Ryeowook woke up extra early to get GaSeo some breakfast, she truly wasn't feeling well at all. She was throwing up and her temper was getting out of hand, but everyone understood. She was seasick. She knew it would happen but she insisted on coming along with Ryeowook anyways.

On his way back to his own room, Ryeowook purposely passed by the deck to see if Kyuhyun may be sitting by himself, as he usually does, and indeed he was.

Ryeowook took a seat next to Kyuhyun, he wanted to sort some things out.

Kyuhyun turned to him, a gentle expression on his face, his ensuing actions paralleled his gentleness. Kyuhyun stood up, walked over to Ryeowook and hovered over him, making Ryeowook lean back in his chair. They were alone, so alone that it scared Ryeowook.

“I want to read you,” Kyuhyun whispered, his lips nearly gliding across Ryeowook's left cheek.

“H-huh?” Ryeowook stuttered nervously.

“Like a book,” Kyuhyun answered, taking a strand of hair in his hand.

“W-what do you mean?” Ryeowook asked, but deep inside he knew what Kyuhyun was asking for.

“I'm telling you to open yourself up,” Kyuhyun continued, tracing Ryeowook's jawline with his fingers.

Ryeowook grabbed Kyuhyun's hands and moved them aside, he glanced over at the table and found a nearly empty wine bottle sitting there. Kyuhyun was drunk.

Kyuhyun chuckled at Ryeowook's realization, “I don't forget things, I don't act stupid because I'm drunk, I'm serious Ryeowook.”

It was the first time Kyuhyun had called Ryeowook by his name directly. Ryeowook's heart began beating faster.

“I'm not asking anything else from you, Ryeowook,” Kyuhyun uttered honestly, “I just want to be able to read you, like I can with everyone else. Don't look at me with blank eyes, look at me like you did yesterday.”

Ryeowook didn't know how to respond, all he could do was nod. Kyuhyun got up and patted Ryeowook's head before returning to his seat.

“GaSeo, is she feeling better?” Kyuhyun asked.

“No, not really,” Ryeowook answered.

“Maybe she should get off,” Kyuhyun replied. Kyuhyun looked at Ryeowook, who seemed to be a bit worried, “not alone, both of you. Maybe both of you should just go home.”

Ryeowook thought they had finally gotten a bit closer, but Kyuhyun seems to have pushed him away again. To be honest, he was a bit disappointed... he didn't want to leave.

“I thought you said you don't do stupid things because you're drunk,” Ryeowook mocked, it was the first time he's felt angry in a long while.

“I don't. It's best this way, Ryeowook, for all of us,” Kyuhyun answered. Ryeowook didn't understand him, he didn't know if it truly was the best choice or the right choice, he would have to think it over. Things were getting complicated.

–

Everyone gathered in the lounge for dinner, Sungmin included.

Kyuhyun never apologized for being violent with Sungmin, he never pushed Sungmin for an answer either. He knew the time would come when Sungmin would answer his questions, he would wait, he was willing to wait no matter how long it took.

They looked at each other often, sitting across from each other at the table.

Ryeowook and GaSeo were absent, she was too ill to join them at the table and he was too worried to leave her alone.

Sungmin smiled brightly, childishly, and lovingly at the three men he was with. The three men who made his life so much happier.

“You didn't come here alone, did you?” Heechul suddenly asked as if realizing something.

Kyuhyun froze and watched Sungmin, waiting for an answer.

“I didn't,” Sungmin replied, poking at the salad on his plate.

Sungmin loved vegetables, he rarely ever ate meat if it wasn't given to him. Kyuhyun sliced several small pieces of the beef he had and placed it in Sungmin's plate.

“Who did you come with?” asked Yesung.

“A friend,” Sungmin replied, smiling softly at Kyuhyun while placing some veggies into Kyuhyun's plate, “someone I met when I was gone.”

“Are you going to introduce us?” Yesung questioned.

“Hmm... maybe,” Sungmin teased.

Eunhyuk stared at Kyuhyun and Sungmin, their caring food-sharing, and their blissful expressions. It was so different from before.

“You should have some more vegetables too, Eunhyuk,” Sungmin stated, placing a serving of salad onto a plate and handing it to Eunhyuk.

Eunhyuk smiled politely, appreciating Sungmin's kindness. He didn't expect it and quickly ate the salad that was given to him happily.

Kyuhyun smiled contently at his brother, it was cute.

Eunhyuk was finally seeing a more outgoing, easygoing, brighter side of Kyuhyun and it was all probably because of Sungmin's presence.

“You should introduce us,” Kyuhyun suddenly said, looking at Sungmin, “I want to meet him.”

Sungmin hesitated for a minute before smiling, “ok!”

“If only he was this obedient with me,” Yesung joked, eating off of his plate.

“Will you really?” Kyuhyun questioned again.

Sungmin was stunned by Kyuhyun's mistrust, but shook it off and smiled brightly while nodding his head, “of course I will.”

“Dangerous friendship,” Heechul teased.

Kyuhyun frowned at the thought, what exactly did he want from Sungmin now?

–

“You wanted an answer from me.”

Sungmin stepped up from behind Kyuhyun, who stood leaning on the rail off the corner of the deck. Wrapping his arms around Kyuhyun's waist from behind, Sungmin leaned his forehead on Kyuhyun's back.

Kyuhyun placed a hand over Sungmin's arm before turning and embracing him.

“I did,” he answered gently. He felt a strange pressure rest on his heart, it wasn't painful but it was extremely uncomfortable.

“Well, I want an answer from you too,” Sungmin replied, raising his head to let his eyes meet with Kyuhyun's, “why wouldn't you leave with me?”

Kyuhyun pondered on the question for a while, he took a step back and leaned against a pole beside them, “I don't belong outside of that place we called our home, Min.”

“You don't belong there, none of you do!” Sungmin argued.

“I do, Min, I do,” Kyuhyun cowered, trying to hide himself deeper into the pole, “there's no where else I belong, Min, it's all I had.”

“It wasn't all you had,” Sungmin protested, closing his distance with Kyuhyun, “you had me, Kyuhyun, you could have stayed by my side. You didn't realize it then, and it might be too late now, but I wanted to tell you that.”

Kyuhyun's expression started to change, “then why didn't you answer me when I asked you seven years ago? The question that could have changed things.”

“I did, you just never realized it,” Sungmin stated, taking a step back. Sungmin turned towards the ocean, “Kyuhyun, when you're angry or frustrated, you become blind to many things; the hints that I gave you, the hidden messages, there were so many things that represented it, but you were blind to them.”

Kyuhyun was taken aback by this answer, he didn't understand.

“That's when I noticed maybe you weren't as in love as you thought you were. You were young; you felt insecure, you needed a shelter, you needed care, you needed love – any form of love. When I gave it, you took it.”

Slowly Kyuhyujn began to understand, the answer was becoming obvious and bits and pieces of the 'clues' were coming together.

“You asked me if I would go to the ends of the earth with you if you promised to leave with me,” Sungmin inanimately stated, "did I really need to answer that?”