With a little help from Howon, Sunggyu finally arrives home as he steps into his strangely overly crowded house, the other male carefully supporting him from the side. His soulless eyes travel around him only to see that there are a lot of familiar people in the living room, their eyes curiously staring at the both of them. Their small chattering and laughter somehow fade into a pregnant silence as they witness the attention-raking view.

Howon looks a little too disheveled for a guy as handsome as he is what with his messy hair and grim look, and Sunggyu looks almost much too blank and detached for a guy who is always all smiles and grins.

Someone from a small group of people in the living room is about to say something, just something break the silence when a motherly female voice suddenly interrupts his intention.

“You’re back, Gyu!” They all hear that gleeful and melodious voice erupts before a loud surprised gasp quickly follows the excited shout soon after.

“Oh my god, Gyu, what happened?!” Sunggyu’s mother is already by his side, her warm palms cupping Sunggyu’s cheeks as she examines her son worriedly. But when he just remains silent, his eyes still unfeeling as ever, she turns to her child’s bestfriend for some explanation, “Howon, what’s going on? What happened?” She asks, frantic.

Howon just weakly smiles as he heaves out a breathy sigh, his eyes glancing concernedly at the impassive male besides him.

“I’m just dropping him here. Well, Sunggyu, he… He’s gone through a lot at the hospital today… So… I—I’m just, I just don’t know what to do. Our chief doctor had to force him home, that’s why I’m here. I don’t think he’s in any condition to drive by himself.” Howon explains. He doesn’t really know what he should be saying in this condition. He doesn’t want to remind Sunggyu of what had happened this morning, but he still needs to explain what brings them there at such an early hour instead of their usual end of work hour. Thus, he opts to keep his explanation simple until Sunggyu himself finally decides to talk about it.

His mother than shifts her sight back to her only son, her forehead creases into lines of worry as she softly caresses Sunggyu’s cheeks. She wants to comfort her son, she really wants to, but she has no words to say to him since she has no idea what is going on with her son. Howon’s vague explanation is not being any help for the both of them at all.

She truly wants to inquire more about the event that had made her son to behave this strange way, but the look in Sunggyu’s eyes as she stares into them makes stuck with unspoken words. Those eyes are lifeless, soulless. That is, until a strangely very familiar voice calls out Sunggyu’s name, a cheeky sound of teasing lacing the spoken words.

“Gyu? Is that you? Wah, it’s really my Gyu! Wait, are you okay? Why do you look like ?” The voice speaks which is quickly followed by a naughty giggle; the talking male is obviously oblivious of what is going on with Sunggyu. And almost like a lightning bolt, Sunggyu jolts his head up; only to see the person he hasn’t been seeing for almost a month long, someone he has been missing too much, someone he desperately wants to see, standing in front of him. And just like a miracle, something returns into his eyes. Something akin to his lost soul. His heart. His feeling.

“W-Woohyun.” Sunggyu stutters out as his lips quiver. His eyes glistens in a thin film of unshed tears as he bites his lips and knits his eyebrows together. And Howon can see it.

Kim Sunggyu has returned.

Indeed, it only takes a Nam Woohyun to appear in front of Kim Sunggyu for the elder male to crack his shell and finally let everything out. It only takes a single Nam Woohyun to have Kim Sunggyu let all of his locked feelings flow out, to succumb himself into a mournful sorrow as he finally grieves for his loss.

Just a Nam Woohyun.

“Woo—Woohyun.” Sunggyu desperately whimpers as he finally lets a drop of tear trickles down his plump cheek, followed by another drop.

Then another.

And another.

And just another.

The tears are endless.

And by the time a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around Sunggyu’s fragile body, the elder is already a sobbing mess. His shoulder jerking up and down, tears heavily streaming down his face as he urgently buries his face into Nam Woohyun’s broad and sturdy chest. Sunggyu’s hands straightaway snake up to his husband’s back as he fists the other’s shirt in desperation.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Tell me.” Woohyun’s voice changes from teasing to gentle and lovely in a split second as soon as he embraces the shaking elder.

But Kim Sunggyu only shakes his head for his response. An inexistent lump is clogging his throat, his mind is hazy from the sudden rush of countless of thoughts, and the pain of losing Sunwoo is too agonizing that he had to clutch on the part of his chest where his heart is situated just to ease the pain. Everything is just suddenly too unbearable for the male doctor.

Feeling the elder trembles harshly in his embrace, Nam Woohyun can only keeps on lingering soft kisses on Sunggyu’s face and brown locks as he tries to soothe the crying elder down.

He tried, but it never does. In fact, it only worsens and Woohyun really doesn’t know what else he can do to console him.

“Sunwoo!! Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you? Where have you been? What are you doing here? How come you’re here and not in your bed? What ha—“

“Hyung, slow down. I can’t answer so many questions at once.” Sunggyu’s shooting questions were halted as Sunwoo quickly butted in. His vexed expression clearly portrayed his annoyance.

“But you’re supposed to be in—“ Sunggyu was worried, but Sunwoo wasn’t going to listen to his pestering for an hour just because he stepped out of his ward for a few minutes so the younger quickly dismissed his out of place worry.

“Bed, I know.” The younger interrupted. “Sheesh, you’re so naggy, hyung. Can’t I at least take a short walk for some fresh air once a week?”

“Well, you could’ve asked me or the nurse to accompany you!” The doctor began his nagging as he monitored the patient back to his ward. Sunwoo just rolled his eyes.

“I’m not that sick to ask for anyone’s help just for a short walk, hyung. Besides, you’re busy with your other patients. It’s not like you can spend a lot of time with just me.” Sunwoo complaint, his slightly protruding lips somehow disseminating a small hint of jealousy.

“But still…” Sunggyu wanted to protest before a glint of mischief suddenly sparked behind his little eyes. “Wait a second— wow! Do I smell some jellyfish right now?” Sunggyu naughtily narrowed his small eyes at the younger boy, lips curling into a cheeky grin as he wriggled his eyebrows at the other. With a faint glowing shade of pink crossing his cheeks, Sunwoo quickly stuck his tongue out very rudely (cutely) at the elder as he countered,

“Well, I just smell an old age and a nagging smelly mouth from a certain someone.” Sunwoo rolled his eyes annoyed at Sunggyu’s obliviousness. He didn’t have to say it out loud, did he?! But Sunggyu wasn’t deterred by Sunwoo’s small comeback. Instead, he just made use of his words to tease the boy even more.

“Oh? I have a nagging smelly mouth? Really? Now come here you. I’ll smooch your all over with this mouth.”

“Yah! Hyung! Stop it! Hyung!! Aish! Hyungggggg!”

Nam Woohyun is beginning to seriously worry now that the elder is still bawling his eyes out, if not worse. He keeps on whispering reassuring words but there has been close to no response other than the harsh jerks of shoulder and the damper shirt over his sturdy chest.

He’s about to pull Sunggyu away from his hold and pound some senses into his head so Sunggyu could at least tell him what was wrong before he can continue crying, when the latter all of the sudden splutters out the words he never wanted to hear—

“Woo—Woohyun, Sunwoo—Sunwoo is, he’s gone. Sunwoo’s gone. He—“ Sunggyu couldn’t even finish his words when he begins howling even louder than before. The spilt words were like a wild blaze, its heat burning his tongue and its smoke suffocating his lungs as he breathes out the bitter truth. And it took Nam Woohyun more than a few moments to process the unexpected information.

“He’s… Sunwoo is… gone…?” Woohyun’s voice is quiet, almost falling into a whisper as he repeats the words. The hold around Sunggyu’s weak body gradually loosens as he feels his own arms growing weaker as soon as the newfound finally sinking in.

“Wha— that’s, that’s impossible. Sun—Sunwoo can’t, he can’t—“ Woohyun just couldn’t believe it. He really doesn’t know how he should receive the sudden news and expect him to accept it. Sunwoo can’t be dead. It’s impossible, it’s just impossible— at least he thinks it is until he hears Sunggyu’s howl getting harder, harsher even as his shoulder trembles in a messy bout of hiccups, a hand clinging onto Woohyun’s numb body while another one desperately throws light punches at the younger’s chest.

“Sunwoo is gone. He’s gone. Sunwoo left me. He left—” Sunggyu’s whimper is muffled into Woohyun’s damp chest when the younger male suddenly pulls Sunggyu closer to his body, tucking him in deeper within his tight embrace. Sunggyu’s dire cries are like a trigger to Nam Woohyun as the architect realizes that it is not his time to fall apart, at least not yet. For now, it’s enough that Sunggyu is mourning for both their share. He shouldn’t cry. He needs to be stronger so Sunggyu can lean on him, so he can be the pillar Sunggyu needs in time of his broken heart.

Pushing back the threat of tears shedding out, Woohyun tightens the arm circling around Sunggyu’s body while another arm then pulls up to press Sungyu’s head deeper into the comfort of his damp chest, his hair along the way. Nam Woohyun doesn’t know how to mend a broken heart, shattered from the pain of loss, and all that he can do for the other is – be stronger.

“Sunwoo, stop reading that book for once and play with me.” Myungsoo said with a pout.

“But this book is good.” Replied Sunwoo without bothering to cast a glance at the slightly older boy.

“But I’m bored.” Myungsoo pouted still as he laid his head down on the soft mattress, his arms circling around his head while he sat on the stool beside the bed.

“Not my problem.”  The sick boy lazily dismissed as he flipped on another page. Myungsoo then begrudgingly raised his head and turned towards another figure within the room with an even longer sulky pout.

“Hyunggggg! Look at Sunwoo! He’s being rude to me!” He sulked as he pointed a rude finger towards Sunwoo. Sunggyu, without flinching his gaze even a bit, kept his eyes on the pale arm in front of him as he focused on his job.

“I’m looking at him right now.” He responded as he opted not to bother himself entertaining these two usual bickering.

“Hyungggg!” Myungsoo whined again when he heard Sunwoo’s annoying snort, mocking.

“What? It’s true! I’m looking at him right now because – Sunwoo, stop flipping the pages! I’m trying to insert this cannula into your vein here!” Sunggyu finally snapped when Sunwoo kept on moving his arm. Slamming the book close, Sunwoo attempted a short glare at the doctor as he sunk his neck in like a turtle and puffed his cheeks like a squirrel.

“Oh, come on, hyung! I don’t need this cannula or meds whatsoever. I’m perfectly healthy now!” Sunwoo droned as he put his book aside. Sunggyu just squinted his eyes bored at the youngest before he grabbed his patient’s arm and kept it still.

“Yeah, say that after you’ve gain 10kg and grow some chubs in your cheeks.” The eldest commented brashly as he carefully and finally inserted the needle.

“I don’t need fat in my face or I’ll look like Myungsoo.” Sunwoo cluck his tongue before he winced in pain, feeling the sharp needle slipping in.

“Yah, it’s Myungsoo hyung for you, little brat!” Myungsoo countered as he knocked the boy’s head, albeit gently because he didn’t want to hurt the younger. Sunwoo, being the teasing boy he always was, just retorted with a loud scoff—

“Yeah right, then maybe I should start calling Sunggyu hyung my mom.”

“Gyu hyunggggggg! Sunwoo is learning bad manners from that stupid Yeol! I told you he’s a bad influence!” Myungsoo stood up and hugged Sunggyu’s waist from behind, resting his chin on the latter’s shoulder as he let a cute frown grazed his handsome feature.

“Yah, Sunwoo, stop teasing Myungsoo for once. Or I’ll have to hear his endless whine about you not being his cute little Sunwoo anymore.” Sunggyu sighed as he begun tidying the mess on the small table beside the bed once he was done with Sunwoo.

“Hyung, I absolutely did not whine! And I absolutely never called him cute too!”

“Yeah yeah. I’ll pretend I didn’t see you sobbing and hugging me while you whine about ‘mean Sunwoo is not my cutie baby anymore’ every time Sunwoo teases you.”

“Hyunggggggg!” Sunggyu had to chuckle when he heard Myungsoo’s usual whine. He still found it funny how Myungsoo could be so gullible when it came to Sunwoo when in fact, he’s quite an intimidating boy if he removed his dimpled smile and kept his indifference look when he was with others.

“Wow, I didn’t know Myungsoo loves me that much.” Sunwoo remarked with a fake surprised look, which only garnered him another pouty lips from the teased boy. Sunggyu laughed out loud this time. He could almost hear the sound of Myungsoo’s pout even without him looking or hearing anything.

“Yeah. Myung is practically like a mother doting on his son too much when he’s with you.” Sunggyu added to the teasing, still giggling.

“Nah, Myungsoo’s more like a stupid twin with grumpy mood. If it’s a doting mother, it would be Gyu hyung, wouldn’t it?” Sunwoo really should be awarded with the best teaser title ever.

“Yah!!” It was Sunggyu’s turn to pout his lips, displeased with the hint of being a mom.

“I’m just stating the truth. You’re naggy. You like us too much but you never say it out loud. And you’re naggy.”

“That’s twice the naggy!” Sunggyu loudly whined only to have Sunwoo and Myungsoo muffling their giggles into their palms until Sunwoo finally decided to stop doing so and nodded his head.

“Yep. I should call you Sunggyu umma from now on.” He gladly added with another nod. Of course, Sunggyu found it best to widen his tiny eyes there and waved a capped needle in front of the boy, pretending angry.

“Call me that and I’m pricking this needle into your eyes!” He tried his best to threaten. He really did, but Sunwoo was a genius, both Sunggyu and Myungsoo decided then when the former simply shut Sunggyu up with his genius comeback—

“That’s medical abuse! I’m demanding for a lawyer!” He retorted with a smirk.

Sunggyu just groaned, defeated before he picked up his tools, as he was ready to leave, “Whatever, I’m leaving.