Onew and Key steadied JongHyun as he once again stumbled over the sidewalk. His hair flopped with each heavy step he took and his words strung together in near incomprehensible sentences when he spoke.

            “So,” Onew began, keeping an eye on JongHyun like he was his child or puppy. “What’s going on with you and Mr. Happy over there?”

            Key flushed bright red and this time not from the alcohol. He buried his hands deep into his skinny jeans’ pockets before saying, “Nothing.” Though it clearly was something.

            “Don’t lie… I’ve known you too long for you to lie to me,” Onew reprimanded playfully.

            “It’s nothing, really,” Key insisted.

            He was fixe with a hard stare that he often got when Onew knew he was hiding something from him. Like that time where Key had accidentally started a small fire in the corner of the store and had tried desperately to hide it from Onew.

            “I’m not dumb; you can tell me,” the elder assured.

            Key sighed. He never could hide anything from Onew. This was just like that time when he had found out he was gay and had tried to hide it from him. The older boy had nearly tortured the information out of him – he could never eat fried chicken normally again.

            “I like him,” Key mumbled, staring wistfully at JongHyun who had stopped to admire something in a store window.

            “I thought you hated him?” Onew asked.

            “I did… But I don’t know what happened… He’s just so cute and funny… Smart… And my mom likes him.”

            Here, Onew had to cut Key off. “He met your mom?”

            “Yeah, I brought him to my house after you sent us home that time.”

            “Oh, okay… Keep going.”

            “I know you’ll find this crazy, but I only wanted to go to school to spend more time with him. You know, so I could make sure of my feelings and all…”

            “That’s why you worked your of to get in? I knew there was something weird going on when you told me you were applying. But why the advanced program?”

            “I wanted to be at the same level as him.”

            “You’re crazy.”

            Key rolled his eyes and continued with his story. “When we had lunch with EunJi noona I felt jealous… I guess that’s when I actually started acknowledging my feelings for him.”

            Onew let out a big breath. He let a pregnant pause grow between them, leaving the sounds of their footsteps hitting the tarmac act as the only noise. When they were closing the distance to JongHyun he expressed his concerns over the situation.

            “I don’t think JongHyun likes guys, Key…” he whispered.

            “I know…” Key agreed, hating having to confirm one of his biggest fears. His eyes travelled down to his shoes and he traced all the little designs on them.

            “Let’s get this guy home,” Onew suddenly declared.

            Key nodded, agreeing with that at least. JongHyun was straying dangerously close to the road and it was scaring him.

            Onew came up behind JongHyun and took his arm to tug him gently away from the moving vehicles.

            “JongHyun~ah, where do you live? We’re going to take you home,” he said.

            “I live that way!” the drunk yelled, pointing in a random direction.

            It took some coaxing, but sooner than later they got the address out of him. It was a part of the city that neither of the boys knew very well. Key was excited to see where exactly it was that JongHyun lived, though. He’d been curious about his residence ever since he’d tried to go all that time ago.

            The bright streets of the lively city transitioned into the darker streets of the poorer side of town. It wasn’t the worst part of the area, but it wasn’t a part of the city that either Onew or Key particularly liked.

            “Are you sure this is his street?” Key asked, glancing around at the run down building. A stray cat moved around the cracked sidewalks with some sort of animal – or something – dancingly from his jaws. “It’s kind of weird here…” Key continued.

            “He said it’s where he lived,” Onew said. He too glanced around at the shabby area, beginning to doubt that this really was the place where JongHyun lived.

            Thankfully, they didn’t have to go too deep into the dank building since JongHyun only lived on the first street in.

            He shared the building with eleven other rooms and probably twice as many people. Compared to the other buildings it was quite nice. When compared to what the other two boys lived in, though, it was a dump.

            “Which floor do you live on?” Onew asked.

            “Six,” JongHyun slurred.

            The front door had yet to be fixed so he just pushed the door open with his body. It was a long walk up the stairs. JongHyun had to be helped more than once as he stumbled up to his apartment.

            Had he been sober he would have noticed the paper on the door with the big red letters. He jammed the key in the lock, not bothering to take it out once he had it unlocked. The light switch was ignored along with everything else but the couch which JongHyun tripped over in his haste to walk in.

            Key and Onew – after finally making it up all those stairs – stopped by the door to stare at the notice.

            Red letters strung themselves together to make the few words no one wanted on the door to their home.

            ‘NOTICE OF EVICTION.’

            “He’s getting evicted?” Key asked, feeling his heart race (in a horribly bad way this time).

            “It would seem so…” Onew mumbled, also beginning to feel concern for the young guy.

            The two stepped cautiously into the tiny apartment, not really knowing what to make of this whole situation. It was dark and damp. A mound of clothes encased in a couple garbage bags resided in the corner. It was also unbearably hot and there was an odd, unpleasant smell perturbing Key’s nose.

            “Hyung, your lights don’t work,” Key said while flicking the switch a couple times.

            JongHyun rolled off the couch and onto his knees. He looked rumpled, as if he had just woken up from a nap. His lips were stretched into a cheeky grin while he said, “I have no more electricity! Or water!”

            “None?” Onew asked.

            “None,” JongHyun confirmed. The way he said it he almost looked proud.

            Silence filled the small room. The only noise came from JongHyun who had slipped to the kitchen to rifle through his meagre collection of food.

            They stood in a stunned silence, completely unsure of how to react to all of this information. Everything was starting to click into place. JongHyun begging for extra shifts, his panicked behaviour when anyone asked about where he lived, the way his body was losing its strong build with every passing day.

            Everything…

            “JongHyun hyung…” Key said, advancing onto the drunken guy buried in his empty cupboard.

            “Key!”

            Suddenly, two arms were wrapped tightly around the diva. The sudden weight threw Key off balance and he found himself stumbling backwards. His fingers clutched to JongHyun’s body (which was damp with sweat).

            Each of his smells filled Key’s nose making his head swirl. Mint and sweat… Somehow so attractive…

            “Key gulped and righted himself. Onew came over quickly to help out his friend. Together they managed to get the drunkard peeled off of Key. Just in time it seemed. As soon as JongHyun was righted – swaying lightly on his feet – his face took on a greenish tinge.

            “He’s going to be sick…” Onew warned.

            Key was one step ahead of him. It wasn’t hard to find the bathroom in this closet JongHyun claimed to be his home.

            Seconds after they had gotten into the bathroom, everything JongHyun had ingested that day started coming out the wrong way. The vomit gave way to bile when nothing was left in his stomach.

            It was hard for Key to see the usual vivacious boy he liked reduced to a sick mound on his knees clutching a porcelain bowl. He kneeled beside him so he could rub his back and what he could only hope was a soothing manner.

            When JongHyun felt the nausea pass he turned to Key. He was so pretty, he thought. And his skin was so soft… And he smelled so good… Like Rice Krispies…

            “Key…” JongHyun moaned. He nuzzled into his neck, making sure to take a big, long sniff to keep him going into his dreams later on in the night.

            The younger boy could only hold on tightly to JongHyun as he crawled all over him. It was torture to be so close to him and not be able to do anything.

            “You smell good,” JongHyun murmured.

            There was nothing Key could say to that. He ended up calling over Onew to help him get JongHyun into the bed. It proved to be a difficult task since JongHyun refused to let go of Key.

            Oh, JongHyun hyung… You’re killing me… Killing me softly… With his song…

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