Jaehwan howled louder when he reached the bottom of the carton of ice cream he had just eaten his way through. He tossed in in the growing pile of wrappers next to him where he sat on the ground slumped against the sofa. Tears streamed down his face as he stuffed another chocolate bar down and tore open a bag of shrimp chips.

Taekwoon peaked out of his room at the wailing mess that was Jaehwan. He had been inconsolable since his boyfriend broke off their relationship that morning, and now he was almost done eating all the snacks in the dorm, even the secret stashes the members kept (which apparently weren’t very secret).

Jaehwan whimpered, sniveling against the downpour of tears and snot. Sure, Jaehwan liked to make a scene to get attention sometimes, but seeing him truly in pain like this stabbed Taekwoon in the chest.

The other members were out at practice. Technically, the two vocals should have been there too, but Taekwoon had had musical practice and Jaehwan…well Jaehwan was a blubbering wreck in the living room right now. Taekwoon had a hard enough time with chipper Jaehwan, but he didn’t have any idea how to deal with him when he was like this.

Seeing Jaehwan floating through practice, smiling like an idiot, and showing off pictures he took with his boyfriend on their dates had been bad enough. The other members had rolled their eyes, but they let him be. A happy Jaehwan was good for everyone; he was the moodmaker after all.

But for Taekwoon it was different. He tried to be happy that Jaehwan was happy. He tried to laugh at him like the rest. He tried to not care that Jaehwan had fallen in love with someone else. He tried.

Now that bastard had broken Jaehwan’s heart. The thought sent fire through Taekwoon’s veins, and he took a breath before doing something rash like punching through the wall again. Or maybe through that bastard’s face.

“Taekwoon?” Jaehwan hiccuped.

Taekwoon froze, gaze locked with Jaehwan’s puffy, bloodshot eyes. Discreetly taking another deep breath, Taekwoon stepped fully out of his bedroom and made his way to where Jaehwan was then sat on the floor next to him.

He racked his mind for the right words. Everything he thought of seemed too superficial, insincere. Or it seemed to be too much and definitely not the right time. Why couldn’t he have been someone with a gift for words.

Jaehwan dropped his head on Taekwoon’s shoulder, sending a jolt through his body. Jaehwan’s breathing was still unsteady from his violent crying, but the tears had finally stopped.

“That’s what I like about you, Taekwoon,” Jaehwan paused to take a shuddering breath, “You don’t say all the unnecessary words others do. I’m glad it’s you who is here.”

Taekwoon was afraid to move, afraid to breath in too deep. He didn’t want to shatter this moment of Jaehwan depending on him. He wanted to be the person Jaehwan seemed to think he was, but he wasn’t that strong. He couldn’t even think of anything to say to someone he had known for years, someone who was hurting right next to him.

A rattling at the door alerted them that the rest of VIXX had come home for the night. Taekwoon extracted his shoulder from Jaehwan’s head and picked up some of the trash pile next to him. He shivered at the loss of heat from the younger vocal’s head. He made it to the trash can in the kitchen by the time the members jostled through the front door. They sobered almost instantly and went silent at the sight of Jaehwan splayed on the livingroom floor.

Hakyeon stepped forward, his sense of responsibility as leader kicking in. His eyes were filled with pity, and he spoke softly. “Jaehwan, are you okay?”

Jaehwan looked away from the look of sympathy and nodded with a pained smile. He picked himself up and scuttled to his room, shutting the door behind him with a soft click that echoed in the remaining silence.

Taekwoon wanted to scream. Of course Jaehwan is not okay. Some just ripped his heart out, he’s not going to be okay for a long time. He remained silent and kept his face a mask while cleaning up the rest of the trash Jaehwan had left behind.

The members all quietly washed up and went to their rooms to sleep. None of them knew how to break through the gloom that had settled over the dorm, and they were afraid of making things worse by sounding happy when one of them was in pain.

Taekwoon was the last to retreat to his room for the night. He tossed and turned in fitful sleep. Nightmares of Jaehwan’s tear-streaked face repeatedly woke him to a reality where he swore he heard muffled sobs coming from the next room.

When Jaehwan emerged from his room the next morning, he nearly tripped over a bottle of water and a pack of his favorite choco balls someone had left for him. The gesture brought a tiny smile to his lips.

AN: This is crossposted on my AO3 and LJ.