“Wake up!”

Ryeowook bolted up, looking around bleary-eyed as he tried to gather his bearings. What day was it? What time? Had he missed breakfast? When were his board meetings? Did he have clothes on? Did he take a shower last night? Were Dongwoon and the others already discussing the day’s plans?

“Wake. Up.” Kyuhyun whispered in his ear, hot breath soothing his adrenaline-pumped veins.

“Hmm…? What’s going on?” the slender boy yawned, toppling forward and slinging his arms low around Kyuhyun’s hips.

The latter chuckled, tilting Ryeowook’s chin up. “Open your eyes, dummy,” he stated with a twinge of annoyance, “you’re trying to sleep on my crotch.”

“I what?!” Ryeowook staggered back deliriously, fumbling with the blankets and landing on the soft cushiony mattress.

Kyuhyun watched the mostly , pale skinned boy trying to figure out what was going on. For a moment he admired the smooth expanses of white and the sleepy expression on his confused face. It quickly passed though as he watched Ryeowook teetering back to dream land. “I already told you to get up,” Kyuhyun barked, frowning and dragging the boy out of bed. “We have places to go today and you’re not allowed to sleep anymore. It’s already ten o’clock.”

“What?” Ryeowook mumbled groggily, a gust of cold wind blowing at him as they marched down the hallway towards the showers.

“Shower and get dressed,” Kyuhyun stated, pushing him into a stall and reaching over to turn on the water. Icy drops tore down on Ryeowook’, effectively clearing his mind and making him jump and yelp. Kyuhyun tossed a towel over the side of the stall, along with a set of clothes, saying “Hurry up!”

Ryeowook obeyed without really thinking it through and before he knew it, he was walking out of the bathroom fully dressed and bright eyed. Leaning outside of the public showers was Kyuhyun, also fully clothed and carrying a backpack.

“Kyu?” the shorter boy prompted, looking at him curiously, “What’s going on?” He glanced at the hall clock, seeing that it was already ten-thirty in the morning. Even though it was a Saturday, there were things to do for school. Why hadn’t Ryeowook’s alarm gone off?

“We’re going out today,” Kyuhyun replied, offering his hand.

Ryeowook shook his head, “I can’t go out to have fun. I have so many things to prepare for and they need me to help them organize our Senior Trip—!” A hand clamped over his mouth as dark, annoyed eyes bore into his.

Kyuhyun pushed close, saying in a clear and concise voice, “You need to relax. They can handle it for just one day. Let them take care of things.” His words had dropped to a concerned whisper and Ryeowook knew right then and there that fighting was useless.

When he used that voice, the slender boy just couldn’t argue. There was so much sincerity and warmth. Ryeowook nodded once and the hand dropped to take his, their fingers lacing in a way that was far beyond natural. It was perfect. It was absolute.

“Okay…,” he mumbled grudgingly, noticing the faint smirk on Kyuhyun’s face. Ryeowook blushed, trailing after the boy leading him. “B-But where are we going?”

“A few places,” Kyuhyun answered, “probably the Dining Hall first.”

They walked through the campus bustling with activities. Some students greeted Ryeowook and Kyuhyun but most were too busy preparing for different events or competitions. For once, the StudGov President was looking around to see what was going on.

It sounded odd, but Ryeowook had never really had time to simply stroll through the campus. He had always been running an errand or sprinting to class or thinking about serious matters. Yet as he allowed himself to be distracted by the fun atmosphere, a smile couldn’t help but spring to his face. Was school really so lively? It had always seemed somewhat lack luster.

Kyuhyun tilted his head back, smiling a bit at the childish fascination on Ryeowook’s face. “You’re acting like you’ve never seen our school before,” he remarked, slowing down so they were next to each other.

“I…guess I haven’t really seen our school in a while,” he admitted.

Kyuhyun peered around, seeing nothing particularly out of the ordinary. “It’s a little busier than usual but other than that it’s always like this. You’ve just been wrapped up in other stuff for too long.”

The Dining Hall was relatively empty though, probably because everyone was outside. Ryeowook watched Kyuhyun fill his tray of food, becoming queasier by the minute. Eating much at all hadn’t been in his schedule recently and seeing the sheer amount being piled onto the tray was terrifying.

“Kyuhyun…,”Ryeowook began uneasily.

“Trust me,” Kyuhyun cut off, flashing a grin, “You’re going to be hungry.”

They retreated to a table near the second story window, both of their eyes wandering about the quirky little situations going on below. Ryeowook giggled when he watched one of the rehearsing actors get hit upside the head with a football.

Meanwhile, Kyuhyun had taken the liberty of tearing off a piece of bread, taking Ryeowook’s chin, and pushing the food into his mouth. The latter’s protest was muffled as he chewed and swallowed the bit.

For a second, Ryeowook pondered over the sweet flavor in his mouth. “What kind of bread is that?” he asked, eyes shining hungrily now. Had he really missed eating, so much? Kyuhyun simply shrugged and fed him another broken off piece of pastry.

Ryeowook grinned happily, enjoying being spoiled. The look wasn’t missed by Kyuhyun who rolled his eyes but continued treating the other boy nicely anyway. “Sweet things have always spiked your appetite,” he commented, “what do you want now?”

“Eggs!” he exclaimed, opening his mouth hopefully.

Kyuhyun chuckled, feeding him and smirking at the pleasure on Ryeowook’s features. “Why haven’t you been eating as much?” He cut another piece of egg, bringing it to the smaller boy’s lips.

“There hasn’t been much time,” he muttered between chews.

“No time to eat?” Kyuhyun murmured, taking a bit of the food for himself, “It’s a human necessity. Since when did you become an alien?”

Ryeowook pouted, opening the miniature bottle of orange juice and drinking it, “I’m not an alien,” he defended, earning another shudder-inducing smirk, “I just have other things that occupy my time and attention. I wish I had time to eat more…and sleep more…I guess I wish I had more time in general.” He didn’t know why he was confessing everything to Kyuhyun. It had been years since he had a heart-to-heart with the darkly charming person. But it simply felt as if Kyuhyun was really listening this time and that he really cared.

Had he ever stopped caring?

“Even if you let down the whole school, you still need to eat,” Kyuhyun sighed, “without food you start to get hysterical.” He smiled knowingly and laughed quietly when he saw the embarrassed blush stain Ryeowook’s cheeks. “Nothing right now is worth dying for. Well, except for me.”

Ryeowook grinned widely, eyes twinkling at the joke. “You’re right,” he agreed, finally taking up his own fork and eating. Kyuhyun simply watched, already having eaten earlier.

“Do you come here every Saturday?” Ryeowook asked in a hushed voice, squeezing Kyuhyun’s hand. The sterile smell of drugs, cleaner, and that distinctly hospital scent, filled their noses. There was no one really around which was probably a good thing.

Kyuhyun waved to the receptionist who recognized him immediately and smiled. “Yeah, every Saturday,” he replied, leading the way towards Donghae’s room.

“Is he doing okay?”

There was a long pause before Kyuhyun turned around stopping right before they reached the hospital room. He tilted his head, taking a quivering, chaste kiss. Ryeowook’s heart sped up sharply and he peered up with wide eyes.

An undefined emotion sent tremors through Kyuhyun’s gaze, but his next words had nothing to do with himself. “Donghae acts very well,” he stated carefully, “but you can see it…in the way he looks at people…and things. He doesn’t care anymore. He doesn’t care about anything.”

Ryeowook raised their entwined fingers, pressing his lips gently to Kyuhyun’s tense knuckles. “I’m here now,” he promised, “You don’t have to be alone.”

The grip loosened slightly and Ryeowook pushed the door open, emerging in a brightly lit room. There were some presents around the countertops and cards as well. A television played in the corner of the area, displaying what appeared to be a music video.

Donghae looked up, smiling reflexively. “Oh hey Kyu. Ryeowook, you’re here too!” he sat up a bit straighter but as Ryeowook met the boy’s eyes, he realized what Kyuhyun meant. There was…nothing. The bright light and the warmth and everything that made Donghae so immensely handsome and sweet were gone.

“Yeah, I brought him,” Kyuhyun replied, straining his voice to sound cheerful.

“I hear you guys are finally dating,” Donghae glanced down at their laced fingers, “and I guess it wasn’t a lie either. Congrats!”

Ryeowook couldn’t help coloring at the words. “Thank you,” he mumbled, looking off to the side.

Donghae laughed. “You’re too cute, pres!”

“Hey,” Kyuhyun grunted, pulling Ryeowook backwards against his chest, “you should focus on recovering, not flirting.”

“Aw, you’re too protective,” the handsome boy clicked his tongue, “whatever. What’s up?”

Kyuhyun and Donghae fell into a casual conversation, never touching too long on one thing whilst avoiding sports and his injury completely. Ryeowook had settled into Kyuhyun’s lap when the latter sat down, but other than that he hadn’t moved or spoken much.

It was fascinating for Ryeowook – seeing Kyuhyun talking to Donghae. He could easily say that that was the first time he had ever witnessed the boy conversing fondly with someone. Ryeowook simply studied the facial expressions Kyuhyun showed, cataloging what jokes made him laugh, smirk, grin, frown, and roll his eyes. There were so many expressions and emotions. The whole thing was…nostalgic, very nostalgic.

When was the last time Kyuhyun had shown those faces? Ryeowook really wondered how long it had been since Kyuhyun had had a friend. They didn’t count. There were too many oddities about their relationship. Ryeowook contemplated for a while, trying to remember all of the people Kyuhyun had ever spoken to.

In the end, it dawned on him. Ryeowook shifted around, catching Kyuhyun’s attention. The latter cocked an eyebrow. “It’s nothing,” Ryeowook assured, smiling and resting his head on Kyuhyun’s shoulder, forehead brushing against his neck. Of course that was a lie. He finally understood why Donghae was so important.

None of it had added up at first. Why would Kyuhyun ever shed tears for just a friend? But Donghae wasn’t just a friend.

Kyuhyun absently pressed his fingers between Ryeowook’s, curling in securely.

The smaller boy closed his eyes briefly before opening them again to gaze down at the slight tremor in Kyuhyun’s hand.

Donghae is his first friend...