HeeChul reached home late in that night. He and HanGeng had spent the entire day together during school, and even went out to eat after school.

He had had fun though. It had been a while since he had laughed so much, and actually felt happy. Hell, he felt happiness come back to him as the memories of that night did.

Nothing of HanGeng reminded him of KiBum, except for their ability to be abnormally quiet when others would not. HeeChul thought that that was the thing he liked best about HanGeng, and what had caused him to get so angry when HanGeng had sat quietly in class with HeeChul next to him.

It was almost the exact same thing that had happened three years ago, the first time he had met KiBum.

He walked, no stumbled (because he had drunk a lot that night), to his balcony and hung his upper body over the railings as he fought fatigue. The night air was so tempting, such a great reminder of KiBum, as they had spent many nights together.

He closed his eyes as he inhaled the clean night air, letting his memories take him to the past.

The first day they had met, in his classroom.

Getting that charming smile out of KiBum and feeling his heart skip a beat.

Meeting in the park, next to the lake.

Feeding the ducks together, and pressing the dimples that formed when KiBum smiled.

The cold night when KiBum had found him.

Passed out in front of a club, no doubt drunk, taking him home in his car, and  letting him keep his jacket.

Their first kiss.

Their first official date.

Their first night together.

Their first birthdays together.

Their first couple accessory.

Their first “forever” promise.

HeeChul felt a tear drip down his nose and fall to the darkness below. He had the urge to throw himself off the balcony and follow his tea. Stop his pain. Stop his suffering.

But what good would killing himself do? He had to live on, to show Kim KiBum that he could live well without him.

Live better for that matter of fact.

Using his hands as support, he pushed himself away from the balcony and walked back inside, only to fling himself on his bed and peer under his bed.

There it was.

The box with all his memories of Kim KiBum that he had not yet gotten the strength to destroy yet lay there.

HeeChul grimaced, knowing that he was going to regret this after, and pulled the box out. It was covered with a fine layer of dust, which he blew off gently. His hand lingered over the cover of the box, torn between satisfying his curiosity and simply forgetting altogether. The former won.

HeeChul pulled himself wholly on his bed and sat with his legs crossed beneath him, eyeing the box as though it was a dangerous weapon. It was, to him. The very weapon that he had created to destroy his own heart time after time.

He pulled the cover of the box off with his eyes closed. He could still put it back on and throw the box over the balcony. The cover was still held tightly in his fingers. There was no reason to put himself through the past’s pain again.

Or was there?

Did he need to be reminded of what happened when he got close to people?

Of when he cared about people?

Of when he loved people?

Briefly, HanGeng’s laughing face and soft eyes surfaced behind his still closed lids. HeeChul felt a little smile creep up on his face at the image, and his heart tugged a bit.

He definitely needed to be reminded.

He dropped the cover to the ground as he opened his eyes. The first thing his eyes rested on was a picture of himself and KiBum, arms slung over each other’s shoulders, faces shining happily as they smiled brightly together.

His fingertips touched KiBum’s smiling face hesitantly, as though he was real. Tears welled up in his eyes as he stared at the picture. Blinking them aside rapidly, he picked it up and rested it aside.

Next he found a letter. One from KiBum, obviously. It had been delivered along with a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine, the day of their one-year anniversary.

HeeChul closed his eyes again, losing himself in the past once more, a sad smile on his face. His excitement of meeting KiBum the night of their one-year anniversary had not faded for the entire day and HeeChul had still been practically skipping to the door when KiBum had rung it.

That had been a night to remember, one he still dreamt about when deeply haunted by their happy times together.

All gone now, because of one unfaithful person’s decision.

HeeChul did not even bother opening the note. He knew it like the back of his hand anyway.

Impatient, he turned to box upside down and dumped the contents on his bedspread. Sorting through the rubble, he found what he was looking for.

Their first couple accessory.

HeeChul picked up the chain gently by the black length of cord, at the end which dangled half of a broken heart, with the letters L.O. engraved in the silver coating.

HeeChul looked ruefully at the pendant that dangled fron his grip, remembering the day he had gotten it. Not long after their first anniversary, if he remembered correctly.

He stared at the chain too long, and felt his heart begin to react. It felt as though a screw was being twisted slowly… painfully… forcefully, deep into his heart.

It hurt, simply put.

As though possessed, he put  all their memories back into its box and slipped the box under his bed. The next moment he heard his doorbell ring, and got off his bed still holding back tears.

It was HanGeng.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, afraid that his voice would break from the held back tears.

“I came to give you your wallet. You forgot it in my car.”

HeeChul nodded, dropping his gaze to the floor. He felt gentle fingers on his chin, as HanGeng pulled HeeChul’s face up to face his own. He looked into his eyes.

All HeeChul saw was concern for his abnormal behaviour, and the tears began to fall steadily from his eyes. Without a word or question, HanGeng held out open arms to HeeChul, and HeeChul collapsed into his embrace sobbing noisily now.

HanGeng carried the both insides, closing the door behind them and sat on the couch.

“It’s okay,” HeeChul heard him say, “Everything’s fine.”

For once, HeeChul could believe those words.

well~ here we go. the third chapter, written in the very early hours of the morning between falling asleep and several spelling errors XD

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thanks for all the support :D