Jaejoong shifted uncomfortably. His eyes kept glancing at the boy beside him, aware of the heavy eye bags that he currently sported, completing his absolutely wrecked image. It looked like he hadn’t slept a wink. He probably hadn’t.

After picking Changmin up last night, his friend hadn’t uttered a single word except to ask a weird question about some Kangin guy and a small thank you to him and Yunho for driving him home. Jaejoong figured something must have happened at the Cho’s residence but he held off the questions because he knew Changmin like the back of his hand. Changmin would tell him in his own time.

But the silence was starting to grate on his nerves, blanketing them to the point of suffocation. Well, at least on his part. He had never seen Changmin so despondent before excluding the time when Jaejoong had accidentally ate his pudding and the time when he thought that Junsu had a crush on Kyuhyun. To say he was worry, was an understatement.

Shim Changmin looked like he had gone through a heart break.

He leaned his head back to meet Junsu’s eyes over Changmin’s shoulders and narrowed his eyes at him but Junsu’s only response was to squint back at him with a little unnoticeable shrug of his head. Jaejoong sighed internally.

Straightening up, Jaejoong cleared his throat, breaking the awkwardness that shrouded the trio.

“So, Changmin. You never did tell us about your date with Kyuhyun.”

Jaejoong grinned at his quick thinking at defusing the situation and glanced at Changmin only to grimace because the boy’s expression had darkened further and now he not only looked despondent but also like Jaejoong had kicked his puppy AND ate his pudding while doing so.

He could see Junsu face-palming.

“He stood me up,” Changmin replied matter-of-factly but they all heard the crack in his voice.

Nice job, Kim.

“We’re sorry to hear that, Minnie,” Junsu tried to save the moment but the damage had already been inflicted if the misery painted across Changmin’s face were anything to go by.

He was probably trying to forget the disastrous night but no, Jaejoong had to go and open old wounds.

“It’s okay. I should have expected it from him.” Jaejoong could see how Changmin tried to smile but it was a sad attempt.

They walked on in silence again and Jaejoong heard Junsu cleared his throat. He perked up in hope his friend could try to cheer their friend up.

“I heard you went to Kyuhyun’s house yesterday.”

Noooooo, Junsu!

Changmin’s whole demeanor changed. Jaejoong had forgotten to fill Junsu in about last night since he was so knackered after sending Changmin home so the brunette had no clue that the reason why Changmin was gloomy was because something happened last night.

Junsu must have realized that he had said the wrong thing because his eyes widen to the size of a saucer and tried to stutter out an apology but their friend cut him off.

“Yeah, I did. Guys, we better run or we’ll be late,” Changmin gave Junsu a tight-lipped smile before running ahead.

The two boys watched their friend’s retreating back.

“I just put my foot in my mouth, didn’t I, Jae?”

“You and I, Junsu. You and I.”

Changmin watched as the door slid open to reveal Kyuhyun and as usual, his breath snagged in his throat and his heart danced to irregular beats.

Kyuhyun stalked into the classroom leisurely, his whole being screaming confidence and Changmin was lost once again, hopelessly ensnared by the boy.

He hated himself for it.

Of all the guys he could fall for, why did he have to fall for Kyuhyun?

He was annoying not to mention, an who liked to toy with Changmin’s heart and the worst part was, the guy didn’t even know it. He didn’t know how Changmin felt to watch him watch Sungmin, he didn’t know that their whole one-sided deal was the most real thing to Changmin and he sure did not know that Changmin was in love with him.

How much longer can he keep this up?

He should get a freaking medal or something.

Changmin put his head down on his table, hiding from the world when he saw Kyuhyun started to be surrounded by his mob of fan-girls. He didn’t need to feel worse than he already was.

His own horde of fan-girls seemed strangely calm that morning even with his disappearance after lunch break yesterday. He had thought that they would be relentless with their questions as Kyuhyun was also missing but apparently he was not that important after all.

, he felt so ty that he had even craved the girls’ attention.

He snorted humorlessly against the table.

“Min.”

Changmin glanced to the side where Jaejoong was staring at him in concern and Junsu was probably doing the same too. He took a peek at the shorter male and yup, Junsu was staring at him from his seat. He glanced back at Jaejoong.

“Hmm?”

Jaejoong bit his lip. Hesitation. That was weird because Jaejoong was the type to just barge in with his thoughts, uncaring of Changmin’s privacy. Maybe he needed to start giving his friends some credits.

“Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he muttered.

“I just-I mean-well…” Changmin watched amusedly as Jaejoong flailed about, trying to voice his thoughts into words before Changmin took pity on him.

“Right now? Not really.” Jaejoong stopped abruptly in mid-sentence at his words.

“…but I will be,” Changmin smiled at his friend.

Jaejoong’s eyes softened and his flailing hands dropped onto his lap.

“Okay.”

They exchanged smiles and Changmin turned his head to give one to Junsu too. Junsu grinned as soon as he saw his lips curled up into a smile.

Changmin closed his eyes, trying to gather himself. Guilt swirled in his chest for making his friends worried, warring with the dull ache that never subsided since last night. The worst combination ever, Changmin lamented to himself.

He muffled a groan against the surface of the table when he heard the scrape of a chair against the floor and felt fingers in his hair.

“What-” His eyes opened only to be met with a familiar pair close to his own.

“Did you even sleep last night?” Kyuhyun asked; his voice deceptively soft in subtle concern.

Changmin was so surprised by the sudden intrusion on his pity party he could only shake his head.

Kyuhyun clicked his tongue in annoyance but his fingers didn’t stop moving in his hair. Long fingers ran through soft strands in gentle motions, scratching his scalp.

“W-what are you doing?” Changmin averted his gaze when he realized that he had stared a little too much at Kyuhyun.

“Petting you,” came the dead-panned reply. Red flooded Changmin’s entire face.

“I mean, w-why?” he tried not to lean into the touch but Kyuhyun made it almost impossible to resist when Changmin was running on two hours sleep.

Changmin squirmed when Kyuhyun stared hard at him instead of giving a verbal response and damn it to hell, he had magic fingers. His eyelids started to grow heavy with lack of sleep and Kyuhyun’s gentle ministrations did not help him with his battle against the temptation of falling into oblivion during the first lesson of the morning.

Luckily he was saved by the door slamming open and Kim Sunggyu stormed into the classroom. Kyuhyun retracted his fingers from Changmin and stood up. Changmin ignored the brief flash of disappointment, wishing the fingers back on him. He started to straighten up but was frozen in place when Kyuhyun leaned down and he felt a pair of soft lips on his forehead.

“Lunch. With me,” was whispered against his skin before the lips were gone along with the heat that they brought; the owner having walk away to return to his seat.

Changmin brought up a shaking hand to his forehead to where Kyuhyun’s lips had made contact with his skin. Muffled squeal reached his ears and he turned to look at Jaejoong that was leering at him, smugness radiating from him tenfold.

“What?” his glare would have been menacing if not for the blood rushing to his face and the word muttered in embarrassment.

“I bet you’re okay now, huh?” Jaejoong chortled, before quickly covering his mouth; aware of their moody teacher.

“Shut up,” Changmin slumped down in his chair, ducking his head to hide his face that was seven shades of red by then.

“Kyuhyun.”

“Hmm?”

“This is a bit…” Changmin squirmed before Kyuhyun put a hand on his shoulder, stilling him.

“Will you stop moving? Just sleep.”

Another hand covered his eyes, forcing his eyelids to drop and close. Changmin’s own hand came up to grasp Kyuhyun’s wrist.

“But this position is a bit…” he trailed off.

“A bit what?”

Intimate.

He gulped, heart palpitating.

Kyuhyun had dragged him to the rooftop as soon as the bell for lunch break rang and situated him between his legs like the first time they came up there. He had spoon-fed him like a baby. Changmin was so tired he didn’t even think to protest, settling comfortably against Kyuhyun and munching on his food. They had shared Changmin’s lunch again. He really ought to make an extra if Kyuhyun kept that up.

And then, after finishing Changmin’s lunch, Kyuhyun had man-handled him into laying his head on his lap and Changmin’s tired brain went online again, screaming at him to do something unless he wanted to get into a situation where he would be getting his hopes up only for Kyuhyun to crush them again.

“Nothing. Anyway, you don’t have to do this. There’s no one here so you can drop the act.”

Kyuhyun went quiet for a moment, Changmin had thought the male had decided not to fight him on it when the hand covering his eyes was removed and he was staring into intense brown eyes.

“You’re tired so just ing sleep while I’m being nice, Max,” Kyuhyun growled, face so close to his Changmin could feel every breath on each exhale.

He blinked dumbly before nodding and closing his eyes.

Kyuhyun’s fingers resumed their course through his hair, lulling him into a state of compliancy.

After a while, when Changmin was about to drop off into sleep he heard a soft, “hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Who’s your friend? The one you said live nearby me?”

Changmin stiffened.

“Uh…you wouldn’t know him. He…um, he doesn’t go to our school.”

Kyuhyun hummed.

Kyuhyun watched the sleeping boy in his lap. The bell had rung a moment ago but he couldn’t be bothered to wake Changmin from his sleep. Besides, the boy looked like he needed some decent sleep.

His fingers traced the boy’s features absently, mapping the contours and ridges of the boy’s face, noting how soft his skin was.

Leaning his head back against the fence behind him, he looked up at the sky.

“Different school, huh?” he muttered to the wind.

I'm back cupcakes. *avoid flying knives*

Sorry, been busy this past year and what with my lappie dying on me, it's been a heartbreaking journey, I tell you.

So, sorry for the really long wait. I know it's long past due.