After eating Minho’s beloved pudding, the two of them made their way back to the younger’s car. They spent the drive to Chan’s in comfortable silence, the heavy rain forcing Minho to focus more than usual. Chan dreaded going home, even though he knew that Kangmin wasn’t there. He’d enjoyed spending time with Minho so much, but he was scared of the confusing thoughts that haunted him whenever he was on his own.

“We’re here...I’ll walk you to your door. I have an umbrella in here”, Minho said, snatching a large black umbrella from his back seat. He got out of the car and walked over to the passenger’s side, opening the door for the older to get out. Chan’s heart swelled at the chivalry and he couldn’t fight the small smile that crept onto his face.

Their shoulders touched as they walked towards the building together. Once they’d made it inside, Minho folded up the umbrella and gave Chan a look. “Well...today was fun”, he said. The older nodded in agreement. “It was...your cooking is really good”, he replied. Minho chuckled and stepped forward to give him a hug.

“I hope to see you tomorrow at the showcase...”, he muttered, close enough to Chan’s ear to make him shudder. The older pulled out of their hug, giving Minho a smile. “I’ll try to be there...”, he promised. Minho looked at him for a little while longer, almost as if he still wanted to say something. His eyes flickered down to Chan’s lips and Chan found himself wishing for the younger to lean in and kiss him.

“Um...I should probably head back...”, Minho said, his eyes still on the older’s lips. Chan snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. “Yeah...um, good night”, he answered. Minho smiled at him once again before turning to leave. Chan leaned against the wall, trying to gather his thoughts. He should really stop thinking about how much he wanted to kiss Minho...

~

Minho’s phone rang, just as he’d gotten comfortable in his bed with a book after taking Chan home. It was still raining heavily, but to Minho it was just the right weather to read. When he checked his phone’s caller ID he saw that it was Jisung. He’d almost forgotten about his friend’s Hyunjin dilemma.

“Hey, you okay?” Minho asked immediately after picking up. Jisung chuckled. “You’re such a mom...yes, I am more than okay. I just wanted to call you to ask about how your date went.” He could hear the grin in Jisung’s voice. Minho rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a date! We just hung out”, he defended himself.

“I assume Hyunjin told you about that...”, he said knowingly. He could hear giggles on the other side of the line before the younger answered: “Yeah, he did...he said you two look ‘wonderful’ together. I’ll have to confirm that myself, though.” Minho chuckled. He wished that he could make a move on Chan, but he couldn’t. He was glad his friends seemed to ship it, though.

“Go to sleep, Jisung, it’s late. And don’t keep Hyunjin up too long, we have a showcase tomorrow!” Minho switched subjects. He didn’t have to see Jisung to know that he was blushing. “W-what do you mean, keep him up! We’re just...w-what do you think we’re doing here?” he asked exasperatedly. Minho cackled. “I don’t know, you tell me”, he said. He knew how much Jisung loved to cuddle on rainy days, so that was probably what he was doing with Hyunjin right now.

“Seriously, though...I’m glad you two talked things out”, he added in a more serious tone. “So am I...”, the younger said. He sounded happy, which made Minho happy as well. At least, Jisung could be with the guy he liked. That was almost enough for Minho.

“Now go to bed!” “Yes, mom...”, Jisung replied cheekily. He heard Hyunjin call a “Night Minho”, before the line cut off. He smiled to himself. Never would he have thought, that Jisung and Hyunjin would ever end up together, but it made him really happy to know that they’d found each other.

~

Chan woke up to the front door slamming shut. He abruptly sat up in bed and listened for any further noises. He heard rustling and two small thuds like shoes falling to the floor. He furrowed his brows in confusion and climbed out of bed, yawning as he made his way to the next room only to find Kangmin standing there.

“Oh, hey...I thought you were going to be at your parents’ the whole weekend”, Chan greeted him sleepily. Kangmin glared at him like he had just said the most offensive thing in the world. “We had a fight so I came home early”, he told the younger. That surprised Chan, since Kangmin was really close with his parents.

“What happened?” he questioned carefully just as Kangmin flopped himself down on the couch. “They were upset I didn’t bring you!” the older snapped. Chan, having just woken up, really didn’t feel like being talked to like that this early in the morning. He was ready to just leave Kangmin to blow off steam by himself and try to talk to him later.

“They like you better than me, that’s the case”, Kangmin continued. Chan looked at him in exasperation. “That’s ridiculous. They’re your parents, they love you”, he answered, trying to sound encouraging, even though this conversation was giving him a migraine. His boyfriend rolled his eyes, snorting. He rose to his feet again, approaching Chan.

“You know, if you would have just come with me instead of hanging out with your oh-so-wonderful friend, I’m sure I wouldn’t have fought with them!” Chan hadn’t expected that accusation. So, now Kangmin was trying to make him responsible for fighting with his parents?

“That’s not my fault! Why do you keep blaming me for everything that happens to you?” he asked, unable to hold back at the unfairness of the situation. Kangmin snorted like Chan had just said something ridiculous. “You’re so selfish, Chan, you know that? You never think about me”, he accused the younger.

Chan took a step back in utter shock. Did he hear that right?

“That is not true! I pour my heart and soul in this relationship because I love you!” he almost choked on his words, blaming it on the tears of anger and confusion welling up in his eyes. In reality, though...saying those three words to Kangmin just didn’t feel right anymore. He noticed how long it had been since he’d said it and he couldn’t help but wonder when he’d last truly meant it...

“Sure, this is why I’m working my off to pay the rent!” Kangmin yelled at him. “It’s what you wanted! You were the one who had this weird fantasy of providing for me like I’m some kind of housewife! You literally guilt-tripped me into only focusing on my studies! But, fine, I’ll get a job, if that makes you happy!”

“Just stop, Chan. You’re being like that again...so ungrateful”, Kangmin said, looking at him like he was a hopeless case. His gaze alone, paired with those few but vicious words, practically made the younger deflate like a balloon.

Chan wanted to say something else, to yell or to just get out of here, but he just felt the resignation wash over him. It was too early in the morning to be fighting like this. He didn’t like it and his head was pounding already. Even if he was mad at Kangmin for treating him like this, he just felt all the strength leave his body at his words.

“Fine, I’m sorry I didn’t come with you. I’ll go wash up and make breakfast”, he said, almost monotonously, turning away from Kangmin to do just that. He wasn’t sure if his sleepy mind was imagining things, but he thought he heard Kangmin say something like “that’s more like it.”

He thought about saying something snappy, but he was just tired of everything...

Bet y'all missed our lovely Kangmin a lot, didn't ya

Yeah, me neither lol...