~*~

  Heechul wasn’t used to waking up alone. Though he didn’t like making his own breakfast and eating alone at the table, he did appreciate the peace and quiet. It gave him time to think about a lot of things—and until now, Heechul didn’t even know that he had so many things on his mind.

  He worried about what’s going to happen to Sungmin after he and Kyuhyun leave. He wondered how Eunhyuk and Donghae were doing, if they were still shaken up from what happened at school. He thought about how he should tell Kyuhyun to spend as much time as he can with Sungmin, especially now since everyone was given a few days off from school to recover from the incident.

  He was just about to throw the rest of his egg and bacon in the trash (suddenly he lost his appetite) when the doorbell rang. Despite only wearing an oversized shirt that left nothing to the imagination, he answered the door anyway.

  Speak of the devil.

  “What are you doing here?” Heechul was genuinely surprised to see Kyuhyun at his doorstep. He couldn’t remember the last time he and Kyuhyun were alone together—they didn’t really have much business with each other.

  “Is Sungmin here?” he asked, leaning inside to search for any sign of his lover.

  “Oh yeah, he’s still in bed, and pretty sore from what we did last night. Keep your voice down or you might wake him.” Heechul laughed, knowing that Kyuhyun didn’t respond well to sarcasm regarding with his boyfriend. “It’s not even 10AM yet, Kyuhyun. What would Sungmin be doing here?”

  “Well, he’s not at his house. He’s not at Eunhyuk’s or Donghae’s either.” He sighed, frustrated. “Did he say anything to you about where he might be?”

  “I haven’t talked to him since last night, when he said he needed a place to think and I told him to go take a hike because he was cutting in on my beauty sleep.” He shrugged, leaning on the door frame and crossing his arms. “Did you try calling him?”

  “Yeah, but he’s not answering. I think he has his phone turned off.”

  “Did you try Eunhyuk’s house?”

  “First place I went to. He’s not there.”

  “Donghae’s?”

  “Not there either…” Kyuhyun’s voice trailed off when his eyes travelled downward and he caught sight of Heechul’s long and milky white legs. “You have legs like a girl’s.”

  “Thank you.” Heechul always welcomed pleasant comments about his legs. “Are we done here?”

  “Why the rush? It’s not like you have a life to get back to.” He snorted. Heechul noticed how Kyuhyun and Sungmin’s snarky comments were starting to sound more and more alike.

  “I’m closing this door now.” Heechul was about to shut the door when Kyuhyun wedged his foot in and stopped him.

  “Hold on, I have a random question.” Kyuhyun started. “Not that I’m in any way encouraging this or something, but if you and Sungmin ever had , who would top?”

  Heechul froze. “Well,” he remarked, “there’s something to think about.”

  Kyuhyun was just as stumped as he left.

~*~

  “Hyukkie, I don’t feel comfortable kissing in a jail.” Donghae squirmed as Eunhyuk nipped at his neck. Normally, he would be enjoying this, but he just couldn’t shake off the fact that he was in a building full of child criminals.

  “Oh, but you had no problem feeling me up at my uncle’s funeral?” Eunhyuk was just trying to break some of the tension. He himself didn’t feel very comfortable in a juvenile disciplinary center’s visiting room; he wouldn’t even be here if Donghae hadn’t convinced him to since ‘he saved his life’.

  After a few more minutes of sweating and fidgeting, their former schoolmate turned psycho finally came out while being escorted by two security guards. Donghae forced a smile, and elbowed Eunhyuk in the gut to do the same.

  “Hey…you.” Donghae cursed himself for failing to remember his name again. He had already learned it from Coach Gura after the school was evacuated, but his memory was feebler than he thought. “You look good. How are you doing?”

  His blank face frankly scared the crap out of both Eunhyuk and Donghae. “I have to appear in court tomorrow. I’m thinking of just pleading insanity.”

  “But you’re not insane,” he said, kicking Eunhyuk in the shin when he scoffed. “That’s not fair.”

  “It’s the only way out I can think of.” He shrugged one shoulder. It was almost sad seeing how he had just given up on his life, his future so easily. Donghae was not about to let that happen.

“No, it’s not. I can put in a good word for you; I’m willing to testify if that’s what it takes.” He offered. Beside him, his boyfriend snorted.

  “Oh please don’t,” Eunhyuk shook his head. “If you let him testify, you’ll probably end up getting the death sentence.”

  Donghae narrowed his eyes at him. When he spoke, he switched to a stern and threatening tone. “Hyukjae, do you want to go wait outside, where it’s dark and cold and empty?”

  Eunhyuk dropped his gaze. “No, ma’am.”

  “Is there a reason why you two are here?” the juvie tapped the table, returning their attention to himself. “I found a good book in the prison library and I’d really get back to it, so I’d appreciate if we’d just wrap this up.”

  Donghae had no intention of leaving without making even the tiniest bit of progress. “What do your parents say about this?”

  “My parents have stopped giving a damn about me ever since they learned that I can’t apply to any of the big universities anymore. They practically disowned me when they found out I opened fire at my school. So basically I have nothing to live for anymore.” Suddenly, he looked more disheartened than he did before. “Gee, thanks for bringing that up.”

  “Sorry,” he swallowed. “Um, well, surely there’s something we can do about this.”

  “No, there isn’t. And the fact is, I accept that. And you should too.” He pushed his chair back and stood up. “Thanks for trying, but I guarantee you that the next time you see me, I’ll probably be wearing a straitjacket.”

  Donghae watched slack-jawed as the young prisoner left the visiting room. When the door closed, Donghae turned to Eunhyuk, exhaling sharply.

  “I failed.” He croaked.

  “What?”

  “I failed, Hyukjae.” He repeated. “I wanted to make a difference in that boy’s life—I tried to, and I couldn’t do it. I don’t even know his damn name.”

  “Donghae, you did the best that you could. He knows that and I’m sure he appreciates it.” He said, sweeping Donghae’s bangs to the side. “Honey, if you hadn’t talked to him when he was holding you hostage, if you hadn’t convinced him to turn himself in, who knows what he might have done? Who knows where he might be now? You’re a hero, Hae.”

  “Then how come I don’t feel like one?” he stood up to leave, and his concerned boyfriend quickly followed after him.

~*~

Hey, Lady HeeHee. Get your face out of the refrigerator, put some freaking pants on and come meet me. I think I know where Sungmin might be.

--

Hey, monkey. Stop ing Donghae and get your down here asap. I think I know where Sungmin is.

--

Hey, fishy. Tell your boyfriend to stop ing you and get your swollen down here. I think I know where Sungmin went.

~*~

  Eunhyuk pushed open Donghae’s bedroom door. He came closer to the figure lying still on the bed, worried but not surprised. Donghae was visibly dismayed when Eunhyuk dropped him off earlier, and he suggested that he get some sleep to get his mind off his troubles.

  “Hey, Hae. Did you get a text from Kyuhyun? I thought we could go meet him together.” He lay on the empty side of Donghae’s bed, right beside him. “On the way over here, I bought a new outfit for Nemo, and a skirt for Mrs. Nemo. I couldn’t find a top that would match it, so I thought we could look for one together.”

  No response. Eunhyuk sat up, now terrified. Donghae would usually be very excited when it came to Nemo.

  “Hae? You still asleep?” he poke Donghae’s side, finally making him move.

  When Donghae turned to look at him, he sniffed loudly as tears stained his puffy cheeks.

  “Donghae, baby, what’s wrong?” he asked, taking Donghae’s face in his warm hands.

  “I feel awful, Hyukjae. I could’ve helped him, that kid, that poor kid. But he wouldn’t let me, and I don’t know what to do. What am I supposed to do, Hyukjae?”

  “You already did what you were supposed to do, Donghae.” He assured him, wiping his tears with his thumbs. “If it weren’t for you, the incident wouldn’t have ended as cleanly as it did.”

  Donghae leaned his whole frame against Eunhyuk. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you would worry, but I’ve been having nightmares. Terrible ones.”

  “About the shooting?”

  He nodded. “I know I came off all brave and stuff, but the truth is, I wasn’t. I was terrified as everyone else. Maybe even more so.”

  “That’s perfectly okay, babe.” He said, lovingly his hair. “Anyone would have been scared.”

  “But I wasn’t scared about what was going to happen to me. I’ve already accepted a long time ago that my stupidity is going to get myself killed sooner or later—”

  “You are not stupid.”

  “Oh, shut up, Hyukjae. Everybody knows it.” Donghae sighed. Eunhyuk was stunned to hear those words come from his mouth. “Anyway, I wasn’t worried about me. I was worried about you. And Sungmin, and Kyuhyun, and Heechul—I mean, what if there was another shooter? What if he went after you guys? My last words to you would have been, ‘Hyukkie, I gotta go make a wee-wee.’.”

  “Nothing happened to us, Donghae. And nothing ever will.” He kissed his temple. “Do you really think I’m gonna let myself get killed when our fish babies are swimming around inside you?”

  Donghae chuckled when Eunhyuk rubbed his tummy.

  “Hey, tell me this. If you’re so stupid, then how did you manage to save the whole student body from certain death?” he asked. “You’re smarter than you think, Lee Donghae. Don’t you ever forget that.”

  “Thanks, Hyukkie.” Donghae was able to produce a real smile again, and Eunhyuk had never been so relieved to see it. “Anyway, we should probably go meet Kyuhyun before he freaks out on us.”

  As they made their way out with Eunhyuk’s arm draped over the shorter boy’s shoulders and Donghae’s arms wrapped around his waist, the former had something to say. “Donghae, listen. I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’m here for you forever.”

  Donghae grinned. “Ditto.”

~*~

   “I have a question.”

  Sungmin’s eyes snapped open. Thanks to the glow of the moonlight, he saw his boyfriend, all covered in twigs and mud, standing right in front of him. He smiled, “How’d you find me?”

  “No, no. My question first.”

  “I think I know what your question is.”

  “Fat chance.” Kyuhyun grunted, sitting beside him under the tree. “If you and Heechul had , who would top?”

  Sungmin laughed, answering right away. “Oh, me definitely. I would love to make that scream like a motherer.”

  Kyuhyun gave him a suspicious look. “Do you think about this often?”

  “…No.” Sungmin quickly changed the subject. “Can I ask my question now?”

  Kyuhyun already knew what his question was. “Heechul mentioned that he told you to take a hike, and knowing your strange fixation with one-uping Heechul, I figured you took his suggestion seriously and the only place you know where to go hiking is none other than here, our summer campsite.”

  “You know, it’s actually pretty nice here. I’m thinking of becoming a counselor this summer.” He revealed, taking out a twig that was caught in Kyuhyun’s hair. He didn’t even want to know how Kyuhyun got so dirty and scuffed up. He could probably already make a good guess.

  “Sungmin,” he said, “what are you doing here?”

  There was something oddly unsettling about Sungmin’s smile. It seemed so…sad. “Do you realize this is where we became a couple? This is where we shared our first kiss, our first date, our first time having . This place is full of firsts.”

  “Sungmin,” he said again, this time putting a hand on Sungmin’s thigh. “What are you really doing here?”

  Sungmin liked how Kyuhyun could see right through him. But at the same time, he hated it. “I just wanted to see what it was like. Being alone, I mean.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because this is my fate, Kyuhyun.” He shrugged idly. “Everyone’s lives are moving forward and I’m just staying still. I’m being left behind and there’s nothing I can do about it. I might as well start getting used to it.”

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” Kyuhyun shifted in his position so he and Sungmin would be facing each other. “Ever since the incident at school, I’ve been starting to re-think my leaving.”

  “What?” his brows knit together.

  “Being trapped in that classroom for almost two hours without you made me realize how much I missed you.” He took Sungmin’s hand in his palm, and put his other hand on top of it. “I was falling apart just worrying about you, and that made me realize that I can’t do it. I can’t leave you. I’m not strong enough. So, tonight, after dinner with my parents, I’m going to tell them that I won’t be taking the scholarship. They’ll be pissed, but who cares, I love you.”

  Sungmin didn’t look as happy as Kyuhyun expected he would be. “Kyuhyun, you’re an idiot.”

  That certainly wasn’t the reaction he was hoping for. “Come again?”

  “You’re a complete idiot.” He reiterated. Kyuhyun looked thoroughly hurt and confused. “I’m sorry, honey, but this scholarship is the best thing that’s ever happened to you. You can’t let it go. This isn’t like that crappy saying that goes like, ‘if you love it, let it go; if it comes back, it’s meant to be’. If you let this opportunity go, you’ll never get another one like it again. You said it yourself, this is a once in a lifetime chance.”

  “But, Sungmin—”

  “Kyuhyun, I want you to go to London.” He insisted. “I want you to study and become successful and make me lots of money so I can be your beautiful trophy wife.”

  Kyuhyun would have been very touched by what Sungmin had just said, if it weren’t for the last part. “Did you just say ‘trophy wife’?”

  “Well, yeah. You plan on getting married to me after college, don’t you?” Sungmin gasped when Kyuhyun didn’t agree with him. “You know what? I sense an argument coming on and I don’t want to ruin this moment. Let’s just leave it at this for now: you’re taking the scholarship.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Kyuhyun pecked his lips. Sungmin grimaced when he tasted mud. “You’re amazing.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.” He smirked, wiping off the mud stains on Kyuhyun’s lips.

  “For the record, this scholarship isn’t the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You are.” Kyuhyun made Sungmin’s face light up—he was really going to miss seeing Sungmin’s smile every day. “While we’re at it, can you promise me something?”

  Sungmin tilted his head slightly, “What?”

  “Please start eating again. I don’t want to come back and see you as nothing but skin and bones.”

  He looked guilty. “You know?”

  “I’m your boyfriend, bunny. I know everything.” Kyuhyun held his pinky out. “Say you’ll promise.”

  Sungmin locked pinkies with him. “As long as you promise to never, ever forget me.”

  “Easiest promise ever.” Kyuhyun said right before pressing his lips firmly against Sungmin’s.

  They probably would have spent a lot more time kissing if it weren’t for the annoying voice that interrupted them.

  “Can we come out now?” the voice complained.

  Kyuhyun pulled away, “Oh, did I mention that I brought company?”

~*~

  “It’s nice being here again.” Donghae mused as he lay against his boyfriend. “It feels just like old times. Well, except, Siwon isn’t here.”

  “Donghae,” Sungmin scolded. “Didn’t I tell you that that name is off limits?”

  “Don’t be silly; I’m fine.” Heechul claimed. “I’ve recently come to realize that I don’t love Siwon like I thought I did. I guess it was all in my head.”

  “But you seemed so sure.” Sungmin pointed out. “You were so crushed when you broke up.”

  “I know, I know,” he bobbed his head. “But, while we were hiding under my desk, I realized that I wasn’t even that upset about him. I wasn’t that worried about him, I was more worried about—” he stopped himself from saying anything more. He looked around and saw everyone waiting for him to finish. “Um, never mind.”

  “No, tell us.” Donghae urged. “Who were you worried about?”

  Heechul rolled his eyes. “If you must know, I was worried about you idiots, alright? I couldn’t stop thinking about how you guys were doing and Siwon barely even crossed my mind and oh my god, I desperately need a life.”

  “Awww, you love us.” Donghae attached himself to Heechul, not even letting go when Heechul tried shaking him off. “We love you too, Chullie. And, Sungmin told us that you’re leaving after graduation, and we’re really going to miss you.”

  “Thanks—”

  “Wait a minute, if I don’t graduate, will you stay then?” he inquired with hopeful eyes.

  Heechul chuckled and patted Donghae on the back. “I don’t know about that, Hae, because I’m pretty sure that you’re graduating.”

  “How do you know that?” he asked.

  “Because I may have slept with a lot of teachers so they’d give you a passing grade and I may have talked them into giving you a reward for saving the school.”

  “You did? Oh my God, Chullie, I love you.” Donghae started to plant sloppy kisses on Heechul’s disgusted face. “How can I repay you?”

  “By getting off me.”

  “Done!” He was more than happy to comply, because at this point he was ready to re-attach himself to Eunhyuk. “Hyukkie, I’m graduating!”

  “I’m so proud of you, Hae.” Eunhyuk gave him a big smooch. “See? I told you you could make it even without being in the football team.”

  “Oh, about that,” he started. “After I saved everybody’s asses, Coach Gura offered me a spot back in the team as a way of showing his gratitude.”

  “He did?” he said. “That’s great, babe.”

  “I turned him down.” He revealed. “I told him to take you back instead.”

  “Why did you do that?” he asked. “I thought you liked that I wasn’t on the team anymore.”

  “Well, I realized that the reason why you were so during our brief period of abstinence was because was your only source of exercise after you quit football.” He explained simply.

  “That’s gotta be the smartest thing I ever heard him say.” Kyuhyun remarked as he rested his chin on Sungmin’s shoulder.

  “Plus, I miss your abs, Hyukkie.” Donghae quickly added.

  “Spoke too soon.” Sungmin whispered to his boyfriend.

  “Well, I appreciate that, Hae, but I don’t think I want to re-join.” Eunhyuk said. “It’s just a colossal waste of my time. We’re having again anyway, and that’s the only exercise I need.”

  Donghae giggled as Eunhyuk playfully purred at him. How he loved it when Eunhyuk rolled his tongue.

  “Besides, they already took the yearbook pictures. It’s not like they can just edit me in the football team’s picture or something.” He said, almost bitterly.

  “Speaking of which,” Sungmin crooned. “I still say we should’ve crossdressed for the yearbook pictures.”

  “I told you, the school board wouldn’t allow it.” Heechul reminded him.

  “To hell with the school board!” he huffed.

  Heechul could only roll his eyes at Sungmin’s need to throw drama into everything. “Oh, calm down, primadonna. Hongki made the change; we officially made the yearbook even gayer than it already is.”

  “Fabulous.” Sungmin clapped his hands. “Now, who here thinks that we should get out of this hellhole and go get ourselves some booze?”

  “I don’t.” Heechul answered. “I’m sick of using up all my money to buy beers for you damn teenagers. Call me when you’re allowed to drink legally.”

  “Actually, I just wanna go home.” Eunhyuk said.

  “And Hyukkie and I were hoping to get a little alone time together.” Donghae followed. “We haven’t had in almost twenty-four hours.”

  “That’s true.” Eunhyuk agreed.

  Sungmin blinked, and turned to Kyuhyun for back-up. Thank goodness his boyfriend failed to disappoint. “Oh, forget about them, bunny. Let’s just go lock ourselves in your bedroom and have our own little private party.”

  “I guess that works too.” That wasn’t exactly what Sungmin was hoping for, but what the hell.

  Sungmin couldn’t wipe the grin off his face as he and Kyuhyun walked together. They may all be taking different paths in life, but no matter where they go, they’re going to take a little piece of each other everywhere.

~*~