(A/N: Ah yes, I know, I'm two days late, and I'm soooo sorry!! Make sure you vote on the poll so I can post the next chapter on Friday!! And again, comments feed an author's soul.)

“Kyungsoo, you absolute idiot!” Jongdae screeched, letting himself into Kyungsoo’s apartment.

He hadn’t gone out since Sunday (it was now Wednesday, as Jaehwan’s text reminded him). Instead, he’d holed up in his apartment, which was as drab in color as it had been in black and white. But he couldn’t go out and face the world. Not right now. Not ever, really. So he stayed in (caving to his curiosity on Monday night and learning the color names; that color he so loved on Jongin was red), wasting all his money on takeout, his days defined by the sofa, his bed, and the kitchen sink.

But now Jongdae barged in. Kyungsoo peeked at Jongdae over the pile of blankets, sniffling. Jongdae stopped in front of him. Kyungsoo had forgotten he’d given Jongdae a copy of the key years ago, and now sorely wished he’d never done it.

“Ok, that was mean. I’m sorry,” Jongdae said tenderly, ruffling Kyungsoo’s hair. “You’re still an idiot though.” Kyungsoo curled up further into the blankets, pulling one over his head.

“Why didn’t you tell me you saw Jongin in color?” Jongdae asked, pulling the blankets away. Shivering, Kyungsoo d blindly for them, squawking when he found Jongdae’s leg instead.

“H-how did you-“

“Figure it out? You scrambled out of that studio as soon as he walked in. And the fact that you knew his name when you sometimes forget my name,” Kyungsoo scowled at him, still searching for the blankets, but Jongdae held them hostage. “And then you not answering my calls or my texts for so many days.”

“I just wanted to be alone,” Kyungsoo sniffed. Jongdae’s eyebrows rose.

“Yeah, sure, whatever. Why didn’t you tell me?” He repeated, pulling gently on Kyungsoo’s ear. It was quiet now; just the echo of Kyungsoo’s neighbor yelling at her dog in the hallway, the distant rumble of buses, and the nearly inaudible chugging of the train along the tracks.

“Because I’m afraid,” Kyungsoo said at last.

“Afraid of what?” Jongdae knelt beside Kyungsoo, placing a hand on Kyungsoo’s knee.

“Afraid of what might happen if he doesn’t-“ Kyungsoo took a shaky breath.

“If he doesn’t see you in color?” Jongdae asked. Kyungsoo nodded, sniffling again, willing the tears to disappear. Jongdae stared at him, lost in thought, but then an excited glint appeared in his eyes. “Come to dinner with me.” Kyungsoo looked at him, faced screwed up in confusion.

“No,”

“Ah, Kyungsoo why?” Jongdae whined. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes.

“Because I don’t want to go out,” he said flatly.

“But it’ll be at my place,” Jongdae continued his whine, “And I’ll grill meat, and Chanyeol will get some soju.” He perched his chin on Kyungsoo’s knee, batting his eyelashes up at him. Kyungsoo shrugged him off.

“No,”

“Aaah, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae threw himself onto the sofa dramatically, fake sobbing until Kyungsoo poked him hard in the ribs.

“Okay, fine,” Kyungsoo grumbled, “Only if you shut up.” Jongdae flashed him a bright grin.

“You won’t regret it, Dudu,” Jongdae ruffled Kyungsoo’s hair.

“I hate it when you call me that,” Kyungsoo huffed, slapping Jongdae’s hand away.

“You love it, my dear. Anyway, my place, six o’clock,” Jongdae chirped, skipping out of Kyungsoo’s apartment. As soon as Jongdae left Kyungsoo felt his stomach sink. A list of excuses to worm his way out of this ran through his mind, but he knew Jongdae was capable of coming back to drag him out, so he resigned himself to his fate.

And now, in Jongdae’s apartment (which Kyungsoo was appreciating in color for the first time), he sat on the deep brown sofa, toying with the pale pink cushion. Chanyeol had brought him a glass of soju, which he downed instantly, and Chanyeol had laughed, refusing to bring him another one.

“If I want to get -faced, let me get -faced. I’m 22, you giant oaf,” Kyungsoo growled. Chanyeol only smiled cryptically and shuffled out of Kyungsoo’s reach. Jongdae had just started grilling the meat out on the terrace, but the mouthwatering scent had made its way into the apartment, and Kyungsoo’s stomach voiced its approval. He was tempted to go out there (Jongdae had closed it off for the winter with giant glass panels that still offered the spectacular view of the skyline, but it was still drafty, the biting winter wind worming its way in), but the warmth of the living room and the coziness of the sofa made him groggy, completely unwilling to get up. So he settled for observing from his seat.

The walls were off-white, which Kyungsoo found rather disappointing, now that he could see color, but there were framed photographs on each wall; some of Chanyeol, some of landscapes, dramatic mountains piercing through low clouds, some of Jongdae’s family, and each one so incredibly bright. But ever the artist, Jongdae had arranged them to match, so that the warmer photos were on one wall and the cooler on the others. In Jongdae’s office, Kyungsoo knew, were photos from his shoots, framed and occupying the wall space, but he really didn’t want to move, not even to see if one of those happened to be of Jongin.

In his research Kyungsoo had decided that he preferred warm colors; the soft glow of yellow, the comforting warmth of deep orange. He had a vision, then, of his apartment ablaze with warmth, from the ceiling to kitchen counter to the toothbrush on the bathroom sink. He even went as far as scouring websites for new bedclothes and paint, saving those he loved most. But for himself, he preferred blue. He was wearing it now, a soft sky blue shirt (he had always thought it was just gray) with his jeans, and deeper blue socks with lighter dots. He’d been disappointed to find out that most of his wardrobe was, in fact, colorless, just a collection of varying shades of black. He would fix it too, he thought, gradually.

But now that the shuffle of Chanyeol in the kitchen, Jongdae’s voice from the terrace, the warmth and the comfort of the sofa were all lulling him to sleep, he decided to stand. Jongdae and Chanyeol were not to be trusted, not when he had work the next day. He’d woken up one too many times with a mustache on his face, hastily scrawled with a marker (and not always above his lip). So he stood up, groaning as he stretched, and shuffled his way to the kitchen.

“Aw, you didn’t fall asleep,” Chanyeol whined. Kyungsoo glared at him, pushing past to grab a glass. “What? Our mustaches a