*flashback memories - around 10 years before* 

It had already been a couple of months, since Ryeowook was introduced to the Cho sibilings, and he was still daily visiting their house. He had gotten much closer to the both of them, and the three could now count on a quite nice friendship that seemed to get even stronger as time went by.

It was so whenever it came to knowing each other's tastes or even when sharing opinions on much more important matters. It wasn't difficult at all, words were easily spoken and shared, little tokens of daily kindness were given and Ryeowook finally felt at ease, as for him, meeting Ahra and Kyuhyun and living every afternoon with them, meant gaining two friends who looked more like real sibilings to love with his might, than actual friends...

...or at least, it was like that, until Ahra screwed everything up with her sudden confession.

She heard Ryeowook sorely reject her, telling her that he considered her only a sister-like figure in his life, and for that, unfortunately, he couldn't give her more than his friendship.

That was when Ahra wearily stopped taking care of him and grew distant from the boy, even though she did her best to hide her true feelings behind fake smiles and sweet glances. Ryeowook felt there was something strange from the way she behaved, but kept silent, he felt slightly guilty for that. However, Ahra blamed Kyuhyun as well, for not being able to keep his promise and help her to get Ryeowook for herself. She believed that his intrusion in her teacher-student bond with Ryeowook, might have affected the perception Ryeowook had of her.

Kyuhyun was always intruding, maybe too much for her liking. It didn't matter that she could actually enjoy the natural feeling of family whenever around the two boys; Ryeowook was supposed to be the only stranger link that could ease the fights between sibilings and sometimes didn't even dare to take sides with one rather than with the other, for fear to deceive one of them somehow. She thought that Ryeowook, with his easy-going yet dignified personality, was doing great by then: he knew his place, but perhaps she was the one who lost consciousness of her true goal and didn't do anything to hide the concerned sister that emerged from whithin herself almost every time she was in her brother's company, resulting into showing that side of her to Ryeowook as well. It was Kyuhyun's fault if Ryeowook could see Ahra as a sister instead of a woman.

Kyuhyun noticed something wrong with his sister, when, after revealing him the little incident following her confession to Ryeowook, one afternoon, she texted him a message that was supposed to cancel that day's practice. It was too late though, even if Ahra wasn't home, Ryeowook had just arrived to Kyuhyun's place.

"Hey!" Kyuhyun greeted him at the door, letting him in. He still held his phone in one hand and looked down at the screen, after shutting the entrance door "I'm sorry to tell you this, Ryeo, but today there's no one at home..." Kyuhyun reached him in the living room, where Ryeowook was already taking his rightful place in front of the piano.

"What about your sister?" he asked, taking out his books from the bag.

Kyuhyun shook his head and approached him next to the piano: "No...it's like there's literally no one at home...except for me..." Kyuhyun leaned on the piano and rested his elbows on the smooth surface, looking at Ryeowook who was examining the keyboard and didn't want to lift his head, until he suddenly sighed: "She's avoiding me, right?" he asked at once, sliding his right index finger back and forth on the keys, without actually pressing any of them.

"I guess so..." Kyuhyun replied, kinda amused.

"Do you know..." Ryeowook began speaking. He wanted to ask him if he knew about the confession...he was her brother after all, he had to know...but Kyuhyun nodded again and continued for him: "...I know that she confessed to you a couple of days ago...I think she still cannot overcome that..."

"I...I'm sorry..." Ryeowook mubmled, apologetic; his face suggested he felt slightly heartbroken for rejecting Ahra that way, and ruining their special friendship.

"Don't be!" Kyuhyun smiled and waved his hands in mid-air, just to make sure that he understood that there was nothing to be sorry for. However, he was too curious to know about the true reason why he rejected Ahra. He could dare to ask him at least that, they were friends...well, kind of best friends...they were so different yet felt like perfectly combine their personalities into one. Ryeowook was what Kyuhyun was missing and viceversa, only that Kyuhyun was more likely to be the overprotective one among them...just because everything from Ryeowook suggested that he needed extra love and protection, and Ryeowook never complained, instead accepted more or less everything that came form Kyuhyun.

"Can...can I ask you why you rejected her?" Kyuhyun shyly looked at him, eagerly waiting for a reply, but suddenly felt an idiot. What if Ryeowook didn't reply and decided to be elusive? "I mean...Ahra is quite a nice girl and smart and...maybe...do you already have someone else in your heart?" Kyuhyun kept on asking, wanting to speak out loud the mental curses he was now throwing himself for speaking that boldly. He wasn't worried for hurting Ryeowook's sensibility and butting into his personal life. Instead, he was more concerned about which kind of reply Ryeowook was about to give him. With that question though, Kyuhyun might not have had the reply he wished to listen to. What if he confirmed being in a relationship with someone else? What if? If that was the case, Kyuhyun wasn't sure that his heart might have safely handled the truth...and if that was the case, he might have ended up growing as distant towards him as Ahra did... That scared him. For any reason he wished to part from Ryeowook, who embodied the exact missing part of his life, as if the both of them were two clearly distinguished pieces of a jigsaw, which combined perfectly. The only thing was them still ignoring it...

"Uhm..." Ryeowook bit his lips while thinking of a good answer to deliver. He looked up at the silky curtains hung at the window "...there's already someone...yes...I gotta be honest about that..." he ended up nervously laughing and adverting Kyuhyun's eyes.

Kyuhyun felt his heart burning into ashes then. A strong pain in his chest arouse and he didn't know how to deal with it. "Is it someone I know?" he had already showed too much interest in that topic, if he quit asking questions too suddenly he might have looked too suspicious, therefore he kept on asking for other details, faking a smile.

Ryeowook tilted his head and still looked down at the keyboard, nervously rubbing his hands in the while: "It might be..."

"...then...tell me...the name..." Kyuhyun slowly pronounced those words, not wanting to know yet desperately curious about which kind of person Ryeowook liked.

Ryeowook kept quiet for a while. He sighed, cleared his throat and nervously spoke with low voice, stressing that sentence as if it was a question "...Cho...Kyuhyun...?"

"Uhm?" Kyuhyun hummed after hearing his name. He was dying of curiosity and hated that Ryeowook was teasing him so badly that way, by repeating his name and lingering his sentence in mid-air, halfway to its conclusion. He wanted to know the name of the person Ryeowook was interested in, not his name...

"Come on, Ryeonggu! Tell me that name! It doesn't cost you anything!" Kyuhyun seemed pretty impatient then, he pouted with his lips and puffed more than ever. He wanted to check that person and see if that special one was worthy of Ryeowook's affection, or not...he didn't want to imagine his reaction if he ever found out that Ryeowook was suffering because of love, or whatever that might have been for him.

"I did...tell you the name...didn't you hear?" Ryeowook blushed, this time he was mantaining direct contact with Kyuhyun's eyes, even if he wasn't really sure for how much he could keep it that way. He felt extremely hot and that annoying feeling seemed to spread from his dry throat to all over his face. 

"Which name?" Kyuhyun was taken aback. He didn't listen to any name...besides his own...

Kyuhyun widened his eyes and parted lips in surprise. "What? Is this truly happening?" he found himself thinking so bad. He held out a hand and placed it on Ryeowook's, it gently, hoping that Ryeowook wouldn't back off. Somehow he sensed that Ryeowook was having a hard time keeping his position, after...confessing. "Ryeo...is this..." he began, but Ryeowook brusquely interrupted him, slightly hopping in surprise when he felt Kyuhyun's hand on his "...would you...would you like it if it were you?" he took a deep breath and half smiled "...doesn't it bother you? Tell me...because I feel...I feel like dying...honestly..." he fumbled, blushing even harder.

"Is it me? Is it really me? The person whom Ryeowook is interested in?" Kyuhyun thought for so long. However his staying still was about to be perceived as a rejection signal. Ryeowook's lips began shaking, even if only imperceptibly, and he felt a stinging knot in his throat, not knowing how to breath or talk anymore. He was about to stand up and leave Kyuhyun: "I knew it...I shouldn't have...I just..." Ryeowook thought: his mind being overwhelmed by stupid and messy thoughts then.

He looked at Kyuhyun still uncertain, but then his body froze in front of that wide smile Kyuhyun was showing off. Ryeowook didn't have the right time to react, as Kyuhyun leaned over the piano and tried to pull him closer by stretching both his arms out and grabbing his shoulders, slowly resting his forehead on the boy's and looking even closer than ever: "It doesn't..." he whispered. Ryeowook felt Kyuhyun's warm breath on a cheek while this one pecked it with his lips and planted a chaste kiss there. The pianist felt then little shivers taking possession of his spine. He widened eyes when Kyuhyun left him momentarily, just to reach him on the piano stool and sit there next to him, hugging him even tighter to his chest.

"Why are you looking me like that?!" Kyuhyun laughed.

"...just..." Ryeowook tried to speak, not managing to let out a comprehensible full sentence. He just felt like moving then. He ignored the source of his boldness, but just jumped on Kyuhyun, his left hand firmly grabbing the edge of the stool, while the right one already looking for Kyuhyun's to tangle his fingers with. Ryeowook reached for Kyuhyun's lips and kissed him, shutting eyes, trying not to look stupid enough for doing that. Unbelievably for him, Kyuhyun didn't seem to back off, instead he pressed his own lips against Ryeowook's and slowly moved together with the boy, tilting his head from one side to the other, to adjust to that sweet first kiss. When they parted, they realized what had happened and Ryeowook didn't seem to stop blushing at all. He was giggling, hiding half his face behind both hands. "So..." Kyuhyun broke the silence "...I happened to know that person...quite well...in the end, right?" he said, asking for Ryeowook to confirm his heart once again. Ryeowook nodded then and Kyuhyun pulled him at once into his embrace, where the other boy could snuggle under the crook of his neck. 

"Thanks for liking me, Kim Ryeowook..." Kyuhyun softly whispered in the air.

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Kyuhyun was bothered more than ever while witnessing how Ahra coldly behaved towards Ryeowook. It was true that seeing her being distant, broke his heart, but couldn't help but selfishly acknowledging that Ryeowook was slowly becoming his...and Kyuhyun wasn't finally scared anymore of sharing him with his sister or give her advices in order to get him. Because he had never be so sure of a thing in his life like that time: Ryeowook was interested in him only and showed it every day with small but meaningful gestures that made him happier and happier.

However, Kyuhyun had, first of all, to figure out what was hidden in his heart: at 17, what he felt towards Ryeowook, wasn't to be considered love, instead a mutual attraction the boys felt towards each other. They never made it clear enough, but they knew that whatever they felt wasn't something to be called to the extento of "true love". They were young and had no experience at all in this field, how were the both of them supposed to distinguish between a simple crush and deeper feelings? Moreover it was their first time ever feeling so attracted to a person of the same , and both of them perfectly knew that their relationship would have had a hard time, if they ever managed to bring it to a higer level. Society was the first problem they surely would have encountered, and probably their families would have been truly against it... It took time and experience for reaching the notion of true love, which was something they both lacked of, but at a slow pace and with full understanding of each other, who knew that they could even work it out eventually. It just took time...and trust...and comprehension...

However, none of them looked further into what they were building. There were a series of matters to take into serious consideration as well: like for example their future paths.

Ryeowook had a quite clear path ahead of him: he was getting a degree in music and counted to tour Europe, the core of classical music, to gather what he needed in order to become a worldwide known musician. He wanted to learn as much as possible, and was even eager to do so whenever reminded of the possibility to work with famous professors abroad. He fancied a bright future in who knows which high-class conservatory in France or in Italy or in Austria, where he might have become a teacher as well, and share the same precious secrets, difficultly collected throughout the years, to younger students with the same passion as his. Or he might have also opened his own school and sponsor young talents who couldn't afford to pursue music...well, he had many options and already set plans, even in the unlucky hypothesis he couldn't achieve one of these dreams, so he felt pretty safe in his own dreamy bubble. Nevertheless, he knew and was 100% sure that his future wasn't to be restricted to the Korean soil...he was a free soul and eager to get to know the world...that was what made him even more interesting and charming.

Kyuhyun, instead, had always been the lazy type. A genius, yes, but even genius people might have had hidden flaws. He didn't know why he was taking on scientific subjects, no one knew in his family, even if pretty much everyone there had a good reason to be linked with scholastic work and activities. Kyuhyun simply guessed that his brain worked easier with logical problems than with whatever else existing in this world...and since he was lazy, he didn't even bother to question himself...he just accepted whatever life was giving him day by day. So, he had this natural talent for numbers and science and when he was put in front of a messy crossroads, where he had to choose his future career, he considered many paths, but none was appealing enough as to become an architect. He could already sense the priceless feeling of eternal satisfaction he would have dealt with when, in the future, he could have seen real buildings being created on the basis of drafts and projects drawns by his own hands...and he felt powerful beyond every limits. It didn't matter where he worked as an architect, he just wanted to do that, and poured his soul into his difficult studies.

That's, eventually, what really got Ryeowook and Kyuhyun closer: the neverending efforts to reach for a dream. Besides their being dorky sometimes, thoughtful one for the other, caring and protective when needed...

...however they really didn't put into account that, when it was time for them to choose, they had to pick one thing between their dream and each other's affection...and time was ticking fast.

Anyway, besides that, Kyuhyun was more convinced than ever that they had to keep their relationship hidden from Ahra, or she might have suffered a lot more than what she already did, and probably hiding. That's why that they limited their hugs and kisses to those times when no one was around, just to keep it safer...and Ahra eventually slowly forgot the reason why she was angry at Ryeowook. She slowly got back to her place as a friend and teacher for him and even helped him to get ready for the final year's concert, where Ryeowook had been granted the honor to close the event with a pretty difficult piece, just to make sure to amaze both professors and public.

One day, four days before the concert, Kyuhyun showed up at Ryeowook's school. He knew that particular day was kinda important for Ryeowook, as the boy would have received the results of a pretty difficult contest, where even professionals sometimes failed at. He wanted to pick him up and be sure of supporting him no matter which kind of result Ryeowook was about to receive. He went there with the only purpose of being next to him and cheer with him if the news was positive, or to help him flush it down on the opposite case.

"Oh!" Kyuhyun noticed Ryeowook at the school's entrance and he immediately brightened up, hurrying his pace to reach him even faster. The pianist had just got out of the school with a couple of girls who happily waved him goodbye, before going away.

Ryeowook then saw Kyuhyun walking towards him and widely smiled when he got closer.

"You seem happy!" Kyuhyun told him, stretching out a hand to take one of the two heavy bags the other was carrying across his shoulders.

"I honestly wanted to fool you and I thought long about a prank, but I failed. I cannot hide my happiness, right?" Ryeowook began walking side by side with Kyuhyun, looking at him with his contagious smile.

"Right...so, tell me...it is about the contest?" Kyuhyun was anticipating his answer, already hoping to receive a good news from him, as he expected.

Instead what the both of them, but especially Ryeowook, received was a frozen cold shower, as a rather small guy wearing the same school uniform as Ryeowook shouted out the pianist's name with all his strength from behind the couple of boys. Ryeowook froze and didn't speak. "Kim Ryeowook!!" this one did it again.

"Just keep on walking..." Ryeowook looked pretty uneasy then, and grabbed Kyuhyun's arm, pressing quite strongly on his uniform jacket and begging him not to pay any attention that disturbance.

"Fine! Don't turn to look at me! Don't face me! You're coward!" the boy kept on shouting "You don't deserve your 3rd place at the contest! You cheated and bought the professors' favors! I know it!"

"Who's that psycho?" Kyuhyun seemed pretty startled then and asked Ryeowook. The older boy rolled his eyes and lifted his head up to the sky, stopping on his spot. He snorted out a quite strong blow of breath, totally pissed off. Then he tried to explain things to Kyuhyun: "He's Choi Jihoon, same year as me at school, but he's already 3 years older...he's so crappy when it comes to practice and therefore he doesn't manage to graduate...he didn't manage to get in the contest and he's taken me as his favorite target to bash around lately, just because..."

"...because...wait, let me guess! Because you're the best of your course, or let me correct myself, the best in the entire school, right?" Kyuhyun was in synchro with him and finished Ryeowook's sentence. He tenderly smiled seeing at how tired Ryeowook looked. Practicing hard from day to night in order to accomplish the best results, and still there were people like that Jihoon to pester him. "Come on then, let's go...don't even think of turning around, let him shout as he pleases, this has nothing to do with you Ryeo...he's just envious!" Kyuhyun sweetly placed a hand on Ryeowook's back, quickly it twice and lightly pushing him forwards, so he could resume his walk.

"Yah! Kim Ryeowook!" that Jihoon was calling out for him once again, fuming angry "How exactly did you manage to win 3rd place at the contest? By selling yourself to the judges by chance?! Wouldn't you teach me your cheating techniques?"

That was too mean to handle.

Ryeowook stopped again. He was gritting teeth and looked disquietly at the ground, silently crying by then. Kyuhyun saw his clear tears rolling down his cheeks and fell into single droplets from his jawline and under his chin, where they gathered. The younger boy got extremely fed up with that annoying boy that suddenly left Ryeowook and took a little hop, as he turned behind. He began running towards the source of his annoyance: "Gosh, would you please shut up and mind your business, idiot?!" he yelled right into the face of this stranger after grabbing him by his uniform collar and lifting his smaller body a few inches above the ground. He had clenched his fist and was ready to punch him at the first sound he dared to let out of that dirty mouth of his "Don't you dare bash the best student around or you will have to respond to me, do you understand? Go home and practice instead of spreading false rumors about good hard-working people! Maybe you'll be able to finally graduate, wouldn't you think so? I don't need to tell you that he's thousands of times better than a disgusting being like you! Envy is really a horrible thing!" Kyuhyun scrolled him twice. He saw this boy immediately getting smaller and smaller. Despite his older age he was squeaking in fear of being hit "...please...don't..." he begged and begged, and Kyuhyun was pleased to hear that he was actually able of mumbling as well, after all those pointless screams his ears had to bear. Kyuhyun evilly grinned, ready to cast his punch, but was held back by a hand which had just grabbed him by the wrist.

"It's not worth it...leave him be..." Ryeowook hurtly whispered, still with blurry eyes that broke his heart.

"But!" he wanted to reply, feeling to owe him at least that since Ryeowook had just been accused of exploiting ual favors in order to achieve his outstanding results at school; however Ryeowook shook his head and Kyuhyun let that boy go. After a couple of seconds he disappeared without a trace.

"Thanks..." Ryeowook whispered, looking nervously at the ground.

Kyuhyun understood what was going on and, after making sure that nobody was anywhere close to be seen, he cupped Ryeowook's face in his hands and said: "Don't you tell me that you think I believe that idiot, right? I know you won't ever be able to do such a thing he said!" he tried his best to reassure him "And besides, I saw how you practiced hard for the contest, since you are now practically spending your time at my place! There's nothing my Ryeonggu can't achieve, okay?" Ryeowook was still looking far away, trying to avoid Kyuhyun's interrogative glance. "Hey...hey...come on!" Kyuhyun slipped two fingers under Ryeowook's wet chin and turned his face, so that he was now deeply immersed into his eyes. He wiped his tears away and said "Look at me...that's good. Ryeo, please, don't do like this, I trust you and nothing will ever make me do otherwise! Just trust me back. There's one thing that you must know. I'm never ever believing anything unless you tell me so, okay? Because I got to know you and I am aware of that fact that you might be talkative and bright, but you don't immediately casually open up at anyone..."

Ryeowook then slightly nodded and sobbed once, looking for Kyuhyun's embrace, which he found pretty soon after diving into the other boy's arms.

"Good!" Kyuhyun pronounced and considered the case closed. He Ryeowook's hair and suggested: "Let's go home now, so you can rest. I guess it's been a tiring day, right?"

Ryeowook still held both his arms around Kyuhyun's waist, but looked up at him, trying to get back to his normal-self. He blinked twice and set his eyes again on Kyuhyun's: "Would you like to come to my place and sleep with me tonight?" he asked.

Kyuhyun gulped. He wasn't expecting an invitation, and if he thought about it, he had never been to Ryeowook's house before, not even once. He slightly widened his eyes and Ryeowook then lightly slapped him on a shoulder: "You stupid Cho Kyuhyun! What were you thinking of?!" he managed to fully smile then. Kyuhyun had just gotten red all over the face: "S-sleep...together...you mean...?"

"I mean sleep together! Like you bring your stuff from home and sleep with me in my bed...that's all...I just want to feel you closer to me, you know...you've just said that I need to rest! Which better way to rest if I can have you as my pillow?" he asked Kyuhyun and let out a pretty cute chuckle.

"Oh! Sleep...SLEEP!" Kyuhyun looked even more silly by repeating that word. The more he repeated it, the more that word seemed to lose its original meaning.

"You...ert!" Ryeowook slapped him once again, this time a bit stronger.

"Okay! Fine! I got it!" Kyuhyun complained and immediately brought his hand to the hit part of his shoulder to soothe it with a quick massage "What about your parents?"

"Don't you remember? They're in Busan for the weekend..they won't even be able to attend my concert..." Ryeowook sighed, looking sad. His parents were out for work most of the time and Kyuhyun knew how much stressful that was for Ryeowook. He nodded then and accepted the invitation: "I'd be glad to become your special pillow for tonight, Mr. Kim!" he joked and disguised his voice into a lower one, faking that one as a solemn moment.

"Idiot..." Ryeowook commented Kyuhyun's dorky behavior, but smiled all the same. He made sure that no one was still around and tiptoed to reach the boy's left cheek, where he quickly kissed him.

Kyuhyun responded with another smile and had quite a difficult time to suppress his giggle. He was anticipating the moment when he could have had Ryeowook all for himself, snuggling under warm covers and letting him place against his chest, hugging him tight while his hair...that's what he had imagined to do ever since he laid his eyes on Ryeowook, and that's what he terribly wanted to do...

...finally he had got a concrete chance for achieving that little wish of his...