The rest of the day carried on with the utmost normalcy. Finishing their tour of the zoo, going out to dinner, signing autographs for the fans whom followed them around.

Why do they always get so pissed off at Ryeowook for being too close to me?

But, as with all days, this one was to come to an end before anyone really had the time to appreciate it.

Filing into the van, Kyuhyun made sure to find his seat beside Ryeowook, all but forcing the smaller into the middle between him and Siwon. He had, for a moment, considered being the one to sit in the middle to keep the boy protected from their hyung, but considering that he always fought /against/ sitting between people, it might raise suspicions from the others.

Night had settled in not quite 2 hours ago, and, staring out the window, Kyuhyun admired the way that the stars speckled the sheet of black velvet. Dark clouds swirled to form lightened spots across the image, bringing his mind ever closer to the distant heavens. It was beautiful, almost breathtaking when you didn't have the presence of unnecessary light to deter the sight of it.

But it paled in comparison to the view to the other side of him. Ryeowook cradled the small stuffed turtle in his arms, like a child seeking comfort. His eyelids were obviously heavy and it wasn't long before he drifted to sleep, that angelic face becoming more innocent in this simple manner.
Despite the knowledge that the toy he held so gently was for another, Kyuhyun couldn't help but to think only the sweetest of thoughts. He truly believed that Ryeowook was a vision of purity in an otherwise filthy world.

Glancing around, he took note of the fact that nobody was paying them any mind. Zhou Mi was asleep with his head on Henry's shoulder as the latter played some game on his cell phone. Donghae sat in the front seat, flipping through pictures on his phone... most likely the dozens (if not more) that he'd taken of Hyukjae. It was clear that he was already missing his closest comrade. Hangeng was texting Heechul, the most heartwarming smile on his lips (Hangeng only smiled this fondly when he was talking to Heechul). And Siwon had all but passed out the moment they'd taken their seats. His side was pressed against Ryeowook's, and he was using the boy as his pillow.

Kyuhyun looked at the taller man, eyes scanning the scene as though he were looking for something. His vision soon met with the sight of one long, well toned, arm wrapped firmly around the eternal maknae's waist. Those fingers lie gently against the small expanse of exposed skin on the boy's waist, his shirt having been pushed up just a bit by this position... or by Siwon.
With as tired as Ryeowook was, he didn't seem to even notice these little affections. Or, perhaps he ignored them. But Kyuhyun couldn't.

The tendrils of sleep that had been pulling at him before were snapped. Jealousy clouded his thoughts, which, had they been clear, would have told him that Siwon was only doing this because it was comfortable, not because he liked Ryeowook. But his mind kept repeating the same words.

Now /he's/ trying to steal Wook away from me, too.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Kyuhyun pried Siwon's arm away from Ryeowook, causing them both to half wake up, immediately alarmed.

Siwon, his eyes half closed as he tried to stop himself from falling back to sleep, gave Kyuhyun a confused look. Ryeowook, whom should have been giving the same expression, had already fallen back to sleep, leaning comfortably against his dongsaeng. Normally it was difficult to bother Ryeowook while he was a sleep, and this was no different. The man looked completely content to now be pressed against the younger man, head practically placed in the crook of his dongsaeng's neck.

Kyuhyun took a moment to admire how nicely their bodies fit together.

Like linking puzzle pieces.

"What was that for?" Siwon muttered, his voice still scratchy as it was obvious he wasn't fully awake, his eyes focused on the younger man just a few feet away from him.

Kyuhyun shrugged. He hadn't really thought ahead enough to come up with a good answer. Really, he knew that he shouldn't have bothered the pair, but the fire that caught in his throat, his belly, his mind, hadn't allowed him to think rationally until he had Ryeowook in his own hold, rather than Siwon's.

The elder boy sighed loudly, catching the attention of Hangeng. The leader looked back at them and raised a brow.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, looking only slightly annoyed at the forced pause in his conversation via text with Heechul.

"Kyu stole Wookie from me." Siwon pouted, playing the role of the victim all too well. Of course, in response, the eldest simply rolled his eyes.

"We all know Kyu likes Wook, anyway. Leave him alone." As simply as that, Hangeng refocused his attention on his cell phone, grinning childishly at the new words trailing down the screen.

Kyuhyun, however, stared blankly at the back of the Chinese man's head, eyes wide and body frozen.

Had he meant that as a joke?

It certainly hadn't /sounded/ like a joke.

And, if he was serious about this, then when had they all found out?

As though reading his thoughts, Siwon leaned his head against Ryeowook again, trying to get comfortable, as he spoke, "Don't look so shocked. You aren't very good at hiding the fact that you like him."

"W-What? I mean... how...? Why would you think I liked Wook?" The younger snapped, his face flushed in embarrassment.

How did they know?

"Well, you're always watching him, and you like to make it known that /you're/ his best friend and /you/ know everything about him. Even Yesung knows that you like Wook... he's just nice about it because you haven't tried anything. You know hyung isn't the kind of person to be too agitated by something like a little crush."

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