Changkyun ate an entire box of Mac and Cheese for lunch after his disastrous time in class today. He was surprised that he had, considering that he never ate that much ever, but he supposed his body needed a good fill up to repair how downtrodden he felt, even though unconventional and not substantial. At least he was eating at all. 

The comfort of unhealthy food had replaced the embarrassment of his impromptu burst of emotions and hormones in class in front of fifteen people that he didn't even know. He only knew their names and they only knew his name, but now they knew that he was an emotional wreck of a person and couldn't control himself when it came to the slightest bit of criticism. Critique was a critical part of art and was included on the agenda for today's class, and Changkyun had been expecting some of the commentaries coming since he had identified them himself the night before, but hearing it from someone else hit him in the wrong spot and hurt his heart. It ended up harming him more than he had expected and the result was a few shed tears and the need to hide his mouth before any sobs could rip through. He was a grown man and grown men don't cry after someone points out something he could work on. 

It had been his first class of the day, his 8 am drawing class and he had spent all night finishing a landscape that his teacher had assigned weeks ago. It was of a beach, referenced from a picture he had taken with his family years ago on vacation. It held a simpler time on its shores and Changkyun couldn't complain about that trip they had taken. He had been a freshman in high school, still bright-eyed and hopeful, finding no immediate reason to hide away the way he did now. He remembers being immensely happy during that trip, and it was distressing how hard of a turn time took on him and the way it changed the way he looked at everything. Looking at the picture he had taken all those years ago set an aura of calm over him as he recalled all the details and small memories he had made with his family, especially with his brother. And now, he would associate that picture with the day he broke down in front of people in his grade. The positive memories would be clouded by shame of his actions and he wouldn't be able to focus on the positive aspects without conceptualizing an image of humiliation and how small he had felt in the moment. 

He had been called up to the front of the class to present his sketch, prop it on the blackboard of the art studio so the semi-circle of his classmates could see it and formulate opinions about it. It had taken a few minutes with in-depth speculation before his teacher spoke up, informing the class that they would be starting the critique portion of the assignment. A lump was stuck in Changkyun's throat, but he held it together for the first few speakers even when breathing felt difficult and his stomach was turning. He wanted to lay down. 

The first few people spoke graciously, delivered positive feedback on his style and technique, praising what they had learned in class together. It replaced that ill feeling with a flutter in his heart and he thought that maybe everything was going to be okay, confidence building and looking forward to the praise that was bound to come next. Only, it didn't come.
 
The next comment wasn't anything malicious, it was constructive and voiced nothing but enthusiasm for improvement, “The foreground is too boring and it’s a bit too large before the middle ground makes contact with the eye, and then there's not much room left for the background. It just seems a little lost," she had pointed out, brows furrowed as she concentrated on what she had thought. Art was subjective, everyone knew that, but she had a point. Changkyun has missed the mark with interest and he realized that, it had been something he agonized over the night before and the moment he laid eyes on his work again this morning. This girl was stating her opinion and he didn't always have to take it to heart, but this time around, he did. 

It was trivial yet it hit Changkyun so hard. The entire comment didn't sit well with Changkyun and it was enough for him to start crying right then and there, after muttering a cracked, "Okay," in an attempt to appear collected, the first tear fell and he rushed to wipe it away before it slipped past his cheek, but it was already too late. He was supposed to thank the reviewer for their comment, but that single tear made its landing on his cheek and it had released a flood gate of tears and hurt feelings, no room for words in-between. He did his best to hold it back so they could continue with critique, but he couldn't stop now. The best he could do now was intercept cries from leaving his mouth so he didn't look like more of a fool. The tears continued to fall and it had taken his art teacher speaking up for this harrowing show to stop.

Mrs. Kwon stood and walked up to Changkyun, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder before speaking with her voice low, comforting and an attempt to not upset him further, "Why don't you take a breather? You can go outside if need be and you don't have to do critique anymore," Changkyun sniffled and nodded, furiously wiping at his eyes to rid them of the salty tears he could taste on his lips. They had half an hour of class left and with attendance policies, he couldn't leave or that would count as an absence. If he had the choice, he would go back to his dorm and lay in bed until his next class, "Can I speak with you after class? Just you and me?" she questioned next and while Changkyun wanted to shut the idea down entirely, this was his teacher. If he didn't comply that could mean bad news for him and an awkward relationship with someone he would need to speak to for many more months to come. His answer was a curt nod as he sniffled and wiped his eyes. He turned to take his drawing down but it was his teacher who made the move and grabbed it, neatly folding the sketch pad and setting it among the other students' already critiqued drawings. She offered a small smile but it wasn't returned, not like she expected it to be. 

Changkyun left the studio to take a moment to compose himself and regain his breathing. Thinking he was in the clear, he sat down on a bench that was placed outside in the courtyard and let loose the few lingering tears that clung to his lashes. They were almost out of his system when the sound of the studio opened, that familiar creak and screech of old metal alarming him out of his stupor. The classmate who made the comments was walking out of the studio with a searching and concerned glint in her eyes. Locking glances with Changkyun, she jogged over to him and he wiped at his eyes again. As far as first impressions go, this was not a pleasant one to recall. He shouldn't be crying when she was formally speaking to him. 

"Changkyun," she addressed when she was in front of him, with apologetic eyes and a frown tilting her lips. Her name was Soohyun and she was a sophomore, "I'm sorry for what I said, I didn't know it would hurt you like that, I'm really sorry," she didn't even know the extent of what she was apologizing for. His emotional breakdown wasn't her fault, it was entirely him and him only, and she didn't know why. Mood swings had been getting the best of him lately, and today was no exception. It just happened to occur during class and in front of other people whom he didn't know, "Despite what I said, I really liked your style and technique. You did so well on the water and the highlights." 

Her apology, while cautious and with good intention, was making it worse for Changkyun as he tried to cope with everything that had happened. Being as blind-sided as he was, the embarrassment was creeping back into his system and he was starting to cry again. His eyes grew heavy with tears and they slipped past his lashes once more to join the streams on his cheeks. Changkyun quickly buried his face into his hands to block the angry twist of emotions he was experiencing from Soohyun's sight. He was so, horribly embarrassed, and all he wanted to do was leave, lay in bed, and not talk to anyone for the rest of the day. Not even Hyungwon. Class didn't seem worth it when he felt like this. 

"Again, I'm so sorry," Soohyun apologized again before leaving to return back to class with a heavy, downtrodden heart. Her attempts at reconciliation were futile and she felt as though she made everything worse. To reiterate, it wasn't her fault in the slightest. She was just doing as she was told to do by their professor, and nothing was even directed at Changkyun, it was directed at his drawing. Critique was permanently in their line of work and it wasn't worth the detrimental effects of this emotional breakdown. 

Changkyun hated being pregnant. Nothing about any of it was positive and he wasn't even halfway through, not even close. This kid was causing him so much trouble and he was going crazy with all that his body was going through. It was moments like this where he wishes he had gotten that abortion and gotten rid of this issue he had created for himself. If he had in the first place, he wouldn't be breaking down like an incompetent idiot in front of his whole class. He wouldn't be needing to speak to his teacher after class and he wouldn't be further embarrassing himself in front of the girl who made him cry. 

An agonizing half-hour later, the saltiness of tears was still fresh and sticking to Changkyun's lips. Crying had made him exhausted and he felt his head start to pound, but by that time, his classmates were starting to depart from the studio and his professor was the last one to leave and she had stuck her head out in search of Changkyun. The anxiety Changkyun was feeling before was returning by the second and he wanted to high tail it out of there, but Mrs. Kwon was smiling and waving him over in such an encouraging and considerate manner. It was like Changkyun was on autopilot as he stood up and obeyed her direction as though he was a child and put in trouble. Changkyun was relating this to a vague memory he had of a moment when he was a child with his mother. He had tried to pour himself a cup of milk and had missed the cup entirely, instead making a puddle of it on the kitchen linoleum. He had started crying and his mother had run into the room with fear in her eyes that was soon turning to fire and brimstone upon seeing the mess. That expression had stuck in Changkyun's memory for years despite that he wasn't afraid of her in that way anymore. She had spanked him hard as a way to teach him a lesson about independence at such a young age. His mother was a huge advocate for spanking and physically punishing her children. As a developing parent, Changkyun made the mental note that he would never do that to his kid ever. He would be much more patient and much more understanding, turning that into a learning opportunity rather than relating it to punishment. 

Thinking of parenting now when the actual kid was still so far away was a little scary, a bit of a culture shock. But thinking how well he was going to parent his kid was reassuring, made his stomach churn a little less and made his spine straighten out the slightest bit more. Confidence sat in his chest, confidence that he could treat this kid right if he had the funds and enthusiasm as others did. 

But right now he had to speak with his teacher and possibly fabricate a lie in way of explanation of his sudden outbreak. He'd had no plan to speak to this teacher or any other teacher of this semester about his pregnancy, he would need to next semester as he starts getting heavily pregnant. There was no need to tell anyone now, but with the way everything was heading, he was sure he would need to tell the truth. He surely couldn't blame his tears on the critique responses when he had never had an issue receiving them before. He was never one to show emotion in class anyway unless it was through paint and a paintbrush, or a pencil. 

Mrs. Kwon could read his emotions thoroughly through the way he drew and painted, full of palpable emotion and effortless fluidity. She had seen his paintings before, even though they were in the drawing class. He had sampled his artwork to her when she had asked to see, wanting to get a feel of his work. He was in no painting class currently, but he would be in the next semester and Mrs. Kwon was looking forward to the days where he would spend hours in the studio and paint his day away. Painting was his major and he for sure showed incredible talent in it. His works were always so impressive and stood out among the other students because unlike them, the best way he could eloquently express himself was through his craft. This week's piece, however, lacked that familiar style he so professionally portrayed. It was sloppy, shaky, the lines weren't clean when he would usually be so meticulous about it. His heart had not been in the right mindset for any of this assignment and Mrs. Kwon had been able to tell. She just didn't know why one of her prized pupils was so down and out of the creative loop and process. She was hoping she could get to the bottom of this without egging him on and making him feel like he was being investigated. 

Settled down on a stool for herself and a chair for Changkyun, they sat in awkward silence as both tried to figure out what to say and how to say it. Mrs. Kwon was facing Changkyun while Changkyun was facing the ground, avoiding eye contact with his hands clutched in his lap and his leg bouncing in anxiety. She had no idea why he was acting this way, but she figured that this was something so upsetting to him that it was hard for him to address it without feeling like he was giving too much away. Friendly conversation was supposed to be the starting point of this whole ordeal and that was the best Mrs. Kwon could do to help Changkyun out. 

"What did you think of the assignment?" she started, finding it hard to begin when Changkyun was so reluctant to speak. The assignment had left a lot to interpretation and Changkyun was the type to take his chances and go for something challenging. He showed amazing promise with his work and she knew he would do the same this time around. His work was still pleasing to look at, but nothing about it read Changkyun. And she wanted to know why. 

Changkyun lifted his eyes, making contact with Mrs. Kwon's for half a second before evading and darting to look back down at the ground again. Even he couldn't deny that he hadn't felt it in his heart to do the assignment. Putting his effort and creativity into the piece had been a huge struggle when all he could think about was how nauseous he was and how bloated he had been the entire time he had been in the studio. He was self-conscious and out of it and his effort going into his drawing was almost not there. But she didn't know that. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably so, trying his hardest not to showcase just how distressed he was and spoke, "I liked the idea, it gave me a lot of freedom and ideas to work with," he sniffled, a leftover tear running from his nose and onto his philtrum. He was quick to wipe it away, not wanting to expose such a vulnerable side to his teacher for the second time within an hour, "It was alright," he whimpered, struggling to will his emotions away and hide his outward issues. The contradiction would have been comical if it had been anyone other than him. 

This was hard for Mrs. Kwon to watch when her students were struggling in such a way, didn't want to press him further if he was just going to cry more, but she also had to figure out what was bothering him so, "Did you like how you executed your work?" she asked, knowing the direction of the answer she was going to receive, "Did you get enough time to finish it?" she had guessed that maybe the stress of the assignment was a likely reason for his episode, but she also knew there was more to it. 

Changkyun cleared his throat with a hum, grunts to hide his cries, "I had enough time..." he started, knowing that he had a different answer for the first question, easing her into the ways of his emotions. His his dry lips in hesitation, "But I'm not too happy with how I did everything," he had been thinking of something else entirely, "I wish I had done better." 

"What would you have changed looking at it now? Would you have done anything differently?" Mrs. Kwon asked, an innocent question really. It wasn't difficult, something every artist was asked when faced with their artwork, but mentally, Changkyun had a different answer for her entirely. But verbally, it would have been too radical to speak out loud. 

I wouldn't have wimped out at my abortion appointment, he thought to himself. It was harsh and rude, very inconsiderate of the child that he was pregnant with, but he still could not deny how much easier it would be if he had just had that abortion. And with the way his emotions were playing out, the guilt of having thought of both sides of that argument with this living thing that was now inside of him was bringing tears to his eyes again and was having his hands lifted to cover his mouth as a sob slipped past. The wishy-washy attitude he felt towards his own child's life was disturbing to him and it wrenched his heart dramatically. It was enough to get him crying once more and harder the first time. 

Mrs. Kwon was startled, to say the least, and all she could do was sit there and try to calm Changkyun down. She grabbed a box of tissues that sat close by and scooted them closer to Changkyun just in case he needed to use any. It was an almost immediate reaction as Changkyun pulled a sheet from the flower-patterned box and brought it to his eyes, greedily soaking up the tears that spilled past his lids. He was keeping the sobs at bay and was only allowing tears to spill. He very well couldn't hold those back as easily and wails. A few minutes passed before he settled further enough for Mrs. Kwon asked another question, less invasive and more kind, "Is there anything I can do to help?" 

Changkyun shook his head because there was absolutely nothing she could do to help him, "I wish you could, but you can't. Thank you for the offer," he had to remember to be polite.

"Why can't I?"

Changkyun hesitated for a few seconds, fighting with himself before he finally looked up to face his professor and more or less whispered, "Because it's difficult," it was getting harder to hold back. 

"Why is it difficult?"

Changkyun faltered and ran a trembling hand through his dark hair, brushing it off his forehead and out of his eyes before finally giving up, before finally revealing, "Because I'm pregnant," might as well just say it out loud. There was no use playing this irritating game anymore. It was easier if she just knew. He wouldn't need to tiptoe around it anymore and keep this giant secret to just himself. 

Mrs. Kwon's eyes widened and she unintentionally gaped, flabbergasted. She herself had one child and that was hard enough, and she had been in her early thirties and married with a stable and well-paying job at the university already. Changkyun was 18, in school, not married, and had no stable job. He worked in the snack bar. His situation was bringing on her anxiety and there was no way she could know how he felt, but the first thing she could think to say, since he was having a baby, was, "Congratulations," with the softest smile she could muster, she was portraying the excitement that should come with having a baby. She was displaying confidence in hopes that Changkyun could feel it for himself, "Having a baby is an exciting thing." 

"Not when you're in college," Changkyun huffed, wiping his running nose with the sleeve of his hoodie, "I'm about three months now, due around finals week. So even better," it was sarcastic of course, anyone would think so with the details. His eyes fell to the ground again, "I'm in for a world of hurt," it was a reality that he had somehow come to accept already, maybe since after the moment he had decided against the abortion entirely. Life wasn't easy, but it was surely going to get worse from now on. Every day was getting harder and every day his sanity and will to live were both cracking down to a point where he wanted to give up entirely. 

Mrs. Kwon frowned, sympathy wanting to kick in and tell him that he was going to be okay, but she couldn't confirm nor deny that. All that she could show him was support and the promise that she'll be present if he needs someone to talk to. She had been taught as a teacher to keep a connection with her students and that was all she could offer to Changkyun now, "A world of hurt with the opportunity to be a good father," she assured, taking a step in a different direction, "Parenting is hard, but if you show as much passion for this child as you do for art, then I think you'll do a pretty good job. Don't you think?" she asked, hoping to bring attention to that small detail. Changkyun had the capability of parenting well, but thinking about that ahead from now, it seemed impossible. She understood that. 

"Parenting is different from painting," Changkyun noted, stating the obvious. A relation was hard to pinpoint at first when all he was focusing on were the negatives, "I've never taken care of a child in my life, and I'll be stuck with one until I die with no way out of it." 

"But I know you're capable of doing so," Mrs. Kwon assured quickly, not giving Changkyun more time to self deprecate, "You're careful and pay attention to detail, you care and leave nothing untouched or unfinished, the same thing and concepts can go into caring for children," she took a short breath, "With the way that you can immerse yourself in your work, the same thing can happen with your baby." 

Your baby. He's still not used to hearing that. 

"I know it seems intimidating, but you can do it. I'm proud of you for coming this far even," she paused, aspiring to word her next part accurately and eloquently without pandering to Changkyun's doubts, "I'm very impressed by your decision to keep your baby," Changkyun paused a moment and nodded, hesitantly keeping eye contact. It hadn't been an easy conclusion to come to, "Today, in modern times, children aren't as valued in society. They're treated like disposables, they can be thrown away, but that's not what children need. Children need us to care and raise them,they need us to take the chance to actually love and care for them. But you, I have faith in you."

"Why?" Changkyun asked, shell-shocked. 

Mrs. Kwon smiled knowingly, "You're not the type to give up that easily."

How Changkyun wished he could prove her wrong, but it was true. Giving up had never been his forte, he always tried his best and that typically lead to results he wanted in the end. He could very easily tell her that he had almost gotten an abortion, but then again, he had refused to give up on his kid then. Giving up wasn't something he aspired to do and usually, he managed enough to. And relating that to her previous statement of lack of value in children, Changkyun couldn't help but think that he was giving into that same idea when it came to his baby. Guilt gripped at his heart and he couldn't help but feel the need to cry, but he couldn't now. 

"You're going to be a wonderful father," Mrs. Kwon finalized with a smile and a gentle pat to his knee, comforting and enough to calm Changkyun down, "Don't doubt that. And I want you to know that I am here for you, and if you need help in class I can work something out with you when it comes to it. Deadlines, workload, attendance if needed, anything that you'll need to adjust and arrange as you go through this. I want to make this easier for you." 

Changkyun felt tears prick at his tear ducts but not in guilt or sadness, but in relief and happiness at someone having so much confidence in him. This was all he wanted even when he was still so reluctant on the whole situation. Support from outside his friend group was wonderful, "Thank you," he uttered under his breath, afraid of his voice cracking, "That means a lot." 

"I'm glad to hear that," Mrs. Kwon remained composed until her eyes widened and she was smiling, "And when the little tyke is born, I expect to see him or her at least once." 

Changkyun laughed lightheartedly and nodded, "Of course. I'll have to check your office hours and bring them over when I'm not busy." 

Mrs. Kwon laughed, genuine and so warm, "Office hours are always open to you and your baby," you and your baby, that sounded so odd, but it had a ring to it. The smallest hint of sentiment hitting him right in the heart and making his fingertips tingle, "Just make sure to email me first," another joke and Changkyun was feeling so much better with her encouragement and light humor. 

Changkyun left the studio with both a light and a heavy heart, glad that his teacher had been so kind but distressed about his earlier episode and the effects it would have on his classmates. To help with the distress he was still feeling, he was going right back to his dorm and was going to eat lunch and take a nice and long nap. He needed that. All the Mac and Cheese he ended up eating was worth it and knocked him into a food coma, sleeping enough to satisfy that need to sleep between classes. He woke up ready for his next class of the day and was ready to learn and apply himself with a new outlook. He didn't need to be so stressed today, not when his own professor was supporting him and was there for him. 

-------

As it turns out, Changkyun was proven wrong. He had every reason to be stressed and this time it was all thanks to Minhyuk. While his actions had been unintentional and accidental, it was still something that brought him a huge amount of stress when he returned to the dorm after his last class of the day. 

Their dorm had clean checks on Wednesday afternoons and since Changkyun worked through the time window when the checks took place, he had done his cleaning earlier and had left it in hopes that his roommates would be considerate and leave it the way they found it. Failing multiple clean checks could add up to fines and with a baby to think about, Changkyun was trying to avoid fines and spending excessive amounts of money, especially when he was going to move out after the semester. Collecting fines before he left was irresponsible and he needed to evade it at all costs, literally. His parents wouldn't stand for it either, they wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he let it happen. One of many things he wouldn't hear the end of if they found out. 

Out of the eight people that lived in their dorm unit, Minhyuk had been the only one home for most of the afternoon. His last class of the day had been canceled and he had taken that opportunity to go back to the dorm and relax while also doing his clean check. A realistically fifteen-minute job of cleaning the small kitchen had turned into half an hour with how slow and how distracted he'd been. He had just recently started a new show on Netflix and it had been so good that it had been hard to find a stopping point. So while he was wiping counters he had taken maybe ten breaks and doing the already minimal dishes had taken more time than necessary. At least he finished in the end and he had plenty of time to watch another full episode if he wanted to. 

But instead of laying down and relaxing like he usually would have, he had noticed that Kihyun's side of the room had been a little disheveled and knowing his roommate's schedule by heart, he knew that the slightly younger man wouldn't have time to come home and straighten everything out in time for their resident assistant. He knew that he had cleaned that morning, but his own room had been neglected, meaning he would only pass half of the clean check. Minhyuk wasn't the type to just commit to favors or acts of service without reward, but Kihyun was pretty great, he liked the boy a lot and he knew that he would do the same for him. So he took that initiative to straighten out his belongings and did so promptly, much faster than he had done with the kitchen. Feeling proud of himself, he plopped back onto his bed to finish his show. 

Eventually, their RA arrived and Minhyuk was still the only one in the dorm. He was getting lonely not having anyone to talk to and since he was friends with the RA, he figured he might as well step out and speak with him. So that's what he did. He opened his door and peeked his head out to be met with Daehyun with a clipboard in hand in their sitting area. Minhyuk smiled and spoke, "Hey," he greeted with that smile that everyone was so familiar with. Minhyuk's smile was endearing and warm, and despite his actions, he was actually very friendly and could easily make friends with everyone, "How ya doing?" 

Daehyun looked up from his clipboard and smiled wide, "Hey, Minhyuk! I'm doing alright, how are you?" he spoke as he checked the sitting area, making sure everything was paid attention to and organized correctly. That had been Changkyun's area and he had done a pretty good job. He was for sure passing. 

"I'm bored out of my mind. I need more shows to watch," Minhyuk offered as he sat at the dining room table placed in the sitting room. He watched as Daehyun moved into the kitchen, done with the sitting room. There wasn't much to that area to finish and Changkyun had done such a good job. There was no need to go in-depth, "The show I'm watching now started strong but then got boring and I need something else to watch in between those boring, filler episodes."

"You can never have too many to watch at once," Daehyun commented with a chuckle, playing along with Minhyuk before finally putting him in his place, "You're ridiculous."

"I need to keep myself entertained somehow!" Minhyuk defended himself, standing up to stand next to Daehyun, "If a show doesn't keep my attention through every episode then it's not doing its job correctly." 

"How do you ever finish anything?" Daehyun asked as he shook his head, running his finger across one of the cabinets and lifting it to find dust sticking to his skin. He grimaced, scowling at the dust that stuck to his finger. He hated dust, "Jeongmin skimped on the dusting this week," Daehyun noted as he wrote on the clipboard. It wasn't major enough for him to get fined, but it was something that he would need to do again once he got home. He very well couldn't leave it for the next person to clean. Jeongmin would need to clean it properly and go to the RA's office to request a recheck. 

Minhyuk cooed, "Ah, he's had a rough week. I think his girlfriend broke up with him, he's been coming home earlier than he usually would." 

"Ah, that would make sense why he's not been breaking curfew," curfew was at two in the morning and Daehyun was usually awake for the bed check shift. Every time he did check, without fail, Jeongmin would be gone but in the last two he had done, he had been in bed and already asleep. It had been such a shock to see and a shock to not write down in the dorm's database that he had yet again missed curfew. He had a collection of fines racking up from all the rules he had broken already, but it was only ever being out too late. Other than that, he was the perfect tenant, "I was starting to think he was sick or something." 

Minhyuk followed Daehyun around the unit and chatted along the way until he was done checking everything off of his list. Every room and every area had been checked and it all looked good. Everything was clean and neat and no one was going to be given a warning this week minus Jeongmin, but even his was going to be minor. The last thing on his agenda was to check the cleaning supplies that the unit had and if anything required a replacing then he would make a note and make sure to arrange refills. All of those supplies were supposed to be kept under the sink in the kitchen and after checking the bathroom he returned to the sink and opened the cupboards. 

The familiar and transparent bottles that were distributed by the dorm office and resident assistants were not under the sink and that had him frowning, but then he realized that the bottles were replaced with different ones, organic and natural cleaners. He wasn't sure the levels of clean they all achieved, so he removed one to read the label and ingredient list, “These aren’t the cleaning supplies we gave you,” Daehyun stated. He had no problem with different cleaning supplies provided by the tenants, but it wasn’t really something he saw happen in their dorm. Or ever in his RA career. Guys didn’t typically change their cleaning supplies, and Daehyun knew this because he wouldn’t. College guys weren't that mature and weren't as environmentally aware as these cleaning supplies were declaring, "What even are these?" they were all so natural and organic that he wasn't even sure what they would clean. 

“Hm?” Minhyuk hummed inquisitively as he spared a glance at the bottle Daehyun held in his hand. He hadn't been paying attention before, “Oh yeah! Kihyun replaced the other bottles in favor of these, I think the old ones are in the pantry," he paused for a moment, sending a glance towards the small pantry in their kitchen, "He says they’re better for Changkyun or something.”

Daehyun furrowed his brows in a confused frown and placed the spray bottle back under the sink where he found it, turning to face Minhyuk, “What do you mean by that?” his first thought had been allergies to different chemicals and compounds that could be found in cleaners, but that also didn't make sense. He wasn’t even sure if chemicals were something you could be allergic to. He had no idea and he was honestly curious. 

Minhyuk shrugged, not thinking too intently on his next response and no grasp of any consequence that could follow, “It’s probably better for the baby.” 

Oh Minhyuk, think before you speak. 

The pause Daehyun had taken was a few seconds too long but what he had just heard was startling and it had reset his entire brain, “Baby?” asked he, clarifying if what he heard was true or if he was making that up entirely in some random fever dream. Which didn't make sense since he was perfectly healthy and not sick at all, "Changkyun is having a baby?" 

Realizing what he had said and how nonchalantly it had been delivered, Minhyuk felt his throat dry up and his chest clench. He had told yet another person about Changkyun's pregnancy and he wasn't even supposed to tell the first person, especially not him. Now he'd told two different people on two separate occasions with no taking back his words. Minhyuk made no move to answer and he instead stared at the floor with wide eyes, shocked by his own words. 

That was enough of an answer for Daehyun and now he had a major problem on his hands, voicing that aloud, “Changkyun can’t live in the dorms while pregnant,” this wasn't part of their training as resident assistants, a rule being that pregnant tenants were not allowed to live in the dorm buildings, but he had never been told how to go about a situation like this. He didn't know Changkyun and he didn't know his side of the story, but he wasn't allowed to let him live here after retaining that piece of knowledge. 

Minhyuk looked up and started to panic, “Wait, why not?”

Daehyun let his clipboard fall to the side as he sighed, running a hand through his fringe and knocking it out of his eyes so he could face Minhyuk, “Liability issues, if he were to get injured on the grounds and sue us for whatever reason, then we'd be held responsible. We have to cancel his contract entirely.”

“Wait, what?! You can’t do that!” Minhyuk exclaimed, hands raised up in front of him as though he were beginning to beg, "Please, don't do that to him," he was quickly growing frantic, "You're my bro, bro code is still a thing! Come on man, don't do this to Changkyun," he stretching for an excuse and a reason why he shouldn't tell the head honchos, the housing office, of this pregnancy and Changkyun. Bro code didn't apply to pregnancy, was never really added in there or considered part of the rules. 

Daehyun did hold a glint of guilt in his eyes, downturned in an unsure frown. He was always pretty practical, it was too much to ask of him this favor, "If anything happens and I didn't notify the housing office beforehand then that's more of an issue. I'll get in so much trouble, I could lose my job."

"What about Changkyun?! You can't just kick him out, can't he just stay in the dorm until the semester ends? Where is he going to go if he's kicked out?!" Minhyuk was frantic, feeling his heart in his throat. But he was also becoming angry, was feeling hostility bubble up his throat and threaten to crawl out in a flashy show of physical presentation. He was so distressed. Daehyun could easily let this slide by but he was a stickler for rules, he always had been and that made him such a good candidate for an RA. 

"I shouldn't even be discussing this with you, you're not Changkyun and this is a personal matter he and I should discuss alone," Daehyun attempted to steer the conversation out of the direction it was heading, noting how upset Minhyuk was getting, "There's not much I can do." 

"Daehyun, just leave it be, don't tell anyone. You can't just distress this part of his life and make it harder for him to deal with all these changes. He's already dealing with a lot as it is!" Minhyuk was so close to jumping over the reasonable line and into hysteria. He was apoplectic, "Pretend this conversation never happened and move on. Changkyun is moving off campus at the end of the semester and he's no that far along. He can hide it until next semester and no one will know! Seriously, there's no need to be such a jerk about this."

"Look, there's no need to be rash. He'll be fine and he's already low-key, he won't make a big deal about it and he's healthy, nothing will happen that will cause liability issues. Please Daehyun, I'll do anything to keep you from spilling the news, anything," desperation was heavy in his voice and it was painfully palpable, "Please."

A few seconds of silence followed and finally, Daehyun spoke, ending the conversation entirely. 

"No offense, but I don't even know him that well," Daehyun huffed as he announced and that realization reminded Minhyuk that indeed, Daehyun only knew him from the few times he went and checked his room when he was there. Daehyun didn't know Changkyun, and if Minhyuk still didn't really know him he'd have done the same thing. Ashamed to say, Minhyuk retired his anger and made for a calmer sense because there was no winning this. Daehyun was going to do what he needed to do and due to Minhyuk's carelessness, "I've got to move on. I'm sorry," Daehyun stated before turning. Before he walked through the door, he turned back around with his job still at the forefront of his mind, he turned over his shoulder, "You passed your clean check. Congratulations." 

Minhyuk nodded, facing the ground and scratching at the loose skin close to his nails. He was upset and guilt-ridden, wanting to hit himself at how stupid he had been. He really can't be mad at Daehyun, it's his fault for opening his big mouth. 

Daehyun still stood there, feeling his own sense of guilt. Don't get him wrong, he understood the severity of the situation and what it meant if he were to tell other people about Changkyun's pregnancy. He was simultaneously considering what Changkyun was going through and Minhyuk made sure he did. Daehyun was considerate, he wasn't a bad guy, but he had to admit he was thinking more of himself than Changkyun when comparisons of their situations came to light. He needed this job though and if he were to lose it, there was no way he could pay for anything. His family didn't have a lot of money, it had been hard to make ends meet as a child. He was paying his way entirely through college and if he were to lose his job then he would have to go home and work, putting his education on hold. There was a lot at risk, a lot to consider, and yet, Daehyun felt terrible about his stance he was fronting for Minhyuk. He couldn't let it stay. 

"I'll think about it, but I can't be for certain," Minhyuk spared a hopeful glance and made eye contact with Daehyun. There was no smile and no promise, but Minhyuk noticed a glint of sympathy in his eyes. Daehyun was being kind, but he still couldn't make a promise, "Have a good night," he wished with a turn of his head and hurried step out the door. He was gone in a fleeting second, leaving Minhyuk with his thoughts and the contemplation of what to do. He had to tell Changkyun what he did because he surely couldn