“Kihyun-ah?” Hoseok calls, knocking once more on the door. This’ll be the third time he’s tried to gain entrance. He worries about the younger, it never having taken this long before to get a response when visiting. “Kihyunnie, please let me in.”

“No, hyung,” a faint voice suddenly says on the other side. Hoseok sighs gratefully, pressing a hand against the door absentmindedly. Judging by the volume of Kihyun’s voice, he isn’t too far away from the door.

“I know you and Hyunwoo-ya fought,” Hoseok tells him. “Are you okay?”

“Please, just go away,” Kihyun replies, his voice a mere whisper through the wood. He sounds incredibly fragile and it takes Hoseok back to the last fight the couple had. He remembers how the younger had been that night, how on-edge he was. His heart tugs painfully at the thought of Kihyun in that kind of distress again, and he’s filled with the overwhelming urge to kick down the door.

“I’m not leaving you alone tonight, Kihyunnie,” Hoseok tells him stubbornly. “I’ll wait outside this door all night if I have to.”

There’s a long pause, it taking so long for Kihyun to respond that Hoseok thinks Kihyun might just let him do such a thing. It isn’t as if he isn’t willing to do it. On the contrary, if it’s what he has to do to make sure Kihyun doesn’t spend tonight alone, he’s more than happy to do it. He would just prefer to be in the much-more-comfortable dorm.

Eventually, Kihyun opens the door. His face is streaked with tears. It’s obvious he’s been crying, his eyes red and puffy. Hoseok smiles sympathetically, stepping into the dorm and wrapping his arms around the younger. Kihyun lets out a grateful cry, having not realized until then how much he needed such a warm, understanding hug that night, and desperately wraps his arms around the older’s waist. Hoseok pulls away, wiping away a stray tear on Kihyun’s cheek instinctively.

“It’ll be okay, Kihyunnie,” Hoseok tells him gently, speaking almost automatically. Kihyun stares up at the older a moment, his pupils seeming to shake anxiously. He opens his mouth to say something, but stops himself. He merely nuzzles his head against the older’s chest like a lost kitten.

Hoseok lifts his foot to kick the door closed, and then leads Kihyun over to the nearest bed silently. He rubs small circles on the younger’s back comfortingly, wanting so badly to say something but not really knowing what to say. Kihyun doesn’t seem to mind, though.

Judging by Kihyun’s slowed breathing, Hoseok realizes that Kihyun has fallen asleep in his arms after a while. He can’t deny his happiness at realizing this, but he hates himself for it nonetheless. He feels incredibly guilty for being here, trying very hard to comfort his friend through this hard time without saying something that could accidentally be the breaking point in his relationship with Hyunwoo. Luckily the whole talking aspect of it hasn’t proven to be an issue, but he still can’t help but feel awkward to be in this situation again.

Especially since his crush on Kihyun only ever seems to flourish whenever Hyunwoo and Kihyun argue, which is another thing Hoseok feels incredibly guilty over.

He glances down, smiling at Kihyun’s expressionless face. Hoseok sighs, gently readjusting his hold on the younger and picking him up. He’s surprised by how light he is in his arms, and has to resist the urge to hold him even closer. He gulps at the intimate impulse, and moves quickly to set Kihyun down in his own bed.

He tucks in the younger, brushing his bangs out of his face before retreating. Kihyun stirs at the touch, seemingly trying to move closer to the older’s hand. Hoseok quickly backs away, surprised at the movement. His heartbeat quickens at the thought of Kihyun trying to remain close to him while asleep, causing him to mentally chastise himself over it.

“Thank you, hyung,” Kihyun murmurs, a small smile spreading across his face. Hoseok smiles widely, the sight of the younger’s dimples alone enough to make him begin to fidget nervously. He doesn’t know if Kihyun thinks he’s talking to him or Hyunwoo, but he doesn’t really care. The gentle expression is honestly the best thing he’s seen all day, no matter the cause of it. Though, he has to admit, it’d be nice if it’s because of him.

Hoseok sighs at himself, shaking his head as he turns away to go to bed. He lies down and scoots underneath the blankets after turning off the lights, facing the direction of Kihyun’s sleeping form. He falls asleep soon after, smiling softly.

“Hyung,” Minhyuk says sleepily, moving to sit up. He’s been curled up in Hyunwoo’s lap for a few hours now, just trying to be the silent support that the older seems to need. Hyunwoo slowly looks down at the younger, his eyes hazy from the beers he’s drunken. “We should probably go to sleep. It’s really late.”

“You go on,” Hyunwoo mumbles, moving to picking up the beer bottles scattered at his feet. “I’ll just stay up a bit longer.”

“You need to sleep,” Minhyuk insists. He separates himself from Hyunwoo and assists in cleaning up, carrying four bottles to the kitchen to throw them away.

“Minhyuk-ah,” Hyunwoo says hesitantly, “I think I’m going to move out…” Minhyuk pauses mid-step, whirling around to face the older surprisedly.

“You what?”

“I know you probably think I’m overreacting,” Hyunwoo begins to explain, “but I was actually playing around with the idea back when all this first happened. I didn’t say anything though, because I thought Kihyun needed my help to get through whatever it was that was wrong with him. But now, I think that Hoseok would be of better help to him.”

“If this is about Kihyun breaking down in front of Hoseok—“

“Kind of,” Hyunwoo relents, “but not how you think. Him telling me that made me realize that Kihyun maybe doesn’t trust me as much as I thought he did. He’s never cried in front of me, Minhyukkie. He never mentioned he was lashing out because of self-esteem issues months ago. He never even tried to excuse it to me, just told me that it was over and he was sorry.” Hyunwoo heaves a tired sigh, shaking his head at the situation. Minhyuk watches him rub his eyes, his heart aching at how beat-down he suddenly seems.

“It’s just something I need to do,” Hyunwoo finishes. “Maybe if I move out, Kihyun won’t feel so pressured all the time. Maybe he’ll start acting like himself again…” Minhyuk chews on his bottom lip thoughtfully, trying to choose the right words.

“Well hyung,” Minhyuk says finally, “if it’s something you need to do, then do it. I’ll talk to Hoseok, maybe you two could just switch rooms for a while. That way you don’t have to try finding somewhere to live close to school this far into the year.” Hyunwoo smiles gratefully at Minhyuk, stepping forward to hug him. Minhyuk can’t help but be surprised at the gesture, not really knowing Hyunwoo to be a hugger all these years.

“Thank you, Minhyukkie,” Hyunwoo whispers to him. “I’m going to think about it some more, just to be sure it’s the right thing.” Minhyuk nods, noting confusedly his quickened heartrate at the sudden physical contact. Hyunwoo pulls away, and asks if it’s okay if he takes a shower. Minhyuk nods again, and watches as he disappears into the bathroom.

Minhyuk finishes cleaning up and takes out a book he’s been needing to read for class, trying to clear his head. A lot has happened tonight. He demands his racing heart to revert to a normal pace, but it refuses. It proves to be just as stubborn as his eyes, which flicker over to the bathroom door periodically instead of focusing on the book in his hands. He watches as Hyunwoo exits the bathroom after a while confusedly, realizing the blush that’s creeping up his own cheeks at seeing the older shirtless. Which is completely ridiculous, because he’s seen Hyunwoo shirtless plenty of times in the past.

The younger sighs, shaking his head at himself as he closes his book. He tells the other he’s going to sleep, and turns on his side away from Hyunwoo. Just what has gotten into him tonight?