Siwon is waiting by the fence when they arrive at four, and Ryeowook has the grace to scowl at Kyuhyun over Siwon’s enthusiastic hug.

Why, he mouths, and Kyuhyun shrugs, a little miffed at how Siwon obviously plays favorites.

They clamber over the fence and onto the school grounds rowdily, primarily because Siwon keeps alternating between calling Kyuhyun a filthy ert when he helps Ryeowook up, and trying to cop a feel for himself, too. Kyuhyun finally understands, from Ryeowook’s exhausted face, why Siwon was never with them during these moments before.

It’s a little surprising how quiet Siwon is when they’re inside the indoor pool. He doesn’t even make cracks about Ryeowook putting on a show as he undresses unceremoniously, just takes a seat beside Kyuhyun, scooping up the water he can reach from his position. When he watches Ryeowook, it’s a little more resigned than Kyuhyun’s, as if he accepts it now rather than despairs over a lost talent.

And in some ways, Siwon allows Kyuhyun’s selfishness, allows Kyuhyun to act his age, scared but trying to cover it up with determination, even encourages it, but it does not mean it sits well with him, like now.

“Are you trying to distract yourself from the guilt?” Siwon asks, the idleness in his tone feigned and almost taunting, “because if you are, I want you to stop it and think about Ryeowook, for once, and not yourself.”

Kyuhyun pulls his knees up to his chest, staring glumly into the water. “I just want him to swim again, but not if he has to hurt himself. Is that so bad?”

“Kyuhyun,” Siwon falters and doesn’t say anything else, only reaches over to hold Kyuhyun’s hand in his a little longer, because he doesn’t trust himself to say the right words.
 

=====

Kyuhyun comes to practice a week before the tournament, and, after suffering through his team’s guilt tripping, throws himself into swimming, almost like –

“He’s a little more focused, now,” Hankyung remarks thoughtfully when he visits, “I haven’t seen that in a long time.”

“Of course you haven’t,” Siwon says, extremely amused, “you’re always with Heechul-hyung when you’re not fooling around with Yesung.”

“Maybe,” Hankyung replies, smiling softly, and pretends he doesn’t notice the lack of Ryeowook’s presence, pretends he doesn’t see how Siwon idly pencils in Ryeowook’s name and crosses out another’s.

Some things, he knows, he has no right to question, because Siwon, for all his faults, implicitly commands their trust, so he yields it, willingly.

=====