Birds sang outside making a symphony of noise. The sun rose slowly, casting an orange-pink glow onto the green leaves of the trees that stood separated at the same distance in front of each scrawny building. All the darkness that had once filled the apartment the previous night got bathed in the same sunlight and awakened with the hung over boy on the couch.

            A couple rays landed on JongHyun’s face, twitching him out of his slumber. Even before his eyes opened he could feel the immense pounding behind his eyes. He hadn’t been wasted enough to forget what had happened the night before, unfortunately.

            The pieces of last night’s events slowly fit themselves together. When the big picture was finally laid in front of him, JongHyun felt his breath catch in his throat. His chest heaved up and down as he tried to get off the couch.

            Where were they? He wondered. They had to be here. They had brought him home. They didn’t leave, did they? It might be better if they did, though…

            There seemed to be a lack of oxygen in the room. With each gasping breath JongHyun took he felt his head throb and his chest constrict. Where was Key? And Onew? Why couldn’t breathe?

            In his haste to get up, JongHyun ended up knocking his shin against the small table and tumbling to the floor. The panic attack made it hard for JongHyun to right himself. He was only able to push up onto his hands and knees when Key came tumbling out of the bedroom, blurry with sleep.

            “Hyung! Hyung! What’s wrong? What’s the matter?” he asked, crouching by JongHyun. The way his eyes were widened and he was struggling for breath panicked him just as much.

            “Y-you have to get out – y-you have to go!” JongHyun screamed.

            “What? Why?” Key asked, confused.

            “You weren’t supposed to see this! You weren’t ever supposed to see any of this!” JongHyun pushed off from Key, racing around in hopes of finding something to give Key so he could use it as an excuse to throw it at him as he kicked him out.

            Key followed after him like a lost puppy. Nothing was making sense to him. He couldn’t figure out why JongHyun was freaking out so badly.

            “JongHyun hyung! You look really pale! You should sit down!” Key cried, stumbling over a discarded shirt resting on the floor.

            “I don’t need to sit down! Where’s Onew hyung? You need to leave! Both of you just get out – OW! !” JongHyun stopped moving. He pressed his finger to his face that had just collided with a pantry door that had been left open last night.

            Sticky, red blood coated JongHyun’s fingertips. At the sight of the bodily fluids, Key was sent into another flurried panic.

            “Yah! Hyung! You’re bleeding!” he exclaimed. He wished JongHyun’s back wasn’t turned to him, that way he’d be able to see form where exactly he was bleeding.

            “Who’s bleeding?” Onew asked, stepping out of the room he`d been sleeping in.

            “No one’s bleeding; I`m fine. I just want you two out,” JongHyun said in a low voice. He furiously wiped at the blood stinging his eye, wishing he had replaced that broken handle instead of just leaving a protruding screw.

            You’re stupid. Stupid and pathetic – and broke. And now everyone knows.

            “Yah! Kim JongHyun! I’m not leaving until you let me treat your eye!” Key shrieked.      

Something about the tone of voice he used made JongHyun surrender. It wasn’t like he had any pride left to him, he told himself.

            Unwillingly, he turned and headed back towards where Key was waiting for him. Onew had pushed past him to get a towel doused in warm water and soap.

            Seated right in front of Key, JongHyun found himself even more nervous. This way, Key was able to see just how bad JongHyun’s abrasion was. He’d been caught just under his right eye which was already swelling to give him a nasty bruise. Blood trickled out of the cut in a way that made Key’s stomach churn. He never had been good with blood.

“Hyung, we might need ice, too,” he said to Onew when he was passed the cloth.

“Okay, I’ll see if he has any,” Onew said quietly.

Damp cloth in hand, Key gently washed away the blood that was dripping down JongHyun’s cheek and staining his jeans. Once his tan skin was clean of the liquid, he worked at cleaning the actual cut. Thankfully there were no stones of grit in the abrasion so it made Key’s job easier.

It didn’t make it any easier for JongHyun, though, who flinched at every new touch of the water. A minor stinging feeling settled itself in his wound. The open air of the room breezing in a still fashion made the pain all the worse.

            JongHyun tried to focus on Key’s fingers instead. He tried to think only of the way his fingertips occasionally slipped from the cloth and brushed his skin. Or the way their faces were only a couple inches apart and he could smell his breath (which wasn’t all mints and sunshine – it was true  morning breath).

            “Why don’t you want us to stay?” Key asked.

            He didn’t get an answer right away like he wanted. Instead, JongHyun stayed quiet. He tried hard not to let the turmoil inside of him should through, but he was sure that he wasn’t doing too good a job at hiding it.

            “JongHyun hyung…” Key coaxed, keeping his voice low in hopes that the other would find it soothing.

            “I didn’t want anyone to see where I lived…” he ended up mumbling.

            “Why?”

            “It’s embarrassing...”

            There was a pause where Key put down the cloth and took the ice from Onew. It was neatly wrapped in a dishtowel, ready to be pressed against JongHyun’s enflamed eye.

            Onew squished himself between a mouldy pillow and Key asking, “Why are you embarrassed?”

            Everything JongHyun had kept bottled in stated to pour out. He felt all his rage, worry and humiliation heat up to a boiling point that spilled over the edges of his lips in a scorching hot, foamy and bubbly mess.

            He was off on a tangent.

            “Because look at this! I live in a hole! I-I work two jobs! I have no electricity or water! I have student debts coming out of my ! And my family! M-my family…” JongHyun gave a quick shake of his head to get rid of that thought.

            “You got an eviction notice, too,” Key informed him unwillingly.

            “Great, now I’m homeless,” JongHyun spat with bitter contempt.

            Reflexively, Key put his hand on JongHyun’s knee. A happiness surged through him when he didn’t move his leg away.

            “Why didn’t you tell us about all the problems you were having?” he asked.

            “Because you guys had such good live… I was afraid you would judge me…”

            “We’d never judge you, JongHyun,” Onew piped in. “I’ll have you know that you’re welcome to live with me. I have two rooms and my apartment is just above the shop.”

            JongHyun mulled it over, feeling himself choke up over the whole situation. He couldn’t begin to explain the overwhelming surge of gratitude he was feeling towards Onew. He never knew that these two were so accepting – he’d totally misjudged them.

            This was right about the time that JongHyun hated himself for being so emotional. Tears flooded out of JongHyun’s eyes (snot and other things trying to sneak out of his other orifices). He pressed the heel of his palm to his face, spreading the salty liquid until it was burning in his cut.

            “Don’t cry, hyung,” Key consoled, ten million sharpened knives stabbing into his heart. His other hand moved to rest on JongHyun’s other knee. He squeezed lightly to reassure him that they would take care of him.

            “You guys barely know me and y-you’re being so nice,” JongHyun gasped.

            “We know you enough…” Onew said. “I’ll bring some boxes tomorrow so you can start packing.”

            “T-thank-you…” JongHyun said, truly meaning it. “Thank-you.”