Jongwoon couldn't recall the last time he had a proper sleep. Was it two days ago? Four days? Or had it already been a week? He truly couldn't remember it. His exhausting mind wasn't in a state to do that. It was a pure suffering yet he still stubbornly refused to go to Kyuhyun for help. He was determined to not give himself any chance to fall in love with Kyuhyun, even though he had to trade it with his health.

 

"Jongwoon, seriously, you have to see a doctor!"

"Heebongie, I told you that I'm fine. Stop worrying over me."

 

Jongwoon said and walked away from his friend. Heechul didn't give up and quickly caught up with him, much to his annoyance.

 

"Fine? Oh, yes, you're so ing fine with those dark circles! Did you know that you're paler than a ghost now? Please, I'm worried about you!"

"No need to see a doctor. You know that I've been living with insomnia for my whole life and there're times when things take a turn for the worst. Really, I'll eventually get over it."

"But your insomnia has never been this bad! Jongwoon-ah, it's been one week already that you haven't had a proper sleep. Those short naps during the day aren't going to help you and you know it!"

"Jeez, Heechul, I told you that I'll be alright! I know you're worried about me but stop bothering me already!"

"See? You're not yourself at all! Is Kyuhyun the reason that you can't sleep? I'm going to kill him!"

 

Upon hearing his roommate's name, Jongwoon stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around to face his friend with a scowl on his face.

 

"Don't you ing dare touch him! You're my friend but I swear if something happens to him, I'm going to punc-"

 

He didn't get to finish his sentence because he felt something wet dripped down from his nose. He brushed his nose with his cuff and was shocked to see blood. He quickly tried to stop the nosebleed by holding his cuff against his nose but it didn't work. Blood came out more and dyed his white cuff red in no time. Suddenly, he felt so light-headed that he couldn't stand straight. The last thing he saw before darkness enveloped his vision was Heechul's extremely worry expression.

.

.

.

Heechul caught his friend before the man slumped to the ground. Jongwoon had lost his consciousness but his nosebleed didn't stop. He quickly carried his friend on his back and ran to the infirmary. On the way there, he kept blaming himself for not interfering sooner despite knowing well how stubborn Jongwoon was. Tears began to blur his vision when he felt his shoulder turned slightly damp, probably from Jongwoon's nosebleed.

 

Jongwoon, you must hang in there! I won't let anything happen to you!

 

Heechul swore to himself as he picked up his speed. The weight on his back wasn't as heavy as the one in his heart.

.

.

.

"Kyuhyun,"

"Don't bother me. I'm killing the boss now."

"Isn't that your roommate Kim Jongwoon? What happened to him?"

 

Kyuhyun literally slammed his Nintendo switch on a table when he heard his roommate's name. Looking up, he saw Jongwoon lying unconsciously on another man's back who was running crazily, probably his best friend Kim Heechul. His heart dropped to the floor as soon as he caught a glimpse of a red strain on Jongwoon's lower face and Kim Heechul's shoulder.

 

"C-Changmin, I, I nee-"

"Go. I know you're worried about him. I'll kill the boss in your place."

 

Kyuhyun smiled weakly at his friend in gratitude. Changmin took the game console from him and continued the game while shooing him with his gaze. Without hesitation, he stood up and ran off to where those two went to, the infirmary.

.

.

.

.

"Lack of sleep and stress are the cause of his nosebleed. I already stop it so he's out of danger. However, he is in urgent need of good sleep. I suggest your friend takes a sick day for about three or four days doing nothing but take a rest."

 

Heechul sighed in relief once he heard the examination result from the college nurse. Looking at his friend who slept like a corpse on a bed, he felt like crying just seeing that white paper face.

 

"What happened to Jongwoon!? Is he alright!?"

 

Heechul frowned when he heard a familiar voice. Looking up, he saw Kyuhyun panting heavily at the door, a bead of sweats all over his face. The man ran to the bedside with a heartbroken look on his face. Kyuhyun reached his trembling hand to Jongwoon's pale hand, but before he got to hold that small hand, Heechul stood up and swatted his hand away. Heechul grabbed Kyuhyun's collar and harshly yanked it.

 

"You!" Heechul shouted while glaring at the man. "What the hell did you do with Jongwoon!"

"What are you talking about!? I didn't do anything!"

"Liar! You must've done something or else why he can't sleep for a ing one week!"

"Jongwoon didn't sleep for a week?" Kyuhyun's face turned pale, "impossible! I saw him sleeping just fine in his bed every night!"

"He probably faked it, he's great at that anyway. Whatever, don't pretend to be stupid! Tell me what did you do to Jongwoon!"

 

Before Kyuhyun got to say anything, the nurse finally came to separate them.

 

"Both of you, stop! Go somewhere else if you want to have a fight, your friend needs to rest!"

 

Heechul glanced at his friend who was still sleeping on the bed, before turning back to Kyuhyun.

 

"You jerk, come with me."

 

Not giving Kyuhyun any choices, Heechul yanked the man's collar and dragged him out of the infirmary.

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.

.

Kyuhyun quietly followed after Heechul to a deserted hallway. He hated being treated like this but he endured it for Jongwoon. He had to know what happened to his roommate. After making sure that they were alone, Heechul let go of Kyuhyun's collar with a harsh push.

 

"Now, spit out whatever you did to him."

"I told you that I didn't do anything. If anything, you should ask your friend what he did to himself, not blaming me." Kyuhyun answered in annoyance as he straightened his ruined collar.

"What do you mean? What did Jongwoon-ah do?"

"He wouldn't let me help him even though he obviously needed it."

"Help? What help?"

"What? Didn't Jongwoon tell you that I've been helping him with his insomnia? However, he suddenly refused my help one week ago. I thought that he doesn't need me anymore so I just let him be. I, I didn't know that he has been pushing himself to this extent..."

 

Heechul still didn't know what kind of help did Kyuhyun mean, but he caught on something interesting. Kyuhyun seemed seriously devastated and worried about his friend. Then there was his friend's out of place fury when he threatened to harm Kyuhyun. That, and judging from Jongwoon's personality, Heechul eventually came to the reason why Jongwoon refused to let Kyuhyun help him...

 

"! This is utterly stupid! Both of you're an idiot!" Heechul shouted while grabbing his hair in frustration.

"What do you mean?" Kyuhyun frowned.

"You love Jongwoon and he loves you! Why the hell do you two have to make things so complicated!?"

"We love... each other...?"

 

Kyuhyun murmured in disbelief. It had never crossed his mind that he loved Jongwoon, or that Jongwoon loved him. Hell, they still didn't know each other's phone numbers to this day. To put it simply, they were just two strangers living together under the same roof. That he helped Jongwoon with his insomnia was just an act of charity. The same could be said about Jongwoon, he needed his help because he had no other choice, not that he held any affection for Kyuhyun. They couldn't be in love with each other, right?

 

...But then he recalled his initial reaction when he saw Jongwoon on Heechul's back, his face as pale as a paper. Kyuhyun remembered how his heart stopped beating for a second and how fear ate him alive. And not long ago when he saw Jongwoon lying on a bed unconscious, he only wished to hold his roommate's hand and see his eyes open again.

 

 

Maybe he did fall in love with Jongwoon at some point but didn't realize it until just now.

 

 

"Heechul, I know you're angry at me now, but, can you let me handle this? I'll take Jongwoon back to our room and see to it myself that he gets proper sleep. After that, we'll have a talk and clear whatever mess between us."

 

At first, Heechul looked like he wanted to turn Kyuhyun's request down but he sighed tiredly after a while and nodded.

 

"Alright, since this matter concerns you two, not me, I'll leave Jongwoon with you. However, if you two ever let this bull happen again, I swear I'll personally murder both of you with my own hands. Urgh, seriously, that rabid dog just lessened my life span by ten years!"

 

Heechul complained and headed back to the infirmary, following closely by Kyuhyun who quietly murmured that his life span was lessened too.

.

.

.

Heechul and Kyuhyun lost another ten years of their life spans when they returned to an empty infirmary.

 

"Mr. Park, why did you let him go by himself in that condition!" Heechul threatened the college nurse.

"I'm terribly sorry. I went to fetch something in the storage room adjacent to here and he was gone when I came back. I didn't even hear his footsteps!"

"Damn Jongwoon and his ninja skill!" Kyuhyun cursed, as Jongwoon's roommate he knew better than anyone about Jongwoon's light footsteps.

 

Since it was no use threatening the poor college nurse, Heechul and Kyuhyun left the infirmary with heavy hearts.

 

"I'm gonna check my room in case he dropped by. You should do that too." Heechul suggested.

"Alright, don't forget to message the other if one of us found Jongwoon. Give me your phone."

 

Kyuhyun saved his number in Heechul's phone and handed it back. Nodding at each other, Heechul and Kyuhyun walked off to the opposite direction but their intentions united as one, finding Jongwoon before he did something stupid again.

.

.

.

.

About fifteen minutes ago...

 

 

The plain white ceiling was the first thing that greeted Jongwoon when he woke up. Feeling dizzy and disoriented, he lay there blinking at the ceiling for a while before regaining his sense back. He slowly pushed himself to sit up and looked around; a row of white beds, stainless cabinets full of medicine bottles, a white desk and white swivel chair by a window. Yep, he was definitely in the infirmary. Now that he thought about it, didn't he have a nosebleed and fainted? Jongwoon gingerly touched his nose and found out that the blood had long stopped, to his relief. After he was done checking himself, he wondered where Heechul and the college nurse were. Why was he left alone here? Should he wait for someone to show up? But Jongwoon immediately shot that idea down in the next second. Knowing his friend and Nurse Park's tendency to overly worry about things, they would definitely force him to stay here until he got better. No thank you. He hated infirmary as much as he hated his insomnia!

 

 

With newfound determination, Jongwoon quietly slid down from the bed and tiptoed out of the infirmary.

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.

.

Jongwoon decided to go back to his room. Today was Friday. He knew that Kyuhyun wouldn't come back until very late in the night, busy playing games at his friend's place, meaning he had all the time to himself. He bet that he would spend his time unable to sleep as usual though.

 

 

Rubbing his face in exhaustion, Jongwoon walked into the bedroom section with unsteady steps. He was about to flop down on his bed when he saw Kyuhyun's coat hanging over a headboard. He blushed furiously when some inappropriate idea popped up in his head. After fighting with his own conscience for a while, he gave in to his bad thought and approached his roommate's bed instead. He cautiously picked the grey coat up while looking around frantically, even though he was alone in the room. Then, with a burning red face, he shyly held the coat to his nose and inhaled.

 

It smells like Kyuhyun.

 

"...Of course it is! It's his ing coat! Why the hell did I do that!?"

 

Jongwoon angrily threw the coat onto the bed. He grumbled and headed back to his own bed, only to stop mid-way and glanced at the coat hesitantly.

 

"...Well, it's not like anyone is here to judge me. Besides, Kyuhyun won't come back for a while anyway. I-It's fine to take a short nap, right?"

 

No one answered him, of course, but Jongwoon waited a bit before dropping down on Kyuhyun's bed anyway. Familiar scent gently embraced him and Jongwoon felt sleepy all of sudden. Yawning tiredly, he closed his eyes and let sleep take him while hugging Kyuhyun's coat.

 

 

Unbeknown to him, the front door opened at the same time he fell asleep.

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.

.

Kyuhyun came back to the most adorable sight he had ever seen. Jongwoon, his roommate whom he just realized that he had fallen for, was sleeping on his bed while hugging his coat tightly. When Heechul told him that Jongwoon loved him, he couldn't believe the man at all. However, what he saw right now chased away any suspicion he had. You wouldn't sleep on someone's bed hugging their coat like this if you didn't like them, right? Kyuhyun wanted nothing more than teasing his cute roommate, but he knew that he should let Jongwoon rest for now. So, after messaging Heechul that his friend was fine, Kyuhyun lay down beside the man and pulled him to his chest. He gently brushed his thumb along the dark line under Jongwoon's eyes and wished from the bottom of his heart that he would wake up feeling better.

 

"Sweet dreams, Jongwoon,"

 

Kyuhyun softly planted his lips on Jongwoon's forehead. He decided to take some nap too since obviously it would be a while before his roommate woke up.

 

*******************************

 

Jongwoon woke up because of hunger. His stomach grumbled sadly as he got up from the bed. He tried to find his phone at the bedside table but found out that his furniture seemed to be out of place. Blinking confusedly, it took him some time to realize that he was in Kyuhyun's bed, not his. Looking up, he saw Kyuhyun's back in front of the computer in the living room. When did Kyuhyun come back? Had he been sleeping that long?

 

Wait, Kyuhyun!?

 

He was startled and bolted up from the bed. His legs gave in due to exhaustion and he collapsed to the floor. He groaned in pain and within a second, Kyuhyun appeared beside him. His roommate helped him to his feet and led him to the living room. After helping him settle down on a sofa, Kyuhyun went to the kitchen section and came back with a bowl in his hand. Jongwoon gulped hungrily as Kyuhyun placed down a bowl of congee. He happily picked up a spoon and had a bite, though he soon regretted it as the congee was still hot.

 

"Calm down! No one will take the congee from you so no need to gulp everything in one bite."

 

Jongwoon nodded sheepishly at Kyuhyun's kind advice. This time, he made sure to blow the congee before eating it. While he was savoring the meal, Kyuhyun fetched him a cup of chamomile tea and his phone.

 

"Be sure to call your friend Heechul. You've been unconscious for almost twelve hours so he'd love to know that you're fine now."

"What?" Jongwoon looked up from the bowl, "twelve hours?"

"Yeah, you fell asleep around three in the afternoon and it's two-forty in the morning now."

 

Kyuhyun said and went back to his computer. Jongwoon almost couldn't believe what his roommate said, but a glance at a wall clock confirmed that. Well, no wonder he felt so refreshed waking up. Finishing his meal and his tea, he was about to put away the bowl and cup but Kyuhyun showed up like a ghost and took care of everything. Scratching his cheek sheepishly, Jongwoon decided to call his friend as Kyuhyun said. 

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.

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Heechul was sleeping when his phone rang. At first, he wanted to curse at the caller until they couldn't find a way back home. But when he saw his best friend's name on the screen, he quickly sat up and answered the call.

 

"Jongwoon-ah!? How are you?"

"Much better now. Sorry for being a with you earlier, Heebongie."

"Whew, you really get better! You owe me big time, buddy."

"I know, I know, tell me what can I do for you."

"How about you start from being honest with yourself and confess your undying love to that Cho?"

 

Heechul laughed when he heard a sound of something hitting a hard surface, following closely by Jongwoon's whimpering noise. He also heard Kyuhyun's shouting something and Jongwoon shouting back that he was alright.

 

"Heechul! Are you out of your mind!? Stop talking nonsense!"

"Aww, you're so flustered that you forget to use my nickname? Admit it, you love him. Stop running away from your heart and causing more trouble for yourself. I don't want to see you in that sorry state ever again."

 

Jongwoon didn't say anything, but knowing his friend, he was probably considering it seriously. After a long period of silence, his friend spoke up again hesitantly.

 

"But... What if, what if I'm the only one? You know, the only one that..."

 

Heechul sighed loudly and dramatically. Sometimes he wondered how come his friend was so oblivious.

 

"Dude, Kyuhyun rushed to the infirmary as soon as he knew about you. Then, he went back home and stayed with you until now. Also, this is my guess, but he probably cooked something for you too, am I right?"

"Yes, he made a congee and a cup of tea for me, but how?"

"How did I know? Easy, I'm not an idiot like you who overlooks something so obvious."

"Heebongie, seriously, what are you talking about?"

"Go figure it yourself. I already give you many hints. If you still don't get it then I can't help you. Oh, no need to attend tomorrow classes. Nurse Park gave you permission to take a sick day so use it wisely and rest a lot. Bye!"

 

Heechul cut off the call. He knew that right now was the best time to push Jongwoon into action. He sincerely hoped that his friend and that brat could make it out, or literally made out, either was fine by him. For now, he just wanted to go back to his beloved bed and slept peacefully for real this time.

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.

.

Jongwoon sat there and stared at his phone not saying anything. He was thinking about what Heechul told him, that he overlooked something so obvious. That thing, could it be what he was thinking? What if... what if Kyuhyun also... Shaking his head, he decided to find it out now. He called out to his roommate who was still playing a game.

 

"Kyuhyun?"

"Hmm? Do you want anything?"

"No, it's just, d-did I startle you? You know, when I fainted?"

"Startled?" Kyuhyun paused the game and turned around to look at him, "that's an understatement! I almost had a heart attack when I found out!"

"R-Really? I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"Apology accepted. Now, I'll be happy if you promise not to do it again, got it?"

 

After Jongwoon nodded to promise that he wouldn't do it again, Kyuhyun who was satisfied with his answer turned back and resumed his game. The man didn't know that Jongwoon continued to stare at him for a while after he turning back. Again, Jongwoon was thinking about what his friend told him. Just now he confirmed that Kyuhyun was worried about him. So, Kyuhyun didn't hate him? Then, could it be that...?

.

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Kyuhyun was busy playing his game when he felt a hesitant poke at his arm. He paused the game again and glanced over his shoulder. He saw his roommate standing beside the chair, his small hands fidgeting nervously. Jongwoon didn't say anything and just stared at him. Kyuhyun took no time opening his arms and making a space for his roommate. With slightly reddish cheeks, Jongwoon quietly climbed up on the chair and sat down on Kyuhyun's lap. Kyuhyun hooked his arms around his roommate's thin waist and pulled him closer. He didn't realize how much he missed having Jongwoon in his arms until now. He could feel Jongwoon's hands clinging on his back and it mysteriously warmed his heart. They stayed in blissful silence for a very long while, before Jongwoon spoke up without looking up at Kyuhyun.

 

"Kyuhyun, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

 

Jongwoon went quiet for a while before speaking up again.

 

"What would you say if I told you that I, I'll continue to bother you for a while...?"

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Jongwoon was discouraged when Kyuhyun didn't say anything. Was he wrong about his assumption? Oh no, he didn't anger Kyuhyun, did he? Maybe it would be better if he just told Kyuhyun that he was kidding. Jongwoon already made up his mind. He was about to pull away from the warm embrace but Kyuhyun suddenly hugged him tighter. His whisper was so soft and sweet that Jongwoon felt like he was melting.

 

"Jongwoon, you phrase your question wrong."

"H-How?"

"It should be, 'What would I say if you told me that you'll continue to bother me for the rest of our lives', there, I fixed it for you, try saying it again."

 

Jongwoon looked up at Kyuhyun so fast that he almost snapped his neck. His eyes widened from surprise as he stared dumbly at his roommate. Kyuhyun chuckled while gently pinching his cheek.

 

"Well? Are you going to ask me or not?"

"Y-Yes! Kyuhyun, do you mind if I continue to bother you for the rest of our lives?"

"The answer is," Kyuhyun leaned in, "no, I don't mind."

 

Kyuhyun closed the little gap between them. Jongwoon's eyelids fluttering shut down as warm lips descended on his own. His heart was beating so loud against his chest that he was afraid it might jump out soon. Even though Kyuhyun didn't do anything but planted his lips firmly in place, it was enough to make his mind go blank. After what felt like an eternity, the couple slowly broke their lips apart. Opening his eyes again, Jongwoon stared into Kyuhyun's captivating brown eyes full of affection and he wondered how come he even came up with the idea that Kyuhyun hated him. Heechul was right, his friend was always right, he was really stupid to overlook something as obvious as this.

 

"Kyuhyun," Jongwoon spoke up in a childish tone and nuzzled his face in Kyuhyun's neck, "I miss you so much... I really can't sleep without you..."

"What?" Kyuhyun chuckled, "just one kiss and you're already this mellow? Man, I'd have kissed you sooner!"

"I just realized it's better to be honest with yourself. Now shut up and let me sleep. I'm still tired..."

"Yes, Your Highness."

 

Kyuhyun teased and kissed the top of Jongwoon's head. Jongwoon whined quietly but he didn't seem to hate it. With a combo of Kyuhyun's soothing humming and his petting, Jongwoon fell asleep in no time with his hands still clinging on Kyuhyun's back. This time, rather than continued his game, Kyuhyun shut down the computer. He carefully stood up so he wouldn't disturb the sleeping beauty in his arms. He headed to his roommate's bed and laughed when Jongwoon refused to be let go. Those small hands completely glued themselves to his back. Losing an unwinnable fight, Kyuhyun happily gave up and lay down beside Jongwoon. As soon as his back touched the soft mattress, Jongwoon moved to hook his arms and legs around him like a koala hugging a eucalyptus tree.

 

"I'm not going to leave you, Jongwoon, no need to hug me this tightly! You'll choke me to death at this rate!"

 

No one knew if he actually heard that or not, but Jongwoon slowly loosened his hold, leaving a room for Kyuhyun to breathe. Sighing contently, Kyuhyun reached over their heads to turn off the bed lamp. As darkness enveloped them, Kyuhyun closed his eyes and hoped that Jongwoon would dream of him like how he dreamed of the other man.

 

**********************************

 

One month later...

 

 

"So, you're saying that you two don't want to change a roommate anymore?"

"Yes, we sincerely apologize for this sudden change of heart. You even go through all documents already too..." Jongwoon said guiltily.

"The decision was made on the spur of the moment. It was a stupid fight and we'd have thought more thoroughly before submitting the form. Anyway, we change our minds now." Kyuhyun shrugged.

"Well, although I've already prepared everything and found a new roommate for you two, if this is your decision then I'll cancel it."

 

Siwon said and wrote a huge 'cancel' on top of the two request forms with a red pen. Also, he didn't know what happened between his two students, but he was pretty sure that Jongwoon and Kyuhyun had gotten a lot closer than the last time he met them three months ago. In fact, calling them inseparable would be more accurate, judging from their joined hands that never broke apart from the time they stepped into his office to now. The two younger men smiled politely at him before standing up (with their hands still holding together).

 

"Thank you for everything, Professor Siwon," Jongwoon said with a shy smile.

"Really, we owe you big time, prof." Kyuhyun grinned as he turned to smile at Jongwoon.

"No need to thank me. It's my job as your dorm manager to make sure that all students live comfortably and happily."

 

Siwon returned a smile at his students. He bade them farewell and watched them walking out of his office still hand in hand. After that, he cleaned up his desk and took out any papers that would be recycled from the rest, including Kim Jongwoon and Cho Kyuhyun's request forms. Suddenly, he recalled something important.

 

"My bad! I forgot to ask them if they want to change a roommate in the next year or not."

 

Siwon got up and headed to the door, hoping to catch up with his students.

 

 

...Only to see Kyuhyun and Jongwoon kissed in the hallway just outside of his office.

 

 

Jongwoon saw him first so he quickly pushed Kyuhyun away. The man whined in disappointment, before realizing that his professor was here when Jongwoon moved to hide behind him.

 

" Prof, something the matter?" Kyuhyun asked without bothering to hide his annoyance.

"Ah," Siwon replied dumbly, "nothing. I think I got my answer now."

 

Kyuhyun frowned in suspicion but soon ignored him. He turned to smile warmly as Jongwoon who smiled back bashfully. The two students slightly inclined their heads at him before walking away, still hand in hand. Siwon watched them until their backs disappeared around a corner before going back into his office. Staring at the forms on his desk, he made a mental note to never find any new roommate for Jongwoon and Kyuhyun.