After they reconciled that day, Kyuhyun's relationship with his roommate improved slightly. He still found the pink boy to be annoying but he had developed some immunity. Now, he could bicker back without getting angry whenever Jongwoon bothered him. He tolerated a small finger that liked to poke his cheek during the class. He also exchanged a few normal conversations with his roommate without starting a fight. Before long, their first year in high school had come to an end. During the winter and summer break, Kyuhyun stayed at the dorm so that he didn't have to meet his father. Jongwoon did ask if he wanted to stay over at his family home or not. Obviously, he said no. He didn't want to admit that he had somewhat accepted the pink nuisance as his friend. Later on, he regretted his stubbornness after finding out how lonely the room was with him alone. He debated calling or texting his roommate but decided against it in the end. No. He would never admit that he missed his roommate! Moreover, Jongwoon would contact him anyway so no need to make the first move.

Kyuhyun kept up with his lone wolf habit and kept the nosy guy with an annoyingly cute bright smile at his arm's length even after they entered the sophomore year. In order to not be fixed on his roommate, Kyuhyun agreed to meet some of Jongwoon's acquaintances and made new friends. The pink-haired student knew a lot of people and introduced them all to him, but he only kept in contact with one student thus far— Kim Ryeowook from the same class. Well, saying that they became friends would be a tad bit too exaggerating. Just like Jongwoon, he just tolerated the new acquaintance's presence, though he found Ryeowook's teasing to be even more annoying than Jongwoon's. For some reason, the shortie liked to inform him of every male acquaintance in Jongwoon's life, especially juniors who tried to get his roommate's phone number. He always told Kim Ryeowook that he didn't care who Jongwoon met and befriended but that seemed to make the new friend smirk wider. Eventually, Kyuhyun learned to just ignore everything Ryeowook told him.

"I told you, I don't care who Jongwoon spends his time with. Leave me alone."

"No, this time it's different! Kyuhyun, I heard from the girls that they saw Jongwoonie heading to the old storage house with Shim Hanjae from Class 2-C!"

"So what? It's still none of my business."

"It is! That jerk is an infamous bully and homophobic. He's definitely up to no good, calling Jongwoonie out to meet alone!"

Kyuhyun stopped in his tracks to look at Ryeowook. Worry and anxiety started to knock on his heart but he ignored them. True, Jongwoon was his friend but they weren't that close. He had no obligation to look after the pink boy, especially if he stupidly walked into a trap himself. He ignored the shortie and went back to the dorm. However, when the clock ticked seven in the evening but his roommate had yet to come back, even though the last class ended at four, Kyuhyun cursed under his breath and decided to check the old storage house out.

.

.

.

Arriving at the abandoned building, Kyuhyun found out that the door was locked by a suspiciously new and spotless lock. He banged on the door and called his foolish roommate's name. After a long while, he heard a quiet and hesitant "Kyuhyun...?" coming from inside the storage house and it kicked his heart into a full panic mode. Ryeowook was right. Jongwoon got locked in here by the bully! Kyuhyun tried to kick the door first but it was too sturdy despite its old age. Logically, he knew that he should get a teacher to open the door. However, his heart couldn't stand any more waiting after he had already made his roommate wait for almost three hours. So, he decided to break in. He surveyed around the building and found an open window large enough to climb in. It wasn't that much high from the ground but still too much for his roommate who was afraid of heights. He climbed a tree beside the window and got inside the storage house. However, his hands slipped on the way down and he fell on his feet, accidentally spraining his left ankle. Jongwoon was immediately by his side while he cried out in pain.

"Kyuhyun!! Are you alright? Let me see your ankle."

"No need. I'm fine. In fact, none of this would happen if you didn't stupidly come here by yourself! You know that the jerk who called you is a bully yet you—"

Kyuhyun stopped berating his foolish roommate after he noticed a bruise on the corner of Jongwoon's lips and his swollen cheek. His clothes also looked dirty and wrinkled. He quickly made the smaller boy twist his body and turn around to see that he had no serious injury. After the pink-haired boy repeated to him a hundred times that he was fine, he reluctantly let his roommate go.

"... What happened? Did the jerk hurt you?"

"Yeah. That bastard and his lackeys ambushed me. However, they didn't expect that I'd fight back and chickened out after a few punches in their faces. They ran away with their tails tugged between their legs but not before pushing me into this place and locking me in."

"You idiot!! Why did you agree to meet them in the first place!!?"

"Because someone needs to show those scums that us LGBT folks aren't a weed that they can trample on. Plus, I need evidence to expose their bullies and bigotry."

Jongwoon showed his phone to him.

"I dropped it during the fight and broke the screen. That's why I couldn't call you guys. However, the recording should still be fine. Now that trash will definitely get expelled!"

"You... just because of this... you risk yourself...?"

Kyuhyun groaned and rubbed his forehead to chase away the headache. Why can't his roommate stay still and stop running into a problem? He felt like his lifespan had shortened a lot after getting to know the hot-headed pink guy. Jongwoon tilted his head and blinked, before grinning knowingly.

"Kyuhyun, could it be that you're worried about me?"

"What? Don't be so full of yourself. I'm just tired of Ryeowook's nagging to find you."

"I see~ I see~ Then, let's call Wookie and tell him to fetch a teacher. I miss my bed already!"

"...I didn't bring my phone."

"What?" Jongwoon gasped, "you're joking, right?"

"..."

He didn't. He genuinely forgot about it while running out of the dorm, only thinking about his roommate. Kyuhyun scoffed and looked away, trying so hard to ignore Jongwoon's shining eyes and upper-handed smirk.

"Awwwww, I guess we have no choice but to wait for Wookie to find us in the morning then?"

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Sherlock."

"You're welcome! By the way, Kyuhyun, you really need to let me look at your ankle. I think it swells up a bit."

"Don't touch me. I told you, I don't like men."

"And I told you that you're not my type!"

Jongwoon rolled his eyes and tried to take a look at his sprained ankle but he swatted the small hand away. After getting slapped a few times, the pink-haired boy pouted and resigned to his stubbornness.

"Fine. Let me tell you a story to distract you from the pain then. It's a story about why I want to be a judge..."

Normally, he would have told the other boy to shut up because he didn't ask for it. However, he was genuinely curious about Jongwoon's background because the pink-haired boy never shared his stories with him, especially if it concerned his family. So, Kyuhyun just sat there quietly and watched the boy beside him close his eyes as if to recall a memory.

"...When I was eight, my eomma was diagnosed with leukemia at a worrying stage. Although the doctor said that her survival rate was low, my appa didn't give up and agreed to try every method of treatment. However, the expense for the treatment was beyond an ordinary accountant's capability, not to say that there were my tuition and living expenses. So, appa resorted to embezzling his company's money. It was supposed to be a light crime, just stealing some money, but..."

The smaller boy pulled his knees up and hugged them against his chest, before burrowing his face between them as he continued the story with a quivering voice.

"... But he got caught by his superior, the head accountant, who, instead of alerting the authority, tried to blackmail him for money we didn't have. They were arguing badly and when appa came to his senses, he was standing over his superior's body... H-He accidentally killed him out of rage..."

Jongwoon's voice shook and became quieter that he almost couldn't hear it. He scooted closer to his roommate and lightly nudged him on the shoulder. The smaller boy kept quiet for a while before speaking up again.

"He was arrested and put on a trial. Appa didn't plead innocence but he tried to explain our family's circumstance to the judge. Obviously, he was jailed for murder and embezzlement. However, the judge, Park Jungsu-ssi helped contact many people to put me and eomma under charity organizations' care while appa was in a prison. Eomma was able to continue her treatment and I was able to study thanks to the judge, even though he had no obligation to help us after the trial ended. That's why I want to be a judge! I want to find out a reason why someone would commit a crime and guide them to the right path!"

"You're incredibly naive."

Kyuhyun thought that the pink boy would be angry at him for insulting his dream but the other boy merely giggled.

"Uncle Jungsu also said that, that I'm naive, that being a judge doesn't give you the power to save everyone because, by the time you meet such people, it's already too late to save them. But I can dream, right?"

"...You call him uncle. Do you still keep in contact with the judge even after the trial?"

"I live with him now."

"Huh? What about your parents?"

"Eomma passed away when I was ten and appa gave up his right as my father to Uncle Jungsu so that I won't have a murderer father in my record, though I visit him every month with uncle."

"S-Sorry, I shouldn't have asked..."

"It's fine," Jongwoon shrugged, "you have no ill intention, just lacking social cues."

He glared at the smaller boy who still found a gap to jab him but didn't retort. He wouldn't be that clueless or cruel to someone who just revisited a painful memory. Kyuhyun snuck a glance at his roommate. He didn't expect Jongwoon to hide a tragedy behind his sunshine smile and sparkling eyes. Actually, he never really took a closer look at this person. Although the pink-haired boy was strong enough to fight the bullies, he looked so small and fragile huddling against him like this...

His hand moved on its own and tugged the thin body to lean on him. Jongwoon blinked in utter confusion and looked up at him, but he quickly averted his gaze from the shining black eyes.

"Kyuhyun?"

"Shut up and be grateful that I'm in a mood to be generous."

Kyuhyun heard a light-hearted chuckle from the boy in his arm but refused to turn his head back. Then, his body stiffened up when he felt a weight on his shoulder and something soft brushing against his cheek.

"You know what? Kyuhyun, if you were Pinocchio, your nose would've probably reached the moon by now."

"Shut the hell up."

He snapped angrily but held the smaller boy tighter.

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.

.

They fell asleep in that position and woke up when a ray of sunlight hit their faces. They opened their eyes to see Ryeowook and a teacher at the door. While Jongwoon was explaining the situation to the teacher, Kyuhyun was ignoring Ryeowook's knowing smirk throwing at them. When they were about to leave the storage house, he stepped too hard and winced. He forgot that he sprained his ankle. He was about to ask for the two boys' help but Jongwoon suddenly carried him up in his arms, all the while Ryeowook was laughing his head off.

"Kim Jongwoon!!! Put me down!!!"

"C'mon, it's not weak to admit that you need help."

The pink-haired boy winked at him.

"If you hate it that much then try to grow taller than me~"

"... Just you wait and see!!"

Kyuhyun made an oath on that day that he'll eat more and exercise more until he could get back at his chatty roommate, by carrying him around until Jongwoon was embarrassed to hell by the people's teasing; exactly like what he was facing right now.

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

Kyuhyun followed through with his plan and his growth sprouted in a short time. Although he wasn't strong enough to carry his roommate yet (he tried once and they both fell on the bed, but Jongwoon being all flustered under him was quite a rewarding sight so he didn't mind the failure), they were around the same height now and he expected to grow even taller. Jongwoon often said that he took the teasing too seriously. Of course, he would. He wanted to get stronger so that he could protect this optimistic guy who had no sense of self-preservation. He never wanted to repeat that stupid mistake of being unable to save Jongwoon again (although he would never admit it to the pink boy). After the incident with the bullies, Kyuhyun decided to stick himself by the pink-haired boy's side all the time to make sure that he wouldn't do something dangerous again. Ryeowook told him behind Jongwoon's back that he was a possessive boyfriend but he shot it down as a silly joke. He didn't like Kim Jongwoon romantically, absolutely not. He just wanted to take care of his roommate who became his first friend in his miserable life. He always scared off the juniors who tried to ask his friend out because they weren't good enough for Jongwoon. And he certainly didn't have any ulterior motives when he kept watching the pink boy until he fell asleep, just making sure that Jongwoon would sleep instead of playing with his phone.

Sometimes Kyuhyun wondered if his bossiness ever annoyed the pink-haired boy but his roommate never complained about it. No matter how bossy and control-freaked he was, Jongwoon always gave him a breezy smile and let him do whatever he wanted. They also grew closer in terms of physical contact. Whenever they watched movies or series together, Jongwoon always leaned on his shoulder and snuggled up. Sometimes Jongwoon liked to hug him out of nowhere and glanced up while smiling sweetly. He couldn't help but wonder if his friend had a crush on him or not. But Jongwoon was touchy with Ryeowook and his other friends too, boys and girls alike. Plus, he didn't forget that he wasn't his roommate's type...

To this day, he still didn't understand why that statement bothered him so much.

He was curious about Jongwoon's "type" but he also didn't want to hear about it. He knew that he would be annoyed for sure. He already did just when the pink-haired boy commented on handsome actors. Ryeowook said (behind Jongwoon's back again) that he was a jealous boyfriend but he shot it down, again. He didn't think of Jongwoon that way so he couldn't have possibly been jealous of other men in his roommate's life. Kyuhyun shoved all of these nonsensical feelings at the farthest corner of his mind and focused on his study instead. Although he had less time studying ever since meeting the pink-haired boy, having to spoil him by taking him out every weekend, his performance actually improved. He guessed that it probably had to do with tutoring his roommate. He began teaching Jongwoon after Uncle Jungsu asked him to help with his step-son's poor grade in mathematics. (He stayed at Jongwoon's home during this year's winter break after learning from his mistake last year).

"Kyuhyun, can we stop here today? Pretty please! My brain is protesting in tears now..."

"Pouting won't help you. Jongwoon, the final exam week is just around the corner but you still fail math. We should study even harder, not slacking off more."

"Noooo! Who needs all of this advanced math anyway? Isn't it enough to know just the basics?"

"Your pathetic math grade definitely doesn't share the same sentiment."

"Kyuhyun! You meanie! You know that I'm bad at math but you still insult me! I don't wanna study anymore!"

Jongwoon pouted and puffed his cheeks, before leaving the desk to throw himself on the bed. The smaller boy then pulled up a blanket to cover his head and turned away from him. Kyuhyun sighed, knowing that he couldn't and didn't have the heart to force his roommate. He put away the study material and sat down on the lower bunk bed, before tugging on the blanket.

"Jongwoon."

"Hm!"

"We'll continue tomorrow after watching your movie of choice, alright?"

"Hm!"

"It's not good to sleep while covering your head like that."

Kyuhyun gently coaxed his friend and Jongwoon eventually lowered the blanket to meet his eyes, although still pouting at him. He properly tucked in the pink boy, brushed aside the stray bang and said good night to him, before climbing to his bed. He lay down while sighing at his roommate's stubbornness but more so at his own soft heart. He let Jongwoon get away from study again... Sighing again, he turned to lie on his side facing the wall and smiled at the cute ugly doodle. The brown-haired penguin and pink-haired turtle now had a few polaroid photos accompanying them— pictures of him and his friends, some with his classmates, some with Ryeowook and Jongwoon, and, majority of them, with Jongwoon who smiled at the camera while hugging his arm. There were also a turtle plushie and hourglass that he got from Jongwoon. He touched the cool glass absentmindedly. Ever since he got this hourglass, he never had a nightmare again. He always watched the falling pale-pink sand to calm his mind before sleeping and it worked wonderfully so far. He checked his phone before sleeping and frowned when he saw a message from his estranged father.

'Will you go to the cemetery to see mother with me tomorrow?'

He ignored the message and let sleep take him...

.

.

.

"Eomma! Look! So many fluffy clouds!"

"Dear, I know that you're excited but it's dangerous to move around in your seat. The plane is about to land soon."

He nodded and sat still obediently in his seat. However, he could only do that for a few more minutes and turned his head to the white clouds outside of the window again. He had always liked clouds ever since he was a baby. He liked to look up at the sky and imagined himself flying among the fluffy things. He wanted to be closer to them so he always begged his mother to travel on a plane with him. He didn't want to visit any place in particular. He just wanted to take a closer look at the clouds! His mother never said no to him and they went to many interesting places together.

However, his father really hated it and always scolded him when he whined to go on a trip, but his mother always ignored his father and took him to one in the end. Today, they were flying back to Seoul from Jeju Island. Although the trip was short, he still got to see many fluffy clouds on the way. He kept his eyes glued to the window. His mother didn't say anything. It meant that he was allowed to look! So, he kept staring until the plane landed and he couldn't see the white fluffy clouds anymore.

A voice above their heads told them to take off their seatbelt and get off the plane. He happily took his off and jumped down on his feet, eager to show off his skill to his mother. However, his mother was sleeping peacefully and didn't hear him. Her head was hanging low and her long black hair covered her face. He thought that his mother was tired after the trip so he took off the seatbelt for her.

"Eomma, let's get out and see father together!"

He said cheerfully and shook her body. Suddenly, mother fell down to the floor while still sleeping. He giggled, thinking that his mother must be really tired, and shook her again. However, no matter how many times he shook his mother, she wouldn't wake up. Not long after that, a kind noona came to check on them. Her smile was gone when he told her that his mother wouldn't wake up. The kind noona left and came back with more people. One of them was a pilot hyung who kindly picked him up and took him to see the cool pilot room, saying that he could stay here while waiting for his father. He happily looked around the room with the cool pilot hyung explaining the buttons to him. He stayed there until his father came. He ran out of the pilot room to see his father, only to find father crying while hugging mother.

"Appa? Why are you crying?"

He asked curiously. Father looked at him and he suddenly felt really scared. He had never seen his father look at him like that before...

"Appa...? Did Kyuhyun do something—"

"You!!!"

Father slapped his cheek so hard that he fell to the floor. The kind pilot hyung and kind noona came to his sides and said something that he didn't hear because he was crying while looking at his scary father.

"You!!! You killed her!!!"

Father shouted with a red face and bloodshot eyes, before falling on his knees and hugging mother again. He had no idea what "kill" meant but he knew that he did something very bad. He cried harder and kept apologizing between his hiccups, but it only made his father glared at him scarier.

"You're a child of misfortune... You shouldn't have been born!!"

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.

.

Kyuhyun woke up from the nightmare with a start. He began to panic and couldn't breathe properly. However, he thought of what his roommate taught him and tried to follow it. He stared at the hourglass while inhaling and exhaling slowly. The breathing technique and the steady falling sand made him calm down a bit, but he couldn't stop the tears that kept falling from his eyes. He tried his hardest to stop the tears and a sob because he didn't want to bother his friend who was snoring softly in the lower bunk bed, but it was all in vain. Forcing them down only made his chest tighten more in pain, so badly that he felt like vomiting. He quickly grabbed the black hourglass and flipped it, staring helplessly at the flowing sand. However, the pink sand reminded him of Jongwoon's hair and the black body reminded him of Jongwoon's eyes. Instead of helping him, the hourglass made him feel more hollow, especially when he touched its cold surface... He wanted to feel some warmth...

"C'mon, it's not weak to admit that you need help."

The pink-haired boy's words flashed past his mind and he bit his lip harshly. He didn't want to show his weak and pathetic side to Jongwoon but... After debating for a long while, Kyuhyun decided to accept his weakness and called his roommate's name with a shaky voice. Almost immediately, he heard a shuffling noise and a messy pink head popped up just above the stairs. Jongwoon who was half-sleepy and half-panicked looked at him in worry.

"Kyuhyun!!? What happened?"

"J-Jongwoon... can you stay with m-me...?"

His roommate nodded without hesitation and Kyuhyun made a space beside the wall for the other boy, knowing that his friend was afraid of heights. Jongwoon lay down and he immediately threw himself at the smaller boy. He hugged the pink-haired boy closely until every inch of their bodies touched, leaving no space for panic to get him. He felt the shorter boy stiffen in his arms but refused to loosen the hold. After a while, Jongwoon relaxed and carefully wrapped his arms around him, holding his back while patting his hair calmly.

"Another nightmare?"

"Yes..."

"Hn, do you want to tell me about it? Sharing your burden might make you feel better. Of course, you don't have to if you don't want—"

"I killed my mother."

Kyuhyun blurted out in the midst of turmoil and immediately regretted it. What if Jongwoon came to hate him after knowing his true face? He didn't want to lose his one and only dear friend but he wasn't brave enough to face the other boy. So, he just hugged the smaller boy even tighter and buried his face in the thin shoulder. Jongwoon didn't push him away as he feared. His roommate hummed softly while still patting his hair. It was only then that he gathered the courage to continue with the story.

"...My mother was born with a weak heart and irregular heartbeat but I was too young to understand it. She always smiled and carried me up in her arms without any problem. So, in my eyes, she was the strongest and kindest woman on earth. I had always liked clouds so it was my dream to become a pilot so that I can fly among them and take mother to see the world. Because of that, I always asked mother to take me to place after place by plane. Mother never complained nor turned me down. We traveled by plane almost weekly to Jeju just so I could see the clouds up close...

One day, we flew back from Jeju to Seoul as usual. Mother was more tired than usual but the young me thought it was because of the trip. So, I only focused on the view outside the window until the plane landed. I tried to wake her up but she f-fell down on the floor. I thought mother was sleeping so I shook her more, but she still didn't wake up. A lady flight attendant saw us and called other people. While everyone was checking on my mother, the captain took me to see the cockpit and I still had no idea what happened...

T-Then, father arrived and started crying while hugging m-mother... I tried to ask him what happened but he slapped me, so hard that I hit my head and drew blood... Father said that I killed m-mother.. but I didn't know what it meant.. I-I was only five at the time. I only knew that I did s-something very bad.. I-I tried to apologize to my father b-but he... he..."

The sob that he had been trying hard to block finally broke down at this moment.

"H-He said that I'm a child of misfortune! T-That I shouldn't h-have been born!"

Kyuhyun was unable to hold back the sorrow in his chest and sobbed pitifully in his roommate's embrace. Jongwoon didn't say anything, just patting his head while humming. The other boy's calmness prompted more tears from him and he couldn't stop crying. He unleashed all the pain and guilt that he had been ignoring and cried until he lost his voice and tears ran out. With only a hiccup remaining, he spoke up hesitantly.

"... Aren't you going to tell me that my existence isn't a mistake?"

"Well, I'm not the one whom you want to hear it from, right?"

Jongwoon made him look up and smiled kindly at him.

"However, I can tell you that you don't have to pretend to be strong anymore, just be yourself, Kyuhyun. I promise to stay by your side."

"Really...?"

"Yep. I'll be there if you need me. Just call me~"

"You promised..."

He murmured in a whiny tone and the pink-haired boy giggled but nodded regardless. Kyuhyun leaned into the smaller palm that caressed his face while staring intensely at the beautiful smiling boy. Noticing his gaze, Jongwoon blushed and pulled his hand back to cough awkwardly.

"Cough, is that why you always avoid going home? Does your father still treat you coldly or blame you for your mother's death?"

"No, we barely talk now. The last time we had a conversation, it ended up with my dream being crushed so I don't want to see him again."

"What happened?"

"... Despite what happened, I still want to be a pilot and see the world to make my mother proud, but father was adamantly against it."

"So, does he force you to inherit the family businesses?"

"No, he said I can do whatever I want except becoming a pilot. I agreed to study business because I'm tired of arguing with him."

"Hm, I see~"

His friend hummed absentmindedly in response and Kyuhyun suddenly yawned. His body and heart felt strangely light and he wanted to close his eyes. Jongwoon giggled and coaxed him to sleep with a calm lullaby. Still hugging the pink-haired boy, he yawned again and slowly dozed off while being accompanied by his roommate's warmth and sweet scent.

He dreamed of himself being surrounded by soft and fluffy clouds and smiled in his sleep throughout the night.

.

.

.

.

Kyuhyun woke up at the first ray of sunlight peeking through a curtain into their room. The heaviness weighing his heart and shoulders had completely disappeared, replaced by something warm and ticklish that grew larger when he looked at his sleeping roommate. Jongwoon was snoring and drooling while leaning on his chest. The thin arms clung to his back like a baby koala and one leg lazily rested on his thigh. He snorted. This guy seriously didn't know the meaning of a "personal space". Then again, without his cute roommate's nosiness, he would have continued to bear the guilt alone until it crushed him. Kyuhyun smiled fondly while brushing his thumb along the chubby cheek, before stopping just under the plump lips...

He leaned down and kissed the pale pink lips.

He quickly drew back before his roommate woke up. However, when Jongwoon only responded with a low grunt, he pecked the full lips of the smaller boy again, again, again, again, again, and again. He kissed the pink-haired boy until a realization completely echoed within his heart and soul.

He had fallen in love with his roommate, Kim Jongwoon.

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

Author's note:

The pup had caught his feelings and on his way to become a leopard  ;)

Poor our Kyuhyun and Jongwoon :(   They both had bad things happened to them but grew up differently, because Jongwoon had someone while Kyuhyun was alone. But things changed now cuz they had each other <3

There'll be Super Show 9 in Bangkok and I'm stressing out every day worrying whether I can get the ticket or not. Plz pray for my success!

Take care and love you <3