A few hours had passed. Chanhee had gone to the local convenience store, a ten minute walk from the house, to get Byunghun his ice cream. The grocery store was too far on foot, and Chanhee didn't even know how to drive, anyways. 

Unfortunately, they didn't sell ice cream in huge tubs at the convenience store, so, Chanhee bought as many bars of ice cream he could with 20,000 Won. That turned out to be two bags full. The check out lady at the convenience store gave him a weird look as she scanned all the ice cream bars. "Boyfriend is pregnant. You know how they are." Chanhee plainly answered, ignoring her confused look and collected the bags.

The night was unusually cold, and the walk to Byunghun's house seemed longer than usual. Since it was late at night, he had expected Byunghun to be asleep when he got back, but Byunghun was sitting on the floor in front of the front door, eagerly waiting for him. When Chanhee walked in, Byunghun smiled widely. "You're back!" His eyes beamed when he saw the bags. He made grabby hands for them, his tongue swiping over his lower lip in anticipation. He had been craving ice cream for nights now, but had always ignored his urges. It was late at night, and Sojin said that he would get a stomach ache if he indulged in sweet treats at that time. 

Tonight, however, Byunghun couldn't resist. 

Chanhee shook his head, lifting the bags in the air, out of Byunghun's reach. He continued walking into the kitchen, Byunghun whining and trailing behind him. With a grunt, Chanhee emptied both bags onto the kitchen counter, carefully tying the bag and throwing them off to the side. His face was flushed, his hair completely swept up in a mess. Leaving Byunghun in the kitchen to eat, Chanhee shuffled over to the sofa and plopped down onto it, throwing his arm over his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed into the couch. 

There were a few moments of silence, and Chanhee was just about ready to drift off into sleep when he felt the couch dip beside him. Slowly, he lifted his arm off his eyes and came face to face with Byunghun, who was a Cyclone. "Were you sleeping?" 

"No." 

Byunghun cozied up to the other male, resting his head on Chanhee's shoulder. "Thank you for the ice cream--you bought a lot for me! I'll pay you back for all of it, I promise--" Byunghun said happily. Chanhee chuckled, patting the other boy's head. "You don't need to pay me back, Byung, it was nothing." 

There was a comfortable quietness that lapsed around both of them. Chanhee found himself naturally putting an arm around Byunghun's waist. He couldn't help but think that it was just like old times. He and Byunghun would always cuddle up on the couch and watched movies, the nights that they were free. Chanhee always imagined his life with Byunghun, and couldn't think of it any other way. Of course, it was his fault for not standing by Byunghun but…

"Whatcha thinking about? You usually talk a lot, you're so quiet." Byunghun asked, looking up at the other. 

Chanhee felt his cheeks redden, clearing his throat. "Nothing. Do you want to watch a movie, Byung? I'm bored, and I doubt you're going to go to sleep any time soon." 

Byunghun had agreed happily, and gestured to where they kept the DVDs. Chanhee picked some drama that Byunghun hadn't watched before, and stuck it in the DVD player, before taking his seat back on the couch. The younger laid his head down on Chanhee's lap, his face towards the screen. Again out of instinct, Chanhee softly caressed Byunghun's hair, and to his surprise, Byunghun didn't jerk away or make any other protests. In fact, Byunghun relaxed into Chanhee's touch, sighing in content. 

After the movie was over, Chanhee stretched his legs out and yawned. He looked over at Byunghun and was prepared to call his name, when he noticed that Byunghun was fast asleep. A smile tugged on his lips, as he lightly Byunghun's cheek, admiring his sleeping features. For a few seconds, he debated on what he should do. Should he let Byunghun sleep on the couch, and cover him in a blanket? Or should he lift him and bring him to his own room? 

In a spontaneous agreement, Chanhee carefully slipped his arms underneath the sleep boy, and simultaneously lifted him, getting himself off the couch. The boy was still surprisingly light, and Chanhee was able to get him upstairs and into his bed without much trouble. He had expected Byunghun to wake up at least once during the trip, but the boy stayed asleep.

Chanhee carefully unraveled the blanket to Byunghun's bed, gently placing the boy on the cover before adjusting his blanket around him. Giving him a light kiss on the forehead, Chanhee turned off the lights to the room and quickly exited.

*****

The next morning, Chanhee announced that he had something to do for the day, so he would be away. Sojin had the day off, and opted to take care of Byunghun while Chanhee was away.

"Noona, I want fried chicken." 

Sojin sighed, shutting the refrigerator door after placing containers of food back inside. How did Chanhee deal with this everyday? She had offered him every food item they had in the house, but he had flatly turned every single one down, claiming that he wanted fried chicken. Sojin refused to get the chicken delivered, because she thought Byunghun was eating too much fast food. 

"That's not healthy for you or the baby, Byunghun-ah. How about some salad, you like salad, don't you?" 

Byunghun just glared at the girl. "If I wanted salad, I would have asked for it. I said I want chicken." 

Sojin rubbed her lips together, her eyes suddenly widening as she thought of an idea. "What you need is a walk. How about you go get some fresh air, okay? I'll figure out the food situation. Come on, go!" Sojin quickly ushered the boy out the door. Byunghun wondered if Sojin really thought getting some air was a good idea, or if she just wanted to get rid of him. He simply shrugged. He had a twenty dollar bill in his pocket, he would walk to the damn chicken restaurant and get his fried chicken himself. 

Drawing up the sleeves of his oversized grey sweater, Byunghun stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black sweats, walking alongside the buildings. 

Just up ahead, he spotted a splash of white hair that he saw to be vaguely familiar. He tilted his head, growing more curious as he approached the figure. It was indeed a male, like his original guess. It was only when he was three feet away did he realize that as Chanhee. Byunghun smiled, almost calling out to the boy before he realized that Chanhee wasn't alone. There was another girl with him, a girl that looked about the same age. She had linked her arm around Chanhee's, and she was talking avidly about something. Chanhee burst out laughing, his body slightly leaning closer to the other as he turned his head away. The wind carried out his laughter. 

Byunghun frowned a bit, slipping off to the side, pressing his back against the side of a brick building to shield himself. What was Chanhee doing out? And with a girl, no less? 

A twang of jealously harshly whipped him. He peeked over the wall. Chanhee was touching the girl's hair. It looked like he was tucking a few strands behind her ear. 

His hands clenched into fists. Byunghun willed himself to take a few deep breaths, trying to calm his beating heart. But the anger didn't dissipate, it only seemed to grow as Chanhee kept performing unshameful kinds of skinship with her. He once again pressed his back against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut. Sojin always said he had trouble controlling his temper, and being hot-headed was something he needed to fix.

It's hard to fix when he's being such a goddamn manwhore. Manwhore. God, I hate him. 

With trembling lips, he brought up the hood of his sweater, quickly turning the other way and walking back towards the house. 

*****

When Byunghun returned, Sojin was in the kitchen, organizing a mess of ingredients that were laying on the marble counter. Byunghun ignored Sojin's greeting and stomped his way all the way up the stairs, slamming the door to his room.

Sojin immediately dropped the jar of yeast she held in her hands, wondering if she should go see what was troubling him. When he left, he was in a good mood, so something must have happened on his walk. Soon after, Chanhee walked through the door. Sojin noticed how he looked a bit more dressed up than his usual jeans and a large t-shirt ensemble. "Hey, do you know what's wrong with Byunghun?" 

Chanhee looked genuinely confused, slowly shaking his head."Should I go check up on him?" 

Sojin nodded, wiping her hands on her jeans before turning back around, moving around some items. Chanhee was concerned--what had upset Byunghun this time? I'm going to kill whoever made him upset this time.

He knocked on Byunghun's door. There was a momentary pause before the door swung open. Byunghun was there, and he didn't look happy in the slightest. His death glare could have killed someone. "Byungh--"

Slam.

Chanhee blinked as he was suddenly met with the wooden door. Hesitantly, he gulped, rapping his knuckles onto the door three times. "Byunghun? Open the door." 

There was a dead silence. Chanhee internally groaned, unsure of what to do. He hadn't done anything wrong! 

He decided to knock again. But, to no avail. "Byunghun, I'm coming inside." Chanhee twisted the knob, throwing the door open. The room was dark; Chanhee could barely make out Byunghun's silhouette on the bed. He approached, carefully, in case Byunghun decided to ambush him with everything he could get his hands on. But as Chanhee approached, he noticed that Byunghun was laying down on his back, earbuds blasting music into his ears with an arm thrown over his eyes. 

"Byung." 

The other boy didn't even twitch. 

"Byung," Chanhee said, a little louder than the last. 

Still no answer.

Chanhee cursed, marching up to the other boy and ripping the earbuds from his ears. Byunghun didn't seem too surprised--instead, he slowly removed his arm and looked up at Chanhee. "If someone ignores you, that means they don't want to talk to you. So get the out--" 

"What happened? Sojin noona told me you were upset." 

Byunghun snickered, literally picking up his iPod and throwing it at the wall. He got up, taking slow and steady steps towards Chanhee. With every step Byunghun took, Chanhee took a step back. "Did you have fun with that ?" 

Chanhee blinked, shocked with the sudden harsh tone. When Byunghun got angry, he didn't scream or yell. His voice got quiet and tight; Chanhee would have preferred if Byunghun yelled instead. 

"Don't pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about, I saw you." 

Ah, so that's what has upset him. Chanhee couldn't help but feel a bit giddy that Byunghun was jealous over that. It wasn't his intention, of course, but he was glad nonetheless. "She was just a friend." 

"Oh? Do you get all touchy-feely with all your friends, hyung?" 

Another indicator that Byunghun was mad. He was use all means possible to distance himself. Chanhee always said that the term 'hyung' or 'dongsaeng' made him feel more emotionally apart from the person who used it. He hated that term. 

"Byunghun, it not what you think." 

Byunghun slammed his fist against Chanhee's chest. It didn't hurt per se, but Chanhee was overcome with shock, unable to react to being hit. "Don't say my name. I hate you. I hate you. Get away from me." Byunghun continued hitting the other's chest, the punches getting harder. 

Chanhee finally came to his senses after a while, blinking rapidly before grabbing both of Byunghun's wrists in his hands, holding them still. 

Byunghun was still seething, spitting out curse after curse. "Don't ing touch me! Get your filthy hands off--" 

Chanhee rolled his eyes, thinking of only one way to shut the other up. He pulled Byunghun close to him by his wrists. Once he was close enough, Chanhee abruptly released his hands, cupped Byunghun's face and pressed his lips against the latter's. Byunghun was already in shock from being pulled, his eyes widened when he felt Chanhee's lips on his. His breath got caught in his throat, his heart hammering in his chest. Chanhee's lips were so…soft. Warm. Byunghun tried to will himself not to close his eyes, and not to get lost in the kiss but he felt himself weakening; his eyes fluttered closed, a low moan tumbling out of his mouth as his arms wrapped around Chanhee's neck. Byunghun felt himself kissing back, and a burst of happiness ran through him. He missed this. He missed Chanhee. He wasn't sure about his feelings before, but after the kiss…

Byunghun was sure. He was still in love with Chanhee. 

Chanhee pulled away slowly, pulling away only to the extent where the tips of their noses were touching. "Byung." He whispered, his breath tickling the other's lips. Byunghun shuddered, the sudden desire to feel Chanhee's lips burning through him. 

"Hm…?" 

"Will you stop throwing your fists, and listen to me?" 

Byunghun bit his lower lip, clasping his hands together, his fingers lightly brushing against Chanhee's back. "Yeah." 

Chanhee smiled, giving Byunghun a quick peck on the lips before pulling away completely. Byunghun's arms slid off, his lips sliding into a pout. 

"Byungun…I want to make things right with you. If you'll let me." 

Byunghun immediately straightened, his eyebrow raising as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you mean?" 

Chanhee fiddled with his fingers. Byunghun could see carefully Chanhee was analyzing his word choice. Chanhee's eyes would dart from the side, to the floor, his mind whirling. This is my only chance, I have to do this right. I have to say this right. 

A brief moments of silence passed, before Chanhee could think of the most appropriate way to relay what he wanted to say. He was nervous--not for the words he was going to say, but Byunghun's reaction to them. He wanted to do this right, and get what he wanted, but he wasn't sure if he could win Byunghun over with just a measly confession. Chanhee knew that what he did hurt Byunghun. At the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. Byunghun just seemed happier without him, and ultimately, happiness is what he wanted for the boy. 

Their forever turned out to be cut a lot shorter than either of them thought.

Now was his only chance to get that forever back. He couldn't afford to mess up.

"I want to be with you, Byunghun. Like how we were. But this time, I won't give up on you…or on us. I think it should have been pretty obvious by now but, I'm still in love with you. I never stopped. I just--I thought you hated me when I first moved in, and I didn't want to make things worse by telling you. I want to take care of you, to love you…and make up for those times I didn't do what I promised. I'm so sorry but…if you give me another chance, I promise, I won't let you down." 

Chanhee looked to Byunghun with pleading eyes, searching for something, anything. But Byunghun's face remained the same, sort of expressionless. 

Then, Byunghun blinked, his arms falling down to his sides. Chanhee saw a smile work it's way onto the other's lips.