Heechul could claim that nothing much unfazed him these days. But the sheer amount of food Kyuhyun ate did.

“He eats too much.” He promptly decides to educate his superior friend drinking buddy during their trip to the gents.

“No, he doesn’t.” Siwon replied calmly. “Look how skinny he is.”

“He’s skinny, but he eats too much. Maybe he has worms in his stomach.” Heechul grimaced into the mirror. The horror of seeing wrinkles made him yelp uncontrollably.

“Well I happen to like it that he eats a healthy amount of food and his figure is supple.” Siwon retorts with a grin.

Heechul rolled his eyes with a hopeless sigh. Why is he having a starstruck school girl conversation with another guy in the bathroom!?

“He’s gonna eat you out of house and home.” Heechul tries again.

“I can afford it. And even if I can’t, I’ll make more money so he will never starve.”

Heechul stares at the silly grin on Siwon’s face. In that instant he finally understands how deep Siwon has gotten himself into.

“And if you try to embarrass him again, I swear I’ll maim you this time.” Siwon said darkly before breaking into a dimpled grin.

“Aww, all right, all right! It’s before friendship! I knew it!” Heechul shouted angrily, remembering the kick he gave him under the table earlier on.

“It’s love, not .”

“Stop being delusional, buddy. All I see is lust in your big beautiful eyes.”

 

“I’m sorry for running late.” Siwon spoke into his phone as his free hand steadied the steering wheel.

“It’s all right. I’m getting coffee now. It will take a few minutes.” Kyuhyun’s voice struck his eardrum and resonates pleasantly in his brain cavity. The one thing that he has not shared with Heechul (his self-appointed love guru) was that he had developed an addiction to Kyuhyun’s velvety smooth brass voice. He desperately wants to fall asleep every night to that voice.

“Is it Joe’s coffee?” Siwon asks as he drove past the crowded café.

“Yes ~”

“I’ll be a sec.” Siwon said as he reversed his car and parked. Still holding his phone to his ear, he entered and found that familiar face standing in the queue. He made his way to his side and grinned at the surprised man. “Hey there.”

“Do you want a coffee? My treat.” Kyuhyun smiled back, cheeks lightly dusted pink and eyes sparkling merrily.

“Of course, especially if it’s your treat!” Siwon laughs happily. “Espesso. Strong. Black. No sugar.”

They had a great conversation going on while waiting in queue and now even as they left the café, it is still going on. “So I told my neighbor that his cat can’t come over anymore and ~”

Siwon is clearly enjoying himself as he relates his most recent funny story. His sole audience is looking up at him adoringly, stoking his ego and prompting him to go on forever. As he sprouts out his punchline, Kyuhyun chuckles softly and turned his head. The sudden rush of color off his face did not escape Siwon.

Coming towards them was a couple, and it is the man Kyuhyun is glaring at. Siwon watched in curious silence as the couple finally stopped a few feet away from them.

“Erm, hi, Kyuhyun. Long time no see.” The man said awkwardedly with false cheer. Kyuhyun neither acknowledged nor stops glaring. “How have you been?”

‘Is this your wife, Mi?” Kyuhyun asks instead through gritted teeth.

“Erm yes, yes she is.”

“Hello~” The lady said with a smile and puts out her hand for a handshake. But Kyuhyun only stared at her hand as if it is covered with germs.

“S-siwon, let’s go.” He said, his voice shaking slightly. Siwon followed dumbly after nodding politely at the pair of shocked looking couple.

“Are you feeling alright?” Siwon asks when he finally caught up with the fast walking man. The paleness on his face did not improve, if anything, it has gotten even paler. And when Siwon looked down, he saw the smaller man’s hands clenched into fists and shaking too.

“I’m fi-fine…” Kyuhyun forced himself to reply as they reached the construction grounds. His sense of duty returns and he pushed the dizzy feeling he is feeling to the back of his head as they took the lift to the fourth floor to inspect the new fixtures.

Siwon studied the younger man besides him from the corner of his eye. His paleness is starting to look a little green and he is breathing through his mouth. As the lift stops and the door opened, he followed Kyuhyun out as he moves towards the edge of the wall-less structure.

“That’s the suspected leak ~” Kyuhyun points to a corner on the edge and bend forward to take a look. To Siwon’s horror, his body continued leaning forward instead of stopping. At the most crucial moment, Siwon reached out and grabbed Kyuhyun’s shoulder, effectively stopping him from falling over the ankle high ledge.

Expecting Kyuhyun to regain his balance now, Siwon was surprised when the other toppled onto him. “Kyuhyun? Hey, Kyu, wake up!”

And so Siwon once again finds himself holding an unconscious Kyuhyun in his arms. Only this time, he will have to carry the man to the hospital.
 

“He shouldn’t be stressed in his condition.” The doctor chided lightly.

His condition? Is he terminally ill or something?

“I’m sor ~” Siwon began to apologise.

“If this goes on, we can’t guarantee that you will not lose the baby.”

Baby!???

Siwon looked so bewildered that the doctor decides to let him off without another scolding. As he sat next to the bedside looking at the sleeping man, he is still pretty much in shock. Those lovely fingers he had mentioned to Heechul are lying close by and without thinking he grasped them into his hand, feeling their cold dissipates with the heat of his palm.

“Hey.” Siwon greeted when Kyuhyun’s eyes finally opened and focused.

“Did I faint again?” He asks in a weak voice. Siwon nodded with a soft smile. “This is starting to become a habit. Sorry. And thank you for saving me again.”

"Yeah, falling four floors down doesn't look like something you wanted to try then." Siwon joked weakly.

A nurse walks in to check the drip rate of the medicinal drip attached to Kyuhyun’s arm. “How are you feeling?” She asked kindly.

“Headache.” He replied shortly.

“That’s quite common. I’ll bring you some painkillers. Maybe the father ~”

“He’s not the father.” Kyuhyun interrupts her flatly and both her and Siwon flinched abruptly as if slapped.

“Le-let me get the painkillers.” The nurse said awkwardedly and left the room hurriedly.

For a long time there’s silence in the room. Then Kyuhyun spoke up. “Go ahead and judge me if you must.”

“I’m not judging you.” Siwon replied immediately.

“You should.” Kyuhyun said miserably.

“I don’t.”

“A male, pregnant, single, without a partner…..I must be a joke.”

“What you are doesn’t affect my feelings for you.” Siwon said hurriedly and when it dawned on him that he had said something inappropriate, he bit down on his tongue and yelped in pain almost at once.

When he quite calm down, he found Kyuhyun staring at him fixedly. “Your feelings for me?” he asks dumbfounded.

“I me-mean…..I mean……our friendship. I don’t judge friends.” Siwon tried to cover up his mistake as well as he could.

“Friendship….” Kyuhyun's face fell with disappointment. “I see….”

“We are friends, aren’t we? Not just colleagues?” Siwon asks hopefully.

“Su-sure.” Kyuhyun’s face fell further while Siwon’s face lit up. “I’m tired, I think I’ll get some shuteye now.”

“OK, I’ll be going now. Sleep tight!” Siwon said happily as he stood up but Kyuhyun’s eyes are already closed.

Who am I kidding? Which mentally functioning person will want someone like me? Especially the me now.

He held back his tears till he heard the footsteps leaving the room. Taking care to ensure that Siwon has really left, he cracked open his eyelids and allowed his tears to seep through.