Minho gave the taxi driver the university’s address. The car pulled away and he sighed, getting as comfortable as he could against the old cushions. Not even two minutes had passed before the calm was disrupted by his phone buzzing with messages.

The storm had finally passed and all of the calls that hadn’t gone through were going through now, sadly. Minho waited a good minute or so before checking the device, seeing three voice mails.

“You have three new messages. First message: Hey Minho, it’s Ryeowook. We found Mir. He…He was hanging from the top of the bell tower. Dongwoon stopped him from jumping and he’s recovering in the infirmary now. Bye. End of Message.”

“Next message: It’s Dongwoon. Are you and Sungmin okay? Mir has been put on 72 Hour Suicide Watch. I hope you guys are safe. Thank you for helping me. End of message.”

“Next message: It’s Ryeowook again, I’m worried about you and Sungmin…but I know I can trust him with you. Please take care of yourselves and call me back when you get this message. Be careful and I love the two of you. I…I really can’t imagine life without all of you and Mir has shown me that…ah, anyway, sorry and goodnight! End of message.”

Minho took a deep, ragged breath, trying to absorb everything. He checked the time, deciding he could call Ryeowook when it wasn’t so early. The phone fell to his side as he ran fingers through his hair, eyes shut tightly. What the did you do Tae?

“What’re you doing here?” Key smiled opening the door and hugging Minho happily. “You didn’t call, is there something wrong?”

Minho pushed his lover away gently, saying, “Sorry, I’m really dirty. Can I take a shower and then explain things?” He smiled sheepishly but once Key nodded his okay, Minho ran towards the bathroom.

Once inside, he practically collapsed against the countertop, exhausted and conflicted. He had held it together throughout the short taxi ride but there was no way he could keep it all inside any longer.

Just what had he done last night? Why the hell had he let such a serious thing slip? Not to mention that while all of that was happening, the whole world was going to ing hell. Minho considered banging his head against the sink, but then thought better of it. What if the bloodstains scared Key?

Sighing, Minho peeled his shirt off, tossing it in a corner of the bathroom. His pants went next, grime and rain water making them heavy and dark. There was a short moment of giddiness from being out of those ridiculously disgusting clothes, but then it passed and he the bath water, letting it run until hot water replaced cold.

The shower whirred to life, spiraling beads of water down on chilled, dirt covered skin. Of all the things he could’ve said, why did he give such a lame excuse? Oh I love you, but I also love Ryeowook and Taemin too. I meant it as a brotherly thing – my I meant it as a brotherly love thing.

He was tempted to punch the tile wall but restrained himself. Why the hell did he deny it so quickly? Wouldn’t that have been a good opportunity to clear the air? What could’ve happened if Sungmin knew how he felt?

Well, there were actually two possibilities, Minho had decided.

One, Sungmin would run for his life because there was no reason why he should give a damn about some low-life like Minho who s anyone and molested him at their first meeting.

Even he winced at the description. It was true…but it wasn’t true anymore. Then again, who would believe such a cliché statement? “Oh Sungmin! You changed me for the better! Now I’m not interested in sleeping with strangers and feeling up people at clubs!”

Minho shuddered. Yes, no one would take that seriously – even if it was the truth.

Or the other more optimistic option would be, Sungmin keeps his feelings in mind and someday realizes just maybe he had developed feelings for Minho as well.

That would certainly be a beautiful ending – unlikely, but beautiful nonetheless.

The water started feeling lukewarm. Minho grumbled, shutting the water off and stepping out of the bathtub. There was a rack of towels to one side, which he took the liberty of taking a fluffy white one from.

He finished drying off and tied it around his waist, heading out of the bathroom. Refreshing air washed over him and he shivered, smiling. It was one of his favorite parts of post-bath time. That sudden rush of air made it feel like entering a new world. But then the high would fade, and you would realize you’re still in the same world with the same people and problems.

“Hey y, what’re you doing here so early?”

Minho looked over to see Jonghyun chuckling and eyeing him with amusement. The younger boy frowned, “Stop checking out your roommate’s boy toy, bro.”

“Aw, you’re no fun,” he clicked his tongue, pushing off from the wall and walking back into his room, “You can borrow my clothes.”

“Thanks,” Minho grunted, following Jonghyun into the unfortunately familiar room. He really hated going in there. Yes, he should’ve hated Jonghyun too, but hey, when he wasn’t trying to ruin relationships and get into Sungmin’s pants, the guy was really cool.

“No problem,” he replied, tossing the kid a pair of jeans, boxers, and a t-shirt. “But really, what’re you doing here so early?”

“I just wanted to see Key.” He started changing, not exactly shy to the other man in the room. They weren’t hooking up, so there was nothing to be wary about.

If Minho had been watching, maybe he would’ve seen the slight rigidity enter Jonghyun’s movements, but he was too busy trying to pull the t-shirt over head.

“Do you guys have anything to eat?” he questioned, walking towards the kitchen.

Jonghyun trailed after him, saying, “Yeah, I think Key cooked some breakfast. Seriously, what the hell happened to you last night if you’re this needy?”

“A lot that I don’t want to talk about,” Minho responded, rolling his neck and shoulders, “oh and there’s something else I’m checking out today.”

“Hmm?” Jonghyun raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

They entered the kitchen and Minho smirked, “I knew he’d be here.”

Taemin was sitting at the table, eating some sort of scone with a glass of milk. His blonde hair was a fluffy mass, both eyes nearly closed. Minho came up behind him, patting his head. “Wake up and eat properly,” he said, shaking the boy a few times.

“Minho?” he mumbled, “What’re you doing here?”

“I should be asking you that. Why are you hiding out at Key’s place?”

Taemin rubbed his eyes, sighing and leaning away from his breakfast. “I don’t want to see Mir. He hurt me and I just can’t stand the idea of seeing—”

“—Mir was trying to kill himself.” It was a low blow, but he needed to smack some sense into the boy. What the hell was going on with Taemin? Minho always knew he was weak and dependent but this was taking selfish to a whole new level. There was a sense of satisfaction that rolled over him as he watched horror and realization flood the blonde’s face. “But you don’t want to see him,” Minho bit out, “so I guess it’s not your problem.”

“You’re lying…,” he muttered.

“What’s wrong with you?!” Minho shouted, jerking on Taemin’s collar. “I love you more than anyone else and I want you to be the happiest you can be but I don’t even know what the hell you’re doing this time. Y’know what, Tae?” He shook the kid harshly, lip curling in anger. “Dongwoon deserves Mir a hell of a lot more than you do. Guess who ing saved him, just guess. I can sure as , tell you that it was someone who actually loves Mir.”

Taemin tried to curl his hands into fists but they wouldn’t move. “I love Mir…,” he whispered weakly. I know I do…I know I love him.

“Minho…,” Key trailed off, touching his lover’s arm.

“What’s for breakfast?” he asked briskly, shoving away and turning from Taemin’s frozen expression.

Key bit his lip, worry coursing through gaze. “Uhm, why don’t we go out to eat?”

“Sure,” Minho shrugged, taking Key’s hand and heading towards the door, “See you guys later.” The door slammed shut too quickly for anything else to be said.

Jonghyun peered reluctantly down at the silent teen.

Slowly, the boy shook his head, eyes unblinking. “He wouldn’t do that…he wouldn’t…”