After yet another restless night, Wonshik woke up around six in the morning. This having been the third time he had woken up during the night, he finally gave up on trying to sleep. He slowly sat up, yawning deeply as he rubbed his eyes awake. He didn't have class for hours yet, so he had a lot of spare time to kill. Sleepily, he threw the duvet off and climbed out of bed, heading quietly to the bathroom to pee and get one of his classic one minute long showers.

Fairly certain Taekwoon was still asleep, and too lazy to rush to his room to get clothes, Wonshik wrapped the towel around his waist and walked towards the kitchen. He put the kettle on to heat up as he poured himself a bowl of cereal, and made himself some coffee before retreating to his room with his food and drink. Yawning once again, he grabbed his laptop from his desk, placed his coffee down on the bedside table, and sat down on his bed with his legs crossed. He wedged his pillows behind his back to try and get a bit more comfortable, and proceeded to wolf down his cereal. 

"I should probably finish this off..." Wonshik mumbled to himself as he opened his laptop up and found himself faced with his unfinished assignment - a reflective assignment about a song he'd recently composed for class. He grabbed his coffee, taking a sip as he skimmed over what he had written so far. Checking the word limit, he concluded that he could probably get his assignment done within an hour if he cracked down. Setting his cup back down, he cracked his knuckles, ready for a solid hour of uninterrupted writing.

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After proof reading his assignment for the second time, just to make absolute sure he hadn't made any spelling errors, he emailed the file to his professor and let out a big yawn. Wonshik checked the time on his laptop, groaning that it was only half past seven and he still didn't have to make a move for another couple hours yet. Finding himself extremely bored, he reached for his phone and was surprised to find he had a message from Hakyeon. Oh, right... he has work, Wonshik realised, figuring he could call Hakyeon for a while to pass the time. 

"Ah~ Good morning, Wonshikkie~" Hakyeon answered the phone, his usual cheerful self. Wonshik always admired how energetic Hakyeon was of a morning, since he always felt dead on his feet. "You're up early."

"Yeah, couldn't sleep," Wonshik complained. "Feel like keeping me company for a while?"

"Of course," Hakyeon smiled. Wonshik could hear Hakyeon fumbling around in the kitchen, likely still getting used to the layout.

"How are you settling in?"

"Yeah, it's good here, Shikkie~" Hakyeon sounded genuinely pleased with his new apartment. "It's bigger than our place. It's pretty convenient that it's closer to work too," he chuckled. "I have more time to relax before work, and I mean... that's always a good thing." Hakyeon let out a content sigh as he settled down on the couch with his breakfast. 

"That's great, bro," Wonshik smiled, aimlessly browsing the internet as he spoke to his hyung.

"So you and Woonie are getting along well?"

"Yeah, he seems really nice. ...Hakyeon?"

"Hm~?"

"What's the deal with you two, anyways?"

"...What do you mean?" Hakyeon sounded a little nervous.

"You're best friends, I get that," Wonshik stopped messing about on his laptop, wanting to consider his words carefully before he continued. "...But it seems like more than friendship to you."

Hakyeon sighed. Wonshik bit his lip, feeling a little bit guilty about asking but his curiosity was really getting the best of him. "It's... complicated, Shikkie."

"What does that mean? Were you guys... a thing, or something?"

"...You could say that," Wonshik could hear the hint of sadness in Hakyeon's voice. "We were sort of a thing, once upon a time. But it was complicated, and... Well, Woonie doesn't feel the same way about me as I do about him."

"...I'm sorry, bro-"

"No, it's okay, Shikkie. I get it," Hakyeon's voice sounded sincere. "I would be curious too. To put it another way, we're best friends, but I just happen to be in love with him too."

"But he didn't feel the same?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Ah, bro, that ..." Wonshik did feel bad for his hyung, but for some reason, he felt kind of relieved too. He didn't know why, but the thought of Taekwoon liking someone in that way had made Wonshik feel quite uncomfortable.

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"Oh, and hyung?"

"Yeah, Shikkie~?"

"What did you mean by 'troubled'?"

"Huh?"

"You used that word yesterday to describe Taekwoon," Wonshik explained. "I didn't really get what you meant. He seems pretty normal to me, just... you know, quiet."

"Ah, Shikkie... It's hard to explain," Hakyeon sighed. "Woonie's always been ill, his whole life. Just not the kind of ill that we're used to."

"Go on," Wonshik said, opening a new tab on his laptop.

"He's always been on a lot of medications. He's been in and out of therapy his whole life-"

"Therapy?"

"Counselling," Hakyeon explained. "Woonie's sickness isn't physical. Well... he gets physical symptoms from it, but it's not like that. Woonie's... mentally ill. His emotions are ill. He's... he's had a hard life, Shikkie."

Wonshik began searching up the phrases Hakyeon was using on his laptop. A tab open for mental illness, a tab open for therapy, a tab open for medications used to treat mental illness, and so on. Wonshik had no experience with mental health issues, but he wanted to understand them the best he could so that he could understand Taekwoon better, and hopefully be able to help him. He really didn't know what was compelling him, but something about Taekwoon had really captured his interested, and he was eager to learn more about him and grow closer to him. 

"He told me he's back in counselling, so... that's good," Hakyeon continued.

"Hakyeon?"

"Yeah?"

"...Why did you guys fall out of contact for so long?"

"...I really don't want to talk about that," Hakyeon replied. Wonshik was a little shocked, having never heard his hyung sound so serious before. "Sorry, Shikkie, I gotta go now anyways. I'm almost at work."

"Okay, hyung. ...Hey, I... I'm sorry if I upset you-"

"No, don't worry about it~" Hakyeon smiled. "Talk to you soon, okay?"

"Alright. Have a good day at work."

"Thanks, Wonshikkie~ Bye bye~"

"Later, bro," Wonshik hung up, placing his phone down on the bed next to him. He frowned a little, more curious than ever about what happened between Hakyeon and Taekwoon. He sighed, trying to push the thought to the back of his head as he got back to reading about mental illness.

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After another solid hour of research, Wonshik decided it was finally a sensible time to get moving. He absent mindedly left his laptop open, taking off the towel and leaving it scrunched up on his bed as he got dressed. Wonshik had always been pretty into fashion, and sometimes put more thought into his outfit than he did his university work. After a few minutes of deliberation, Wonshik settled on an outfit consisting of a red and white stripped tee tucked into ripped skinny jeans, with white socks and red trainers to match his shirt. He threw on a leather biker jacket to complete his look, quickly brushed his fluffy blonde hair, and picked up his rucksack.

Wonshik yawned as his slipped his rucksack on. His day was only really just about to begin, but he already wanted to go back to bed. Sighing, he picked up his phone and plugged his earbuds in, putting on some music to listen to as he walked. On his way to university, he noticed he had some notifications from his group chat.

From: Hongbin

Yeah, I'm free

From: Sanghyuk

Yeah~

Where should we meet?

From Wonshik:

Park?

From Hongbin:

Okay, I'll be there ^^

From Sanghyuk:

might be a little late...

Forgot to buy lunch before class. >.>;;

From Wonshik:

lol, hyukkie

see u late guys

*later

Wonshik wasn't looking forward to his morning class. It was a lengthy lecture about the history of music - not a subject he felt particularly passionate about. He sighed as he sank into his seat, pulling out a messy notebook and pen so that he could at least try and make notes. That was, of course, if he didn't fall asleep during class.

Perhaps fortunately from his perspective, Wonshik did indeed fall asleep during class. He woke up just before the end of the lecture and realised he had been drooling over what little notes he did take. He groaned, trying to tap the paper dry with the sleeve of his shirt, realising that rubbing it would only make his messy notes even more illegible. Luckily for Wonshik, once class was over, he was able to relax a bit since he was heading to the park to meet up with his best friends.

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"Wonshik~!" Hongbin called out, waving to his friend as he spotted him. Hongbin was sat comfortably on a picnic blanket, with a thermos flask filled with coffee beside him and a half eaten sandwich in his hand. Wonshik smiled as he noticed him, waving back as he walked over and joined him. He slipped his rucksack off his shoulders and dropped it down on the blanket, sitting down next to it.

"Hey Hongbin," Wonshik smiled. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"No, I only got here a few minutes ago," Hongbin smiled, taking another bite of his lunch. "I wonder how long Hyukkie's gonna keep us waiting this time~" he laughed.

Wonshik had met Hongbin and Sanghyuk in high school. The three boys became close fast, and had been practically insperable ever since. Wonshik laughed, taking the sandwich he brought before class out of his bag and eating it with Hongbin as the two made small talk, waiting on their friend to join them.

"Sorry I'm late~" Sanghyuk sang out as he walked over to his friends, roughly twenty minutes late. He sank down onto the picnic blanket, looking pretty exhausted. "I'm so forgetful lately. I guess its the lack of sleep..." he whined, yawning as he picked up his messanger bag to take out his lunch.

"You're working really hard, man," Hongbin complimented Sanghyuk. "Working two jobs on top of doing uni? That takes a lot of will power."

"Thanks, Bin," Sanghyuk smiled. He had recently started working as a night security guard whilst also maintaining his job as a courier for the local supermarket. Between his night shifts, morning shifts and classes, he was barely getting any time to sleep. "Hopefully it'll pay off in the end."

"I'm sure it will," Wonshik reassured him, knowing all too well how much a lack of sleep can . "Hey, are you guys free after uni today? I thought maybe we could go hang out at the mall."

"I'm free," Sanghyuk announced cheerfully, sounding relieved that he had some free time to spare.

"Ah, I'll have to skip guys. Sorry~" Hongbin smirked to himself, prompting his friends to look at him curiously. He grinned, knowing that he had peaked their interest. "I've got a date tonight." Hongbin laughed as his friends sang out an enthusiastic "Oooooh~" in unison.

"Who's the lucky girl?" Sanghyuk asked, taking a bite out of the blueberry muffin he purchased from the local cafe.

"Guy," Hongbin corrected him, opening his thermos flask and pouring himself a cup of coffee. "I met him at work yesterday." 

"We want all the details," Wonshik smirked, happy to hear that Hongbin had landed himself a date.

Out of the three of them, Hongbin was the one with the most dating experience. However, his experience consisted mostly of casual flings. Due to his incredible good looks, Hongbin was always showered with offers, but it never seemed to lead to anything serious. Hongbin longed for something more serious, and his friends were very aware of that. Thus, any time he mentioned a date and seemed genuinely excited about it, they were enthusiastic, hoping that this time he'll finally meet someone he can have a real relationship with.

"Well," Hongbin smiled. "He ordered a sandwich, and whilst I was making it for him, I noticed he kept smiling at me..." he continued, grinning to himself as he recalled the encounter. "I passed him his order and he paid me, but along with the money was a little note with his number on it-"

"I have a really important question," Sanghyuk interrupted.

"...Yeah?"

"...Was his taste in sandwich good?"

Hongbin laughed. "He ordered the Subway melt."

"Ah, a man with good taste," Sanghyuk joked. "I like him already."

"Shut up," Hongbin chuckled, playfully chopping Sanghyuk's neck. "Anyways, I text him after my shift and he asked me out. He seems pretty cool, he made me laugh a lot. He's very flirty, too..." he smirked, beginning to blush a little as he recalled their texts.

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"What's going on with you lately, Shik?"

"Oh, I had the weirdest day yesterday," Wonshik replied. "Hakyeon-hyung bumped into his old friend and... you know what he's like."

"Spontaneous," Hongbin and Sanghyuk said in unison.

"Yeah, exactly. Anyways, long story short, Hakyeon-hyung moved out and now I'm living with his friend instead."

"Woah."

"Yeah... Woah," Wonshik emphasised. "Even by Hakyeon-hyung's standards, that was really random of him. I'm... I'm okay with it though," he admitted. "I like my new roommate, he seems really nice."

"What's he like?" Hongbin inquired, taking a sip of his coffee.

"He's... I dunno, he's shy. He's quiet. But... he's sweet. He cooked for us last night, and it was the best meal I've ever had," Wonshik smiled.

"Is he hot?" Sanghyuk asked jokingly.

"Yeah~" Wonshik responded immediately without thinking. Once he realised what he had just said, his face turned bright red. Flustered, he tried to take it back but it was too late - he had given Sanghyuk ammunition, and he was going to run with it.

"Ohhhh~ Wonshikkie's got a little crush~" Sanghyuk sang, recieving a firm neck chop from Wonshik in response.

"Shut up..." Wonshik mumbled, trying to hide his face in his jacket out of embarrassment. Luckily for him, Sanghyuk had to leave so that he wouldn't be late to his next class. After arranging where they would meet up later, the boys said their goodbyes and Wonshik sat back down with Hongbin. Neither of them had classes yet, so Wonshik seized the opportunity to have a bit of heart to heart with his more serious friend. "...Bin?"

"Yeah?"

"... I don't know, to be honest," he sighed, nervously itching the back of his neck. "I wonder if I really could have a crush on Taekwoon."

"Oh, ignore Hyuk. You know what he's like-"

"No, I mean... I really do find myself... interested in him," Wonshik admitted. "I mean, he's really handsome. And... he's really cute. I want to know more about him, like... I want to become close to him, you know?"

"Honestly, Shik... it does sound like you have a crush."

"I... I don't get it though, Hongbin," he sighed. "I thought I was attracted to girls. I mean, I've only ever dated girls. But... if I'm being totally honest with you, I'm way more interested by him than any girl I've ever dated."

"Hey, Shik," Hongbin placed a hand on Wonshik's knee to comfort him. "We're young, you know? It took me quite a bit of experimentation to realise I like guys more. It's okay to be confused about all this, I mean.. it is confusing. But it's okay, like... you have my support, and you know Sanghyuk supports you too. Even if he's a bit of a ."

Wonshik laughed, putting his hand on top of Hongbin's. "Thank you, bro. It means a lot."

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The rest of Wonshik's day was fairly uneventful. After another two classes - one spent working on a new piece of music and the other spent napping, again - he had met up with Sanghyuk outside the cafe. The two ordered coffee and hung out at the mall  for a little while as they had planned, mostly spending their time together talking. The two parted ways as Sanghyuk went home to get a nap in before his night shift, and so Wonshik made his way home too. He arrived at the apartment block around eight at night, and took an additional five minutes making it to his apartment as he chose to use the stairs instead of the lift for a change.

"Taekwoon, I'm home," Wonshik announced to an empty apartment. He frowned, a little bit dissapointed his cute new roommate wasn't home. He locked the door, kicking his shoes off and then picking them up. Wonshik went to his room, taking off his rucksack and jacket and throwing them, along with his shoes, on the floor. He closed his bedroom door, walking over to the coffee table and grabbing the remote, turning the TV on just to make the apartment seem a little less silent. Then, he walked over to the kitchen and found a little surprise.

"Wonshik," he read, picking up the neatly written note on the kitchen counter. "I've gone out with Hakyeon. Don't wait up, I probably won't be back until quite late. I made you dinner..." Wonshik grinned as he continued to read. "It's in the microwave. I'll see you tomorrow. Here's my number if you need me for anything. Taekwoon... Wow," he mumbled to himself, touched by how kind and thoughtful it was of Taekwoon to leave a note, let alone make him dinner.

He placed the note back down on the counter, saving Taekwoon's number into his phone under the name Taekwoonie. Wonshik was smiling like an idiot, feeling a little bit too excited about having Taekwoon's number. He checked the microwave, finding a delicious looking curry ready to be heated up. 

Wonshik went about his night as normal, eating dinner in front of the TV and washing up afterwards. He lazed about on the couch, watching the TV a little longer before he decided to turn it off and go to bed. It was a fairly chilly night, and so he decided to change into a jumper and sweatpants before getting into bed. Although he didn't expect a response anytime soon, assuming Taekwoon was probably busy, every inch of him was itching to text him. He felt nervous, his heart racing a little bit as he drafted a text.

To: Taekwoonie

Hey Taekwoon, it's Wonshik!

Thank you so much for the food, it was so good ^^

I hope you're having fun with Hakyeon-hyung

Come home safe! ♥

"No, too desperate," Wonshik cringed a little at himself, deleting it and starting again from scratch.

To: Taekwoonie

Hey Taekwoon, it's Wonshik.

Thank you for the food ^^

Have a good night

"Better," Wonshik sighed as he pressed send. He set his phone down on his bedside table, about to turn it on to silent when a notification came through. Much to his surprise, Taekwoon had already responded.

From: Taekwoonie

I hope dinner was okay ^^;

Get some rest

See you tomorrow Wonshik

Wonshik stared at his phone with a big smile on his face once again.

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Taekwoon arrived home around three in the morning, opening the door carefully as to not disturb Wonshik. After locking the door behind himself, he walked into the kitchen and over to the sink quietly, pouring himself a cold glass of water and taking a sip. As he turned around, he noticed a very exhausted looking Wonshik emerging from his bedroom. He placed his glass down on the kitchen counter. "Ah... I'm sorry. I hope I didn't wake you up."

"Huh?" Wonshik looked up, not having noticed Taekwoon was home. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and yawned, cracking a smile when his sleepy vision became more clear and he saw Taekwoon. "Nah, you didn't wake me up. I just woke up, anyways... Welcome home." 

"T-thank you," Taekwoon mumbled awkwardly. Wonshik's sleepy voice was somehow even deeper than usual, and Taekwoon couldn't help but notice how attractive it was. His puffy cheeks began to turn a faint shade of pink as Wonshik walked closer to join him in the kitchen. He stood opposite him, leaning back on the kitchen counters.

"Did you have a good night?" Wonshik asked, trying his best to act casual. He had noticed Taekwoon was wearing skinny jeans that hugged his thighs in the most pleasing of ways, and he was trying his hardest not to stare.

"I... I don't think I want to talk about it..." Taekwoon sighed, scratching his shoulder nervously. He looked away with a concerned expression on his face which had managed to draw Wonshik's attention away from his collar bones.

"What's wrong, Taekwoon?" 

"...Nothing. I... I made a mistake tonight, I guess," he bit his lip as he looked down at his feet. After a moment of careful consideration, he looked up at Wonshik. "...Wonshik, would you do me a favour?"

Taken off guard by the sudden eye contact, Wonshik gulped. He cleared his throat with an awkward cough, scratching the back of his neck nervously as he nodded, not trusting his words.

"If Hakyeon comes by in the morning, tell him I'm not in or something. Please?"

"S-sure," he stuttered in response.

"Thank you, Wonshik," Taekwoon finally cracked a shy little smile, making Wonshik blush. Taekwoon picked up his glass of water, taking another sip. "Ah~ I drank way too much... I'm gonna have such a hangover," he pouted.

, he's so cute, Wonshik thought, finding himself smiling like an idiot again. 

"Anyways," Taekwoon mumbled. "I should probably go to bed."

"Oh, right. Yeah... I guess I'll head back to bed too."

"Okay," he smiled at Wonshik, unaware he was making Wonshik's heart race.

Taekwoon began to walk towards his room, but something stopped him. He turned to Wonshik, biting his lip nervously as he spent a moment working up the courage to do what he wanted to do. Wonshik watched him, eyes wide as Taekwoon approached him and hesitantly wrapped his arms around him. Taekwoon hugged Wonshik tight, causing Wonshik to freeze up. Taekwoon was hugging him. As much as he wanted to return the hug, his limbs felt weak, his heart beating so fast it felt like his chest was about to burst. Unfortunately for Wonshik, the moment he worked up the courage to return the hug, it was over. 

"S-sorry," Taekwoon mumbled under his breath, his pale face lit up with a blush. He bit his lip, looking up at Wonshik with half lidded eyes. He looked so angelic and innocent, so sweet that Wonshik could feel himself swooning over his hyung. 

"W-wh-wha..." Wonshik stuttered, gulping and then taking a deep breath to try and compose himself. "W-what was that for?"

"I saw your laptop," Taekwoon began. 

. "Ah, Taekwoon... I'm sorry, I-"

"No, I get it," Taekwoon smiled softly. "I wanted to get a shower earlier, and I couldn't find a towel," Oops. Wonshik took a mental note to put things back where they belong in the future. "It was in your room, right? I saw what you were reading about. ...I'm sorry for going into your room without your permission, by the way-"

"I-it's alright."

"A-ah, okay," he smiled once again. "Anyways, I asked Hakyeon about it and he told me you were trying to learn more about me and understand me better."

"Y-yeah," Wonshik nodded. "I... I wasn't trying to be intrusive, I just-"

"I know. Honestly... I think it's really sweet of you," Taekwoon admitted, fiddling with the sleeves on his jumper. "You actually want to understand me, and... that... I-it means a lot to me, Wonshik. Everyone else has just been scared of me or written me off as a freak. Well... Apart from Hakyeon, and you. It..." he bit his lip, voice beginning to tremble a little. He wasn't sure if it was because he was drunk, because he really was this touched by Wonshik's kindness, or if it was a mixture of both, but he was becoming overwhelmed. He decided not to drag it out any longer as he was worried he might begin to cry. "It... It means a lot to me. Thank you, Wonshik, really."

"H-hey... I-it's nothing," Wonshik placed a comforting hand on his hyung's shoulder, noticing the tremble in his voice. "You don't have to thank me."

"I do..." Taekwoon bit his lip. "....You can ask me anything, okay? I... I really should get to bed. Get some sleep too, okay? ...G-good night, Wonshik."

"G-good night."

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Wonshik climbed back into bed, lying on his back as he stared at the ceiling. Despite how brief it was, he couldn't get his mind off Taekwoon hugging him. He regretted not hugging him back, hoping that the opportunity would arise again at some point in the near future. He rolled over in his bed, facing his window as he thought about his conversation with Hongbin earlier in the day.

It was true that the way Taekwoon made him feel was vastly different to the way any girl he had dated in the past made him feel. Althought Wonshik had always been a little bit shy when it came to approaching someone attractive, he had never been at a loss for words before. He had never felt his heart race so fast, he had never found himself smiling like an idiot just seeing someone's name on his phone, and he had definitely never spent so much time thinking about someone before.

The more he thought about it, the more he realised that Sanghyuk's teasing was grounded in reality after all.

Wonshik definitely had a crush on Taekwoon.