The steady static ended with a soft click, and Minho roused from his half-sleeping state. Jonghyun stood at the television, his small frame outlined by the light from the blank screen. He glanced back at the group, his eyebrows raising in surprise when he met Minho’s eyes.

“Oh, you’re awake.” Minho nodded and watched Jonghyun fit the disc back into its case. “Can you try to wake up Jinki? I’m going to take him home.”

Yawning, Minho looked around at the others. Jinki sat curled up on his right side, his head leaned back against the couch. He also happened to be snoring – rather loudly, in fact. Minho was surprised that it had not awakened him sooner. Taemin sat at the coffee table amidst half-empty soju bottles and the three pizzas they had ordered. His face was buried in his crossed arms and Garçons lay at his side.

Minho glanced down to Kibum’s head, which was resting on his lap. He was covered in the blanket Minho had grabbed for himself before the movie started, and Comme Des lay curled up on his chest. Minho removed his hand from Kibum’s hold and gave Jinki a gentle shake.

“Hey, hey Jinki,” he said. “Wake up.”

No response.

Minho’s sigh turned into another yawn. “Hey,” he shook Jinki’s arm a little harder. “Jjong is gonna take you home.”

Jonghyun turned the television off and set the DVD down on the TV stand. “You don’t have to be so gentle with him. Hey,” he said once he reached them, patting Jinki’s other shoulder then shaking it when he did not respond. “Hey!”

Jinki woke with a snort. “Wha – “ He glanced between Jonghyun and Minho, smiling sleepily. “Good morning.”

“Good mo – “ Minho started to say but Jonghyun cut him off when he picked Jinki up by his shoulders.

“Are you going to be able to take care of the other two?” Jonghyun asked, leading Jinki to Kibum’s front door. He glanced back when Minho did not answer right away. “Min?”

“Yeah, we’ll be fine.”

Jonghyun huffed as he struggled to open the door. “Text me when you get home, all right? For my own peace of mind.”

“I will.” The door closed behind Jonghyun, and Minho sat still, listening until he heard his car drive away. Minho shifted on the couch and Kibum curled up a little tighter next to him. He held Kibum’s head steady as he slipped off the couch and reached for the pillow at the far end to rest his head on.

Comme Des and Garçons were awake now, and they trailed after Minho as he went to the kitchen in search of his Gatorade. He was not sure how many he had left – none in the fridge – at Kibum’s apartment. He opened the pantry and found an unopened case on the bottom shelf. Picking a red one, he opened it and took a sip as he shuffled back to the living room.

Soju bottles clinked together as he picked them up. The sound roused Taemin, who sat up, blinking slowly. “How are you feeling?” Minho asked, handing his Gatorade to Taemin when his response was something indistinguishable. “Drink it. You’ll feel a little better.”

”Mm.”

Minho set down the bottles for a second and crouched down by Taemin to unscrew the lid. Taemin took a couple of sips as Minho collected the soju bottles again. Once he returned to the living room, Taemin had finished almost half of the Gatorade.

Taemin looked up when Minho came in and took another bite of cold pizza. “Hey.” The single syllable seemed to be drawn-out a little too long.

“Are you awake enough to do things?”

“Depends on the things.”

Minho smiled and glanced down at Comme Des and Garçons. He shook his wrist so that his watch faced him. 12:37am. “Can you take the puppies out? And make sure that they don’t bark?” Taemin blinked once…twice…and then took a sip of his Gatorade. “Taemin?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“Okay.” He gathered the rest of the bottles and padded back to the kitchen. The front door opened and closed as he tossed the empty soju bottles into the trash.

Minho came back into the main room with the trash bag full of their garbage from the night. He stacked the empty pizza boxes and tucked them under his arm. He set them by the front door and wiped his hands off on his jeans before walking back to the couch where Kibum was still asleep. He touched Kibum’s shoulder, and Kibum curled into his pillow even more. Minho nibbled at his bottom lip, debating how to wake his best friend up.

“Bummie,” he said, patting his shoulder. Kibum’s brow scrunched as he let out a quiet sort of whine. Minho covered his smile with his hand. “So cute…” He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “Ah…focus, Minho.” He slipped his arm underneath Kibum and supported his head with his other hand as he sat him up on the couch. Kibum roused slowly as Minho sat next to him, still holding him up.

“What’s going on?” Kibum asked, his voice husky. He cleared his throat and blinked at Minho.

“How are you feeling?”

Kibum frowned and stared over Minho’s shoulder as he decided. “Groggy.”

“Ah,” Minho said with a laugh. “Do you want to go to bed?”

Kibum’s gaze slid to Minho, his frown deepening. “I was already asleep.”

“Yes, but not in bed.” Kibum shrugged, sighing heavily. “Come on.” Minho helped him stand and slung Kibum’s arm over his shoulders. Kibum stumbled as Minho started them to his bedroom and he wrapped his other arm around Minho’s waist.

He rested his head on Minho’s shoulder, yawning. “Yosmulnizz…”

Minho glanced down at Kibum as he pushed open his bedroom door. “Hmm?”

“You smell nice.”

“Oh?” Minho set Kibum down on his favorite side of the bed.

“Mmhm. Like those Cinnabon stores we walk past in American airports.” Minho laughed. Kibum closed his eyes with a sleepy smile. “It makes sense, I suppose. You’re basically a cinnamon roll.”

Minho bit back his smile as he helped Kibum slip underneath the covers. “How so?”

Kibum patted an indent into his pillow before sinking his head into it, closing his eyes. “You’re sweet. And warm. Everybody loves you.”

“Well, they should,” Minho said, his tone joking.

The subtlety was lost on the half-asleep Kibum, who agreed with a single nod. Minho slid off the bed to turn off the light. Before he could get far, Kibum grabbed his wrist. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve got to finish cleaning up and take Taemin home.” Kibum released Minho from his hold with the tiniest hint of a pout. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Okay.”

Minho nodded and went to the door, leaving it slightly ajar behind him. Once he returned to the living room, Comme Des and Garçons greeted him with wagging tails and wet kisses on his hands. He picked both puppies up and grinned as they his face.

“Are we leaving soon?” Taemin asked after he finished hanging up the leashes in the hall closet.

“Yeah.” He nodded to the stack of garbage by the door. “Take those out and then wait for me in the car. My keys are in my jacket pocket. I won’t be too much longer.”

Taemin grabbed Minho’s jacket from the closet before he closed the door and slung it over his shoulder. Minho went back into the hall as Taemin picked up the garbage and opened the front door again. He set them down on the floor by the door and pushed it open with his foot to let them inside. He peeked in to make sure they got safely up onto the bed before he shuffled away.

Minho wetted a washcloth and wiped down the counters before heading into the living room to wipe down the coffee table. He folded the blankets and tucked them into their place in the linen closet in the hallway. He rearranged the pillows and cushions on the couch and armchair. Picking up the washcloth, he walked back into the kitchen and folded it over the sink. He shook out the trash bag as quietly as he could and relined the bin.

“Am I done?” He looked around for something else to clean. Nothing really stood out to him. Humming to himself, Minho grabbed a glass and filled it up with water. He turned off the light in the kitchen and went into Kibum’s bathroom to grab a bottle of Tylenol.

Minho walked down the hallway, halting when he noticed a lamp on in his office. He set the glass and pill bottle down on the desk and reached over to turn off the lamp. He froze when he noticed what Kibum was working on. It looked like sketches of outfit ideas for them for their concerts. Minho shuffled through the papers, looking for Kibum’s outfit for him.

It was a simple suit with a thin stripe down his leg and what appeared to be a black shirt under the jacket. Lipstick, Don’t Stop, Tell Me What To Do, Diamond Sky, and Beautiful was written at the top of the page, just under his name. Burgandy is a good color for him, one of the notes said. But honestly, he looks great in any color. Also, another said, with arrows pointing to the stripe on the leg. This should be velvet in a matching shade (or in black). Minho smiled, sifting through the other sketches.

Minho picked up a sharpie, debating whether he should add his own thoughts. He decided against right away – he did not want Kibum to get mad at him for ing with his sketches – so he capped the sharpie. When he reached up to turn off the lamp once again, his gaze fell on a disheveled stack of blank papers.

Uncapping the sharpie, he scrawled a quick note and tucked it under his arm. He grabbed the Tylenol and water glass and flicked off the light. He closed the office door behind him before he headed back into Kibum’s room.

His soft snores filled the room as Minho tiptoed into the bedroom and set the note down on his nightstand. He placed the pill bottle on top of the note and the glass of water closer to the edge of the nightstand.

“Hey, I know you’re sleeping,” he said, crouching next to Kibum’s bed. “But you need to remember to drink this water as soon as you wake up, promise?” He hooked his pinky with Kibum’s, glancing up to see if he woke him, before he sealed the promise with their thumbs. “Okay.” He took his hand back and pushed Kibum’s hair off his forehead. “There’s some Tylenol too, in case you have a headache in the morning.” His phone buzzed in his pocket and he dropped his hand from Kibum’s face.

Minho stood, stretching his back before he turned to leave, and looked down at the note.

“Another thing,” he said, worrying his bottom lip. He looked between the note and Kibum, smiling. “Well, I guess you’ll see tomorrow.”

He walked over to the door, turning around to look at Kibum one last time before he flipped off the light.

- - -

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Kibum blinked himself awake. There was an unfamiliar vibrating sensation in his pocket that he felt was the most confusing thing. He rolled over, rousing his puppies from their sleep, and felt around in his pocket for what turned out to be his phone. Once he silenced his alarm, he rolled back over and covered his throbbing head with the cool side of his pillow.

He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping against hope that he would force himself to go to sleep once again.

It was, of course, to no avail.

He brought his phone up to the edge of his comforter and squinted at the brightness when he tapped his screen. 7:32am. Sighing, he flipped his phone over and sat up on his elbows. He reached for the glass of water on his nightstand and drank half of it before he noticed the bottle of pain pills.

“Way to go, drunk me,” he mumbled as he grabbed the Tylenol. He dumped three pills into his palm and popped them in his mouth, taking them all together with one drink.

Comme Des climbed into his lap as he finished his water. He nudged at Kibum's elbow when he set it back down on the nightstand next to a note. He picked Comme Des up and held him to his chest, kissing his wet nose. Wait, note? Kibum leaned over and grabbed the sheet of paper.

Kibum-ah, I love you ♡ by Choi Minho

Kibum smiled and set his chin on the top of Comme Des’ head as he read the note over again. He brushed his thumb over the messily scribbled heart. Minho’s penmanship was usually better than this…maybe he was still drunk when he wrote this? Or perhaps just in a hurry?

He looked over the note at the empty glass and the open bottle of Tylenol. Ah, it must have been Minho that left those for him this morning. It was just like him – honestly, he should have known.

Garçons trotted into his bedroom and Comme Des wriggled his way out of Kibum’s hold to join his brother on the floor. Both puppies scampered out into the hall. Kibum soon followed them, setting Minho’s note on his dresser before he left the room. They pranced by the front door as he approached the coat closet. Kibum grabbed their leashes, clipping them on and letting them lead him outside.

Kibum held both leashes in one hand and checked his notifications with the other. Three texts from his mom , one from Jjong, and two from Min. He tapped on Minho’s name.

Min

1:28am // Taemin and I made it home safe

1:29am // I meant to send that to Jonghyun, sorry

“Well, it’s still nice to know.” He opened Jonghyun’s message next.

Jjong

12:43am // Thanks for having us over last night. I had a lot of fun and I know the other’s probably did as well ^^ We should hang out together more often ^ㅂ^

Smirking, Kibum opened his texts from his mom. He looked over the top of his phone to make sure the puppies were doing their business.

♡ Mom ♡

6:22am // can you check and see when you have some extra time in your timing table

6:23am // *schedule

6:23am // Your father and I are planning a trip and we would love it if you were able to come with us, if possible

7:49am // That sounds fun, mom

7:49am // I’ll see what I can do

His puppies tugged on their leashes, eager to go back inside. Kibum unclipped their leashes once the door was closed and pocketed his phone. He kicked off his slippers and followed Comme Des and Garçons into the kitchen. They sat waiting by their food and water dishes, their tails wagging. His phone vibrated in his pocket as he scooped their kibble.

Patting their heads, he straightened and grabbed his phone. He set it on the counter – it buzzed again – next to his coffee pot and got it started before he checked his new notifications.

Min

7:54am // How are you feeling?

7:55am // Did you drink the water?

Kibum smiled at his phone, a warm, fuzzy feeling blooming in his chest. For a moment, he thought about just texting him back. He tapped the phone icon and waited for Minho to pick up.

“Hello?”

He sounded sleepy. Knowing him, he probably did not get to sleep until around 2am.

“Morning,” Kibum said, tucking his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he poured his coffee. “I’m feeling okay, actually. Just a little bit of a headache. Thanks for setting out the Tylenol and water.”

“Yeah,” Minho said, his voice smiling. “No problem.”

Kibum took his cup of coffee to the living room to assess the damage from last night, only to find that there was none. “Did you clean up too?”

“Taemin and I did.” Kibum pressed his phone over his heart, sighing. He – and Taemin, of course – was just the sweetest. He said as much to Minho, who chuckled. “Like a cinnamon roll?”

“Cinnamon…roll?” Kibum asked, confused. Minho laughed again and Kibum took a sip of his coffee as he meandered down the hallway to his bedroom. “But really, you didn’t have to clean up.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

“I know, but,” Kibum stopped in front of his dresser and straightened Minho’s note as he read it again. “Thank you.”

Kibum set his phone to speaker. He let Minho talk as he got ready for the day, interjecting occasionally when he asked Kibum a question. Once he changed out of his clothes from last night into a fresh outfit, he switched the speaker off. “Hey Min, I’m gonna go.”

“Oh, all right. Are you gonna make it to practice?”

Kibum groaned, rubbing his free hand over his eyes. “Yeah, I’ll probably be a little late though.”

“Okay, I’ll tell the others.”

“Thanks.” He plopped down on his bed and turned to look at the empty glass. “Oh, and Minho?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you, too,” he wanted to say, the words heavy on the tip of his tongue. He cleared his throat. “I’ll see you later.”

Minho laughed again, Kibum smiling at the sound. “Okay, bye.”

He hung up and glanced at the door when he heard the clicking of his puppies footsteps approaching. Garçons appeared in the open doorway first, and Kibum patted his bed for him to jump up. His tail thumped against Kibum’s leg as he scratched his tummy.

Kibum opened his Instagram and scrolled through his feed as he finished drinking his coffee. He set the mug aside once he finished it and opened his front-facing camera. He adjusted his snapback before he went back to Instagram.

He cleared his throat as he tapped camera in the top left corner and shifted on the bed to find a good angle before he went live.