Kihyun and Hoseok sit side by side, knees touching, at the center of the couch. All summer they’ve been fighting tooth and nail to avoid these very seats, but now it’s the only place left. 

“Kihyun, Hoseok,” Julie Chen says from the monitor, her expression coolly warm. “The jury is finished voting. Now, I’ll read each of the names on the keys, giving the final tally here, live on CBS.” Hoseok reaches over, clenching onto Kihyun’s hand with a deathly tight grip. Kihyun squeezes back gently, turning to offer the older a comforting smile. The man visibly eases, his shoulders dropping slightly as his eyes are filled with love. 

Kihyun had been mentally prepared for many things coming into this house. The constant drama, the being watched constantly, the fact there’d be a lot of houseguests not bothering to clean up after themselves... But, he hadn’t been prepared for this. 

He hadn’t been prepared to find true love.