Ryeowook pulled back from Zhou Mi’s kiss sharply.

“Wh- why did you kiss me?” he stuttered.

“Because you were rambling,” Zhou Mi chuckled lowly. “Do you want to carry on?” Ryeowook pondered on the question.

Flashback to a couple years back

“Why are we here?” Ryeowook asked Kyuhyun, looking out across the view from the cliff edge they were sitting near. “I mean, it’s beautiful, but why did you bring me?”

“Because I have a question for you,” Kyuhyun stated.

“What’s that?”

“So we’ve been getting close, and you really make me so happy. I feel like I can talk to you about my home life easily, because I know you’ll listen well, and I just wanted to know if...well, if you’d be my boyfriend?” he asked nervously, staring into Ryeowook’s eyes to search for the slightest glimpse of a yes. Ryeowook just leaned in and pecked him on the lips.

“You’re saying yes?” Kyuhyun asked in disbelief, a smile forming on his face.

“Yes, of course, how could I say no?” Ryeowook asked, shocked that this beautiful boy thinks he could be rejected.

“And we’ll stay together forever, right?” Kyuhyun asked like a small child would.

“Of course, forever,” Ryeowook repeated.

End of flashback

Zhou Mi wiped a tear from Ryeowook’s face with his thumb.

“Me and Kyu...we said we’d be together forever,” the latter murmured.

“Nothing lasts forever, Wook. Maybe it’s time to move on,” Zhou Mi smiled sympathetically.

“Yeah maybe,” Ryeowook said, opening up to the idea. “I should move on,” Ryeowook thought in his head. “It can’t be healthy to hang on to Kyuhyun like this, I have an amazing guy here, willing to be the best boyfriend he could be to me.”

“So?” Zhou Mi pushed. Ryeowook just kissed him. It wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short, it wasn’t sloppy but it wasn’t passionate, it was just a kiss.

“Let’s give this a go, me and you,” Ryeowook smiled truly for the first time in a while.

“Really?” Zhou Mi asked excitedly. Ryeowook nodded, being pulled into a hug by the taller boy.

____________________________________________________________________

Donghae and Eunhyuk walked gingerly into class, the first class since what happened in the common room. They walked with obvious nerve, reaching the door and just staring at it, debating whether they should actually go in or not. They’d sat in this very class for so long, holding hands under the table while watching and feeling sorry for Kyuhyun and Ryeowook. Never did they think that they’d be in their position, walking into class to instantly face the comments people would throw. It’s one of those things you think ‘that will never happen to me’ and you continue living life as normal, until it does happen to you, and you’re in the exact position you were watching not long ago.

“I can’t do it,” Eunhyuk murmured, hands trembling by his sides. “These are the same people that ripped the out of Wook and Kyuhyun, while we just watched, and now the tables have turned.” Donghae turned to look at his lover, and then looked down at his hands, grasping them both in his own hands.

“Stop shaking, we’ll be fine. Do what Wook always did, don’t show them you’re emotions. They like it,” Donghae said, giving Eunhyuk’s hands a light squeeze as the latter nodded. The two entered the room, every single head turning to them. In that moment, everything slowed down for both of them. They walked as confidently as they could to their seats, pulling out their chairs and sitting down almost in sync.

“Gay,” a boy coughed. Eunhyuk turned sharply, glaring at the student. Donghae looked at him instensly, silently saying ‘stop it, what did I say about showing emotion’. Eunhyuk settled in his seat, staring nonchalantly into the distance.

“I didn’t see it coming if I’m honest,” another student said.

“Yeah, who knew that two of the most standard, cool, friends in the school would be gay and in a relationship with each other,” said another.

“Yeah it makes you wonder doesn’t it? If two such normal guys could be that way, how many more of them are there?” a different boy said, looking around suspiciously at what classmates were there.

“Guys just leave them be,” Ryeowook- who had been sitting quietly until then- said.

“Gays stick up for gays huh?” a student from before observed. “So why did you guys,” he pointed at Donghae and Eunhyuk, “sit and watch gay couple number 1 suffering?”

“You can admit to it, yet you still do it,” Kyuhyun seethed from the other side of the classroom, suddenly angry. “You know what you did to us, you knew we suffered, and now we’re not even together, so why? Do you take enjoyment in making people suffer?” he began to yell.

“Well...yes, yes we do. With certain people anyway-” Kyuhyun slammed the table with his hands and shot up out of his seat, storming out of the classroom. He walked furiously down the empty hallways, breathing heavily. He knew he shouldn’t have flipped out like that but he had perfectly valid reasons to why he was so sensitive to the comment. He knew. He had heard. He eavesdropped.

Earlier

Kyuhyun wasn’t sure whether he should feel bad about the fact that he was hiding behind a bookshelf listening intensely to his ex talking to his potential lover, but little did he know, he’d picked a very particular conversation to listen to.

“Wh- why did you kiss me?” he heard Ryeowook stutter, heart sinking. They kissed. Hate for Zhou Mi built up more and more rapidly inside of him. From the sound of it, Ryeowook didn’t enjoy it. Luckily.

“Because you were rambling, do you want to carry on?” Kyuhyun clenched his fists. ‘That guy...seriously’ he thought. ‘Don’t do it Ryeowook. I know I broke up with you and told you to be with him, but...I still love you and I say these things because I’m confused and depressed. I couldn’t bare to see you with him, I’m sorry I’m such a screw up’. He switched back into real life to listen.

“Me and Kyu...we said we’d be together forever,” and there was the line that made Kyuhyun’s heart feel like it had just shattered into a hundred billion pieces.

“Nothing lasts forever, Wook. Maybe it’s time to move on,” the heartbreak then turned into anger at Zhou Mi encouraging him like that.

“Yeah maybe,” he heard Ryeowook say, sounding almost open to the idea. ‘Ryeowook, don’t’ he thought.

“Let’s give this a go, me and you,” Ryeowook said. Kyuhyun felt sick. He felt like his stomach dropped, he quickly but silently turned around and left through the back door of the library that he had sneaked in through.

_____________________________________________________________________

“I’m home,” Kyuhyun muttered just to receive no response. He shut the door behind him.

“I’m home!” he repeated louder. He strode into the living room, standing at the doorway, arms folded as he looked down at his Mother.

“Not again,” he commented.

“Mmm,” she stirred, opening one eye to look at him.

“How did you end up down there this time?” he glared at her sprawled out on the floor.

“I don’t know,” she whined, turning onto her side.

“Mum...this has got to stop,” Kyuhyun said sternly.

“I’m sorry,” she apologised, sitting up. “You know I can’t help it. Once you find something that makes you forget the world, be it drinking, smoking, drugs, comfort eating...you get addicted, it’s what keeps you going through the day-”

“Keeps you going through the day?! Well it hardly keeps you going seeing as you spend those days passed out on the floor!” Kyuhyun yelled.

“Shh,” his Mother moaned.

“We’re getting you help,” Kyuhyun said firmly, turning around to leave.

“I don’t need help! I know what I’m doing-”

“Do you?! Because it doesn’t seem that way to me. I am sick of doing all the jobs that you should be doing as a Mum. I’m a kid! After school I want to come home to the smell of dinner being cooked by my Mum, then I want to do my homework before I eat. I don’t mind chores, in fact most kids help around the house, I’d happily wash up after dinner! Then go to my room and play videogames for the evening! Why can’t I have that?!” he cried, picturing this perfect world in his head.

“Because life doesn’t always go to plan, Kyuhyun!” his Mother screamed. Kyuhyun jumped back at the sudden raise of voice. “Do you think I purposely married an abusive man?! Do you think I wanted to have an unhappy marriage which I had to get out of?! Things don’t work out sometimes, Kyuhyun, and you have to compromise around that I’m afraid!” she continued to scream, tears running down her face rapidly at the mention of her unfortunate past.

“And you thinking drinking is solving anything?! Do you think you’re handling this like a mature adult?!” Kyuhyun retorted.

“Well sorry!” his Mother replied sarcastically, “but I’m only human you know!” Kyuhyun shook his head, deciding against replying and left to his bedroom to grab his Ryeowook bag, even though he obviously wouldn’t be going to Ryeowook’s house, this time it was just a bag, a bag of getaway supplies.

“Where are you going now?” his Mother complained.

“Anywhere but here,” Kyuhyun muttered, striding through the living room to exit his house and slam the door behind him. He stepped out into the cold, bag slung over shoulder. Kyuhyun wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing out here, where could he possibly go? Maybe he could go to Ryeowook’s. It’s not like he’d refuse him, Wook is too nice to leave Kyuhyun out in the cold like this. But then again, he wasn’t sure if he could face him. He dragged his feet along the street until he reached a park, deciding a bench would suffice for the night. He regretted this decision immensely, but he couldn’t face Ryeowook and he sure as hell couldn’t go back home, not only because he didn’t want to go back there, but because he knew he’d receive some sort of comment from his Mother about ‘running straight back to her’. He lay down, bag being used as a pillow, and snuggled into himself, the tears he was holding back now falling freely. He screwed up, he knew he did, but he couldn’t do anything about it anymore, Ryeowook’s moved on, and his Mother isn’t going to help herself anytime soon.

“Sad thing is,” Kyuhyun murmured to himself, “if I killed myself...suddenly everyone would care.”