So, that’s it, I guess, thought Jinki after everyone had left his room so that he could properly nurse his hangover alone. I guess I’m gay for Joon? I guess we’re together now? A couple? Best friends with benefits? I have no idea…

            His head hurt too much. But in his way of processing the world, Jinki tended to oversimplify matters. He had a best friend. Whom he had with. Therefore, they must be together somehow. Why else would they have decided to go that route in their most vulnerable state? It made sense to him, at any rate. Made sense while, at the same time, making no sense at all.

            We must subconsciously feel things that I don’t know about.

            He shrugged. He guessed he’d just have to grow into the idea more. He didn’t detest it, after all; it just came as a surprise. And the last thing he could do to his best chingu was hurt his feelings. If Lee Changsun wanted him, then he should allow it—right? He wasn’t bad-looking after all. And he certainly made him laugh. That was a start, he guessed. He really hadn’t thought about it before, but maybe “thinking about it” only made it more complicated.

            Onew rolled onto his side slowly, and reached for a piece of chicken out of the box Jonghyun had left for him. “This’ll make things clearer,” he told himself as he bit into the crunchy leg hungrily.

             He did not flinch as he felt that greasy skin against his lips. Did not pull back, did not think twice. He had already memorized this feeling, this taste. He already felt the pangs of withdrawal during the hours he had not fed his addiction to this—

             “I’ll never forsake my first love~” he cooed. Yes, even this quickly, the sating of his appetite was helping him heal. Or, at least, helping him ignore all the panting and that was taking place in the two rooms next to his.

            The phone buzzed on the counter then, and Jinki felt slightly startled as he saw it was from his newfound, newfangled “boyfriend.”

            Yo~ Jingles, what you doing?

            Medicating. Chicken-cure.

           Lucky you. You have someone to get you food.

           Benefit of dorms. Go home, Joonie.

           I am home.

          Other home.

           Bring me chicken.

          Chicken is not sharable.

          You owe me.

          For?

          Four.

          For four?

          For four.

          Well. This made sense, didn’t it? Maybe he did kinda owe him something… especially ’cause he was all alone over there.

          It was my idea? Suddenly, he heard a slam against the wall, followed by a string of vulgar words coming out of Key’s mouth. This was the only noise that had, up until that point, overpowered the mewl-like moans of their al maknae who was becoming less and less innocent with each passing day. All these things made the decision 100% easier: Okay. I’ll bring you food.

          For realz? You’re the best, Jinks.

          It’s gonna take me a million years to get there though.

* * * 

           A million years turned out to be the equivalent of forty-seven minutes, which wasn’t too terrible considering. He really did feel much better than he had when he’d made the reverse journey home; the meds plus the food both managed to settle his stomach at least. But it took an extra seventeen minutes to actually get to his place, fresh box of chicken in hand—he thought it was the least he could do to bring his “partner” a meal that was still warm.

            “Oh, you’re here,” said Joon in a whiney voice immediately after he typed in the passcode and took his shoes off at the door. In fact, it took him by such surprise that Jinki didn’t even realize that he forgot to reset it, leaving the door unlocked.

            “I brought you food,” he replied as he neared the couch. Looking at him now, Joon certainly looked the worse off—or, at least he was hamming it up good, since he was one prone to dramatics. 

             He smiled. “Thanks, chingu~ you’re a life-saver. I thought I was gonna die.”

            “I’m sure you’d survive,” he said with a small smile. “So…” Onew really didn’t know how to breach the topic that they were skirting around. “Are we… do we… you know…? You like me?”

            “I guess? I don’t really know. You like me?”

            “I must have last night. Right?”

            “This is too weird.”

            “Are you sure we…?”

            “There’s a stain on my couch—”

            “Ew, what?! This couch? The couch you’re laying on?”

            “I only have one couch.”

            Jinki’s face twisted in disapproval. “Er… whose? I mean… who’s stuff?”

            He laughed. “Is this CSI? How can I know this? From the amount—maybe both?”

            Both! Holy god, it must be true…

            “But I’m not… er… sore,” Jinki continued shyly, watching as Lee Joon dug into the box voraciously. “I’m—did I? To you?”

            “Eh? I’m not sore either though—didn’t I? To you?”

            “I don’t know! This is frustrating…”

            “Is it? Wae?”

            “Isn’t it?”

            The conversation was somewhat amusing, honestly. Onew cracked a crooked smile and sat on the floor, legs stretched out leisurely while looking up at the ceiling. “Sorta. ’Cause I have no idea what’s going on between us, or what this means.”

            “Kinda self-explanatory, right?”

            “Only twelve hours ago you were forcing yourself to get off to girl to prove you weren’t gay. Aren’t you even the least bit concerned about what happened? That you and I—that we slept together?”

            He watched as his friend shrugged, amazingly disinterested in the counter-argument.

            Oh my god, he must really like me… he’s not fazed one bit. 

             “Er… well, I don’t know about it," was Onew's follow up. "I’ve never really thought about it before.”

            “Thought about what?”

            "Like... you and I. Guys. I don't know!" he was slightly frustrated. “I just like who I like—”

            Joon laughed a little. “Since when have you liked someone Jinki? How long has it been, and do you even remember what it feels like?”

            He gave way to a childish pout. He had a point. Aside from his experimentation with Taemin, it had been a long time since he’d been wi