Kibum tapped her shoulder, just once, and quickly stepped back as she turned around.

“N-noona, I… I have something to tell you…” He tried to keep his jittery nerves in check as he spoke when he finally caught up with Hyoyeon in the hallway.

A broad smile adorned the blonde’s face when she saw that it was Kibum. It was the same patient and kind smile that Kibum had seen on her for so many times, but he tugged at his hands repeatedly, bracing himself for what was to come next.

“Yeah? What is it, Kibum-ah?” She adjusted her bag strap on her shoulder and asked in a friendly tone.

“I… Onew, no, Jinki…” It was really much harder than he had imagined and he struggled to get the right words out so that he could finally explain the situation to Hyoyeon. Kibum took a deep breath to steady his nerves and tried again.

“Jinki-hyung and I, we… we are together, like, you know...”

The broad smile on her face shrunk a tiny bit, and she asked a little shakily, “L-like what?”

“Like… a couple. We are together like boyfriend and boyfriend, noona.” Kibum said as gently as he could, although he knew it would do nothing to lessen her pain.

If Hyoyeon had made an effort to keep the smile on her face previously, she surely wasn’t now. The smile slipped off her face entirely and she seemed to have zoned out. She was just standing there, staring into space with slightly agape.

“Noona, I’m sorry…” Kibum said quietly as he put his hand on her arm, but Hyoyeon flinched upon the contact and backed away from his touch.

“How could you do this to me, Kibum?” She asked through gritted teeth. There was not an ounce of friendliness left on her features and she regarded Kibum with piercing, tear-filled eyes.

“I–” Kibum didn’t get to finish what he wanted to say as Hyoyeon raised her hand and smacked it right across his cheek, making his ears ring from the impact.

“I’ll never forgive you for this, Kim Kibum.” She turned around as the tears spilled over and she ran away into the distance, leaving a shell-shocked Kibum rooted to the ground.

“No… noona, please… NO!” Kibum shot up in his bed in a cold sweat before he looked around at his surroundings in a daze. He was on his bed and the room was still dark. It had been a nightmare.

Bringing a hand up to his left cheek, his fingertips grazing his damp skin, it was as if he could feel the non-existent sting from Hyoyeon’s slap in the dream. Kibum backed himself into the wall, drawing his knees up to his chest and breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself down.

It was the second time he was having such disturbing dreams, and it certainly didn’t help matters that this time, Onew wasn’t beside him when he jolted awake from the horrible nightmare. He felt hollowness engulfing his heart, what time is it even?

Crawling across his bed to get his phone that was on the desk, he slid it open, 4:51am.

Knowing that Onew wouldn’t be able to see his message until a few hours later, Kibum brushed off the thought of texting the older boy for some much-needed comfort. He put his phone back on the desk and collapsed back onto his bed, curling into as small a ball as he could manage.

Kibum hated waking up in the dead of the night from an unpleasant dream, because it was so hard to get back to sleep and there was honestly nothing else he could do at this kind of unholy time. He closed his eyes and tried to lose consciousness, but the moment he felt himself relax only slightly, he would see Hyoyeon’s face that was full of hurt and betrayal and her last haunting words resounded in his mind until he had to snap his eyes open once again.

Kibum wanted so badly to be strong, to be able to deal with all these obstacles bravely and not let it bring him down. But he really couldn’t do it alone. Losing sleep and being awake alone in the middle of the night because of something stupid made him want to cry.

He pressed the heels of his palms to his temples and rubbed it in circles. Why do I have to be so needy all the time?

Kibum got out of bed slowly, reminding himself that he didn’t want to do this but there was really no other choice. The other time he’d only managed to go back to sleep because Onew had held him and patted his back soothingly until he nodded off.

He stood in front of Onew’s room, sliding the key into the doorknob and turning it slowly until a soft click was heard. Kibum’s senses were on high alert and he did everything with added caution because he didn’t want to wake Onew up, or scare him to think someone was trying to break in. On second thoughts though, he realized he was trying to break in.

Stepping into Onew’s room quickly, he locked the door behind him and tip-toed towards the bed, where soft sounds of breathing could be heard from under the covers. Onew, being a heavy sleeper, was oblivious to the fact that he was no longer alone in his room, and Kibum was somewhat thankful for that.

Standing beside the bed, Kibum analysed the situation. Onew was lying smack in the middle of the single bed, wrapped under multiple layers of his covers, and there was little or practically no space where Kibum could squeeze in. The last thing he wanted was to wake his boyfriend who was serenely sleeping up, so he settled for just sitting next to the bed and resting his head on the mattress.

Kibum could feel the tension in his muscles gradually fade away and he could actually breathe properly again, a small smile making its way onto his lips. Onew was like some kind of a positive energy emitter and every time Kibum was around him, he could easily relax and just be at peace.

He got up; kissed Onew’s hair softly, whispered I love you, baby in his ear, and returned to his position by the bed.

Kibum knew he was probably going to complain about having a stiff neck and numb legs in the morning, but right now he couldn’t care less. Within five minutes, he’d managed to fall back into restful sleep.

Strangely, the nightmares didn’t come back.

***

“Oh, Onew-yah why did you come here? Don’t you have to do a presentation with the others?” Key’s face lit up with a bright smile when he came out of the dance studio and saw Jinki waiting for him.

“There’s awhile more to go before our turn. And anyway, can’t I come around to cheer my own boyfriend on for his performance later?” Jinki’s voice lowered as he said the last sentence and he pretended to be hurt by Key’s words, pouting slightly.

It was the big day for the university. The day of the learning symposium, one that the entire school had been preparing for a long time, and Key had to perform for the dance club’s showcase in just a few hours’ time.

“Hey, you know that’s not what I meant, baby…” Key’s tone fell soft like Jinki’s, and he touched the older boy’s arm briefly. When their gazes connected, Jinki could see all the gentleness and adoration in Key’s eyes for him.

Despite their agreement to stop deliberately hiding their relationship from others, they were still cautious in openly showing their affection for each other around campus. But it was okay, because sometimes Jinki felt like he didn’t need to feel Key’s grasp on his hand, or his arm across Key’s waist. Sometimes no words were even needed when he could see it all in the other’s eyes.

“I know… For you!” Jinki smiled and pulled a stalk of sunflower from behind his back and handed it to Key, whose mouth fell open from his sheer joy at seeing the beautiful flower that was in full bloom.

“Ah, Onew! You bought it for me again! Wait, is there another one behind your back?” Key wagged his eyebrows playfully at Jinki to , but Jinki knew better what his boyfriend was really thinking.

He waved both his hands in front of himself to show that he was hiding nothing else, then leaned closer to Key’s ear, covering the side of his mouth to whisper, “Quit being insecure Key baby, you know I only love you.”

Taking advantage that the view of his lips near Key’s face was covered by his hand, Jinki quickly pecked his boyfriend once then pulled away, pretending as if nothing had happened. But the tiny blush that was spreading across Key’s cheeks was denying that pretense.

Key just smiled that shy smile of his, not saying anything in return but it was all there in his eyes, so intense it was almost audible to Jinki, I love you too.

“I’ll come for you again when I’m done with my presentation, okay?” Jinki said and gave him a meaningful look.

“Are we really going to do this?” Key asked, biting his lower lip uneasily and Jinki reached for his hand, holding it between both of his.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.” Jinki tried to give him a reassuring smile but if he had to be honest, he couldn’t be sure of that as well.

He had been rather taken aback when he heard about Key’s nightmare, that morning when he woke up and found his boyfriend asleep in an uncomfortable position by the bed. It involved something like Hyoyeon not taking the information about them being together kindly and ended up slapping Key. The Hyoyeon he had known for so many years would never do something like that, or so he hoped, because people often lost their rationality in love, or sometimes did things that could be out of character.

Jinki knew that best.

“Anyway, Taemin said he’ll drop by the studio for the open auditions first thing upon reaching the school, and I’ve told him to make sure he catches your performance in the auditorium later on too!”  Jinki said, trying to steer the direction of their conversation towards something more lighthearted. Key had been practicing so hard for the last few months, and he would shine on stage later, just like he always does. Jinki didn’t want unnecessary distractions at this time to affect his emotions and in turn, his performance.

“Oh yes! We can go out to dinner together after everything ends!” The smile was back on Key’s face at the mention of Jinki’s cousin, Taemin. He had been so excited to meet him ever since Jinki had told him that Taemin wanted to enroll in SNU and would be coming down on the day of the symposium. He also showed Key some of Taemin’s dance competition clips and the younger boy was impressed. Jinki was sure they would get along really well, especially with that common ground.

He ruffled Key’s hair and said, “I’ll be in the audience watching you too. Do your best, my favourite baby!”

“I’m supposed to be your only baby, silly. And I will! I should really be getting back to practice now. Sorry that I can’t watch your presentation, but you go wow everyone too with your amazing intelligence yes?” Key was acting like a cute little kid who was talking to his favourite idol, with his animated expression and shining bright eyes as he looked at Jinki.

“Are you sure it’s not with that thing I do with my eyes that you’re always talking about?” Jinki raised his eyebrows.

“Yah! Lee Jinki! I will kill you if you dare to do that, hear me?!” Key’s eyes widened in horror at Jinki’s words and he knew it was because Key thought Jinki could definitely charm everyone if he wanted to. He was always talking about it while Jinki just grew increasingly amused by his boyfriend’s words.

“Kidding, baby. Go now, fighting!”

“Love you.” Key said, sending Jinki a loving gaze, and began to turn to return to practice.

“Love you too.” Jinki gave Key’s arm a final squeeze, and he waited until Key had disappeared back into the dance studio before turning to walk away.

They have agreed to approach Hyoyeon together after the symposium to tell her about their relationship, because Hyoyeon had actually asked to meet him. Jinki didn’t know exactly why, he was guessing Hyoyeon might have another present for him, or… she might have chosen this day to finally confess her feelings for him. Jinki prayed for it to not be the latter, it would be too cruel.

He had talked so much and for so long about this issue together with Key, about whether they should each go to her separately, or just one of them would do, or both of them should go together. But they both thought it would be hard if they had to do it on their own, and if anything, Jinki felt like he had to protect Key, just in case things got out of hand like what Key had dreamt about.  

Jinki’s thoughts were curtly interrupted by the continuous vibrations in his pocket and he quickly scrambled to dig his phone out of his jeans, knowing it must be his younger cousin.

Incoming call…
Taeminnie

A smile immediately appeared on Jinki’s face and he picked up the call, but before he could even get a word out, Taemin already beat him to it.

“Hyung! I’m here, in your school, right now! Where are you?” Taemin’s excited voice rang through the receiver to Jinki’s ears and he couldn’t help but chuckle. Taemin has always been a bubbly boy whom Jinki loved like his own brother. It was hard to believe that the cousin who seemed to be forever fifteen in Jinki’s eyes was already going to enter university.

“Taemin-ah! I’m going for my presentation soon, will you be able to find your way to the dance studio?”

“Ah, hyung, I’m not a kid! And before you start saying that I’m still fifteen this year, I’d like to inform you that I’m already going on nineteen. OKAY?” Taemin emphasized his last word with a grimace and Jinki laughed even louder.

“Yes, yes I know, Taeminnie. Alright then, I’ll meet you in the auditorium later when I’m done and we’ll watch Kibum’s performance together, okay?” Jinki stood outside the lecture theatre with his hand on the handle of the door. It was where he will be presenting his research to the staff, students, as well as potential students.

“Ne! I really want to meet theKibum-hyung you’ve been telling me so much about, hyung! He sounds like a really great person, am I right? So much that you would fall in love with him?” Taemin asked innocently.

“Yes, Taemin.” Jinki’s felt his lips curl up so naturally in a smile that was filled with bliss. “He is.”

Everything went smoothly for Jinki’s three-man team and their presentation wrapped up earlier than expected. The questions didn’t go on for too long because their presentation itself was already informative and precise enough to answer most doubts that the audience might have.

Jinki checked his watch; he still had about a little short of an hour to go before Key’s performance. Taemin would most likely still be tied up at the auditions. Actually, it wasn’t really so much like an audition; it was more like a freestyle dance ground for any interested parties to show what they have got and for the club to scout for promising talents.

He smiled wondering if Key and Taemin had met each other formerly yet.

“It’s finally all over now! I’d say we did well, yes? Glory to the School of Science~” Jo Kwon stretched his hands above his head lazily when they streamed out of the lecture theatre with the rest of the audience.

As it happened, they were the last team to present and Jo Kwon was complaining about having to wait for such a long time while Taeyeon just rolled her eyes at him and continued to half rehearse her lines and half listen to the presentations by other faculties.

“Yes, we definitely killed it, the Dean looked so pleased! All those weeks of hard work had paid off!” Taeyeon said happily, as if a load had been lifted off her shoulders.

“Where are you guys heading next?” Jo Kwon asked when the people in the crowd around them dissipated and went in their separate directions.

“Hmm, actually I wanted to drop by the art exhibition to have a look before the dance showcase begins…” Jinki said casually. There wasn’t anything else to do and he thought he might as well check out the exhibits, remembering how Key had acted all mysterious when Jinki asked him if any of his works were selected for the symposium.

“Hmmmm~? You think?” Key sing-songed and smiled cheekily at Jinki.

“I think that’s a yes?” Jinki asked, frowning a bit. Why was Key being so cryptic? It was a straightforward question that only needed a straightforward answer.

“You’ll know on that day!” Key had beamed and pinched Jinki’s cheeks before running away, making Jinki chase after him.

Taeyeon and Jo Kwon agreed to go with Jinki.

The university’s large hall had been turned into a makeshift exhibition gallery separated into sections for the different types of art, and people were milling all around looking at the artworks on display.

When the trio entered the hall, they quickly broke up and went to the different exhibits that caught their attention. Taeyeon was attracted to a corner filled with scrapbooks of fashion designs and prototypes of different costumes while Jo Kwon was particularly intrigued by the section with pieces of installation art.

As for Jinki, his main purpose was to locate Key’s work first. Key mostly did things like sketches and paintings, so he dodged past the clay sculptures and digital art compilations and headed straight for a corner of the hall where many frames and canvases were mounted neatly on metal dividers.

For awhile, Jinki was getting lost in the maze of artwork and dizzy from the swirl of colours around him. There must be more paintings than any other art forms in the hall and trying to find Key’s work was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, especially when he had no idea what exactly he was looking for.

He was nearing the end of the walkway created by the dividers, his head turning left and right, taking a glance at the art piece and then skimming through the label on each canvas for the student’s name, when he came face to face with himself.

It was a black and white sketch of him, sleeping at a desk. His head was resting atop his folded arms on the desk and his hair was nicely placed with only a touch of messiness. Despite all the striking colours around him, this monochrome drawing of himself stood out among all the rest.

“Kim Kibum (Year 2 Art & Design)
Untitled, 2010
Charcoal sketch”

Jinki felt a wave of affection swelling in his chest, realising why Key had been so secretive before. His boyfriend was really quite romantic after all, and to think that he always called Jinki the cheesy one.

“Is that you?”

Jinki turned around at the sudden question and was shocked to see that some of the people viewing the exhibits have stopped and were staring at both him and the sketch.

“It does look like you.” An unknown person whom Jinki guessed was a visitor said, pointing at the sketch, then at Jinki.

“Ah, erm… Yes, I guess it’s me, haha! Enjoy the rest of the exhibition!” Jinki said in a fluster and quickly fled from being the center of attention, his heart was beating erratically in his chest.

Phew. He could only say that Key’s artistic skills were too good that people could place him to the sketch in mere minutes.

He wandered around the other exhibits for awhile more, trying to locate his friends when he decided it would be easier to just wait for them outside the hall. After some time, Taeyeon emerged from the hall with a disgruntled Jo Kwon in tow.

“Oh? How did you guys manage to find each other? I tried looking for the both of you for so long to no avail…” Jinki said in amazement.

“Can’t help it. He was being a public nuisance there getting all worked up over the installation art pieces, so I had to drag him away to maintain the image of us SNU students.” Taeyeon replied nonchalantly while Jo Kwon tried to free his sleeve from her death grip.

Jinki shook his head, chuckling at the pair and said, “Come on, let’s go. I think the showcase is going to start soon.”

They were walking towards the auditorium together when Taeyeon suddenly said in a low, suspicious tone, “Jinki, we saw a sketch that really, really looks like you.”

“Oh gosh, yes! Even though the person – Kim Kibum was it? – drew the guy to be asleep, it just looks so much like you I’m not even exaggerating.” Jo Kwon continued and nodded in a way like he was totally in awe with the student who did the sketch.

“Yes, Kim Kibum.” Taeyeon shot Jinki a look that was clearly asking for some answers.

Jinki smiled, thinking this is it, I shall let them know now.

“My boyfriend might have made me the subject of his artwork.”

Taeyeon’s eyes widened while Jo Kwon’s clouded with confusion.

“Already?!” She began to bounce around happily. “You see, Jinki! What did I tell you?!”

At their exchange, Jo Kwon only grew more confused.

“Excuse me, boyfriend? Why do I feel like I’m missing out on something? Care to explain, Jinki?” He asked with tightly knitted brows.

Both Jinki and Taeyeon turned to smile at him.

“Well, to cut a long story short, Jo Kwon. I am attached, and my boyfriend’s name is Kim Kibum, the student who apparently did a good job drawing me that everyone could tell it’s me right away.” Jinki opted to tell him just the important point.

Jo Kwon’s mouth dropped open.

“Uh, seriously? I didn’t know you swing that way… Not that I have anything against gays, just… wow. Imagine the amount of girls who are going to be heartbroken by this news, Jinki.”

At that, the thought of Hyoyeon came rushing back to Jinki’s head and he felt the familiar feeling of unsettlement, and the uncomfortable churning of his stomach. They were going to approach her right after Key’s performance.

He could only muster a half-hearted smile at his friends as they neared the auditorium.

***

Despite still feeling upset, Kibum tried his best to not dwell on those emotions during dinner. Luckily, Taemin’s presence made it easier because he was always talking and smiling.

Kibum recalled that earlier in the day, while he was practicing his routine for the showcase, Taemin had appeared out of nowhere and said hi to him with a mega-watt smile when he was taking a water break.

He is such an attractive boy, almost feminine even, and there was a kind of superficial resemblance to Onew in him too but Kibum couldn’t really say if it was his eyes or their smile. He decided though, that the good-looking genes just ran in their family. He’d watched Taemin’s freestyle dance for the open audition too, and just like the competition clips that Onew had shown him before, Taemin was brilliant. Kibum had no doubts that Taemin would be recruited into the club if he were to enroll in the university.

They were in a small barbeque house near Taemin’s place that the youngest of them had brought them to, saying that this place served the best beef. He was chatting away excitedly now about some funny experiences he’d encountered in the school earlier and Onew was smiling in amusement as he cooked more meat for them. It was a really nice and comfortable feeling to Kibum, and he was glad that he could get along well with Taemin too.

“Kibum-hyung, are you okay? You’ve been awfully quiet all night.” Taemin said with a concerned look on his face.

Kibum could sense that Onew had slowed down in his actions beside him and was watching him carefully as well.

Kibum just smiled and ruffled Taemin’s hair, saying “I’m fine, Taemin-ah! Just a little tired, that’s all.” Taemin nodded his head knowingly and continued to eat, but Onew was still watching him. Kibum reached for his boyfriend’s hand under the table and gave it a light squeeze, hoping that it will stop him from worrying.

“Anyway, I have something to say!” Onew said when he finally tore his eyes away from Kibum.

“What, what, hyung? Are you and Kibum-hyung getting married?” Taemin snapped his head up with a piece of meat midway to his mouth and said in that high-spirited way of his while Kibum almost choked on the water that he was drinking when he heard what Taemin said.

Onew laughed and patted Kibum’s back, saying almost teasingly, “What, Key-ah? Do you not want to marry me?”

“Jinki…” Kibum narrowed his eyes and said in a warning tone to Onew, shooting him a look that said not in front of Taemin!

The older boy just laughed again.

“Alright, alright. I just wanted to say that appa and umma have suggested we go on a family vacation when the semester ends! Just for a few days. We can go to Gangwon-do, there’s amazing scenery at Seoraksan where they can relax and enjoy, and then we can go skiing or something. It’ll be fun!” Onew said and looked at both Kibum and Taemin with that eager little boy smile again.

“Really?! I’m on, I’m on! Woohoo vacation~” Taemin got all excited again and started to do a little dance in his seat.

Of course, I’m not part of the family… Kibum just smiled wistfully, feeling a little sad thinking that it didn’t actually involve him, and how nice it would be to go on a vacation with Onew.

“It sounds great, you guys have fun!” Kibum said with forced enthusiasm because he didn’t want to appear sour about it.

“What are you talking about, Key-ah? You’re not coming with us?” Onew frowned and asked him.

“Me? But this is a… a family thing, isn’t it?” Kibum said, confused.

“Yes, but appa and umma wanted me to ask you along too! So, what do you say?” Onew raised his brows in a hopeful way, wishing Kibum would say yes.

“Well, I have to ask…” Kibum said a little hesitantly.

“Why don’t you ask now? Go on Kibum-hyung, call your parents now!” Taemin nudged him and pointed to his phone that was sitting on the table. Kibum was kind of reluctant, but finally gave in seeing Onew’s encouraging smile.

He turned away from the table, pressed the number ‘1’ which was the speed dial for home, and waited for the call to connect, feeling more nervous as the ringing continued.

“Yeoboseyo?” It was his mother’s voice that came through after a few rings. Kibum was secretly hoping she would be the one to pick up too. Since she knew and supported his relationship with Onew, it would be easier to ask her.

“Umma!”

“Oh, Kibum-ah! What brings my dear son to be calling me out of the blue? I’ve almost forgotten your voice!” Kibum’s mother teased and her soft chuckles could be heard.

“But, umma, I always call home!” Kibum whined with a pout that he knew his mother could not see.

Admittedly, he had been calling back less lately, because he was so busy preparing for the symposium that sometimes it just slipped his mind. And other times, his mother would be working overtime at the hospital and so he only spoke to his grandmother. It was rare that he got to speak to his father because he always returned home late from work. Kibum made a mental note to call home more often now that the symposium was over and things should more or less go back to normal.

There was more laughter from her end of the line and Kibum suddenly found himself missing his family. They talked for a little before his mother asked if there was any reason that he called suddenly.

“Oh, about that…. Umma, can I go to Gangwon-do with Onew’s family when the semester ends? It’s a family vacation, but his parents asked me along...” Kibum asked and crossed his fingers, waiting for the verdict.

There was only a short pause before his mother answered, “Of course you can, Kibum-ah.”

“Really? But what about appa? The other time…” Kibum’s words trailed off as he recalled how his father looked when he told him about his relationship with Onew. His father’s reaction didn’t exactly come as a surprise, since unlike Kibum’s mother, he was generally more out of touch with his son and he even knew nothing about Kibum’s relationship with Jonghyun before. It was perhaps hard to accept right away that his only son was… well, gay.

“Well, it is the Onew boy who have always been taking good care of my son, isn’t it? I don’t see what reason there is to say no. And don’t worry about your appa, I will take care of that old man!” His mother answered reassuringly and Kibum was so happy that she was so supportive, not to mention stoked because hell, he was going on a vacation with his boyfriend’s family!

He hung up after his mother nagged at him for a bit and told him to take care and let her know the details. He turned back to the table to see Onew and Taemin’s expectant faces staring at him, waiting for his answer.

Kibum pretended to look sad and said, “Umma… She said…I CAN GO!” His face broke into a huge smile and the two boys began to cheer.

“That’s great! I’ll let appa and umma know soon so they can arrange the details. I can’t believe we’re all going together!” Onew said excitedly and so everyone was looking forward to the end of the semester.

They walked Taemin home after the meal before taking a bus back to the dorm. Kibum leaned his head on Onew’s shoulder and looped both arms around Onew’s, suddenly feeling exhausted from the long day they’ve both had.

A sigh escaped from his lips unknowingly, and it made Onew turn to his hair with his free hand.

“It’s all fine now, baby… We told her, and it wasn’t as bad as your dream, wasn’t it? Everything is fine now…” As if reading his mind, Onew brought up the issue of telling Hyoyeon about them today. Even though Onew’s voice was soothing, Kibum doesn’t think that he could forget the look on Hyoyeon’s face when they broke the news to her.

She didn’t react in any way like he had dreamt of. There was no menace, not even so much as a hint that she blamed him. She even forced a smile and said that she understood perfectly. But there was a lot of hurt in her eyes, so much heartache that Kibum thought he could drown in it. He knew well what it feels like, he was so sorry.

“I feel so horrible, Onew. Hyoyeon-noona must be feeling really upset now, and here we are, all snuggled against each other. How could I be so selfish? It’s just… so horrible…” Kibum said quietly and closed his eyes, pressing his face against Onew’s shoulder. If only there was any way he could take the hurt back.

“Don’t be like this anymore, Key, please. You’re not selfish… I need you.” Onew said in a choked voice, sounding almost like he was pleading with him.

He remembered Onew saying he couldn’t have been as strong as he was now if he didn’t have Kibum, and Kibum knew he needed to stop letting things get to him and putting additional strain on Onew. Knowing that there was such a vulnerable side behind the older boy’s seemingly strong front made Kibum want to protect him too, even if it’s only against something so insignificant.

All the while, Onew had been the one giving every part of himself that he has to offer to Kibum and their relationship. Kibum wanted to be there for him too, through everything.

Swallowing hard on the lump that had formed in his throat, Kibum just held on to Onew’s arm tighter, seeking comfort in his warmth and his scent that enveloped him.

He knew they would both be fine, just because they have one another.

A.N.: I'm back~ I kept to my promise to try to update within two weeks ^^ 

This chapter got kind of long so I had to cut out some parts for the next chapter. I'll be adding in more POVs as the story progresses, like Hyoyeon's and Taemin's because it's impossible to write everything in just Jinki and Kibum's POV. I'll also be writing a little more about why Taemin is included in Jinki's family vacation as well, and maybe some other nitty-gritty bits (my long-winded style, please bear with me ><). But YAY for Onkey going on vacation together woohoo! :D

Comment/subscribe/just show me some love because I worked hard for this :) 

xoxo.