They can hear laughter and quiet television from the other rooms. Ryeowook's voice drifts to them, saying an drunken and enthusiastic 'I love you!' to Henry and Donghae, who are trying to get him to sit back down by the sound of things.
 

Kyuhyun smiles and lets his eyes slip shut, revelling in the taste of good wine in his mouth. He'd have to get this again with Sungmin when they got back to Korea - he was sure that the older would love it. Crisp, low tones...yes, he notes to himself, I need to get another bottle of this wine.
 

Zhou Mi lets his own glass down onto the counter, eyes shining and smiling faintly. He's a little bit more than tipsy, he thinks, but it's okay. They have no schedules tomorrow, and he smiles wider at Hangeng when the leader enters and gets his own drink. His eyes stray to the person across from him, enjoying his wine, and stay there - he makes no attempt to draw his gaze away. After all, he thinks, Kui Xian can't see me staring if his eyes are closed.
 

Kyuhyun hums in appreciation, opening his eyes slightly to admire the legs of wine in the glass. He's glad they don't have schedules tomorrow, he can relax completely. He might even get some extra practice in, and he's definitely going to play some Starcraft before bed. He opens his eyes further, setting his glass down gently, and his eyes find Zhou Mi's gaze locked on him.
 

His eyes are dark and more than a little bright with alcohol, and Kyuhyun feels a laugh begin to bubble up inside him. What is Zhou Mi drinking anyway? He's never had much liking for wine, Kyuhyun knows, which is why he's currently nursing some unidentified, strong-smelling liquor.
 

"I think you're getting drunk," he says, mirth coloring his words, and he closes his eyes again and savors the aroma of his wine as he waits for a response.
 

"...no, not drunk, just a little...tipsy," Zhou Mi claims, but his words are a little clumsy and he can't take his eyes off of Kui Xian's wine-wet lips and he feels himself leaning forward almost without realizing it. Kui Xian opens his eyes then, and the surprise in then does not stop Zhou Mi. Indeed, it spurs him on - their lips touch and he feels Kui Xian's part slightly in shock and the slightly-bitter taste of wine tinges his senses.

The delicate clatter of their glasses spills into the room as Kyuhyun reflexively jerks up and Zhou Mi staggers back,  both raising a hand to their respective mouths. Their gazes are still connected, and it's only when Zhou Mi breathes out what Kyuhyun suspects are curses and bolts clumsily out of the room that Kyuhyun drops his hand back down.
 

It lands next to their tipped glasses in a mixture of alcohol, and Kyuhyun absently mops the spill up, vaguely mourning the rest of his drink. As soon as he finishes, he moves to sit on the ground next to the dining table and pulls his phone out.
 

|| Hey, are you busy right now? It's kind of important... ||
 

He lets his head fall back against the wall as his eyes shut, fingers absent-mindedly wiping the screen clean until it lights up with a response.
 

|| Kyuhyunnie! We're on a recording break for Star King ^^ What is it? ||
 

He sighs in relief.
 

Dialing the familiar number doesn't take long - he is speed-dial number seven - and Kyuhyun feels the tension begin to drain away at the sound of the familiar voice.
 

"Sungmin," he breathes, now more than a little lonely. After all, he is in an entirely different country, he thinks he's entitled to it. His hand grips the phone a little bit harder.
 

"Kyuhyun? What's up?" Sungmin asks gently, moving to the side of the studio. He sends an absent smile to Shindong and Eunhyuk when they turn to him questioningly, mouthing "phone" as if they couldn't see what was in his hand. He turns away, letting his features slip back to normal as he faces a wall.
 

He hears a long breath before an answer.
 

"Zhou Mi kissed me."
 

Well. That was certainly something. Sungmin's glad he's not facing anyone at that time, because his eyes opened up wide and he's pretty sure the glare he was sending at the wall was not compatible with the noona-charming aegyo-Sungmin they were used to seeing.
 

"We were all drinking some, and we were in the kitchen with Hankyung-hyung, but then he left. I'm pretty sure Zhou Mi was - is - drunk. He did it out of nowhere, but it was short. Sungmin? Are you...?"
 

He hears Kyuhyun trail off on his question and sighs into the phone by accident. What a mess.
 

"I'm sorry."
 

He can hear the sincerity in Kyuhyun's voice as well as the conflict, and he can't help the tiny smile that creeps onto his face.
 

"...it's okay. I trust you," he replies softly, and he knows that Kyuhyun is as relieved as he is when he hears a shaky sigh through the speakers.
 

"...I don't know what to do now," Kyuhyun confesses softly. "He left the room, and I think he might think that I hate him now. I guess I'll have to go find him," he mumbles, and Sungmin agrees with him.
 

"Try not to let it ruin things," he advises, biting back the reflexive jealousy that sprang up within him. "He's probably really worried right now."
 

"Thank you," Kyuhyun breathes into the phone, and Sungmin can hear the sincerity in this too. "Thank you for understanding. Really. I love you." This statement makes Sungmin's insides flutter, and he suppresses the smile on his face lest it get too large and obvious. "I love you too," he whispers into the phone, feeling his heart beat faster. "Take care, okay? Don't drink too much," he jokes, and his heart lightens. Kyuhyun's laugh has that effect on him.
 

"I won't," he replies, making to get up. "I'll talk to you soon? Bye." Sungmin bids him farewell, and he stands up entirely, stowing his phone back into his pocket.
 

Before he can go anywhere, though, a voice pulls him from his thoughts.
 

"You don't have to go find me. I'm here."
 

His gaze flies over to meet the taller man, framed in the doorway of the kitchen, and his happy, lingering smile vanishes.
 

"How much of that did you hear?" he asks nervously, anxiety beginning to crawl in his gut. No one knows about his relationship with Sungmin, and he pulls his phone back out and wipes the screen with his thumb again, back and forth.
 

"Just after you apologized." Zhou Mi's eyes are sober, and his words are soft as he comes closer. In the background, Kyuhyun can still hear a drama playing and recognizes Hangeng admonishing the other members for something.
 

Zhou Mi forestalls whatever he was going to say with a deep bow. "Forget that it happened. Please. I'm not sure why I did it. I'm...very sorry." He looks like he wants to say more, but he can't find the words.
 

Kyuhyun sets his phone down on the dining table beside them and dries his palms on his jeans. "It's - it's okay," he starts nervously. "I'm not...disgusted or anything. It's just..."
 

"You already have someone," Zhou Mi finishes. "I know that now."
 

"I can't blame you for it," Kyuhyun says. "I - haven't told anyone about it, and I don't know if I was ever going to." It's going as well as it could have gone, he guesses.
 

His phone chimes and interrupts Zhou Mi's reply - they both turn to it reflexively, and the message is displayed brightly on the front.
 

|| If you think you have to tell him about us, go ahead. I trust your judgement. ||
 

The sender is also displayed very prominently. Zhou Mi raises his eyebrows at the 'Sungmin!' as Kyuhyun feels the bottom of his stomach drop out.
 

But all Zhou Mi says is "I see," and shakes his head. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone," he adds, turning to go.
 

He stops at the door as Kyuhyun says, "Wait. Can we...still work together? Can we be friends?" The word friends hits Zhou Mi's heart painfully, but he can't do anything about it.
 

"Yes," he finally says, gauging the feelings in his chest and wading past the hurt, rejection, and shock. "Yes, I think we can."