Jongwoon doesn’t know if he’ll consider Heechul’s presence on his life right now a blessing or a curse.

(Maybe a blessing in disguise, Jongwoon?)

His older friend’s life is still in Europe and he hasn’t explained to Jongwoon yet what he’s doing in Seoul right now, having spent most of their time together when they first met again after three years asking Jongwoon who’s the person he’s in love with, what happened to them, who the (Heechul’s words) is Im Yoona, why the hell (Heechul’s words again) is she doing everything she’s been doing, and why they can’t be together, like what Jongwoon said.

Jongwoon ends up opening everything up to Heechul. He doesn’t know how Heechul does it, but there’s a certain security Jongwoon feels when Heechul is the one he’s telling things to, like for some reason, it’s safe with Heechul, whatever he’s telling him.

Heechul’s reaction ranges from “WHAT THE —,” when Jongwoon tells him the things Yoona did, to “OH MY GOD JONGWOON,” with matching gasps and short hugs when Jongwoon tells him things Heechul doesn’t know about him and Hyesung when they were only children, why Jongwoon was even born, and what Hyesung did for Jongwoon, to “THE HELL!” when Jongwoon finally tells him the current situation, that Kyuhyun is avoiding him, almost pretending Jongwoon does not exist at all.

It’s like when Kyuhyun said thank you to Jongwoon, it is goodbye as well.

He doesn’t know how or why or what happened but next thing Jongwoon knows, Heechul is with him at the university, and if that isn’t scary enough of a thought, Jongwoon doesn’t know what it is.

Nevertheless, Heechul walks with him, one arm hanging on Jongwoon’s tiny shoulders as he looks around this new surrounding.

“Heenim, what are you doing here?” Jongwoon mutters, looking warily at Heechul. Seriously, he’s not even irritated. He’s known Heechul long and well enough to be irritated with Heechul’s spontaneity. He’s worried, though, because Heechul is like a mystery card, thrown in a game on its resolution and who knows what he’ll do in the ending, right?

“Why?” Heechul says, clearly not bothered about anything. He doesn’t look at Jongwoon but remains glancing in every direction, like he’s memorizing each corner of the university. “Don’t you want me here?”

“Hyung,” Jongwoon begins.

“I want to know who he is.”

Jongwoon’s quick glance to Heechul makes the older pull his arm from Jongwoon’s and yell at him, “Don’t do that, you idiot! What if I’m looking at you and we accidentally kissed? Oh my God, my poor lips!”

Heechul keeps on going on and on about how they can’t kiss because of a million reasons Jongwoon isn’t able to keep track because Heechul wants to know who Kyuhyun is means that Heechul wants to meet Kyuhyun because Heechul wants to ask questions and when Heechul wants questions, he wants answers, and Heechul certainly won’t take avoidance and pretension that he isn’t existing as substitute.

Yes, Jongwoon knows Heechul that well.

“Hyung, it doesn’t matter,” Jongwoon says, a bit too quickly for his liking. It’s obvious that he’s panicking.

“What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” Heechul finally recovers from almost accidentally kissing Jongwoon and hangs his arm on Jongwoon’s shoulder again, walking so Jongwoon will walk with him.

“It doesn’t matter who he is, hyung,” Jongwoon answers. “Nothing’s going to change. It’s not going to happen.”

“Why?”

Why?

Jongwoon realizes he doesn’t have enough answer for that. He can think ten, a hundred, a thousand, but he can’t say enough to justify even to himself why it’s not going to happen. Much more to Heechul. He knows he’s going to need more than a thousand justifiable reasons why it’s not going to happen to convince Heechul.

Is it because he lied?

Is it because everyone knows about them now?

Is it because Kyuhyun still doesn’t remember anything?

“Why, Jongwoon?” Heechul asks again, and his voice is serious as hell and Jongwoon doesn’t know what to say more. “Why can’t it happen?”

They’re at the building now and while Heechul is becoming more and more aware of the stare mania they have on them, Jongwoon’s mind is running with possible, justifiable answers to Heechul’s question. He doesn’t even notice that they’re inside the building now and everyone’s even more (if that’s even possible) staring at him now because well, Heechul isn’t vain for no reason. He’s tall, and he’s beautiful (like literally).

Guys? Girls? Heechul doesn’t have any problem with having either.

“Wow, Jongwoon!” Heechul whispers silently in pure amusement to Jongwoon’s ears. “You’re really, really popular!”

Heechul’s comment brings back Jongwoon to earth.

“They’re probably staring because they think I’m on to my new conquest, hyung,” Jongwoon sighs.

“Does it bother you?”

“Their staring or the thought that I’m on my new conquest?”

“Both.”

“No,” Jongwoon answers, looking straight. It does bother him because who wants to get stared and misinterpreted without having the chance to explain yourself all the time? But Jongwoon is tired of it. He doesn’t want to explain himself to people he doesn’t care about what they think of him.

Heechul studies Jongwoon’s stoic expression before he says, “Good.”

Jongwoon continues walking while Heechul walks closely beside him. Close, because Heechul’s arm is still on Jongwoon’s and he’s leaning incredibly close to Jongwoon because he keeps glancing around. Heechul isn’t the type to be bothered about other people much.

“Where’s your classroom?”

“Third floor, hyung,” Jongwoon answers.

“He’s on your first period?”

Jongwoon sighs. It’s futile to stop Heechul from whatever he’s planning on his mind anyway. “No,” he tells Heechul. “We don’t have much class together since I’m a junior and he’s a freshman. We’re from different colleges, too, hyung.”

“But you do have class together?”

Jongwoon sighs again.

“Would you stop sighing? It’s not like I’m asking you to go save earth from cancer cells!” Heechul complains, yelling at Jongwoon slightly despite people around them already whispering about them.

Jongwoon can’t help but chuckle. He wonders how Heechul’s going to change the course of things because with Heechul, what’s doubtful is when things won’t change. They turn the corner to his classroom and Jongwoon’s heart almost skips a beat when he sees Kyuhyun walking towards them.

“You know you should stop sighing and sulking and being so depressing, Jongwoon. It’s not good for your health and you know how weak your heart is and…” Heechul is still talking nonstop when Jongwoon involuntarily stops because Heechul is with him and even though he knows this is bound to happen with Heechul, why does some things have to be so fast?

Heechul looks at Jongwoon and Jongwoon is looking ahead to a boy who’s looking ahead at their direction, too.

“Heenim,” Jongwoon whispers.

Heechul doesn’t answer and looks ahead. Then, he smirks and pulls Jongwoon closer. He doesn’t have the chance to whisper to Jongwoon’s ear like he’s planning because Kyuhyun is already turning the other direction and walking away, all the while trying to stop his teeth from gritting and his hands from clenching.

“Why it can’t happen again, you say?” Heechul asks once Kyuhyun has walked away.

Jongwoon looks at Heechul confusedly, too dazed after seeing Kyuhyun like that.

“He’s obviously in love with you, too, Jongwoon.”

Kyuhyun fast paces until his heart stops beating so erratically like it wants to jump out of his chest from much frustration because who the hell is that guy? Why the hell is his arm around Jongwoon? Why is he so close to Jongwoon? Who is he to Jongwoon anyway? He knows it’s immature and selfish and unfair because he’s the one who’s been avoiding Jongwoon but he can’t stop himself from being immature and selfish and unfair when he sees someone so close to Jongwoon like that.

He turns several corners and forgets where he is supposed to go until he finds himself in the balcony of the building that nobody really goes to.

He slumps down on the floor and replays the scene on his mind.

Ever since they talked in the café, and ever since he started avoiding Jongwoon, he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He asked Sungmin, Sooyeon, and also his parents and they all confirmed that what Jongwoon told him is the truth, but he doesn’t want to talk about it to anybody else but Jongwoon. He doesn’t want anybody else to explain why they didn’t tell him the truth and why they left him in the darks but Jongwoon. He doesn’t want it to be anybody else but Jongwoon.

He replays the scene on his mind again and he impulsively pulls out his wallet from his pocket.

Carefully pulling a photo behind the cards on his wallet, he wonders again who’s the guy with Jongwoon.

It’s their photo.

Ryeowook is walking around with the choir’s camera, documenting their practice because after winning a couple of competitions throughout first semester, the administration’s requesting some pictures so they can acknowledge them in the university’s website.

Snap.

Snap.

Snap.

He stops in front of Jongwoon and Kyuhyun, sitting beside each other and talking quietly by themselves.

“Smile,” Ryeowook quickly says with a grin before angling the camera to capture Jongwoon and Kyuhyun together and it’s too quick for Jongwoon and Kyuhyun to hide themselves and to complain why Ryeowook’s taking a picture of them when he needs to take pictures of the whole team so they just pause and smile their best smiles.

Snap.

“You should take pictures of everybody, Wookie,” Jongwoon comments after Ryeowook puts the camera down, checking the shot he got of Jongwoon and Kyuhyun.

“I’m taking, hyung,” Ryeowook grins.

“Let me see,” Kyuhyun grabs the camera from Ryeowook. “They want pictures of all of us.”

“I have pictures of all of us.”

“It’s embarrassing, hyung,” Kyuhyun complains. “I’m going to delete it.”

“No!”

Ryeowook moves to grab the camera from Kyuhyun’s hands and Kyuhyun moves faster to dodge Ryeowook that he fails to see Jongwoon’s smile falter. Kyuhyun playfully runs with the camera while Ryeowook tries catching him. (So much for university students, right?) They’re called for a meeting in a second and Kyuhyun remains holding the camera while Ryeowook glares daggers at him.

“There,” Kyuhyun says with a flamboyant smile as he returns the camera to Ryeowook.

“You deleted it?” Ryeowook asks in disbelief.

“Yes,” Kyuhyun nods.

But truth is, Kyuhyun has printed that photo, has kept it on his wallet since, and has made sure that he has that picture saved on his computer and on his mail online for safe keeping.

It’s their first picture together.

It’s he and Jongwoon’s first picture together.

Kyuhyun stares at their picture and as the bell rings its final ring for the first period and as students shuffle to be at their respective classrooms and as he stares at Jongwoon’s blinding smile on that tiny picture in his hands, Kyuhyun realizes he wants this man so much it actually hurts.

A/N:

Happy Holidays, loves! I hope you're all having fun, having a blast!

Don't catch a cold because of the weather. ^^

Always, Elle ft. beautiful KyuSung <3