When they were eating dinner, Sungjong ate far less than any of them were expecting, but they figured as much--he'd vomited only a few hours earlier and his stomach probably could only handle so much. He only ate little bits here and there, and although he chatted with the others and his mother as if nothing was wrong and he hadn't suffered an anxiety attack earlier, everyone could feel the tension in the air.

Nobody commented on the events of early that day, even though Hoya or Dongwoo wanted to make sure Sungjong was okay. He looked and acted as usual, give or take a little more tired.

"So did anything exciting happen earlier today?" his mother inquired, smiling as she ate some pork.

"Ah, Park Eunji asked me out," he murmured softly after a moment--after a moment's internal conflict of trying to figure out what to say.

"Park Eunji? Isn't she the number one student in your grade?" Dongwoo asked, and Sungjong pursed his lips, nodding. "Oh, she's the really pretty underclassman, Hoya."

Myungsoo felt a tinge of upset in his chest that confused him, but he waved it off as being hungry, so he ate a big spoonful of rice, stuffing his mouth.

"What'd you say to her?" she asked, being nosy as she ate.

Shaking his head, he ate some kimchi, "I said no...It's almost the end of the year, and I didn't feel the same, so I didn't want to pursue something that she might end up getting hurt in the end."

Both Hoya and Myungsoo could see he looked uncomfortable, so Hoya was the one to divert the conversation.

"Your cooking is delicious like usual," he told her, smiling and hoping to charm her. It worked.

"Oh, thank you, Hoya!" she giggled, "What do you boys want to eat tomorrow for breakfast?"

Dongwoo was the one to speak, grinning, "Ah, let's have omelets!"

Myungsoo thought about it before nodding in agreement. Surely there was nothing in an omelet that Sungjong would turn down, right? He held his breath, relaxing as Sungjong nodded in agreement.

"Sounds good," he agreed, smiling a little. Everyone in the room relaxed as soon as he agreed--at least he was willing to eat something.

When dinner finished, Sungjong wanted to help clean up, but his mom sent him away and made Hoya and Dongwoo help her. "Spend some time with Myungsoo," she smiled, "It's not like you've been friends with him all your life."

Myungsoo gladly went with him back to Sungjong's room, settling on his bed again. He knew that he had to do something--anything, really--to get Sungjong to see how wonderful he was. He wanted him to understand that Sungyeol's words weren't true at all.

With Sungjong's head resting on his lap, he absentmindedly played with his hair. "Hey, Jongie," he started, looking down at him, earning a hum from the other, eyes looking up and meeting his gaze.

"Wanna know something interesting?"

"Huh," he agreed, lips parted slightly, eyes closing again as he assumed his relaxed state.

Myungsoo looked over and saw Hoya and Dongwoo entering silently, so as to not shake Sungjong from his relaxed and peaceful mood--it seemed to be a very rare occasion, judging by how suprised they were and how willing they were to stay silent. "I've wanted to be friends with you for years, but Hoya-ssi and Dongwoo-ssi intimidated me."

Sungjong's brow furrowed a little, eyes still closed. "Why's that? They're not that scary, especially Dongwoo-hyung," he murmured softly.

Myungsoo shrugged, knowing Sungjong could feel it, "Because Hoya-ssi seems like the type to pick a fight with anyone that might threaten someone who's too kind and pure to defend themselves." His voice held a tone of taunting, but it was gentle and non-threatening--he picked his words carefully, making sure to avoid words that would deal with appearance. He looked up and saw Hoya agreeing with what he said, nodding and giving a thumbs up in approval, Dongwoo grinning.

"Hoya-hyung? I guess I'd have to agree, but I'll tell you his weakness," Sungjong grinned, completely oblivious to the fact that Hoya and Dongwoo were in the room and thus completely missing his reaction as he spoke, "He has a soft spot for cute things, so if you ever feel threatened, just hold that against him."

Myungsoo smiled, seeing his opportunity and taking it, "I guess that means that you agree, right?"

Sungjong opened his eyes and Hoya and Dongwoo scooted silently to the doorway, so as to avoid attracting attention. "What do you mean?" He didn't seem to understand what Myungsoo was getting at.

He grinned, laughing softly as he tapped his nose, "That you're cute too. Hoya-ssi has a soft spot for you too, and since he has a soft spot for cute things, the two can't possibly be mutually exclusive, right?"

Sungjong's brow furrowed, and he seemed unwilling to agree. The logic was there, though, but he still seemed set on being stubborn. "I'm not cute, hyung. You might say so, but nobody else agrees," he argued, "and you're just saying it for some reason."

Myungsoo shook his head, "I haven't known you long enough to feel compelled to lie to make you feel better. I don't know about others, but I think you're cute--when you get excited over something, you really get excited." He smiled then, "I wasn't there earlier on, but I would see you and Hoya-ssi and Dongwoo-ssi during lunch talking about whatever; anytime you would get super excited, you had this sort of...aura? Your happiness is contagious when you're really happy, you know that? None of the other students would admit it, but you really set the mood anywhere you go, Sungjong. I think that's worthy of being called cute and much more." He moved his hand back to playing with Sungjong's hair, satisfied with the younger's reaction.

Hiding his deeply-flushed face with his hands, Sungjong groaned softly. He wanted to argue, but he felt too embarrassed to form a coherent argument.

Myungsoo looked over at Dongwoo and Hoya, grinning at their excitement.

"That's right--our Jongie is the cutest!" Dongwoo exclaimed, causing Sungjong to jump, visibly surprised within an inch of his life, and clutch at his chest.

"Dongwoo-hyung? Hoya-hyung? How long have you been there?" he questioned as he quickly sat up, eyes shifting between them, brow furrowed.

"We've been listening for a while, but you have to understand that we all agree that you're such an amazing person, Jongie," Hoya told him, walking with Dongwoo to the edge of the bed and sitting on the bed while Dongwoo sat on the floor, nodding his head. Hoya took his hand and sighed, smoothing his hair with his other hand. "Even before you lost weight, Dongwoo and I have always believed that there's no way that you're not a beautiful person, inside and out.

"We're constantly worrying about you when we aren't hanging out, and with what has been happening lately with the volatile reactions to the bullying...I want you to feel better about yourself, Jjongie. Those bullies' words don't matter--they're only saying it to hurt you." He squeezed his hand, getting Sungjong to look at him. "I don't want you to believe Lee Sungyeol's words." He nodded, his gaze steady.

Sungjong looked down quickly, tearing up. Myungsoo took his other hand and squeezed it gently and rubbing his back. Dongwoo reached up from the floor, resting his hand on his knee and rubbing it.

Choking out a sob, all three of them hugged him and allowed him to cry it out. He was a mess, but honestly, none of them really cared.

When he settled down to small hiccups and sniffles, he hugged all three of them one by one. "Thank you, and I'm really sorry. For everything that I've made you worry about," he apologized, biting his lip at the end.

Myungsoo mussed Sungjong's hair, smiling, "It's okay. Just tell us when you're having a hard time, alright?"

Sungjong nodded after a moment, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

"Okay, now that you're not gonna listen to them and realize that you're perfect, first things first: You're underweight and need to eat more!" Dongwoo exclaimed, reaching up and placing his hands on Sungjong's hips, causing him to immediately flinch back from the contact, head hitting the wall behind him.

"Oww...." he murmured, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry, Jong-ah," Dongwoo apologized with a sheepish grin.

Shaking his head, Sungjong smiled apologetically as Myungsoo smoothed the hair on the back of his head in a comforting motion and fretting over it quietly, "I guess I'm just really insecure about my stomach. It's not your fault."

Myungsoo decided to test the waters, wrapping both of his arms around Sungjong's waist--he kept up with it even after Sungjong jumped and flinched slightly in response--and gently pulled him closer, resting his chin on his shoulder. Hoya looked tense as he watched the display.

"How's this?" he questioned softly, gauging his reaction.

Sungjong made a small grunt of discomfort, "It's...uncomfortable, but not unbearable..."

"Good, because I'm gonna do this a lot. You're huggable, Jjongie, you know that?" Myungsoo smiled, keeping his hug relaxed.

Dongwoo pouted, whining, "No fair--I wanna hug Jong-ah too!"

Flushing, Sungjong hid his face, feeling overwhelmed by the affection. "Guys!" he whined, unable to really stop the group hug that resulted moments later.

"Sorry, but you can't stop the love, Jong-ah!" Dongwoo laughed, causing everyone else to do the same, Sungjong included.

Myungsoo froze when he heard the sound--he sounded so happy and it was unlike anything he'd heard before. His little gasp-like inhalations and chuckles made Myungsoo blush a little at how overwhelmed he felt. To a stranger, he was making some concerning sounds, but Myungsoo could tell he was genuinely laughing out of happiness.

He unconsciously tightened his arms around the younger, feeling his heart beating fast, and Sungjong, after feeling it and the action grounding him a little more, was still smiling happily, looking at Myungsoo curiously. 

"What's wrong?"

Myungsoo floundered for a proper response, his brain not working when he needed it. "Ah...I'm happy," he murmured, eyes slightly widening when he realized what he said.

Sungjong's smile became a little more grounded and subdued before nodding, "Good. It's good that you're happy." He lifted his arm and brushed Myungsoo's bangs out of his eyes carefully with his fingertips.

Myungsoo felt himself flushing, so he buried his face in Sungjong's shoulder to hide his reaction.

Hoya and Dongwoo watched and exchanged a look, neither saying anything. Sungjong seemed more or less at ease, and nobody wanted to ruin that, especially after such a long time of seeing him like that.

Dongwoo the music, to fill the silence. "Hey, Jongie, you said that you've learned dancing, right?" he questioned, looking over at the younger still in Myungsoo's hold.

"Ah, yeah. Nana-noona taught me a bunch of girl group dances," he admitted, flushing from embarrassment, quickly fhelping himself, "but Kahi-noona taught me too!"

Hoya blinked, surprised, "Kahi-noona? Wow~ You really got the best help~!" He grinned, sitting back on the bed.

"Can you show us the dance moves you learned?" Dongwoo requested, looking at the youngest.

"Sorry, hyung...I'm tired right now--tomorrow," he promised, biting his lip.

"Alright, tomorrow then," Myungsoo smiled, resting his chin on Sungjong's shoulder again.

Sungjong nodded and sighed, feeling very tired. "Can you let me go Myungsoo-hyung? I want to go take a shower," he told him, turning slightly and pulling away when the other relented. He moved to his dresser, grabbing some clothes to change into and leaving the three older teens in the room alone.

When they heard the door close, they all exchanged a look and got to talking, starting with Dongwoo.

"Hey, Myungsoo-yah," he addressed, looking at him.

Sitting cross-legged, he looked over, "Yeah?"

Dongwoo exchanged a look with Hoya before looking at him again, "Are you gay?"

Myungsoo nearly choked on his saliva, coughing and struggling to breathe for a moment before giving Dongwoo a wildly confused look. "What? What makes you say that?"

Dongwoo and Hoya held their hands up in defense, Hoya speaking up, "It's just that we've never seen any guy so touchy-feely and comfortable with cuddling like that."

Myungsoo shook his head, brow furrowed, "It's only because it's Sungjong--he really needs comfort when he's struggling so much like this, hyung." He pouted, "Plus, I really like it--it's reassuring to know that people I care about aren't going to disappear." He looked at Dongwoo then, "Aren't you really touchy-feely too, hyung? I mean, I've seen you smack and grab Hoya-ssi's and been comfortable with openly hugged others."

Hoya shrugged, "I'm used to it, since we've pretty much grown up together." He pursed his lips before nodding, "I suppose you're right, though. Sorry for making assumptions." He looked away, rubbing his neck before looking back at him, "But seriously--are you?"

Myungsoo was taken aback, before looking down and pursing his lips. "No...I don't think so--I don't know," he sighed, looking up at him, "I've never thought about it. I mean, I haven't found anyone I like more than Sungjong, but I don't think it's...in that way." Sighing, he scratched his head, "Hyung, why does it matter? It's not like who you like really affects others involved. I mean, if any of us were gay, I don't think Sungjongie would really think differently of us anyway, so why should we?"

Dongwoo and Hoya were silent for a moment, before mutually agreeing. "I don't thing Sungjongie has it in him to hate anyone," Dongwoo said, Hoya nudging him his foot and grinning.

"You too, you know," he laughed, and Dongwoo laughed, in turn causing Myungsoo to smile.

Myungsoo paused as a sudden thought invaded his brain, 'What if he starts to insult himself when he looks at himself in front of the mirror?'

He practically jumped up from the bed, scaring Dongwoo and surprising Hoya, as he hurried to the bathroom and listening for the running water that would indicate he was still taking a shower. There was no sound from the bathroom except soft murmurs. Pressing his ear to the door, he head up a finger to his lips as Hoya and Dongwoo approached, confused expressions on their faces.

"-less; they were only comforting you. You're not cute, and you never were. They were only saying it just to make you feel better--they don't really think you're cute. You're fat and ugly..."

He sounded like he was sobbing, and Myungsoo knocked on the door gently, acting as if he hadn't been listening. "Jongie? Are you okay? You've been in there for a while, so I was wondering if you fell in the toilet."

Sungjong panicked the moment he heard the knock on the door, and even moreso when he heard Myungsoo's voice. Wiping his eyes of tears, he blew his nose and cleared his throat, "Ah, yeah, I'm fine!"

"Let's watch a movie together, Sungjong," he suggested, and Sungjong hurriedly made himself look as if he hadn't just been bawling his eyes out, pretty much..

"Movie? Sure, just give me a moment," he told the other, collecting himself emotionally. He really hoped that Myungsoo hadn't heard any of his self-hate, but he'd been quiet, so he couldn't have. Myungsoo would have at least made a comment about it, right? Right.

Getting dressed, he opened the door and was faced with Myungsoo, smiling a little. "Want hot cocoa? Hoya-hyung said it was your favorite, and he and Dongwoo-hyung are in the kitchen, making it." Sungjong nodded. Myungsoo held out his hand, and Sungjong flushed lightly after he took it--Myungsoo squeezed his hand and led him to the kitchen where the elder two males were, preparing the drinks.

"How's the married couple doing?" Myungsoo teased, smirking a little. Hoya raised an eyebrow in response, eyes traveling down to spot Sungjong's hand in his.

"Like you're one to talk," he scoffed, although he felt something he recognized in his chest when he saw their hands together and Sungjong flushing lightly, most likely from embarrassment. He felt jealous that Myungsoo had managed to get so close with Sungjong in such a short amount of time. He felt jealous that Myungsoo was the one that Sungjong felt close enough to that he could confess his fears and insecurities to. He felt jealous of Myungsoo in general, actually.

Not only was he good-looking and charming in his own weird way, but he was also such a likable guy that seemed to genuinely care about Sungjong. Sungjong wasn't dumb, and Hoya knew that he was sensitive to others' intentions and demeanors after years of bullying. He'd been betrayed and hurt by those who claimed to be his friends, and although he never hated them and instead would rather be friends for real, the fact remained is that Myungsoo seemed more open about affection than Hoya ever could, despite being friends with Sungjong for years.

He wanted to have that same level of comfort, and he used to before Dongwoo made the off-comment years ago about it not being okay to like another guy--that Hoya's parents would flip out--and Hoya never wanted to disappoint his parents. So he figured that staying friends with Sungjong was the best course of events for everyone--he knew that being in a relationship with another guy would most definitely give the bullies more reason to bully him after he really thought about it.

"Hyung?" Sungjong's voice and him looking at him curiously shook him out of his thoughts, and he realized he'd been zoning out. 

"Ah, yeah. We made your favorite. I figured you need this after a rough week, you know?" he smiled, approaching Sungjong and ruffling his still-damp hair. He passed off the mug of hot chocolate in his hand to Sungjong and returned to where Dongwoo was.

"Thanks hyung," he murmured, taking a sip of his hot cocoa. Sighing happily, he started padding his way past them to the living room, sipping his hot cocoa. Hoya always made the best hot chocolate, and it just made him forget about his worries--even the ones concerning his appearance. He sat on the couch, waiting for his hyungs to join him.

"Which movie do you want to watch, Jjongie?" Dongwoo asked, through the DVDs and settling on the one Sungjong said he wanted to watch. After the movie started playing, Myungsoo wrapped an arm around Sungjong, holding him securely yet gently.

Sungjong was thankful it was dark because he felt his face was flushed, half from embarrassment and half from something else.

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a/n: Hello again! I managed to poop out another chapter, and this note shall be short bc I have a 9:30 am class tomorrow and need to get enough sleep so that I'm not completely exhausted! But how about that myungjong? c; And a lil bit of hojong too bc why not? //loves you all I'm really sorry if this chapter seems incomplete, but I really want to move on in the plot~ A friend and I have developed a lot to come, so be excited ;w;

I'm out and the next chapter will come...sometime in the future~♡