Freshman year of college was a time of change and new experiences in the foreign world of young adulthood, or, so Minho had been told. He didn’t really see a difference between university and high school besides the fact that many of his classmates lived on campus like himself. He still found himself struggling to make new friends as he and Kibum tried to hang out as much as possible before the workload separated them.

 

Minho was a molecular biology major whereas Kibum was studying interior design. They were on completely opposite sides of campus once their classes began, but that wouldn’t stop their friendship, or, Minho hoped it wouldn’t. Ever since the drama at the end of his high school career, Minho became the most unfavorable person to know, but Kibum stuck by him until the end and here they still were.

 

“I can’t believe classes start tomorrow,” Kibum whined as they stood in line at the local student cafe to buy themselves lunch.

 

“It’ll be okay, Kibum. It could be worse. You could be a science major,” Minho joked, elbowing Kibum softly in the ribs.

 

“Yah! It’s not my fault you chose the hardest major besides math to pursue. Your stupidity isn’t my fault.”

 

“It will be when my paycheck is covering your design flaws.”

 

Kibum was about to slap Minho across the face when the cashier called for Kibum to order his food next. He ordered, Minho following, soon forgetting about the difference in their majors when they sat down with trays full of food. They ate together in silence until Minho looked up, a white streak catching his eye that he did not want to believe he was seeing.

 

“Oh my g-god,” Minho sputtered, hiding his face under his ballcap, shoving food in his mouth quickly.

 

“What is it? Minho? What is it-”

 

“Shut u-up, Kibum,” Minho hissed under his breath.

 

“What did you say? What the hell is going on? Why can’t you look up?” Kibum asked, confused and not following Minho’s lead.

 

“. . . Kibum I forgot,” Minho whispered hurriedly.

 

“What is it?!” Kibum sighed, obviously annoyed at this point.

 

Minho quickly dared to glance up, catching a glint of that pearly white smile shining against that tanned skin and felt his stomach churn. How was he feeling this way still? Why was he feeling this way still? He couldn’t? He would never.....would he? Minho was becoming more confused with himself by the minute

 

Finishing his meal as quick as possible, Minho sped off to the trashcan, leaving Kibum confused and slightly frazzled. Minho ran outside, clutching his chest for a moment as he finished chewing before he looked back. Minho had gone undetected this time, but how could he be so unlucky to see him even if they were going to the same school? There were so many other students, without proper planning, it was hard to run into the same person twice, let alone the same person who ruined your life. Minho groaned to himself as he began to worry. He had remained undetected this time, but what about the next time? With a cluttered mind, he began wandering towards the dorms, searching for a distraction from the boy he had been trying to avoid all summer.

 

~*~*~

 

An angry Kibum burst through the door of Minho’s small dorm room, without a knock or a hello before he started yelling.

 

“Minho what the hell was that?!” Kibum yelled loud enough to wake up the whole floor.

 

“Hello again to you too, Kibum. How nice of you to join me in my dorm unannounced,” Minho said from behind his laptop screen as he surfed the web.

 

“Oh please, Minho. You love me. You never answered my question though....what was that back there?!”

 

Minho sighed loudly, closing his laptop, tossing it aside before saying, “Don’t laugh, but I saw Jonghyun and freaked out.”

 

“You more than freaked out. You ate your food in less than a minute. Are you sure this is going to be healthy for you? What is he even majoring in?”

 

“I don’t know. Should I just phone him and ask him out for tea while I’m at it?! I haven’t talked to him since that joke. I didn’t plan on seeing him here even if I knew he was going to this university. It’s not my fault I only got into this school.”

 

“I guess you are right, but why are you overreacting? Didn’t he say he loved you even after the joke ended? Oh, whatever. You are too good for him.”

 

“I guess so...I just still get really sad and I hope I just don’t see him again.”

 

“First loves are the hardest,” Kibum sighed.

 

“Especially when you can’t get over them,” Minho mumbled, curling his knees up to his chest so he could hug them. Kibum walked over to his friend and embraced him, sitting next to him until he felt comforted.

 

Minho could tell this was going to be another long year. He was sure he wasn’t ready for this again.

 

~*~*~

 

Class started promptly at 12 o’clock noon for Minho, him deciding to take classes later in the day rather than early in the morning. He was never a morning person and hoped the allowed sleep in time would help him be more rested for his mood and his classmate’s sake.

 

The class that would start off today was entry level biology for science majors otherwise called Molecular Biology. It was the first of many science classes that Minho would have to take with a lab attached one way or another. He was excited all the same, ready to tackle a class pertaining to his major. When he entered the class, there were already a few students clustered together towards the center desks, happy talking and gossiping about how their summers had been. Minho assumed they already knew each other and, by the looks of it, had been in college longer than he had. It was his first day after all and they looked in their early twenties.

 

Minho decided to stay away from the already formed cluster and took a seat in the far back corner, slouching in his chair, listening to his iPod while he waited for the professor to enter class. He watched one by one as the students filed in, taking their seats, some talking loudly, some avoiding eye contact, some falling straight asleep.

 

The professor came in, making his way to the front of the class, a stack of syllabuses in one hand, an overly large textbook labelled ‘Campbell Biology’ in the other. He walked up to the podium in front of the lecture hall, setting his things down and briefly introducing himself and mentioning a billion and one times how he had a doctorate in genetics. Minho was just about to start tuning him out until he handed out the class requirements when the door swung open abruptly next to Minho. In walked a platinum prince, walking to the center aisle of the lecture hall, looking for a spot to sit.

 

“Nice of you to show up. Please take a seat quickly Mr...” the professor began.

 

“Jonghyun,” he eye smiled, trying to charm the professor.

 

“Mr. Jonghyun. Next time don’t be late or it will be points off your grade,” the professor said sternly before returning to his lecture about his academic achievements and successful research projects.

 

Jonghyun looked around briefly once more spotting the only empty seat - next to the one and only Choi Minho. Minho glared at Jonghyun as he took the seat next to him, both of them hesitating for the slightest second as Jonghyun got as comfortable as the situation would allow. Minho tried to focus on the professor now, but felt a pair of eyes on the side of his face. He wanted to look, but Minho knew in his best interest he shouldn’t.

 

That never stopped him before. It didn’t stop him now. He glanced over for a brief second, catching Jonghyun’s gaze for the tiniest second, making his heart melt into a gooey liquid similar to a cytoplasm. If he had looked any longer, Minho was sure he would have melted completely, pooling on the floor where no one could see him blush and cringe under the spell Jonghyun still had him under.

 

The rest of the class was filled with untold amounts of tension. Both boys were constantly pretending the other didn’t exist or were doing the complete opposite and staring uncontrollably at each other. Even after a huge falling out at prom and a summer apart, the two boys felt for each other. Even after all the bitterness and regret, they still remembered the laughter and happiness they felt when they were together.

 

When class finally let out, neither got up, hoping the other would leave first. Jonghyun awkwardly scratched his neck, clutching his backpack strap closer to his shoulder. He smiled a small smile, melting Minho’s heart for the second time that day.

 

“So, Minho,” Jonghyun began, letting the words fall off his tongue as he stared at the boy across from.

 

Minho however, stood up abruptly, slamming his chair in against the desk while muttering something about having to leave, leaving Jonghyun alone and confused in the classroom.

 

~*~*~

 

Kibum and Minho agreed to meet up in Kibum’s dorm, clear across campus on the art side of the college to reflect on their first day together. They hoped they wouldn’t be separated too much, since they were best friends after all.

 

Kibum was excited to see Minho, ready to tell him all of what happened during his day to every single detail, but Minho’s little encounter with Jonghyun earlier that day left him grumpier than usual. Nonetheless, Kibum rambled on a hundred miles per hour about how he made new friends who were the same or similar majors as him and how he couldn’t wait for this term to really start.

 

“You know I really, really want to try that smoothie place by the performing arts center. What about you Minho? How was your day?” Kibum paused and looked over at his friend who hadn’t made a sound during his whole story. Something was off. “Choi, what’s wrong?!”

 

Minho sighed, shoulders heaving up and down as he did, while he stared at his feet and continued to ignore Kibum. It’s not that he didn’t want to listen to Kibum’s stories, but Minho’s mind was in other places...the past to be precise.

 

“I’m not going to leave you alone until you tell me so you might as well just spit it out,” Kibum said, tapping his fingers on his cheek as he rested his head on his palm. Reluctantly, Minho sat up and gathered himself to tell Kibum about his day.

 

“I went to Biology today right? No big deal? Well guess who came to class late and sat right next to me?” Minho sighed, hoping that he didn’t sound pathetic for reacting this way.

 

“That hot guy who speaks like a million languages, Taecyeon?!”

 

Minho stared at Kibum, confused. “What?”

 

“Nothing!” Kibum burst out. “I mean...who was it?”

 

“Jonghyun.”

 

“Oh. I thought it was someone attractive,” Kibum murmured, earning a punch to the shoulder from Minho.

 

“This is serious Kibum,” Minho whined, looking down at his feet again, hiding his flushed cheeks.

 

“We are on this again!? Why don’t you just get over him? He’s not even that hot,” Kibum nagged. “You’ve been hung up on him for so long and you guys dated, but that turned out to be a big fat lie.”  

 

“Jeez, way to put it nicely.”

 

“You know I didn’t mean it that way,” Kibum defended as Minho shot him a glance. “Okay, maybe I did mean it, but still. I feel like you could do so much better Minho. There are so many guys who would date you in a heartbeat and treat you so much better than he did.”

 

“He never treated me terrible....it was mostly Jinki.”

 

“Keep telling yourself that sweetie. Don’t let him bring you down anymore.”

 

“Kibum,” Minho sighed, rolling his eyes sarcastically.

 

“No,” Kibum said, grabbing Minho’s arm. “I’m tired of seeing you torn over him. I’m not going to let you go through that again so I can clean up the mess he leaves behind.”

 

“What if he has changed?”

 

“What if he hasn’t?”

 

Minho laid back on the bed they were sitting on, swinging his feet on the side of the bed, covering his eyes with his hands. He didn’t want to think about these feelings anymore, but he couldn’t help himself. Maybe this crush was far too intense if it was just a one sided thing. Maybe Kibum was right...

 

~*~*~

 

Jinki lived off campus. There was a sense of freedom of having your own apartment that dorm living did not provide. The fact that the dorms were on the campus made it feel as if he was still being baby sat with amenities offered in dorm life that are not offered in the real world, whereas the apartment offered a sense of freedom he did not have living on campus or at home. Jinki was his own boss when it came to how he ran his life for the past month and he was loving it.

 

This new way of living was beginning to have a set pattern. That’s why when the doorbell rang as Jinki settled down on the couch after his first day of college, he became puzzled. Reluctantly, Jinki got up and shuffled his way over to the door peering through the peephole to see none other than Jonghyun waiting for the door to be opened.

 

“I didn’t remember telling you where I lived,” Jinki stated opening the door.

 

“You didn’t. Your mom did,” Jonghyun beamed, taking a step in, waiting for Jinki to move.

 

Jinki allowed him to enter, moving just enough so he could pass before closing the door. Remind yourself to yell at her later, Jinki thought to himself. He watched Jonghyun walk around the connected living room and kitchen, admiring the amount of space Jinki had in his apartment compared to the on campus dorms.

 

“Wah, this place is so nice and spacious. We should’ve been roomies!”  Jonghyun concluded after searching down the hallway, inspecting the two bedrooms and bathrooms.

 

“How about no because I don’t need to see you that much,” Jinki grunted, flopping back down on the couch. “Why did you come?”

 

“Well, I have some bad news and some good news.”

 

“What’s the good news?”

 

“There’s a really hot guy in my biology class.”

 

“What’s the bad news?”

 

“His name is Choi Minho.”

 

“What?!” Jinki shrieked, nearly lunging off the couch at Jonghyun as he sat up.

 

“Also I forgot to buy the textbook for chemistry and that class is in an hour,” Jonghyun continued, unphased by Jinki’s reaction.

 

“, forget chemistry, Jonghyun. We are in deep . This is like high school all over again, but this time Choi already knows what went on.”

 

“Well of course he knows what went on and I admit I really ed up. We both did. We pulled a prank on him and I assumed he was a loser, but now I regret it all...you know better than anyone what I did after that night at prom.”

 

“The part where you wouldn’t stop crying while you puked all night long from all the alcohol you drank or the part where you punched me and said you never wanted to see me again because I ruined your relationship?”

 

“Both. Both are relevant. Mostly the crying though,” Jonghyun chuckled awkwardly avoiding Jinki’s glare.

 

“Uh-huh. I see. Well we are still somehow friends. To be honest you should’ve told me you liked the kid before I made that huge scene,” Jinki noted for the hundredth time since the incident.

 

“Like I said before: I really ed up.”

 

“Well is he still angry?”

 

“Yes, of course he is.”

 

“How do you know? Did you talk to him?”

 

“Well not really...I started to talk to him...”

 

“Well how the hell do you know if he’s mad if you didn’t talk to him?!” Jinki interrupted, shaking his head at his friend.

 

“I was going to tell you if you’d let me finish,” Jonghyun sassed, glaring at Jinki. Jinki sat back further into the couch pretending to lock his lips and throwing the key away. “Thank you. As I was saying I started to talk to him and then he got up and like ran away slamming the chair into the desk really hard. I’m sure I heard him mutter he had to leave, but I think I was just humoring myself so I didn’t feel as bad.”

 

“You probably were humoring yourself, you big goof.”

 

“What am I going to do Jinki?” Jonghyun whined, shaking his friend back and forth by the arm.

 

“I’d say hope nothing terrible happens between you two and try to get him back.”

 

“Let’s knock on wood. Oh , gotta go to chemistry. Come visit me though, yeah? Not too good for me now that you’ve got your own place right?”

 

“I suppose,” Jinki sighed, sprawling out on the couch once Jonghyun got up. “It is a hard life, being an undeclared major apartment owner and everything. I’ll have to plan you into my schedule.”

 

With one last roll of his eyes and a smack to the side of Jinki’s head, Jonghyun was jogging out the door back to campus to hide out in the science labs for the rest of the night.

 

~*~*~

 

Speech class had to be more of an irrelevant prerequisite required for nearly every major than the white crayon was in a pack of crayons. Kibum was nearly falling asleep listening to the lecture over how speaking was important in everyday interactions. It was literally a course repeating the same information over and over again on a skill everyone already possessed. Speaking was not a secret only shared with the upper class, so why Kibum had to take a speech course for an arts major, he did not understand.

 

Kibum was nearly about to doze off again when his phone vibrated with a text from Minho asking if he was bored out of his mind yet and wanted to join him in the food court. Already the second day of classes and I’m skipping, Kibum thought to himself as he quickly, yet quietly shoved his belongings into his bag and walked out of the classroom. What Minho didn’t tell him was what food court he wanted to meet at. There were multiple food courts spread throughout the campus since it was a massive campus and students got hungry frequently.

 

Without really knowing, Kibum walked towards the one nearest to his speech class, and ordered a bowl of noodles, hoping Choi would show up soon, too. He didn’t, however, leaving Kibum alone, staring down an enormous bowl of noodles. He began slurping away, headphones in his ears, off in his own little world.

 

From a nearby table, Jinki looked up from his textbook after staring at it aimlessly for god knows how long. Across the dining room, he saw the blonde eating his bowl of noodles alone, listening to music. Maybe Choi is coming to meet him, Jinki thought to himself. Wouldn’t they have already been together, though? He’s eating all alone.

 

Before thoughts could be processed, Jinki gathered his belongings and found himself seated across from Kibum, staring expectantly at the boy. Kibum peered up through his long eyelashes to be shocked by his new companion. Jinki smiled at him softly waving from across the table.

 

“Can I help you,” Kibum sneered, looking around for Jonghyun. “I don’t think your little puppy is around.”

 

“Who? Oh, I’m not looking for Jonghyun,” Jinki chuckled.

 

“Why are you here then? Come to ask me out as a prank too? Well sorry, but I’m not as soft hearted as my best friend. You can leave now.”

 

“No, I wasn’t going to ask you out as a joke, Kibum. That’s high school. This is college.”

 

“Is it? Because I’m seeing the same old drama already starting back up,” Kibum scoffed, resuming eating his noodles.

 

“Oh you heard about their biology class, too?” Jinki asked before being shot down by Kibum’s daggered gaze. “Okay, of course you did. Sorry.”

 

“You should be.”

 

“Why do you hate me so much? I never did anything to you.”

 

“Never did anything to me?! Ha! You ruined my best friend’s love life and self esteem through your friend and I was the one who had to pick up the pieces. I still am. I’m getting tired of it, but I still take care of the mess you made. You should be more than sorry to me Lee Jinki.”

 

“I shouldn’t be sorry to anyone, Kim Kibum,” Jinki mocked, pretending to be angry like Kibum.

 

“I don’t have time to sit here and listen to you talk ,” Kibum spat, standing up quickly, knocking over his leftover broth in the process.

 

The liquid raced across the table and all over Jinki’s sweater before either of them could react. In an instant, Kibum went from anger to apologetic, grabbing a wad of napkins from the dispenser nearby and rushing over to blot Jinki’s clothes. As Kibum worked on getting the liquids out of his sweater, Jinki smiled to himself, watching the other boy fuss over how the sweater was going to be ruined. Jinki placed a hand over Kibum’s shaky one whispering it was going to be okay. The blonde looked up into Jinki’s eyes, making eye contact for a brief second, looking down quickly at their hands, before pulling himself away from Jinki, blushing.

 

“I-I gotta go. I’m sorry,” Kibum apologized, before grabbing his bag and running off.

 

His legs carried him all the way across the courtyard connecting the performing arts and design buildings until he stopped in a scenic garden area, taking out his phone. He had a text from a minute ago.

 

    From: Minnie

 

Let’s eat in the food court by my dorm. I don’t feel like walking far.

 

“,” Kibum cursed, trudging on his way to meet Minho.

 

~*~*~

 

Minho was overly excited for the time that intro biology was allowed to start labs. Labs meant hands on experience in the field he was aspiring to enter. Labs meant practical applications of the lectures he had leading up to them. Labs meant he got to get down and dirty. Labs did not mean get permanently paired with Jonghyun.

 

It wasn’t an accident, but it wasn’t entirely on purpose. Jonghyun had shown up late to labs after lecture because he took too long in the bathrooms, finding the only seat left was next to Minho in a lone lab table situated in the back corner of the room. Minho shot Jonghyun a don’t-you-dare-sit-there glance, but Jonghyun was already in a hurry to sit himself down in a chair before the professor noticed he was late for the second time in a row. Sighing, Minho just let it be and tuned into what they were supposed to be listening to.

 

“Now as you know the lab entails not only being able to accurately perform experiments, but also display the ability to work as a team. Take a look to the one or two people at your lab table and say a nice little hello to your lab partners for the rest of the term. If you have any problems please speak now,” the professor explained, looking around the room.

 

Minho opened his mouth to speak, but felt Jonghyun’s hand cover his mouth. Jonghyun had a look of plea on his face, silently asking Minho to not say anything and, against his will, Minho kept quiet.

 

“Alright, that’s it for today then,” the professor said, dismissing class.

 

Minho got up and packed his things quickly, tossing his bag over one shoulder, taking long strides towards the door. Jonghyun had to scramble on his shorter legs to catch up with the taller boy who was already exiting the room before he could even properly zip his bag. Rushing, Jonghyun caught Minho in the back stairwell used by only a few students. Minho towered over him, being a few steps above Jonghyun who had jumped in from of the brunette to get his attention.

 

“Can we talk?” Jonghyun huffed, trying to catch his breath as he looked up into Minho’s annoyed gaze.

 

“What’s there to talk about?” Minho sneered, trying to walk down the stairs again, but was stopped when Jonghyun leaned against the wall with his arm, completely blocking the pathway.

 

“About us. About what happened. About whatever you want. I haven’t talked to you since high school.”

 

“I was hoping to leave it that way. If you don’t mind I would like to be going on my way. Exams are coming up and my future is far more important than your petty feelings,” Minho nearly hissed, almost instantly regretting the words coming from his own mouth.

 

“That was a low blow Minho. I really ed up, but I want to start over. I really care about you,” Jonghyun plead, trying to keep Minho from completely leaving him.

 

“It’s too late for that.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I’m....I’m dating Kibum.”

 

Jonghyun blinked a few times, silently thinking about what Minho had just said before he burst out laughing.

 

“You...dating...Kibum?! That’s the funniest I’ve ever heard,” Jonghyun gasped in between laughs.

 

“It’s not funny,” Minho defended.

 

“You’re right...it’s hilarious. Good one Minho. I’ll let you go this time, but only ‘cause you are so cute,” Jonghyun chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye as Minho finally passed him, jogging the rest of the way down the stairs.

 

Jonghyun leaned against the railing, sighing contently to himself as he listened to the soft pitter patter of Minho’s feet walk away, happy that he got to at least talk to Minho again.

 

~*~*~

 

“We’re dating,” Minho declares, walking into Kibum’s dorm, unannounced as usual.

 

Kibum turns around with the most elated, yet confused look on his face. “Oh?”

 

“We are dating....at least around Jonghyun. If that’s okay.”

 

“Sure?” Kibum half questioned, still a bit confused. “What’s this about all of a sudden?”

 

“Jonghyun wanted to start things over, so..”

 

“So isn’t that a good thing?” Kibum interrupted, still confused. “I thought you wanted to get back together with that slob or something.”

 

“Why would I let him get to me so easily again, though? Like you said, I could do better,” Minho stated.

 

“Ahh, you are learning, Minnie,” Kibum cooed, pinching Minho’s cheek.

 

“Stop,” Minho pouted, pushing Kibum away. “But thanks, for you know, this. You only have to pretend when Jonghyun is around so it shouldn’t be so burdensome on you.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“I should probably go study now, but I’ll see you around, Kibum.”

 

Kibum waited for Minho to leave before rolling over on his bed sighing out in frustration. Why was this happening to him, Kibum thought to himself. If he had wanted to pretend to be Minho’s boyfriend as revenge, he would’ve suggested to do so the minute Minho said Jonghyun was back in his life. Love wasn’t a game and Kibum had a sick feeling in his stomach about messing with Jonghyun’s feelings.

 

~*~*~

 

Exams. The first round was coming up and every student of every major began feeling the burden of college on their shoulders. Students filled the library and study halls overflowing into student lounges and park benches, as they tried to cram as much of the information they were have supposed to learn thus far into their heads.

 

Jonghyun was among these students, hiding himself up in the local coffee shop, just off campus with a stacks of notebooks tucked under his arms and a debit card in the other. The barista called him forward, a smile plastered on her face.

 

“What can I get you?” she chirped, clicking some things on the register screen.

 

“Uh, how about a caramel latte?” Jonghyun replied, hesitantly handing her his card.

 

“Is that all?” she asked, despite having already taking the card.

She swiped in all the same, returning the card back to him. “Can I get your name?”

 

“Jonghyun.”

 

“Your order will be right up,” she smiled, ushering him to the drink waiting area.

 

Jonghyun idly waited, watching another barista pump out drinks, handing them out one by one. Finally, he called Jonghyun’s name, pushing a light brown drink across the counter. Jonghyun grabbed his cup and sipped a bit before spotting how they slaughtered his name on the cup. ‘John-hyung.’ Pouting, Jonghyun settled himself in the far corner of the cafe, spreading out his work materials.

 

At first, his attempt was working, revising slowly as he went through stacks of notes and lab exercises. Soon, however, Jonghyun couldn’t concentrate, from lack of sleep, boredom, or possibly both.

 

He decided to people watch, pushing his notes aside, sipping his drink a bit too fast as he reviewed his surroundings. There were a bunch of students scattered through the cafe, all studying or sipping away. The door swung open, a small set of bells jingling to welcome the newcomers. Jonghyun looked up and saw Kibum enter the building, followed by Minho. They were walking over to the counter, but something was off. Minho was holding Kibum’s hand. Kibum was holding Minho’s hand. They were holding hands.

 

Jonghyun watched as they walked to the counter and placed their order, whispering to each other occasionally as the same girl that served him swiped Kibum’s card. Jonghyun frowned, sipping his drink nearly empty in frustration watching the scene play out in front of him. The two moved over to the waiting area, Kibum tucking a strand of Minho’s hair behind his ear. Minho chuckled, hiding his face a bit from view. They collected their drinks and walked out, swinging arms a bit.

 

“Well, ,” Jonghyun muttered to himself, the straw so hard, he only got air in the now empty cup, making an obnoxious amount of noise, drawing attention to himself. “Why is this happening. ing Minho. I didn’t think he was serious. What the hell am I supposed to do now?”

 

Jonghyun began revising, his mind racing a million miles per hour. How could this happen? I’ve been having a great time in college, but now I have to worry about this unnecessary competition for Minho, Jonghyun thought to himself. And with Kibum? Of all people? How do I compete with Kibum? Kibum and Minho were already so close, there was no telling how long they’ve felt for each other.

Without realizing it, Jonghyun had sped read through all of his study materials already, half aware of what was going on. He started over, trying to distract himself from the scene that had just played out revising once, twice, three times before he found himself drinking another latte and revising some more. Jonghyun kept reading over the materials, over and over, until he knew the pages verbatim.

 

It was nighttime now. Jonghyun  had  been studying since the early afternoon and now had learned the material better than his professor probably had hoped anyone would ever learn it. His eyes were strained and his mind was still wandering over Minho’s current dating situation. With a final sigh, Jonghyun packed up and drifted towards his dorm room, feeling like he was detached from his own body.

 

Feelings were hard, especially when they weren’t attended to.

 

~*~*~

 

Walking down the halls idly, Minho and Kibum avoided their responsibilities, enjoying the scenery of the campus. They were having a great time, chatting and goofing around until Minho saw a certain blonde that made his stomach flop. Quickly, he laced his fingers with Kibum’s becoming instantly attached to the other’s hip. Minho pretended to be completely infatuated with Kibum, but today Kibum wasn’t playing along. His face was ghastly and his eyes were drooping.

 

Kibum looked up at his friend, his best friend, and sighed, trying to put on a good smile for his sake. He was becoming tired of seeing him hurt, but Kibum was also tired of hurting, himself. It was tiresome, watching after yourself and the boy you cared so fondly for, both shattering and chipping a bit each day, breaking down so there was barely any happiness left - just fake images of people they once were.

 

Jonghyun walked by them, a glimmer of sorrow flashing across his face as he eyed the two boys holding hands passing by him the opposite way. It had been a long first semester and with winter break almost there, Jonghyun was hoping for a bit of sanity to come back to him, leaving this place called school. It should’ve been called emotional hell - the workload, the financial debt, and the heartache were all weighing on him, tearing him down. Jonghyun was tired - tired of the lies, tired of the guilt, tired of the work, tired of nothing paying off.

 

All three of them passed each other, eyeing the other party like a predator eyes a prey. The boys looked as if they were about to pounce on each other, claws clashing, teeth snarling. If they had tails, they would be twitching angrily, hackles raised.

 

When they were far out of each others reach and around the corner, Jonghyun slumped his shoulders and dragged his feet on trying to think of other things, Minho let his hand slide out of Kibum’s, and Kibum awkwardly rubbed his neck trying not to overstep his bounds. Today was different though. As Minho’s hand started to slide out of Kibum’s, Kibum grabbed his hand firmly, not bothering to lace their fingers as he turned Minho towards him. Minho looked at him, his large eyes wide with questions. They were a nose apart. Kibum leaned in, closing the space between them, kissing Minho’s lips gently.

 

“Wha-?” Minho gasped pulling back. “J-Jonghyun isn’t here?!”

 

“But I am,” Kibum replied, staring down at the ground, rubbing circles on the back of Minho’s hand that was surprisingly still resting in his own.

 

“We don’t need to pretend now,” Minho chuckled, pulling his hand from Kibum’s.

 

“I’m not pretending, Minho. Can’t you see anything or are you as blind as everyone else?”

 

“I- Kibum what? Are...are you crying?”

 

Kibum looked up, eyes red and blurred with tears. “I can’t do this Minho. I’m sorry. I care too much to just pretend. Being friends was one thing, but you are doing to me what Jonghyun did to you and you still want him. Think about someone other than yourself for just a minute.”

 

Minho watched as Kibum walked away, clutching his bag tightly to his shoulder, hunching over so no one could see the tears seeping from his eyes. Now that Minho was once again ‘single’ he didn’t know what to do. Once again, life was borderline a television drama and it only seemed to be getting more and more confusing.

 

~*~*~

 

Winter break had come and gone, only two days remained before class resumed again. Students were slowly showing back up at school, ready (as much as they could be) to take on the second semester of that school year. Unfortunately for the students housed in the older buildings near the center of campus (including Minho) there was no housing to come back to. The school decided that they were going to do some much needed construction on the water pipes in the oldest dorm complex, but they had not completed it yet, thus making the complex unlivable due to no running water.

 

Each student got assigned a new dorm with a roommate. Minho read the small slip of paper and found luckily enough he got assigned the dorms next to the science buildings. He walked down the long winding halls until he located room 408. Turning the key and popping the door open, Minho was surprised to find another bed already set up for him in the small room. Another sat beside it completely unmade and messy. Minho chuckled to himself, placing his belongings on the neatly made bed, examining the other side of the room while his new roomate was nowhere to be found.

 

The walls were lined with various music posters of both male and female artists alike. The desk was scattered with textbooks varying from biology to chemistry all the way over to art and design. The closet was overflowing with nice clothes and a few pictures of a girl and an older woman lined the bedside table.

 

Nodding silent approval, Minho laid out on his bed, vowing to put his things away later. He took out his biology book, propping it up on his knees and began reading the small text over how cells produce energy and how many carbons are in each step of beginning stages of cellular respiration. Without much warning, however, his eyelids began to flutter shut and Minho was fast asleep within a matter of ten minutes.

 

The door clicked open not long after, the previous sole owner of the room wandering inside. He looked down at the boy fast asleep on the bed beside his own and sighed. It was some sort of cruel destiny always bringing them together like this wasn’t it? Jonghyun thought to himself, pulling a blanket over the lengthy limbs sprawled on the small twin size bed.

 

Jonghyun sat down at his desk, sorting through the mess of assignments, checking over his shoulder every once in awhile to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. The soft breaths coming from the sleeping form behind him served as a comforting background noise, allowing him to study at a steady pace, knocking out all of his assignments in only a few hours.

 

Stretching, Jonghyun got up and began getting comfy, ready to settle into lounging mode for the rest of the day when Minho began to stir. Jonghyun looked over expectantly at the brunette only to be disappointed when he saw a deep frown plastered on Minho’s face.

 

“Really?” Minho’s deep voice croaked, giving Jonghyun a once over.

 

“Are you really going to start already?” Jonghyun sighed.

 

“I wish I could just forget...”

 

“We could start over...like I said we could.”

 

“Wouldn’t that be the solution to all our problems?!” Minho spat, getting up.

 

“Huh?” Jonghyun asked, confused.

 

Minho walked out, however, leaving Jonghyun alone in his room, the dorm becoming too quiet.

 

~*~*~

 

Walking into a local diner, Minho seated himself along the long bar, propping himself on the stool and leaning on the long counter. There were a few other men and women scattered around the diner, all eating the oddly delicious yet cheap diner food or reading the paper, keeping to themselves. He signaled to the waitress to come over and take his order.

 

She took it down, disappearing behind the swinging kitchen doors to inform the cook back there that a new order had been placed. Minho sat there, waiting quietly to himself, fuming still on the inside. He was just about done dealing with Jonghyun, feelings so twisted and conflicted, he couldn't tell what felt right anymore. Fists balled up, he hit the counter beneath him and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

 

“That bad, huh?” a taller man chuckled, sitting next to Minho.

 

“I suppose so,” Minho breathed. He continued hitting his fists on the underside of the counter as he waited until a tanned hand grabbed his own and made him stop. Minho looked up at the other man to see him smile warmly, rubbing the back of Minho’s hands with his thumbs.

 

“I can’t have your pretty hands hurt, now can I?” he muttered, unclamping Minho’s fingers. “That’s better isn’t it?”

 

Minho nodded, at a loss for words towards this kind, charming stranger. The food came out, the smell distracting Minho from the man seated next to him for a moment as he dove in for the first few bites.

 

“What’s got you so wound?” the stranger asked, sipping his coffee he had ordered in the time Minho had begun to chow down.

 

“My ex,” Minho said between bites.

 

“Is she bothering you again?”

 

“He is being the typical player he is. He is trying to get me back after he went out with me as a joke back in high school,” Minho sighed, feeling a bit uncomfortable disclosing this information with the handsome stranger.

 

“Are you and your ex freshmen?”

 

“Mhm. I just entered last semester. I’m a molecular biology major.”

 

“No way! I thought you were at least a junior! I’m a senior in genetics.”

 

“That’s actually really cool,” Minho stated, finishing off his food.

 

“I’m Taecyeon, by the way,” the stranger added, extending his hand.

 

“Minho. Nice to meet you.”

 

“We should get together sometime, y’know when your ex doesn’t have you wound up. You seem like a nice guy.”

 

With an exchange of numbers, Minho left the diner feeling full of food and full of new opportunities.

 

~*~*~

 

Kibum had done a lot of thinking over the winter break about his feelings for Minho that were never going to be returned as long as Jonghyun was alive and well. It was time to move on, Kibum had decided, making himself readily available to other prospective partners. He had called Minho up and, after an awkward conversation with the all confused Minho, he asked him to be his wingman at a local club just off campus.

 

“I thought you liked me or something?” Minho muttered as they walked up to the doors of the club, IDs handy.  

 

“Shut up before I regret talking to you again,” Kibum sassed as they were allowed entrance to the club.

 

The outside night world and the nightclub world were completely different. Once entering the building, blaring music greeted them, drowning out their previous conversation. The dim lighting made it harder to see and the flashing lights of the dance floor made Minho’s head hurt a bit. They made their way over to the bar, flagging down the bartender for a couple of drinks.

 

“What can I get you?” the young woman behind the counter asked, expertly flipping her hair behind her ear.

 

“I’ll have a shot of tequila,” Kibum said, motioning for Minho to answer next, but Minho seemed to be elsewhere. “He’ll have a shot, too.”

 

Before Minho found out Kibum had ordered him a stronger drink than he had intended drinking, the bartender was back, two shot glasses in hand, taking the money willingly out of Kibum’s hand.

 

“Bottoms up,” Kibum said, handing Minho the shot glass, snapping him out of his daze.

 

Minho reluctantly took the drink, downing it all in one go with Kibum, setting the empty glass on the hard bar top. He looked back longingly at the man dancing coolly to the music and wondered what his name was.

 

“Whatcha looking at?” Kibum asked, batting his eyelashes at his friend.

 

“Nothing.....let’s get more shots,” he muttered, flagging down the bartender who had already guessed they would want more.

 

Two more rounds and half a beer later, Minho found himself grinding up against that cool man, dancing worse than him, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was his body was rubbing up against his and he seemed to be enjoying himself. His voice was deep and smooth, intoxicating Minho far more than any alcoholic substance could. If Minho hadn’t known better, he would’ve thought the voice came from an angel sent down from heaven to cure him of his troubled times.

 

It wasn’t long before Minho was hunched over the man, hands dangling around his neck, bodies still pressed together. Minho wasn’t a big drinker and the amount of alcohol in him was making him feel dizzy, but not nauseated. He just needed to sit down or lean on this man for a minute, but the music was still pumping and the man kept dancing despite Minho leaning on his front half. He pulled Minho’s chin up, so they were looking face to face with each other. His warm eyes crinkled up into a mischievous smile before he swooped his head down and smashed their lips together in a sloppy kiss. Minho inadvertently moaned into the man’s mouth, whining slightly when he pulled back.

 

Minho dragged the man nonetheless to his dorm afterwards, which was empty to his complete convenience. They made out for some time, touching each other under their shirts, feeling each other’s presence. Minho felt himself wavering in and out, dozing off during parts of this intimate affair, until he completely passed out in the man’s arms.

 

~*~*~

 

Jonghyun walked down the long hallways of doors branching off into random dorms after a long night studying in the campus library. He reached his dorm door, ready to unlock the door, but found it swing open without his key. Weird, he thought to himself, looking left and right before entering the room.

 

Inside the dimly lit room, he could see Minho’s figure curled up against another man. Jonghyun dropped his things on his bed, shaking his head over and over again. Why Minho, Jonghyun thought to himself, thinking of what he was supposed to do in this sort of situation. Normally, roommates would have some sort of signal to each other to tell the other that they are having someone over for the night so the other roommate doesn’t intrude. Not only was it awkward for Jonghyun to walk in on Minho and his one night stand, or possible boyfriend, but he was also Minho’s ex. Exes typically don’t want to see their previous partners like this, especially the way Minho still swayed Jonghyun.

 

Quietly as he could, Jonghyun picked his things back up off his bed and exited the dorm. He got out his phone and thumbed down the list of contacts until he found Jinki’s name and pressed call.

 

“Hey,” a sleepy voice huffed from the other line. “Is everything alright? It’s nearly one in the morning Jonghyun. We have class tomorrow.”

 

“I know. I’m sorry to wake you up, but can I stay with you tonight?” Jonghyun sniffled, trying to force the lump that was forming in his throat back down.

 

“I.....sure? Are you crying? Jonghyun, what's wrong?” Jinki asked becoming more alert.

 

“It’s Minho, Jinki. He has another boyfriend.”

 

~*~*~

 

The next day, Minho woke up in a tangle of limbs, some his own, others belonging to the man who was in his dreams. He sat up, eyeing the man through a dizzy spell from all the alcohol the night before. He was tanned with dark hair and looked quite familiar.

 

“Uh,” Minho mumbled, poking the man next to him. “Who are you?”

 

“That’s the worst morning after wake up I’ve ever heard,” the man chuckled into the sheets. “You really were drunk weren’t you?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“We’ve met before. You told me all about how your ex was bothering you.”

 

“Taecyeon?! I.....wait,” Minho sputtered, lifting the sheets to get a better look at his face. Sure enough, it was Taecyeon, the mysterious stranger who waltzed into his life just as suddenly as he had left...or so Minho had thought.

 

“What are you alarmed I held up my end of the bargain wanting to get together?” he pouted, sitting up in the small bed.

 

“I didn’t think this was your interpretation of hanging out,” Minho hissed between his teeth.

 

“What this wasn’t fun?” Taecyeon teased, pressing Minho further.

 

“I don’t sleep with random guys with nice smiles for fun!”

 

“You think I have a nice smile?” Taecyeon asked, batting his eyelashes.

 

“Shut the up, and get out.”

 

Minho got up and began getting ready for the day at school, remembering today he had a lab today which meant he was going to be around Jonghyun all day. Now, thinking about it, Minho noticed Jonghyun wasn’t in the dorm. Minho frowned, jumping up and down to slide his skinny jeans up a little higher above the band of his boxers. He grabbed his bag and Taecyeon’s arm in one collective sweep across the room and forced himself and the other man out of the dorm locking it. Without a second look back at the senior, Minho walked off towards lab.

 

~*~*~

 

“This need to stop,” a voice boomed, scaring Kibum who was currently trying to take a quick nap between classes.

 

“Jesus, Jinki, don’t come up at me like that when I’m trying to sleep,” Kibum scolded, scooting over so the other boy could join him on the bench.

 

“Why would you wanna sleep out here anyways? Don’t you have a dorm somewhere around here you could go to? You don’t want to ruin your complexion.”

 

“Please,” Kibum sighed, pushing aside Jinki’s concern. “What were you hollering about that was so important to wake me up?”

 

“This of Jonghyun and Minho tip toeing around each other is really starting to drive me crazy. It has almost been a year since prom and they obviously still feel for each other a lot......like a lot a lot. No one is joking around this time, but they are both too stubborn to get together.”

 

“You act as if I don’t know,” Kibum teased. “You are right though. They need to have a quick make out session and get back into that couple thing they had going, no matter how weird it was.”

 

“Yes, but how will we get them into the same room without a fight, a need to sleep, or a lab grade to earn?” Jinki pondered aloud.

 

“What if we set them up?” Kibum offered.

 

“What do you mean? Like a blind date?”

 

“Yes, exactly. You tell Jonghyun to meet you at some place and I’ll bring Minho to that place at the same time and we will ditch them and make sure they get together.”

 

“That sounds perfect! And they won’t suspect anything.”

 

“Exactly,” Kibum beamed, happy his idea worked.

 

“Kibum you are a genious!” Jinki exclaimed, pulling Kibum into a hug, pecking his cheek.

 

“Hey, hey! Get those lips off my perfect complexion!”

 

“Alright, drama queen. Text me the time and the place and this plan will roll,” Jinki said, getting up and leaving Kibum with a new pep in his step.

 

It was time to end the madness.

 

~*~*~

 

“Jonghyun.”

 

“Yes, Jinki? Why are you calling me?”

 

“Want to go out to eat after class?”

 

“Sure where?”

 

“Oh, you know....there’s this new place I saw. It’s called 24 Diner. Wanna go there?”

 

“Sure. You paying?”

 

“Of course. See you at five.”

 

~*~*~

 

“What do you need that you are calling me in the middle of lecture, Kibum?”

 

“I wanted to know if you wanted to come eat with me later.”

 

“Sure, sure. Where?”

 

“24 Diner at five?”

 

“Sounds great. No leave me be.”

 

~*~*~

 

Kibum and Jinki looked at each other after they both had hung up their phones a week after their original plan-get-Jonghyun-and-Minho-back-together meeting. There was nothing to do now, but wait an hour for the two to wander over. They had already set up the accommodations and set up the reservation for the same table under both of their names depending on who showed up first. It was easy to sway a hostess to abide by their every word, especially when Jinki flashed her a hefty tip.

 

“So this is it then?” Jinki asked.

 

“What is it?”

 

“This is the last time you and me get together to get them back together.”

 

“We hope,” Kibum says, emphasizing the word hope.

 

“I’ll kinda miss their crazy antics, but then again I really won’t.”

 

“Is Jonghyun ugly when he cries?” Kibum asked, trying not to laugh.

 

“Well he doesn’t get any better looking.”

 

“He wasn’t that hot to begin with.”

 

“True,” Jinki laughed. “What about Minho? I feel like he’s a real sissy when things don’t go his way. He’s very meticulous about the things that go on around him.”

 

“He like can’t function. When they first broke up, like that summer, I had to help him basically get out of bed and put clothes on. He was such a hot mess it wasn’t even funny.”

 

At that moment, the door to the restaurant swung open and Minho walked in. He looked around and located the hostess who greeted him courteously. Kibum and Jinki immediately covered their faces with their hats and menus, pretending to be just another pair of bystanders.

 

“I’m here with Kibum....Kim Kibum,” Minho said to the hostess.

 

“Oh! Of course. He hasn’t arrived yet, but I can lead you to your table in the mean time,” she replied cheerfully.

 

“Alright,” Minho agreed, following her to a table situated just a bit off from where Kibum and Jinki were.

 

Kibum looked over his menu at Jinki and caught his eye, smiling at the other boy. Their plan was working - Minho didn’t suspect a thing.

 

The door clicked open again, this time allowing a blonde to enter the premises. He was greeted by the same hostess who led him to the table Minho was seated at. Jonghyun stopped abruptly in his tracks and looked to ask if the hostess had made a mistake, but she was already back at her podium greeting more guests. Reluctantly, Jonghyun sat down.

 

“What are you doing here?” Minho hissed, acid in his voice.

 

“What are you doing here? Jinki invited me,” Jonghyun explained, trying to calm Minho down unsuccessfully.

 

“Strange, Kibum invited me and the woman sat me here. I suggest you two find yourselves another table.”

 

“What if this was a set up? We do need to talk aft-”

 

“Talk about what?!” Minho interrupted. “Don’t sit with me.”

 

“I’m already seated. It’s too late. Besides, we need to talk. Whether you like it or not we are still roommates and we should at least be on talking terms. You don’t even have a conversation with me anymore without raising your voice.”

 

“Well I’m still really angry, Jonghyun. Try to put yourself in my shoes. Wouldn’t you feel hateful towards me if I had done that to you? Everyone thought I was a joke. I couldn’t come to school the end of my senior year without someone slamming it in my face that my feelings are nothing but a joke.”

 

“I know, Minho. I ed up. I’ve said this countless times to countless people. I realized now that it was the worst thing I could’ve done to you, but you have to understand by the time Jinki wanted to reveal the joke I was head over heels for you. My heart was in it.”

 

Jinki and Kibum looked at each other, before looking back at the two, anticipating their next move. Everything was laid out on the table now, but how would Minho respond?

 

“I...I guess I understand that now,” Minho replied, looking down at his hands.

 

Kibum and Jinki silently cheered to themselves, giving each other soft high fives. That was, until Minho continued.

 

“But I’m not ready for a relationship right now,” he finished.

 

“Bull,” Jonghyun said.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You heard me. I said bull Choi Minho. You had no problem bringing home some man the other night, but what’s wrong with me? I’m not good enough since I don’t want to offer you a one night stand? Do you just not want to commit? Why are you so goddamn difficult? I’m putting myself completely out there now and you don’t even want to work with me. Why do I even expose myself for you anymore?”

 

“Jonghyun....that was an accident. I was completely drunk. Taecyeon and I are nothing.”

 

Kibum choked on his drink at the sound of Taecyeon’s name and Jinki’s jaw fell slack, Jonghyun remaining upset over the situation. This was the first time any of them heard that Minho had slept with Taecyeon. Not only had Minho slept with a random guy, that random guy happened to be an extremely attractive and talented senior.

 

“Why are we getting them back together when Choi banged Taecyeon?” Jinki half whispered to Kibum who shrugged, scared to open his mouth in fear he might scream, still in disbelief that Minho had actually done that.

 

“I guess my tears and heartbreak are nothing too,” Jonghyun said coldly.

 

“What? What do you mean tears? You weren’t even home that whole night!”

 

“I came home, but left when I saw you....like that....with him. I couldn’t do it, Minho. I can’t see you with anyone else. It’s too painful. Do you know how hard it was for me when you and Kibum were dating?!”

 

“As if that was real,” Minho scoffed, waving his hand around. “That was to get you jealous.”

 

“Are you ing kidding me?” Jonghyun spat. “You are making me feel like because I pretended to be with you, but you did the same to your own best friend? How does this make you any better than me?”

 

“It doesn’t. We both were wrong, but that doesn’t change anything.”

 

“That you are a ridiculously difficult person to be with and its no wonder why no one likes you let alone wants to be your friend.”

 

“Take that back, Jonghyun!”

 

“Take back the truth? I think not. I have a party to go to...I don’t have time for your anymore Minho. Find another dorm to stay in. This is over.”

 

Jonghyun got up and left Minho alone at the table. Minho was fuming, tears coming out of his eyes as the scene that just happened settled down in the diner. Jinki and Kibum sat quietly off in the distance, wondering if now would be a bad time to intervene. Before any party could make a move, the waitress came out with two entrees previously ordered by Kibum and Jinki.

 

“What is this?” Minho asked, in between sniffles.

 

“Your meal sir. It’s already been covered, so feel free to enjoy it,” she replied sweetly.

 

“I think you have the wrong table,” Minho said, getting up and exiting the diner.

 

The waitress looked at Jinki and Kibum shocked. They ushered her to bring the food over to their table since they had already purchased it. She set it down, slightly bowing her head apologetically before she ran off.

 

“So.......” Kibum began looking at the food in front of the two of them.

 

“Eat up,” Jinki urged, handing Kibum a pair of chopsticks. Kibum took them hesitantly, their hands touching for a second, before they both drew their hands back blushing.

 

“Sorry, Jinki,” Kibum mumbled, shoving some rice into his mouth, chewing it quickly.

 

“You are never a problem, Kibum.”

 

Jinki looked up, smirking, a slight blush coloring both of their faces. At least two of the four were happy tonight.

 

~*~*~

 

The party was loud and obnoxious, filling up the whole common floor of the dorm shared by the two angered lovers. Neither of them knew the other was there, too infuriated from the fight earlier to even think of the other. If Minho had tried to even find Jonghyun while he was still sober, it would’ve been near impossible since the blonde was sulking in the darkness of the corner of the room.

 

Alcohol found its way into their systems, clouding their judgement, numbing the pain they inflicted on each other. It was only a matter of time before Jonghyun stumbled out of his hiding place and dragged himself to the room he called home. There, he sat on the edge of his bed, knees held tightly against his chest, head hanging low, thinking.

 

The last two years of Jonghyun’s young life had not gone the way he had planned. He had never wanted any of this hatefulness to take place. It was never his intention to hurt Minho with the mindless pranks his teenage mind thought would be hilarious. No, he felt horrible.

 

He felt horrible when he thought of all the ways he could’ve changed the events that had taken place. He felt horrible when he heard the door click open, allowing a drunken Minho to stumble in. He felt horrible when the taller boy kneeled in front of him, batting his eyelashes in a super cute way no one could resist. He felt horrible when their lips met in a sloppy kiss.

 

Jonghyun felt like , but that didn’t stop him from removing Minho’s clothing, piece by piece, abandoning his own outfit in the process. It was scum like himself who would allow themselves to get over a breakup this way - out of their mind drunk. It didn’t stop Jonghyun, though. It didn’t stop Minho either. Jonghyun could tell, he too, was conflicted, but neither of them seemed to mind when Jonghyun had engulfed Minho’s entire length in his mouth, bobbing up and down to some unknown rhythm.

 

Head throbbing, Jonghyun soon found himself underneath Minho, the taller boy’s mouth tracing invisible patterns across his bare chest. Small moans escaped Jonghyun’s mouth, egging Minho to continue on. Jonghyun’s mood hit an all time low when he felt himself being filled by Minho’s . Even as Minho deeper and deeper into him, Jonghyun felt sorry for all the heartache he had caused the other boy. Behind the lust driven eyes, Jonghyun could see the sadness the other felt. No matter how much he was enjoying himself in the present, Jonghyun could not let himself fully accept the pleasure he was receiving. It wasn’t fair to Minho that it had to happen this way under the spell of alcohol. Even with all this guilt filling Jonghyun, he still wouldn’t stop Minho. He was still the selfish high school boy who dated Minho for his own selfish reasons, so why stop now.

 

~*~*~

 

The sun broke through the curtains, dawning upon a new day. Minho moaned a bit, wiggling side to side, feeling a bit of a hangover, but nothing major. Jonghyun rustled next to him, wrapping his arms around Minho’s waist pulling him closer, still in a peaceful sleep. Minho smiled at the shorter boy, his hair gently until he awoke from his slumber.

 

“Hey,” Jonghyun croaked, his signature goofy smirk cracking across his face.

 

“Hey,” Minho whispered back, caressing Jonghyun’s cheek.

 

“Look I’m so sorry Minho. I hurt you so much and I don’t deserve you. I know we were drunk and I can’t take back anything that happened, but you don’t have to stay around and become ruined because of me anymore.”

 

“But I want to.”

 

“What?!” Jonghyun asked, confused. He perched himself on his elbow and looked down at Minho.

 

“I want to,” Minho repeated, a small smile spreading across his lips.

 

Jonghyun smiled back at him, leaning down, placing gentle kisses on Minho’s plump lips. They embraced each other, comfort falling over the both of them for the first time in a long time. Together, they watched the sun rise through the window, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

 

“I guess this means I have a question for you, Mr. Choi,” Jonghyun finally said, breaking the silence.

 

“What’s that?” Minho asked.

 

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

 

Minho smiled, planting a soft kiss on Jonghyun’s lips snuggling closer to him before whispering a soft yes. The door opened, Minho remembering neither of them locked it the night before in their drunken states. In came Jinki, followed by Kibum.

 

“So you two made a huge scene at the diner and walked out to come here and have ?” Kibum exclaimed, pointing towards the two in bed. Jonghyun and Minho looked at each other shrugging a bit.

 

“We didn’t plan this. Alcohol did,” Jonghyun explained.

 

“It seemed to be effective,” Jinki said, chuckling a bit.

 

“So did our scene,” Minho beamed, pointing at Jinki and Kibum’s interlocked fingers.

 

Kibum tried to hide it, turning bright red, while Jinki turned to stone - no emotions showing at all. Minho and Jonghyun laughed at the two, finding it funny they were being so reserved when they were the ones in bed. Kibum quickly dragged Jinki out of the room, their hands still laced together. Minho turned the Jonghyun and wrapped his arms around his neck, kissing him once more, this time more passionately than before.

 

“Even with all the ups and downs we’ve had, I want you to know I’ve loved you this whole time,” Minho whispered, when he pulled back from the kiss. Jonghyun smiled at his boyfriend, feeling a little bit better than he had the night before about the whole situation.

 

“I love you, too.”

 

 

 

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Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who read this and subscribed/upvoted. It was really an honor sharing my story with you guys! I really hope you enjoyed it and the plot of the second part made sense with the first. If you have any questions feel free to comment. Also, my friend suggested I do an onkey spin off from this fic. What would you guys think of that? Would you want an onkey spinoff that takes place during the story, after the story, or not at all? Let me know ^^