d want to go with me. I just thought it’d be kind of pointless since I’d only be out for 2 hours max.” Kyuhyun rambled out quickly.

Siwon stared at Kyuhyun, no particular emotions showing in his face, “No, just stay here. I’ll be done soon and then we can go grab something to eat. Why don’t you go draw for a while, hm?”

“Oh, uh, okay.” Kyuhyun rose from his spot obediently and made his way out of the room, “Yeah, I guess I’ll just go do that then.”

Kyuhyun had been drawing constantly for the past three days as well, though Siwon couldn’t have possibly known that what with his lack of attention. His hands felt cramped and twisting the door knob to get into his studio was a task in itself. He loved drawing, really he did, it was an escape for him, but after doing it continuously for such long periods of time he was sick of it.

His studio wasn’t so much a studio as it was a guest room covered in his artwork with a black futon, boxes of paint and pencils and an easel. His art was hung up all over the walls with mismatched tacks, all of which were portraits of Siwon in various mediums. His favourite thing to draw was Siwon and he realised, with a bit of bashfulness, that he hadn’t drawn anything or anyone else since he’d met the older. The last time his subject wasn’t Siwon was three years ago and it had been a simple drawing of a cherry blossom tree. Kyuhyun knew he was absolutely enamoured with Siwon, but he hadn’t realised the extent of the feeling until now.

He threw himself onto the futon with a sigh, still completely bored out of his mind. Maybe I could just sneak out, he thought to himself. The idea was an appealing one, but he knew he didn’t have the guts to go through with it. He wouldn’t be able to make it two steps out the door without worrying about whether Siwon would notice his absence or not. If he did, Kyuhyun was sure he’d be in all sorts of trouble and even if he didn’t, the younger wasn’t the best of liars and the truth would come out eventually in a state of panic just like everything else did.

Then it hit him, he didn’t have to listen to Siwon. He was a 23 year old man, old enough to make his own decisions and not take orders from others. Siwon wasn’t his mother, he was his boyfriend and therefor, didn’t get to have the last word in what he could and could not do. Kyuhyun rose from the futon with a huff of boldness and made his way to their room to change from pyjamas to something more presentable. He attempted to fix his curls so they weren’t so messy, but gave up when he realised that all of his efforts to tame his hair were to no avail.

Kyuhyun tiptoed from their room to the end of the hallway, peeking around the corner to make sure Siwon was still intently focused on his work. Strangely enough, a part of him wanted to get caught. He wanted Siwon to be facing the hallway with an angry look on face and his arms crossed, to beckon him over with his finger and scold him with that stern voice of his. Not yelling, though, never yelling. Siwon knew using a cold voice always made Kyuhyun feel guiltier than he would if he had been yelled at and yelling scared the younger anyways. He wanted Siwon to forbid him from ever leaving his sight and keep an eye on him day and night; he craved for the attention, yearned for it like the air he breathed.

He knew none of that would happen though and couldn’t find it in him to be too disappointed at the sight of Siwon still writing his heart out. Giving up his sneaky charade, he walked over to the door, relaxed and confident that he’d make it out of here alive. He slipped his shoes on and opened the door, glancing at Siwon with longing before he walked out. The door shut behind him a little too loud for his liking causing him to walk briskly to the elevator and press the down arrow repeatedly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

The ride down was suspenseful, Kyuhyun felt like Siwon would be waiting on each floor with a deep frown, ready to drag him back up to their place. His heart was beating fast and he plead with himself mentally, do not have a break down do not have a break down just chill out not here not right now.

The elevator dinged, signalling that he had reached the lobby. He exited it, scanning the lobby for any sign of Siwon. Kyuhyun sighed with relief and start to walk out of the anteroom hurriedly, pausing when he heard his name being called.

“Kyuhyun! Cho Kyuhyun!”

Kyuhyun turned around, expecting to see a fuming Siwon, but was greeted by the sight of his energetic neighbour. Key was dressed fashionably as usual, at least Kyuhyun would deem it as fashionable, he really had no idea what was considered stylish these days. He wore a black, purposefully tattered ACDC shirt and tight, black skinny jeans to match. His shoes were cheetah print slip-ons covered in spikes. Kyuhyun looked at them with disdain, shoes were meant to be shoes, not weapons.

“Choi Kyuhyun? Is it Cho or Choi? Are you two married yet? I can never remember.” Key rambled, skipping happily over to Kyuhyun.

“It’s Cho, we’re not married yet.” Kyuhyun answered, slightly off put by Key’s lack of formalities. Not many people skipped the usual ‘hi hello how are you’ procedure, but Key was definitely not many people.

“Yet?” Key raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow, “Does that mean there’s a wedding in the works? I do hope I’m invited, even if your uppity little husband hates me with a burning passion and doesn’t let me within 15 feet of you.”

“Siwon doesn’t hate you with a burning passion, Kibum. He’s just weirdly cautious of other people being around me. Don’t take it offensively; Siwon’s just…a bit overly protective.”

“Call me Key, Cho soon-to-be Choi Kyuhyun. Makes sense I suppose. I’d be a bit defensive with you too, if you were mine. You’re a pretty one.” Key smiled wickedly.

“It’s just Kyuhyun.” He corrected, backing away from Key slowly, “Thanks, I guess?”

“Too forward?”

“A bit.” Kyuhyun laughed nervously.

“Sorry,” Key says, but he doesn’t sound apologetic in the least, “Anyways, where are you off to? I’m surprised the warden let you out by yourself, I was beginning to think you two were attached at the hips.”

“I snuck out.” Kyuhyun admits with a proud smile.

“I’m so telling!” Key exclaims, throwing his head back and laughing.

Kyuhyun’s smile falls, eyes wide in fear, “Please don’t!”

“What –”

“Don’t tell him! I’ll get in so much trouble. Please, please, don’t tell him. Key, I’m begging you. I’ll do whatever you want, just don’t say anything about this. Please.” Kyuhyun grabs Key’s arm tightly, refusing to let go or loosen his grip until his neighbour answers him.

“Relax, dude. I was just playing around!” Key pries Kyuhyun’s fingers off of his arm with a pained expression, “You’ve got quite a grip for someone so dainty.”

Kyuhyun frowns, “I’m not dainty.”

“Sure, but I have to ask, Kyuhyun. Is there something going on that I should know about? Normal people don’t have that kind of reaction, as a matter of fact; normal people don’t have to sneak away from their significant others.”

“There’s nothing going on.”

“Why don’t I believe you?” Key crosses his arms.

“I don’t know, but you should. I swear there’s nothing going on. He’s never hit me. Siwon’s not like that, he’s a little crazy yeah, but he’s never hit me.” Kyuhyun assures, getting slightly defensive over his boyfriend.

“I’ll take your word for it, but really Kyuhyun, if he ever does something to you, feel free to come running to me. I’ll beat him up for you, alright? Promise you’ll tell me if something happens.”

“Promise,” Kyuhyun sticks out his pinkie and wraps it around Key’s.

Key laughed at the childish gesture and waved Kyuhyun off, heading in the opposite direction.

Sorry for taking so long. :c I'm getting back into the hang of writing though! I won't keep you guys waiting for a month next time, I swear!

Thanks for reading!

Comment if you wish!~

Love you snowflakes! ♥