Kyuhyun never understood those shows where they make it seem like a friendship between a jock and a nerd is weird or rare, if not impossible. For starters, and people who know them generally know this by now, Kyuhyun is in such a friendship with Donghae.

They've been friends for years, since Kyuhyun's family moved into Donghae's neighborhood when he was six and Donghae desperately wanted to befriend the younger kid sitting alone in the playground. He was shouting to the parents watching over them fondly about how Kyuhyun had cheeks that reminded him of bread and he wanted to squeeze it so badly. ("Mom! Look! When he smiles, he has the dimples and it looks so soft!!") It was a wrong move on his part, because Kyuhyun still claims it actually made him less willing to be friends with Donghae (despite the day ending with both kids crying until their parents both promised they could see each other again tomorrow).

Those shows are honestly nightmares, because he saw some of them growing up and how the jock character would be into sports and just talk with his teammates, while the nerd tends to be alone or completely boring and made fun of. Kyuhyun knew early on which one he was leaning towards to in terms of what he was gonna be like, and he was not excited. He was much more terrified when he realized the jock tends to target the nerd a lot and how Donghae has this competitive side to him (which he stubbornly denies exists) that pairs wonderfully with his interest in sports.

Donghae must have had some sort of superpower to read his mind because those thoughts were all washed away when he, out of nowhere and unprovoked, hugged Kyuhyun when they were hanging out in his room and told him that they were going to be friends forever, so he had to stop being afraid. ("Please talk to me about these things because it seriously hurts me to see you keep it to yourself.") Kyuhyun ended up sobbing so much in relief on his best friend's shoulder to the point that this became an embarrasing event that Donghae would use to with, much to Kyuhyun's frustration.

Secondly, it's not like the jock would have nothing in his mind but sports techniques and getting dates with the cheerleaders. Donghae would much rather spend an afternoon just strumming randomly in his guitar than practice for hours on end, and he barely remembers the names of some of the cheerleaders because he doesn't talk with them much. And the nerd wouldn't realistically be awkwardly running around with books in their arms and snot in their nose if they were at least hygenic and actually smart enough to use the right backpacks that could carry all of their things. Kyuhyun also wasn't that bad at a friendly game of soccer and learned to not be clumsy otherwise his long limbs would be a danger to himself and everyone around him.

They just go along extremely well. Sure, Donghae has his own group of friends and Kyuhyun has his own, but it's never stopped them from hanging out often. They have differences, but doesn't everyone?

Both of them likes listening to music. Donghae has claimed several times that Kyuhyun's voice is the best one he's ever heard. Kyuhyun solemnly agreed (and later on casually dropped the fact that Donghae's voice and guitar playing isn't that bad too).

They have the same sense of humor and both enjoy listening to each other's stories of how their day went, especially when they're back at their hometown and walking down the familiar streets to get to the small ice cream shop where they'd get their usual order and Kyuhyun would ridicule Donghae's interest in toothpaste-flavored ice cream ("Kyu, it's just mint. It's not that weird.) and Donghae would steal spoonfuls of Kyuhyun's ice cream just to annoy him. ("Stop using the same spoon! You're leaving your stupid toothpaste ice cream on mine, it's going to taste bad!")

Point is: this jock and nerd friendship was working out perfectly in real life, despite what any media might say.

Or it was until Kyuhyun started to wish for something more.

He can even tell you exactly when it started, unlike what the shows would say about friends-to-lovers romances. Kyuhyun only ever thought of Donghae as his best friend, but his stupid best friend had to ask him that stupid question that one night when they were still in highschool and it threw everything off balance.

They were hanging out in Donghae's room after having dinner that his mom had prepared for them. Kyuhyun was looking through the movies they could watch because it was his turn to choose, while Donghae had already started eating the snacks they've prepared as he told Kyuhyun about this girl who sat beside him in class. It was obvious to Kyuhyun and everyone else, probably even the girl herself, that Donghae was developing some sort of crush on her, but Donghae kept denying it. Which lead to Kyuhyun teasing him about it until he turned red from the embarrassment.

"Shut up," Donghae grumbled before falling back onto his pillow and looking up into the ceiling. "I mean, she's cute, right? She is. But I can't have a crush on her!"

"Can't?" Kyuhyun repeated distractedly as he debated over the two movies he held in his hands, ultimately discarding both of them and looking for something else. "Sounds like you're just trying not to have a crush on her when you already do. It's called denial, Hae hyung."

"Maybe I have a really really tiny crush on her. But!" Donghae exclaimed, with his wild arm movements accompanying his words, ignorant to the fact Kyuhyun was still deep in his own dilemma of what movie to choose. "But! She's way out of my league. She really is. So, there's no point even considering it."

"Hmm," Kyuhyun hummed in response. "You're not that bad." He tilted his head as he read the plot of the movie on the back of the case.

"I mean, okay. I know that, but she's just..." Donghae fell silent with a sigh before sitting up again. "Kyu."

"Mm?"

"Kyuhyun-ah."

"What? I'm almost done, just wait."

"No, just look at me for a second, Kyu." And the younger one did, tearing his eyes away from the pile of DVDs.

"What?"

"Okay, hear me out." Donghae instructed as he paused to find the words. "If you were in her position, would you date me?"

Kyuhyun's eyebrows scrunched up at the question. "Wouldn't it be more accurate to ask her instead?"

"Yeah, but you also know pretty much everything about me! The good, the bad—"

"The worst." Kyuhyun muttered jokingly, but the other continued without stop.

"—so, you'd at least be able to think if I'd be someone worth dating. Right?"

Kyuhyun blinked at him, not sure if he should be taking the question seriously.

"Please, Kyu." Donghae begged. "Help me out. Just try to imagine for a second, given what you know about me, if I'd make at least a good boyfriend. Would you date me?"

With the sincere look in his eyes, Kyuhyun couldn't find it in himself to say no anymore. And he always took care to answer hypothetical questions by Donghae carefully because he will take it to heart — there's the incident of how Donghae refused to speak with Kyuhyun for a week because Kyuhyun said he probably wouldn't be friends with Donghae if they hadn't lived in the same neighborhood ("We literally wouldn't have met!" "We would have found each other!" "The world is too big to say that that would be 100% possible." "The world isn't that big, Kyu!" "If the world isn't that big, how come I've never met Kim Taehee yet, huh?!") — so he huffed and rolled his eyes before staring at a random point on Donghae's light blue wall and thinking of what he'd say.

He's seen the girl before, especially with him being advanced and only being a year level below Donghae, despite being three years younger. They've been to the same math competition, albeit different categories, to represent the same school before. Kyuhyun has had a conversation or two with her to know that she's very sweet and cares a lot about her friends, so he could at least say she's a good person based on what he knows. And he imagined, as he was instructed, a girl like her dating Donghae and how he knows Donghae would genuinely give his all when in a relationship.

He thought of how Donghae would probably wait for her when they come back from another competition with a warm hug and a congratulations in the form of whatever food she likes best. In times when she found herself stressed about school things, Donghae would know when to step back and when to help, because he's been good at that with Kyuhyun during hell weeks. He imagined how the girl would go to Donghae's sports games and cheer for him and how Donghae would look for her immediately after winning with the brightest smile on his face and Kyuhyun thought, well, that's not too bad.

Startled by his thoughts, he suddenly found himself staring back at Donghae who was patiently waiting for his answer. "So?" The older one asked, with an expectant look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I probably would." Kyuhyun shrugged nonchalantly before turning back to the movies, desperately praying Donghae didn't notice anything odd.

And he didn't, or maybe Kyuhyun just suddenly found a talent in acting, because Donghae didn't notice it either when Kyuhyun dropped one of the DVDs all because Donghae grinned very adorably at his answer.

They ended up watching one of the movies in Back to the Future, but Kyuhyun couldn't even recall which one it was because all he could think of was other scenarios where Donghae would make the perfect boyfriend. And at some point, he realized he forgot to imagine that he was the girl Donghae was having a crush on, and was instead imagining Donghae as his, Kyuhyun's, boyfriend. He was imagining how it would feel to have Donghae knocking at his door in the middle of his last minute review sessions with a cup of warm coffee, or to be the person Donghae would serenade love songs to, or for Donghae's hands to softly comb through his hair and gently pull him closer.

He could imagine how good it would feel.

("Are you even watching the movie or are you thinking of some homework you haven't finished yet?"

"Shut up. I can't hear the movie if you keep talking to me.")

That was years ago.

They're nearing the end of their college life now, in different courses but the same year level because Donghae took a year off to help earn money for his family ("And we'd be entering college at the same time next year, Kyu! It'll be great!"). Donghae did end up dating the girl he had a crush on, but they broke up after a few months because 'it just didn't feel the same anymore', and both Donghae and Kyuhyun ended up dating other people throughout the years.

Still, the feeling never completely faded. It's been forcefully repressed for years, sometimes Kyuhyun forgets it was ever even there but then Donghae leaves him a post-it note on his book reminding him to take a break every once in a while, and his heart beats too fast for his liking.

He had decided to never do anything about it because he's seen the shows and read the books. The best friends-to-lovers concept is done a lot and many tend to have a dramatic confession under the rain and live a happily ever after, but Kyuhyun's already learned his lesson that what the media shows are not what it's like in real life. He'd seen friends date and break up, ruining years of what could have been such a great friendship. He knows someone who confessed to their friend and Kyuhyun had to stay by their side as they drank and cried all their sorrows away.

But, interestingly enough, that last thing is what's pushing him to reconsider his decision.

That someone's name is Heechul, and he had already graduated the year before. Kyuhyun got along with him well enough because they both had an interest in sharing stories over drinks after a long day of academics. Heechul was the first one Kyuhyun ever even hinted at about his crush on Donghae and, in return, Heechul unashamedly admitted his own long-term crush on his own best friend through dedicating a whole playlist of songs that he sang that one time they had karaoke night with just the two of them and endless bottles of beer.

After Heechul graduated, he became busy with his newfound job, but never failed to invite Kyuhyun out every month or two to some drinks. Their most recent meet up being two nights ago, when Kyuhyun arrived at their usual spot to find Heechul already half drunk with tears still falling from his eyes.

Honestly, Kyuhyun could curse Heechul again and again for that night, because the whole story of how Heechul plucked up the courage to tell his friend how he felt only to be rejected and told he would be moving back to China should have cemented the decision of never telling Donghae anything. But Heechul, the unexplainable phenomenon that he is, told Kyuhyun that he would never regret it.

"Ever."

"Ever? Never ever?"

"Yup." Heechul sniffed, and it broke Kyuhyun's heart to see his close friend in such a state. "I'll never regret telling him how I feel."

"You got rejected." A bottle cap almost hit him in the forehead if he hadn't dodged in time.

"I know that. You don't have to ing remind me." Heechul rolled his eyes and groaned as he pushed himself up and gestured Kyuhyun to pour him another glass, which he did. "But it was really for the best."

Kyuhyun looked at this hyung who usually dressed in weird sweatpants and custom shirts he got his own face printed on that he managed to pull off nonetheless, who was now sitting in front of him with messy hair and a tear stained shirt like he hadn't had a look in the mirror and a proper shower for weeks, and he couldn't remove the doubt in his voice as he asked his question. "Whose best?"

Heechul sighed. "Mine."

"Why?"

The older one turned to look at him with eyes swollen from hours of crying. "I would've regretted it so much more if I didn't." After seeing the doubt on Kyuhyun's face, Heechul continued on. "When we stop ourselves from telling them how we feel it's because we're terrified of this," he gestured half-heartedly to himself, "right?"

Kyuhyun nodded as he poured them both another glass.

"We don't stop to think about the good side of it. What if they ended up feeling the same way? What if they were terrified of the same things we are? What if, at the very least, they do reject us, but the friendship continues on and we can finally move on as well?" Heechul's voice cracked as he said the last parts.

"But—"

"I fought for it, Kyuhyun-ah." Heechul sighed in relief, but his eyes filled up with tears again. "I'm proud that I can even say that. I took a chance, a ing shot in the damn dark, and I found that there wasn't even a target in the first place. But it was better than forever staring at the darkness and wondering about the 'what if'. And I knew he wouldn't just throw me away."

Kyuhyun closed his eyes at his words, finding that it hit the part the mattered to him most.

"Hangeng and I... We've been through too much together just to throw it all away because of a short moment of awkwardness. I trusted him enough to know he knows how to break my heart and not make it all be for nothing. And I had to trust myself that I can get past this because, it, I'm Kim Heechul." They both shared a smile at that before downing another shot.

"Kyuhyun-ah." Heechul broke the silence they fell into. "I know it sounds weird considering the I just went through, and you don't even have to listen to me, but I hope you can consider being honest with your friend about how you feel too."

Kyuhyun remained silent, only taking a moment to open another bottle because the night has really only just gotten started.

"With all you've told me about him, and the short times that I have met him, he wouldn't leave you for something as stupid as a friend falling in love with a friend." Heechul patted his back twice before taking the newly opened bottle away from him and drinking straight from it. "Give Donghae some credit."

Which brings this story to here and now. Here, being the street leading to the dormitory Donghae stays at during the school year. Now, being 9 P.M. after Donghae's basketball training.

They would have shared a dormitory, but they agreed that it's better to get separate ones. It wouldn't be helpful to ask Kyuhyun for the reasons because he honestly doesn't remember and he just knows that if he had spent more time with Donghae than he already does, then the whole more-than-friends feelings situation would get a lot worse. It turned out to be a great choice because they did make more friends along the way, Kyuhyun's dorm was closer to his building and Donghae's dorm was closer to the gym they'd usually train at, and, if anything, they did become better friends and weren't hesitant to call each other over to catch up despite a week or two of busy schedules. (He honestly thought this whole feeling thing would have gone away, but the relief Kyuhyun gets when he sees Donghae after weeks of just focusing on his readings was not healthy.)

Kyuhyun also could have gone back to his dorm earlier because he didn't have training but he did hear about Donghae's and knew that he would be exhausted and have a hard time getting back to his place by himself. He also found that the cafe near the gym was the perfect place to study for his exam tomorrow afternoon, which was definitely the main reason he had even stayed there from 6-9 P.M. despite his classes ending at 4, and was completely coincidental with the fact that Donghae's training also ran at the same time.

"One foot in front of the other," Kyuhyun encouraged as he carried Donghae's training bag on his right and pushed the other lightly with his left hand. "Almost there, hyung."

Donghae's eyes were already closed and he was pretty much dragging his feet ever since Kyuhyun met him outside the cafe. He murmured something that didn't even sound like actual words, but he still managed followed Kyuhyun's instructions.

The state of the older one was making Kyuhyun think twice about his decision to say something tonight, but then he realized that this might actually be the better because if Donghae had no memory of whatever Kyuhyun might say, then at least he got some practice.

They finally reached the building after a few more minutes of Donghae stumbling in the wrong direction and Kyuhyun scrambling to lead him the right way. As they reached the steps, Donghae turned automatically to Kyuhyun to get his bag, but the other pulled away.

"No," Kyuhyun's eyes fell on the elevator by the entrance, an idea forming in his head. "Remember last time I let you go up by yourself and I learn the next morning that the security guard found you dead asleep in the elevator? I'm going with you until you get out of the elevator."

Donghae rolled his eyes but weakly shrugged and kept walking anyway. "Why not just go ahead and tuck me into bed as well? What if I don't go inside the room and fall asleep by the door?"

"Your roommate's going to hear you fumbling your key with the lock anyway." Kyuhyun answered as he tried to not laugh at his hyung's whining tone. "Hyukjae hyung is probably still awake and busy with his work, if what I heard from Jongwoon hyung is right."

"Right," Donghae muttered as he entered the elevator with Kyuhyun, immediately leaning in the corner and pressing his head against the cold metal wall. Kyuhyun was left with the duty of pressing the button for the 11th floor. "My roommate's dating your roommate. Ha, what are the odds?"

"Pretty high actually considering they have the same course and we introduced them to each other." Kyuhyun's hands began to sweat as they went up.

3rd

4th

5th

He took a deep breath as the number went higher and closer to their stop. Kyuhyun turned to Donghae and transferred the training bag to his shoulder with no warning, effectively startling him awake for a second because of the sudden weight.

"What the hell?"

Kyuhyun nervously grinned back at his friend, who was oblivious to it all because sleep was taking over again, and it would have taken over completely if the elevator hadn't stopped and the doors started opening.

"Bye, Kyu. Thanks for bringing me here." Donghae smiled sleepily at him before stepping out of the elevator.

"Hyung!" Kyuhyun called out as he pressed the button for the ground floor and the one to hold the door open. Donghae turned around at the sound of his name and struggled to open his eyes. The younger one only smiled softly before taking another deep breath.

"I like you, Hae hyung."

Donghae didn't respond at all until he tilted his head as if he wasn't sure of what he heard. Kyuhyun could only grin back at how adorable he looked before moving to quickly press the button to close the doors.

"And I mean that in a more than a friend way. Like I'm pretty sure I've been in love with you for years. Okay, that's all. Bye! Sleep well!" He rushed the last parts as the doors slid close and the last thing he saw was Donghae blinking in confusion as he stared back at him.

There was nothing but silence for a second, but Kyuhyun started giggling to himself, his head leaning on the wall with the buttons as he felt the elevator slowly make its way down. He closed his eyes and started laughing alone about how Donghae looked like he didn't understand a single thing that just happened and how weirdly great he felt to say the words.

He didn't think saying it out loud would make a difference. Sure, he's never said it to anyone, even Heechul just put the pieces together and Kyuhyun never confirmed it, but he had already admitted it to himself so long ago, it never felt like a secret until now. Suddenly, the entire speech of Heechul about the relief it could bring made sense. There was this weight off his chest that had probably been there ever since Donghae asked that hypothetical question and he had just gotten used to carrying it around that removing it now made him feel like he could fly.

The elevator stopped and opened its doors to the quiet night. Kyuhyun walked out and through the doors, wrapping his coat closer around himself when a gentle breeze greeted him outside as he took light steps down the road leading to his dormitory building.

He grinned up at the moon shining brightly in the sky, feeling carefree as he almost skipped down the street. He's not oblivious to the fact that he might have to face Donghae's response tomorrow, depending on whether the older one even remembered it. It's probably going to be fine because he talked about it with Heechul and realized that his friendship with Donghae is much more stronger than he could have wished for. So it will be fine, no matter what happens. And Kyuhyun knows that, yes.

But there is still a bit of dread for the moment of confrontation. So he shakes his head to get rid of the thoughts and leave the worries for him to deal with tomorrow.

"KYUHYUN-AH!"

...Or maybe not.

"CHO KYUHYUN!"

He's not hallucinating or just hearing things, because Kyuhyun was feeling 100% perfectly fine earlier. He wonders if it's the security guard but the dormitory guard doesn't even know his name, so that was scratched off the list quite quickly. He thinks if it was someone else he knows, but pretty much everyone was immediately crossed out because, who is he kidding? He knows that voice more than any other voice. (Even more than his own mother, apparently, because they played some game at the park before and Kyuhyun was able to find Donghae's voice faster than his mother. Not the point, we have an important issue at hand here.) He considers running away, but he's not going to be able to outrun a sports person... Athlete? Is that what they're called? Words aren't exactly working right now. But, hey, maybe the running away thing will work since Donghae's exhausted from training and Kyuhyun's really not that bad at running.

"Kyu, if you try to run away I will actually throw a rock at you." That voice, it really is him, huffs out and his steps slow down but keep walking towards him.

Kyuhyun had frozen on the spot the moment he first called him, but he hadn't turned around to face him. Not yet. "Your aim is really bad anyway, it's not gonna hit me."

"Fine," Donghae replied, sounding out of breath. "I'm just gonna faint on the streets instead because I'm really, really tired after running down the 11 floors to catch you."

At that claim, Kyuhyun immediately spun to face him. "You ran down the stairs? You were already half asleep when I left you! What if you tripped and rolled down the stairs to your death?!"

He found Donghae leaning forward with his head bent down, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. When Kyuhyun started shouting, he struggled to look up at him through his tired eyes but, goddamn, he still had a bright smile.

"Were you worried?" He said between breaths.

"Well, I wasn't!" Kyuhyun paused. "And I'm not now, because you look completely fine. You could've just tried to talk to me tomorrow!" He rubbed his hands on his face as he realized the dread he was trying to push away had crept back full force.

"You would've spent all night thinking about it." Donghae finally stood properly to face him. "I couldn't let you do that, you have an exam tomorrow."

Kyuhyun shook his head at him and rolled his eyes. "I was perfectly fine."

Donghae laughed. "Okay, yeah. You're right. I was actually talking about me. I have an exam tomorrow, too. I can't spend the night without proper sleep if I keep thinking about what you said."

The lightheartedness of the situation all faded away and every single fearful thought he had before came back. Why did he listen to Heechul again?

His worries must have shown on his face or Donghae really does have some mind-reading ability, because he slowly reached out to take both of Kyuhyun's hands in his own and just the sight of it calmed Kyuhyun down. His own eyes met Donghae's, and he saw the sleepiness still there but it was overpowered by warmth and love.

(Let's not get ahead of anything, okay? Donghae has always loved Kyuhyun and vice versa but the love that Kyuhyun had just confessed to is a completely different thing!)

"Calm down, Kyu." Donghae softly whispered, but it was loud enough for both of them to hear in the middle of the road that's empty except for them two. He moved both of Kyuhyun's hands to his left hand as he lifted his right to comb the hair away from Kyuhyun's eyes to see him better.

Kyuhyun's heart is not okay.

Donghae's hands slightly moved down and Kyuhyun felt his fingers lightly brush against his cheek as the older one looked at the other with a fond smile. "Kyu, are you worried I might not feel the same?"

Kyuhyun's heart is really not okay.

"Uh..."

"Because if you are, that's just stupid."

"...what?"

Seriously, is there no limit to how fast a heart can beat? Because Kyuhyun's pretty sure he should be dead by now.

Donghae grinned again and he looks perfect, despite his eyes really struggling to stay open. He had fully let go of Kyuhyun's hands now, and wrapped his arms around his neck, taking another step closer. Kyuhyun could feel the heat of their breaths in the small space between them and the light trail of Donghae's fingers as he played with the hair at the back of his head. "Kyuhyun-ah, you're very smart, so you can answer a yes or no question, right?" Every whispered word echoed loud in Kyuhyun's ears, but Donghae continued before he could say anything else. "I'm gonna ask you: can you tell how I feel about you now?"

And Kyuhyun...

He's not dumb. He really isn't. The weight in his chest has returned, but it's not as dark and heavy as he remembered. It feels like a soft cloud with the warmth of the sun, the brightness of the stars, and the beauty of the sky. The fears all simmer down to practically nothing but old worries. He can put the pieces together — the look in his eyes, his smile, the way he's holding him close, the fact he stupidly ran down 11 flights of stairs just to catch him, all those years of staying by his side — and he knows.

Lee Donghae loves him too.

"Yes," he answers in a whisper, the word sounding fragile but sure. "Yes, I can."

Still, just because he's dumb, doesn't mean he's not skeptical or insecure, so Kyuhyun wanted to get the confirmation and actually hear the words from Donghae himself. But before he could even say another word, the hand gently playing with his hair was suddenly covering his mouth and the fragile moment turned playful and lighthearted at the grin Donghae sent him.

"Good," he nodded at him. "I'm glad I made myself clear." Donghae had a wide, teasing smile on his face as he took two steps back and let go of Kyuhyun, the cold breeze suddenly making itself known again as the warmth from each other disappeared.

"What?" Kyuhyun asked, at a loss of words with how the atmosphere suddenly shifted. But because Donghae's smile and obvious happiness has always been contagious, he found himself smiling back without knowing why.

The older one rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm really tired, Kyu. I just had training and you made me run down the stairs because you ran away after the dumbest confession ever. You know what that means?"

The playful tone in Donghae's voice was undeniable and Kyuhyun is enjoying it, but he is still very confused. "What?" He asks back with a confused but fond smile of his own.

"I'm expecting a better confession tomorrow." Donghae shamelessly closed his eyes and patted his chest twice. "I, Lee Donghae, deserve a better confession than you just running away and making me work for it instead."

Kyuhyun laughed silently as he watched Donghae proudly state his demands. "What?" He asked again, just to make sure.

Donghae looked at him with a smile again. "Since you know what the result would be now, I'm expecting a better confession tomorrow after our exams. And since you literally ran away awhile ago, the bar's pretty low."

"We're cancelling my confession tonight?" The smile was even evident in Kyuhyun's tone as he asked the question. Other people might have been offended if they were in his place, but this was starting to be like a game that they both enjoyed. They do share the same sense of humor after all. "This never happened? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"No, no, no." Donghae quickly denied. "It's standing as an example for you."

"An example of how to not confess?" God, Kyuhyun is so amused at this unexpected turn of events and he is so in love with this man right now he just wants to hold him, but he knows that if he did so, he wouldn't be able to let go.

"Yes!" Donghae pointed at him for getting the answer right and began walking backwards to his dormitory building. "I knew you'd get it! My Kyu has always been very smart."

"Your Kyu?" His ability to restrain himself from running to Donghae and just hugging him tight really deserves an award.

"Mhmm." Donghae paused in his steps as he nodded. He sent Kyuhyun another bright, sleepy grin, not knowing what it does to the other's heart, before skipping back to his dormitory building.

He stopped right outside and turned to Kyuhyun one last time, waving his arms wildly. "Goodnight, Kyuhyun-ah! See you tomorrow! Good luck on your exams!" And as a final touch, he blew him a kiss before disappearing into the building.

The night was suddenly quiet again as Kyuhyun was left standing in the middle of the road, with a widest grin on his face and his right arm still waving goodbye. He put his arm down and stared at the building for a second before turning and walking the way to his own dorm.

There's a new lightness to his steps and the moon suddenly looked brighter than it did just a few minutes ago. His cheeks are already hurting from how much he's been smiling and he couldn't stop the giggle or laugh that would escape him once in a while.

He feels pure happiness and love and all things good in his heart and he's sure it's a feeling that can never be described in any book or replicated in any shows. But they've never been like the shows, whether its the jock and nerd friendship or the friends-to-lovers dramatic confession. They're the real thing and they can take those things that the shows make and turn it into something better.