Kihyun takes a deep breath to steady his own racing heart, straightening his uniform jacket a bit as he beams from ear to ear at his own reflection. This is a good day for him. His face isn’t too puffy, he’s running just as early as he likes, and he’d had the energy the night before to pack a well-balanced lunch for himself… with just enough extra for a certain friend of his~

This is it. This is the day he’s going to confess. He can just feel it. Everything’s been too right this morning for him to not tell Hyungwon how he feels!

At least, that’s what he’s thinking until a certain boy from across the street pounds his fist against Kihyun’s window.

The brunet boy jumps, whirling about with a glare set behind his thick-framed rectangle glasses. Minhyuk’s smirking at him, waggling his fingers teasingly. Kihyun rolls his eyes, his glare expression shifting to a scowl, as he goes to open his window. His mattress dips under his knees as he kneels in front of the glass, unlocking it and shoving it upward with a grunt.

“Mornin,” Minhyuk greets, setting his large hands against the pane as if he’s planning to jump in. Kihyun clicks his tongue, shoving his friend back outside.

“Last time you came in through the window,” Kihyun explains at Minhyuk’s hurt frown, “you tracked dirt in all over my bedroom. I just cleaned yesterday, and I don’t want you making a mess of it again. If you want to come in, do it through the front door like a normal person.”

Minhyuk sighs dramatically, slumping forward and resting his torso against the pane, instead, half his body now in Kihyun’s room and half of it out.

“You’re so meeeeaaaaannn,” the light-haired boy whines in response. “What did I do to ever earn such treatment??” Kihyun shrugs, disembarking from his perch to check his hair one final time in the mirror.

“Just made a mess of everything you touch,” Kihyun answers mercilessly. Minhyuk only sighs again in reply, watching his same-age friend as he picks up a stray strand here or there with precise fingers. He frowns, leaning further into the room as he squints his eyes.

“Is that… gel in your hair??” he suddenly demands, outright gawking at the shorter boy. The tips of Kihyun’s ears go red, and he awkwardly clears his throat as he purposely avoids Minhyuk’s eyes.

“N-No,” he answers, sheepish at his own obvious lie. Minhyuk hums, wholly unconvinced. He glances behind himself, at the house just beside Kihyun’s… that just so happens to belong to Hyungwon himself.

“You gonna confess to our little Wonnie today~?”

“Confess what? Honestly, Min, you just talk in riddles sometimes,” Kihyun says, waving off his friend’s words. He keeps his back to the other, though, as he gathers the things still out on his desk in need of being put into his school bag.

“Whatever,” Minhyuk says flippantly, and Kihyun can practically hear the shrug the boy gives. “I’m just glad you’re finally doing it… I mean, I know it must be intimidating and all because of how popular he is, but still. It’s about time you told Hyungwon how you feel.” He pauses, watching for the effect his sincere words have on his friend. Though, when he sees Kihyun’s shoulders hike up tensely at the word ‘intimidating’, he can’t help but smirk knowingly at the chance to tease.

“After all, Hyungwon is the most popular boy at school, even if he is younger than us… He’s so pretty and thin, and you’re… well, you’re pretty good in choir? You two are just in totally different parts of the cliques at school. You’re the nice kid in the back who everyone gets to do their algebra homework, and Hyungwon’s the one in at least half the yearbook every year, and about fifty Valentine’s. He’s totally out of your league, and you still have the guts to confess? That’s impressive from where I’m sitting.”

Minhyuk props his chin in his palm, watching for an indignant reaction with a wicked twinkle in his eye. He thinks for a moment he’s gone too far, due to Kihyun’s prolonged state of apparent paralysis… But, then, Kihyun turns around, a strained smile to his face and an uneasy chuckle pushing through it.

“You get the weirdest ideas sometimes,” Kihyun tells him, apparently still in denial. “I mean, I care about Wonnie, yeah, but… not like that. He’s a good friend, and that’s it.” Minhyuk’s brow creases, staring scrutinizingly for a sign of a lie. After all, he knows he’s not wrong about Kihyun having feelings for their dongsaeng… but, is it possible Kihyun still hasn’t realized it…? He’d been sure at the last game of Truth or Dare that… well, nevermind.

If Kihyun wants to play it like this, then fine.

Minhyuk shrugs, as if Kihyun’s lack of a reaction doesn’t truly bother him despite the truth, and tells him he’ll meet him in front of the house in ten minutes. Kihyun nods, moving to shut the window after he’s gone and close the curtains.

Kihyun collapses on the bed once he’s sure Minhyuk’s gone, burying his face in his hands… He releases a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, the exhale shaking his shoulders slightly. He knows he’s always been a good liar, but damn. He’s never been able to trick Minhyuk before…

Minhyuk’s words circle round and round Kihyun’s head like vultures, picking at all the doubts his own optimism had managed to somehow bury until the other boy had somehow picked at every one and brought them to the surface. He’s right, of course. Despite their close friendship over the years, Hyungwon and Kihyun have grown to run in completely different circles. Hyungwon’s accepted with the cool kids at school, smiling his way through everything, and Kihyun’s just the choir geek in the back of the room with all the assignments done at least two weeks in advance.

The boy sighs, shaking his head as all possible hopes of a positive outcome to his plan this morning are squandered. They’re too different. It’d only ruin the friendship he has with Hyungwon if he confesses now…

He gets up, shaking Minhyuk’s voice out of his ears as he goes to get his bag and leave. He’ll never in his life tell Minhyuk he was right, but… what the other doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

 

Hyungwon steps out of his home, clutching the strap of his bag and draping it listlessly over his shoulder. He turns and sees Minhyuk already waiting for him at the usual meet-up, the lamp post smack dab in between his and Kihyun’s homes. He raises his hand in a silent greeting as he approaches, blinking slowly as he shuffles forward.

He’s only been awake for a few minutes, and he hasn’t quite gotten his bearings yet. Minhyuk nods at him, leaning against the pole and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Kihyunnie didn’t let you in through the window again?” Hyungwon asks, successfully keeping the relief from his voice. He always hates it whenever Minhyuk gets to just sneak into Kihyun’s room like that, right under his nose. Of course, he understands it, knows how close they are, but that still doesn’t mean he has to like it. Minhyuk shakes his head, pouting as he stares at Kihyun’s front door.

“No,” he replies with a sigh. “I tried, but Ki just ed at me for making a mess the last time, so he didn’t let me…” He drifts off, glancing to Hyungwon with a raised brow, the slightest of smirks playing across his thin lips. “He seemed to really be putting an effort into his looks today… He might be planning on making a move on someone special today. Can you think of who that could be?”

Hyungwon doesn’t give Minhyuk the reaction he’s so clearly looking for, only offering a halfhearted shrug despite how his heart does somersaults in his chest. The platinum blonde tries not to think that maybe, just maybe, it’s him the older is wanting to confess to…

Before he can get lost in the hypothetical, Kihyun steps out of his home, his hair styled back to show off his widow’s peak, and his uniform perfectly put on without a single crease. Hyungwon glances down at his own haphazardly put-on uniform, his shirt not tucked in at all and his tie only half tied.

Kihyun looks as perfect as always, and Hyungwon…? Well, he’s just Hyungwon.

“Good morning,” Kihyun greets, sounding as chipper as ever… even if it sounds somewhat forced. He pauses once he gets close enough to the other two, readjusting his bag slightly for better comfort. Hyungwon tilts his head to the side at how strained Kihyun’s smile seems.

“You okay?” he asks softly, shifting closer to get a better look at his friend. Kihyun blinks, his smile faltering for the most minute of seconds before he pushes an amused breath through his teeth.

“Of course I am,” he says, already reaching out to fix Hyungwon’s tie, “but you don’t seem to be. Honestly, Wonnie, you need to start going to sleep earlier to wake up earlier. You can’t keep leaving the house like this.” Hyungwon watches skeptically as Kihyun dives into his typical behaviors, it almost seeming a bit too purposeful to the younger.

“Yeah well… maybe that’ll happen when you stop nagging me about it,” he responds, deciding to play along. He can tell he’s made the right choice when Kihyun’s shoulders noticeably drop, as if he’s finally relaxing. “Ever thought about that?”

“Well, then I guess it’ll never happen,” Kihyun says, his voice oddly soft as he finishes straightening up Hyungwon’s tie. Their eyes meet for the briefest of moments before he drops the gaze, a tempest of emotions swirling behind his dimming eyes.

Hyungwon gets the urge to pull Kihyun aside, tell him how he feels right then and there… Maybe this strange behavior is because Minhyuk is right, because Kihyun is planning to confess to someone today? If so, Hyungwon most certainly can’t have that. He can’t allow Kihyun to go running off and getting together with basically everyone under the sun before they end up together, he just won’t have it.

He begins to slowly reach out and grab Kihyun by the elbow, but Minhyuk’s voice stops him.

“Should I leave you two alone~?” Minhyuk asks teasingly. “You know, to talk ~?” Hyungwon glances between the two boys curiously, wondering what Minhyuk must be talking about now. Kihyun rolls his eyes, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

“Just drop it, Min,” Kihyun tells him, stepping back a couple paces from Hyungwon. The younger feels the gap between them as if it were a whole other person, feeling strangely cold. Of course, that’s nothing compared to the chilling iceberg his heart becomes at Kihyun’s next phrase. “It’s not like that between me and him, we’re just friends.”

Him . Whose… ‘him’? Who is this other boy whose stolen Hyungwon’s Kihyunnie away from him???

“Should we go?” Hyungwon prompts, turning on his heel and marching off before either can respond. He glares down at the cement as he walks, chewing on the tip of his thumb thoughtfully. He has to figure out who this other boy is, and fast. He has to save Kihyun from making the biggest mistake of his life by confessing to the wrong boy.

He has to show Kihyun how right they are for each other before it’s too late.