Sungmin had picked Kyuhyun up in record time, ushering him into the warm car quickly. Kyuhyun had caught a glimpse of Siwon walking out of a candle shop, a worried look in his eyes. He almost felt guilty for walking out like that, but he convinced himself that Siwon deserved it. Sungmin had given him the infamous, scrutinizing Sungmin gaze the second he had sat in the car, looking for bruises and cuts of any sort. He was a natural worrywart, but Kyuhyun welcomed it from him.

“Alright,” Sungmin finally said, satisfied with the lack of contusions on Kyuhyun, “tell me everything.”

He’d started off fine, complaining about Siwon being clingy and unable to let go of the past. The blonde had nodded every time Kyuhyun had said something he agreed with and added in his own two cents. Then Kyuhyun got more in depth to their relationship, the months of being ignored, Siwon’s constant mood swings, everything and that was when he’d broken down and started sobbing in Sungmin’s car.

“I though the loved me, Sungmin, but he just tossed me aside for that stupid book.” He cried, not even bothering to try and pull himself together, “He never spared a second to see if I was okay. He doesn’t even know that I had to up the dosage on my pills because of him.”

Sungmin pulled the car over to the side and unbuckled his seat belt, immediately wrapping his arms around his broken best friend. “It’s alright.” He whispered, rubbing Kyuhyun’s back in a soothing manner, “I’m here for you, Kyuhyun. Just let it all out, okay? Everything’s going to be alright.”

“No it’s not,” Kyuhyun buried his head into Sungmin’s shoulder, “it’s not going to be alright. Everything has just gone downhill since that day and it’s never going to go back to the way it was. I ruined it, Sungmin! It’s all my fault!” He sobbed into the blonde’s shoulder, “He doesn’t say it, but I know he hates me. I just know it! He’s only keeping me around because he feels bad for such a pathetic person like me.”

That was all it took for Kyuhyun to send himself down the path of paranoia. His breathing became harsher as he continued to berate himself. That constantly nagging feeling in the back of his mind became stronger, convincing him that, yes, this was his entire fault. His mind flashed images of Siwon with another man, happy, smiling, and laughing. Things he hadn’t seen from Siwon since the incident.

He remembered seeing Siwon’s face when he’d woken up that day. A cross between angry, relieved and heartbroken. Kyuhyun knew it had been a stupid idea to leave like that, especially to the Philippines of all places. Somewhere Siwon couldn’t easily come to if he needed saving. It was just supposed to be for a few days, a chance to get away from Siwon’s clingy personality for a while.

He’d flown to the Philippines under the premise that he was going on a college trip with some friends when he’d really just gone by himself, checked into a hotel and spent a few hours walking around. That was when he’d met Changmin, who was on vacation and just so happened to be the first and only Korean native he’d met there. Of course they’d end up befriending each other. They’d made plans for dinner the night before Kyuhyun was supposed to fly back to Korea, a small dinner and a movie. It sounded a lot like a date to Kyuhyun, but he didn’t pay much heed to it. They were friends; this was a friendly meet up. That was, until Changmin had kissed him.

Kyuhyun had pushed him away and ran, trying to find his way back to the hotel. He’d always had a bad sense of direction though and the signs in a different language weren’t really much help, he’d gotten lost. Maybe he should’ve turned around when he’d found himself in a dark alley alone, that would’ve been the smart thing to do, but his mind was too wrapped around the fact that someone else had kissed him, someone that wasn’t Siwon, someone he’d only known for a few days, and he felt dirty, violated.

They came out of nowhere, yelling at Kyuhyun in a language he couldn’t understand. He’d thrown money at them, threw his entire wallet, in fact, but they weren’t having it. Four men surrounded him from all sides, not allowing him a chance to get away. They beat him, kicked him, punched him, spit on him, and left him for dead. Changmin had probably found him eventually; Kyuhyun had been in a coma until Siwon came to rescue him and couldn’t remember.

All of the memories came flooding back to him vividly, reminding him of how stupid he had been. There wasn’t a day that had gone by where he didn’t regret it. Because of his inanity, he’d ruined their relationship. Siwon pretended that it didn’t bother him anymore, but Kyuhyun saw that it ate away at him. The fact that another man had touched Kyuhyun was something Siwon would never forget, the younger could feel it when they kissed. That desperate need to claim Kyuhyun, the desperation, the wariness, the way Siwon kissed to dominate. He knew Siwon threw himself into writing that book as a distraction, but now that it was gone, Kyuhyun realised that this particular event hadn’t been forgotten so easily.

“I don’t know what to do, Minnie.” Kyuhyun whimpered heartbreakingly into his friend’s shoulder.

“I wish I could give you a solution, but I really don’t know what to say.” Sungmin sighed sadly, “Maybe…have you thought about…taking a break possibly?”

Kyuhyun took a moment to pull himself together just the slightest bit, pulling away from Sungmin and wiping his tears away. A break might be good for the both of them, but who’s to say that they’d even want to get back together afterward? Kyuhyun couldn’t imagine a world without Siwon anymore, as much as hated Siwon at the moment, he loved him all the same.

“I don’t want to leave him. I just want to go back to when we first met,” Kyuhyun sniffled, remembering their glory days, “back when everything was okay. That way I can do things the right way and not everything up.”

“You wouldn’t be leaving him necessarily, just a week away from each other to get your minds set straight. You can stay with me and Saejin, she’d love to have you around.” Sungmin offered, but as nice of an proposal as it was, Kyuhyun just couldn’t cope with the fact that Siwon wouldn’t be near him.

“No. Thank you, Minnie, really, but I’ll fix this some other way. Being apart would just make him realise how much happier he’d be without me.” Tears welled up in his eyes at the thought of Siwon with another man and he had to fight with his entire body to keep from going into another fit of sobbing.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Kyuhyun. Siwon loves you to pieces, even I can see that. You’re both just going through a tough time right now. It happens to even the happiest of couples.” Sungmin assured.

“I wish I could believe you.”

“Oh, Kyu.” Sungmin frowned and pulled his best friend into another tight hug, “I feel like this is slightly my fault. None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t set you guys up.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m the idiot who decided to fall in love with him. We would’ve met eventually, it was fate.” Kyuhyun sighed. “At least, I like to pretend it is.”

“At least stay with us for tonight, Kyuhyun. A night away from him won’t kill anyone.” Sungmin insisted, “We can sit around and drink wine until we pass out.”

Kyuhyun laughed a little at that and Sungmin took it as his queue to start driving to his house again. They sat silently for a while until Sungmin turned the radio on and chose a station that was playing sad ballads. It was quiet ambience and soon a song Kyuhyun was quite fond of played and he sang along quietly at first, but grew louder as Sungmin joined him.

“Sometimes I regret not starting that band with you.” Sungmin pouted as he pulled into his driveway. “We would’ve been amazing.”

“Yeah,” Kyuhyun feigned sighing wistfully, “Too bad our guitarist had to go fall in love and get married.”

“Need I remind you that our singer did nearly the exact same thing?”

They both laughed at that, getting out of the car and walking up the path to Sungmin’s front door. His house wasn’t grand or anything, just a simple almost cottage-esque looking thing that suited the older man’s personality. He didn’t need anything grandiose anyways, the only people in the house were Sungmin, his wife, Saejin, and a snippy little dog.

“Are you sure Saejin’s okay with me staying over?” Kyuhyun asked, remembering that he hadn’t exactly asked permission.

“Trust me, she’ll be thrilled. I’m pretty sure Jinnie likes you more than me anyways.” Sungmin opened the door and removed his shoes. Kyuhyun followed after him. “Darling, I’m home!” His best friend called, triggering a few yips from a tiny white poof of a dog. Sungmin picked up the dog and soothed her, talking to her with an annoying baby voice.

“Was Kyuhyun alright after all?” Saejin called from another room, not able to see that he was standing in the middle of their living room. “He wasn’t hurt was he? I always knew that Siwon guy was bad news, you know? He has that kind of–” Saejin stopped in the middle of her sentence after finally entering the living room. She smiled bashfully at Kyuhyun, giggling awkwardly and playing with the ends of her light brown hair.

“I’m fine, Saejin. Sorry for worrying you.” Kyuhyun laughed, “Hello, by the way.”

Kyuhyun stood uncomfortably in her gaze, the very same one Sungmin had given him earlier in the car. He wanted to laugh and point out their similarities, but Kyuhyun knew they’d both deny it. They were a match made in heaven, much the opposite of him and Siwon. Saejin and Sungmin rarely fought and when they did, everything was settled in a matter of minutes and they’d go right back to be disgustingly lovey dovey. Kyuhyun envied them, he wanted that kind of relationship with Siwon. He didn’t get a chance to brood over it though, because Saejin was now pulling him into a tight hug, tippy toeing because he was so much taller than her.

“I missed you, Kyuhyunnie! You never come visit me anymore. It’s so boring being with Sungmin all the time. Even Lola tries to run away.” She pouted, pulling away and fixing any disheveled hair on Kyuhyun.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been…busy.”

Saejin made a sympathetic noise and dragged him over to a spot on their leather couch, “Have you eaten? Do you want anything to drink? I can make you some tea if you’d like.”

“It’s fine, I ate. Thank you, Jinnie.”

“Quit mothering him, Saejin. He’s a big boy.” Sungmin scrunched his nose and took a seat on the opposite side of Kyuhyun.

“I’m not mothering him!” Saejin chided,  “I’m being a good friend. Besides, he’s just had a fight with his boyfriend. He needs a little coddling right now. You’re just jealous.”

Sungmin scoffed and turned to his friend, “So about that wine…”

Saejin’s eyes brightened at the word and she was up and about immediately, taking out large wine glasses from their cabinets. She could be considered a wine connoisseur of sorts, though she would never openly admit that. The angel that is Mrs. Lee had an image to uphold after all. How would people react when they found out she divulged in a glass (or three) of wine frequently?

“Is red alright?” She asked, pulling out three different bottles and seriously examining them before deciding on one, “I have this Romane Conti that is just absolutely delicious. I usually save it for special occasions, but…I think you’re special enough to have some, Kyuhyunnie.”

Sungmin got up and assisted her, taking his own glass and the bottle of wine with him for refills. Saejin gave Kyuhyun his glass and took her spot beside him again, signaling at Kyuhyun to waft at it. 

He did as told and beamed, “It smells like dark leather and berries.” Kyuhyun sipped at it eagerly.

They drank in appreciative silence for a while, enjoying the little hints of flowers, soy sauce and licorice the Romane Conti carried. The rich aroma of the wine and it’s pleasant taste brought a welcomed buzz to Kyuhyun’s head.  

The trio spent the rest of the night talking about everything and anything, though the subject of Siwon was avoided like the plague. Kyuhyun felt himself unwinding with every glass, genuinely smiling and laughing at the things the married couple would say. It had been awhile since he’d spent time with them and he was now regretting it. Kyuhyun had forgotten how lively Saejin and Sungmin were and just how comfortable he felt around them. It was like his problematic relationship ceased to exist when he was with them.

“I should be getting to bed now. I have class in the morning and I really can’t be late this time.” Saejin announced, taking her glass to the kitchen and coming back to the living room to take Lola off of Sungmin’s lap.

“You’re still in college? I thought you graduated?” Kyuhyun asked curiously. Had Saejin always been that much younger than them?

“I did, but I want my masters’ degree. There’s just so much more to do with one, you know?” She replied.

“Tell me about it.”

Saejin laughed and bent down to kiss a slightly dazed Sungmin on the lips, “Don’t stay up too late, alright? I’ll get lonely.” She went over to Kyuhyun and kissed his cheek, pinching them like a mother would. “If you wake up early enough, I’ll have breakfast for you. Good night, Kyuhyunnie!”

He bid her goodnight and sat in silence, watching his best friend stare at him with a weird look. Kyuhyun sighed and waved his hand in front of Sungmin’s face, laughing at the shocked expression Sungmin wore. He never did have a high alcohol tolerance.

“Maybe you should go to bed too, Min, before you start kissing me or something.” Kyuhyun set his glass down on the coffee table and took Sungmin’s as well. He turned to take his best friend’s wrists into his hands so he could lift Sungmin up, but the older had different plans.

“It’ll take a lot more to get me to that point, Kyuhyun. I might be slightly tipsy, but I still have morals,” he looked Kyuhyun over and smirked wickedly, “and standards.”

“Rude!” Kyuhyun pouted and tried to lift Sungmin again, but was pulled back down onto the couch.

“Please try and get some sleep tonight.” Sungmin said, pure concern for his friend lacing his voice, “I know you’re trying to pretend you’re fine right now, but remember, I’m your best friend and I know that look in your eyes like the back of my hand. Don’t stay up ruminating over this, Kyuhyun.”

“I won’t.”

A sceptical look and then, “I’m going to pretend you’re not lying. Worry about it tomorrow, okay? I’m sure everything will be fine by then anyways.”

Kyuhyun tried his best to smile at Sungmin though it was more of a forced grimace. The older of the two went off into another part of the house for a while, leaving Kyuhyun alone on the couch to think about what he’d just said. Kyuhyun hoped Sungmin was right about everything being fine, he really did.

Sungmin returned with arms full of pillows and blankets and a sleepy smile, “The guest room is still filled with boxes so I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the couch. It folds out into a bed, shouldn’t be too uncomfortable.”

He tossed the pillows at Kyuhyun’s head erroneously, hitting the couch and walls instead. Sungmin threw the blankets next and successfully managed to drape Kyuhyun in one of them. The younger’s face when he finally managed to disentangle himself was disgruntled and grumpy, but he still laughed along with his best friend.

“Do I have to tuck you in or can you do it yourself?” Sungmin teased.

That right there, the fact that Sungmin badgered Kyuhyun even when he was near heart broken, was what secured Sungmin’s spot as best friend in the younger’s heart. Sungmin knew just what to say, how to act, to distract Kyuhyun from his woes. It was something Kyuhyun had always been grateful for, especially now.

“No. I’m a big boy, remember?”

Sungmin rolled his eyes, “Remember what I said. Go to sleep and when you wake up, maybe I’ll leave you some breakfast.”

“Your kindness is simply overwhelming, Minnie.” Kyuhyun snorted, rolling himself up into a Kyuhyun burrito with blankets. “Goodnight, Sungmin. And…thanks.”

“Anything for Kyuhyunnie.” Sungmin cooed, trying his best to imitate Saejin’s fairy-like voice. “Goodnight, Kyu. See you in the morning.” Sungmin waved and shuffled to his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Kyuhyun laid on the couch for a while, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about the day’s events even though Sungmin had asked him not to. His best friend really did know him better than he knew himself. Questions about the future flittered through his head; What’s next? Where do they go from here? Was there even a point in staying together if they were just going to keep fighting? Was all of this pain worth it?

He didn’t exactly have an answer to any of them just yet and before he could even try to come up with one, his phone lit up on beside him, silently telling him he had received a message. Kyuhyun reached for it, a little unhappy about having to ruin the comfortable position he was in.

From: Siwon<3

I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to act like that. What I did today was wrong and stupid. I promise I’ll fix this, okay? I’ll make it up to you. Please come home, Kyu. I love you.

Kyuhyun sighed and decided it was better to just respond so Siwon could get some sleep and not be in a terrible mood tomorrow.

To: Siwon<3

Alright. Sleep. I’ll be home tomorrow. I love you too, Siwon.

The answers to his questions still weren’t clear when he fell asleep, but Kyuhyun felt hopeful that tomorrow would definitely help put them to rest.

I'm so sorry omg I'm not even going to bother explaining why this took so long just omg sorrysorrysorrysorrysorry.

Anyways, after millions of random dilemmas and rewriting this chapter like 6 times, I finished it finally and ugh I really am sorry. You can probably tell where I stopped writing and worked on it on different days. My writing style tends to change with my moods.

sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry.

I only have to finish the last part of Bad Days and then I'll come back to focusing on this (and finish Casaria probably too), I swear.

Thanks for reading! (and putting up with my horrible updating schedule orz)

Comment if you wish~!

Love you snowflakes! ♥