{this method acting, well, i call that living} | kevin/dongho

it took exactly seventeen days of living in japan for dongho to break.

kevin knew, however, long before it actually happened, that it was coming. it wasn’t the first time they had to live together, of course, but the strain of living in a foreign country and learning a foreign language made them all increasingly stressed. dongho wasn’t exactly known for being able to keep calm, normally being the first one to start yelling or crying—or both.

kevin watched the youngest boy work day in and day out, trying to keep up on his education on top of everything else, and felt so helpless. what could kevin do to eleviate his stress? they all knew that the responsibilities associated with their careers were always the first priority, even over their own sanity.

all the stress placed upon dongho was bound to make him break, kevin knew he wasn’t strong enough. yet, kevin had expected a grand outburst, lots of yelling and tears and words he didn’t mean. he expected it all to be released in one big explosion and then for it to be over with.

what kevin didn’t expect was the slow deflating of his energy, his vitality, much like a balloon you keep after a great party that slowly fades to nothing just like your memories. if fact, if kevin hadn’t already been looking, he would have never noticed.

it starts with dongho coming into the room kevin shared with kiseop and aj, sitting on the edge of his bed and tentatively asking, “can you tuck me into bed?”

kevin regards him cautiously, mildly confused at his request but getting up anyways. as kevin tucks the blankets around dongho’s form, kissing his forehead for good measure, dongho sleepily mutters, “my mom used to do this for me.”

suddenly, kevin understands.