a/n: my regular readers know that I love doing this hehehehe~

There is no more calming and soothing than a warm shower after a long strenous day of training. 

It had taken to his routine to take a bath and submerge his self in a warm water as he plays with the bubbles in the bathtub at exactly seven in the evening. Thirty-minutes after he had went home, he would rest and wiggle his feet clad in pink socks, arms over his stomach and eyes closed as his mind drift between the line of reality and dreams. His bed might be calling him as of the moment but he always chose to rest on the two-seater couch they have in the apartment or else, if he had chosen to be on bed, he would never ever wake up exactly thirty minutes after. 

After that, he would go over his notes and struggle for the next thirty minutes whether he will study on his lectures or just--

"Are you sick?"

A hand landed on his forehead and slowly, it traced the side of his face. "You look sick."

Sungmin opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Kyuhyun, his bestfriend since childhood slash roommate for four years (and counting) slash, the person he admired the most-- looked so abnormally handsome in his crinkled football uniform and muddy appearance. It rained that day and that must be the reason of why Kyuhyun looked so dirty and muddy in his uniform and that is also the same reason why he feels like a dozen truck hit him.

He was never really the strong one in the neighborhood. He is always the sickly, shy and silent kid in the town.

"I am not--" he coughed a few times and Kyuhyun had to rub his back while he squeeze his self beside Sungmin in the two-seater couch.

Their living room is really boring. They chose the white apartment, just fifteen minutes away of walking from the univeristy and for the past eight months, those white walls were no longer white, well-- Sungmin painted them pink. And in their living room, there is only a two-seater couch and in front of it is a flatscreen which is on 'mute' all the time.

'Why do we watch TV on mute?' asked Kyuhyun whose hand absentmindedly threads the newly dyed hair of Sungmin.

'Cos I hate the noise.' with his voice muffled by the scarf around his neck, Sungmin took a glance at Kyuhyun. His features are shadowed by the faint darkness but Sungmin can still seemlessly, conclude to his self, that there was never a time that Kyuhyun is not this--- admirable. He always is.

'Then why watch?'

Sungmin then focused his eyes back to the television again.

I just want your hands in my hair, he thought.

"If I know that you're sick then I should have bought some tablets for you. The drug store is just a couple of walks away from here, do you want me to grab some for you?" 

Sungmin thought he would fall asleep because Kyuhyun's hands on his hair makes him drowsy. Also, after Kyuhyun had managed to fit his self perfectly beside Sungmin, he moved the latter to face him by transferring Sungmin's legs on his lap and has his head plastered on the armrest. When after some seconds Sungmin didn't answer, Kyuhyun massaged his legs all the way up to his knees. He giggled a little causing Kyuhyun to elicit some good laugh too.

"No just let me sleep for thirty minutes then I will take bath." Sungmin adjusted his self comfortably over the couch and Kyuhyun have to manuever away so Sungmin wouldn't touch the 'muddy' parts. "And, kyu, maybe you can use the bathroom first while I am resting, you're---"

Sungmin cracked one eye open and giggled again. "..dirty. So dirty. Don't tell me you and Hyukjae dived on the mud again?"

"It's football Min. Of course yes." Before Sungmin could counter a joke on that Kyuhyun played on the fingers of his feet and also around the soles of his feet that it felt ticklish even thought the socks covered it. Out of reflex, Sungmin wiggled out of Kyuhyun's attack forcing his self to jump out of the couch before Kyuhyun could make another attack. 

Because of the sudden action, Sungmin lost his balance and his vision swirled. "Woah, careful, careful!" Kyuhyun caught him in the arm before he could protest. Kyuhyun made him sit again on the couch and Sungmin can't help but to smile at the small gestures. " You know what, we can achieve nothing if we keep fooling around. How about I hit the bathroom first and you rest for a while?"

"That's what I told you!" Sungmin answered as he threw his socks to where Kyuhyun is currently heading to, which is the bathroom. Kyuhyun caught them swiftly and blew several 'kisses' to Sungmin's direction before quickly shutting the bathroom door. "Yah! I threw you socks! You are suppose to throw them back, now my feet feel cold." Sungmin pouted, he knows his whine won't be heard as Kyuhyun is already inside.

He stood up, ready to knock on the bathroom's door when suddenly it opened, revealing a half-dressed and still dirty roommate.

"And I blew you kisses, aren't you suppose to blow them back?"

Then the door was closed again.

But not before a pair of socks hit his face.

"Sometimes I like you but sometimes you're an ." 

This time, Kyuhyun did not hear him.

"But I still like you."

+++

It started with their mothers’ undying attempts to pair them up.

Starting with school’s parade, to singing contents back then when they were still kids, to trick or treats and even to simple caroling at neighbor’s houses during Christmas. It was always them and no one else.

Sungmin and Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun and Sungmin.

Often times, he wanted to be friends with someone else other than Kyuhyun. Often times, he wondered how it feels like to sing in tandem with the other kid in town. Often times, he wondered how it feels like to share this piece of cupcake with this other cute kid in the next block. Often times, he wondered how it feels like to be friends more than with one.

But on the times that he doesn’t wonder are the times little Kyuhyun would give him answers.

Sungmin was startled with the hands wiping the sides of his cheek and the cupcake he was holding was slowly gone from his grasp. He looked at his side only to see his friend, Kyuhyun nodding his head sideways as if the he was disappointed at Sungmin.

“Did I do something wrong?” in his small voice, Sungmin asked.

“Nope.” And Kyuhyun just continued wiping Sungmin’s sides of lips. “But you eat messily for a hyung.”

“Well, I am a kid so I eat messily!” little Sungmin said as he tried to grab the cupcake in Kyuhyun’s grasp. But little Kyuhyun bit on it instead making little Sungmin utter a gasp before shrieking, “Kyuhyunnie!”

“But I am a kid too, but see? I don’t eat messily!” little Kyuhyun gave the cupcake back to his hyung as he warily eyes the other if ever there would be crumbs on Sungmin’s cheeks again.

“But you are a special kid!” little Sungmin rolled his eyes and took an angry bite on his cupcake then putting it to Kyuhyun’s mouth back a little more forceful than what he intended making little Kyuhyun squeak in surprise, “eat!” He prodded the cupcake to Kyuhyun’s lips and again, “eat!”

“So I am special?” Kyuhyun asked as he took a bite and little Sungmin just shrugged.

More than special, Kyuhyunnie.

+++

It took Sungmin a week to recover from his flu. And it really stresses him to know that he missed a lot of lectures, assignments and take home reports. He had asked Kyuhyun to give his medical certificate to the department of his college and he just hope that he could make up for it. Because believe it or not, some profs are just ash-holes to not consider the submitted medical certificate of the student.

It was a calm Friday afternoon that Sungmin decided to go out from his and Kyuhyun’s shared bedroom. Because believe it or not, Kyuhyun cannot sleep well alone and Sungmin wasn’t even aware of that until they rent an apartment for college. Kyuhyun said that was his gravest secret, that even his best-est friend won’t know. It is funny though, how Kyuhyun came to his room one night and just pulled him to the other room and squeeze him on a bed meant for one person only, without any words. And being a sleepyhead he was, Sungmin never bothered to ask; until it became a regular thing and a small unspoken secret between them.

“Just tone down your voice guys, my roommate is sleeping.”

Sungmin stopped in his tracks with the voices that he heard in their living room. He heard a couple of movements and hushed laughter. Stealthily, Sungmin took a peek on who is Kyuhyun’s visitor this time. Kyuhyun rarely brings friends in their apartment for his bestfriend knows that he is really the shy type of person. Once, Kyuhyun brought a partner in project and Sungmin refused to go out saying he might disturbed them but in all honesty, he is really uncomfortable with people he doesn’t know. Something that Kyuhyun frowns upon.

“Ah, is he still sick?” Sungmin’s eyebrows met for a while. The voice is not from Kyuhyun, but how come he knows that he is sick? He took a step forward to have a proper glance on whoever Kyuhyun brought this time however, he heard footsteps coming to his way.

So with a hurry, he went back inside the room and pretended that he just woke up.

From the little space at the bottom of the door, Sungmin can see the movements of Kyuhyun’s feet. He can see that Kyuhyun took his dirty socks of, something that Sungmin always reminds him to do and if not, he will threaten Kyuhyun that he will sleep on the couch or he will be back on the unused room. Oh, Sungmin is a neat freak by the way.

Slowly, the door opened and Sungmin can’t help his self but to smile.

“Min?”

Kyuhyun gingerly eyed him for a moment before reaching out to touch his forehead. “Kyu, my fever was gone few days ago right?” Sungmin removed Kyuhyun’s hand while giggling silently. But Kyuhyun continued feeling him- his cheeks and his neck before plopping his self on the bed.

“Good.”

Sungmin took in Kyuhyun’s form. The other was dressed in his a clean shirt but his shorts are still his uniform from football. His hair was disheveled and there are tired creases on his forehead. Sungmin sighed. This is his entire fault.

“I’m sorry Kyu, I kept you awake the whole night this week.” Sungmin propped his self on his elbows before taking the arm that rests on Kyuhyun’s eyes. He pouted. “I am really sorry, I promise to be careful next time.”

“Yah! What are you talking about? You are my responsibility. And silly min, I wasn’t tired from taking care of you tsk.” Kyuhyun flicked his forehead and Sungmin had to carefully rub it, Kyuhyun just flashed him his mega watt smile. “I was tired with all the activities from school—ah! Speaking of, I brought a teammate and he’s been left there for a while.”

“Oh, Kyuhyun! You should not leave your friend there!” Sungmin smacked Kyuhyun. He can never let Kyuhyun abandon a friend just because of him. That is not a respectful thing to do with your visitor.

“But Min, I just want to check on you and besides he understands. “ With that, Sungmin remembered the line he heard earlier asking about him and wondered who that friend of Kyuhyun is. He was about to ask about it when Kyuhyun stood up and handed him something. “Here, take these tablets I bought for you. In case you need something, just yell, okay?”

“Kyuhyu-“

“Oh, that is not good for your recovering voice, just---just text me.”

Sungmin wasn’t able because Kyuhyun had already sprinted out.

It was already thirty minutes past seven in the evening that Sungmin didn’t realize he had fallen asleep for three hours. It must be the medication that he felt drowsy. Holding his stomach and trying to listen to the noise outside, Sungmin aim for the door. Upon hearing nothing and concluding that Kyuhyun’s friend already got home, Sungmin stealthily made his way to the kitchen. However, when he was rounding up the kitchen island, a head popped up making him release a very shrilly girly scream.

Kyuhyun’s friend immediately reached out to cover his mouth. “Shhh, Kyuhyun is sleeping and I’m sorry if I scared you but the pizza fell on the floor and I am wiping the mess when I heard footsteps.”

Sungmin was stunned. First it wasn’t Kyuhyun who is in front of him but his friend. And second, that friend is holding his mouth and is dangerously close to him. When the other person noticed it, he immediately released Sungmin and laughed nervously.

“Hi I am Siwon.” The said man extended his hand to Sungmin which Sungmin took hesitantly. He is careful not to look to the eyes of the other because he has a feeling that the said friend is looking at him a bit enthusiastically. “I-I am here for a project with Kyuhyun and I am sorry if I am intruding in your kitchen but I am so hungry and oh---- are you hungry? I am really sorry if I am intruding but you’re cute.”

This time Sungmin was more than stunned. He is not really accustomed to talking to Kyuhyun’s friend or any other people and this one is a bit talkative to his liking. And did he just call him cute?

“What?” This time Sungmin doesn’t know what to do. Because apparently, that voice is not from him and he is sure enough that is not from that so-called Siwon too. “What are you saying Siwon-ah?” Kyuhyun, in his groggy voice, advanced to Sungmin and Siwon. It was clear that other just woke up because of the marks on his face.

“Oh- I- I-..” Sungmin can feel the weight of tension between them so even with the uncomfortable feeling inside, he pushed his self to entertain the two. Besides, he pity Siwon, he was their guest by the way.

“Ah-Ah, I think we’ll just order pizza besides I am hungry too.” With that he flashed a smile to the both of them before dashing back to the room but not before being able to see the sweet smile that Siwon gave him and the roll of eyes coming from Kyuhyun.

It was during bed time that both he and Kyuhyun were able to settle down. They lay side by side to the cramped single bed, his head on Kyuhyun’s arms and nimble fingers playing on his hair again. Even without taking the meds, he is feeling drowsy again because of the hands playing on his hair. He felt Kyuhyun shifted beside.

Sungmin observed what Kyuhyun is slowly doing.

Kyuhyun slowly faced him, his head being supported by his hand that was propped next to Sungmin’s head. His side facing him and Kyuhyun just seem so breathtakingly handsome under the soft moonlight. The September chill that slowly crept inside their room made him shiver, apart from the soulful eyes that stared back at him.

Seeing Sungmin squirm because of the chill, Kyuhyun pulled the covers for them. And Sungmin wonders what Kyuhyun is up to.

“Min,” Kyuhyun slowly called out to him that Sungmin doubts if it was the cold wind that made him shiver or that fact that Kyuhyun is impossibly closer, his breath touching him and his hand is no longer on his hair but was draped over his abdomen, landing on his side.

Do friends sleep dangerously and intimately close to each other?

“Don’t come closer to Siwon.”

“Huh?”

“He is up to no good.”

“Kyuhyun?”

Do bestfriends hug each other to sleep?

“I won’t.” He whispered.

+++

 Kyuhyun is right.

Siwon is one hell of a pursuer. There is no single moment that Siwon never failed to show his self along the corridors where Sungmin’s classrooms are mostly situated. He knows Siwon is in the same department as Kyuhyun but how on earth he has time to pester him.

He knows the game that Siwon is playing but Sungmin is sure enough that Kyuhyun is always there to rescue him.

Siwon had managed to step up his game when one night, he came in with chips and colas and a bunch of movies to watch in his flash drive. Kyuhyun can’t do n