Yesung traced his fingers on the book shelves, noting that compared to Kangin's office, it was free from photos and personal touches. Then again, Sungmin never seemed the type.

He turned his head at the sound of the door opening, smiling mischievously as Sungmin walked past him, used to his behavior.

"Yes?"

"Did Kangin say where he was going?"

"I wouldn't know." Sungmin replied, looking through a few files. Yesung nodded slowly, his hand on the chair before the desk when Sungmin raised his gaze at the person still standing there.

"Is there something else you wanted?"

Plenty, Yesung thought glumly, briefly admiring the up-close view, but cleared his throat instead. "Just wanted to ask how you're...dealing with it all."

Sungmin blinked, "Fine." Yesung breathed a quiet sigh of relief when Sungmin announced. "Once I speak with Leeteuk, I'll be better."

"W-wait." Yesung held up his hands to stop him, "You're going to confront him?"

"I have questions, he has answers." Sungmin uttered as he walked around him and out of the office with his coat in his hands.

Yesung knew he couldn't stop the other's determination, and exhaled as he reached for his own coat and followed after him.

-

Kangin walked inside the apartment, staring at each detail of the rather blank household. Aside from the few furniture pieces, nothing inside made it unique, not a single photo held up on the wall.

Siwon was always considerate, and he couldn't help but think that while Siwon could do what he wanted with the house. He simply didn't want to, out of his own respect for his elder brother who couldn't dismiss or react to it.

Leeteuk drank his tea on the other side of the counter as Kangin glanced at the papers on it, his eyes studied a few that were tucked away beneath a lamp.

"Why do you have these pamphlets?" Kangin asked as held one up.

Leeteuk lowered his eyes at the rather inconsiderate statement. He hoped for the other to elaborate, the pamphlets were just papers to him.

Kangin realized his own mistake and said,"They're each about eye surgery."

Leeteuk paused his hands, remaining expressionless as he lowered his cup to the table. Kangin watched as the other thought it over until he finally answered, "My brother must have gotten them from my parents."

"And not bother to tell you?" Kangin asked.

"They've been telling me for a while now." Leeteuk replied. "We don't have the money to even consider the idea, but they still want to fix me."

"Is it wrong for them to?"

"Am I broken?" He asked, his tone harsher than he intended, his fingers clutched the hot cup.

Kangin gave a sideways glance, lowering the pages back where they were. "Is that what you think?"

Leeteuk ignored the redirected question, and shunned him away as he turned around. Kangin stood closely by, waiting for the other to relax his stance and properly answer.

Truthfully, he barely thought of the surgery, choosing to ignore it whenever it was mentioned. He was not going to lift false hopes over it. He wished they didn't create a fuss over a simple thing as sight.

Yes, he did mourn the loss of it at first, torn that he would never be able to see anything. But he moved on, unlike the others who can't grasp the idea. He just took some time, a lot of time he corrected, to adjust.

He wasn't broken, he told himself, he didn't need it.

The phone rang loudly and he lowered his cup, reaching for it when Kangin handed it towards him. He noted the subtle frustration the other held as he answered the phone.

He then lowered his eyes, obviously bothered.

"Is something wrong?" Kangin asked, studying Leeteuk's struggle as if debating what to say until he answered,

"Just have to do something."

Kangin knew he lied to him, that the message bothered him more than he tried not to let on. He could only hope the other would eventually let go of the barrier he built up, letting him in as before.

-

The cane remained clutched in his hands, acting as a defense as he leaned back against the chair of the small cafe, sitting in the distant corner. He strained his ears for any sign until he heard something on the table.

"You're on time." Sungmin said.

"Are you his friend?"

"Brother." Leeteuk furrowed his eyebrows as Sungmin clarified. "Stepbrothers if we had to specify. But that doesn't matter right now. It's nice that we finally meet."

Leeteuk could tell from his tone that this person offered nothing of the sort.

"Yesung assured me you wouldn't hurt my brother, but he's unreliable." He reasoned. "Now. Do you just feel sorry for him?" Sungmin asked upfront.

Leeteuk coughed into his drink.

"He doesn't need sympathy from you." Sungmin added, not pleased with the response.

"I know that." Leeteuk murmured. He fidgeted in his seat, feeling as if he was being examined detail by detail, and he loathed the feeling.

"Don't reach out to him unless you're certain you feel the same. And while I doubt anyone knows how they feel completely, I hope you have enough common sense to."

Leeteuk lowered his eyes, wishing he could face this person eye to eye. "I'm not forcing him."

"You're not, but giving him false hope is just as horrible and cruel." Sungmin uttered. "Don't expect pity just because you're blind. I wasn't able to pick up the pieces then, if you break him again, I know it'll be impossible to do it a second time."

"He wouldn't listen." Leeteuk stubbornly interjected, wanting to voice his side. "Every time I tried, he just continued to come, it didn't matter what I told him."

"You ran away," Sungmin summarized. "That's it, isn't it?"

No, he thought grimly, but no reason he could give would suffice it seems.

Outside the cafe, Yesung rubbed his hands together to keep them warm, giving a grim look at the disheartened expression that formed on the blind man. Sungmin remained stoic nonetheless, whatever the topic may have been, but he had a good idea of it.

Once Leeteuk left the cafe, Yesung entered and took the unoccupied seat, sitting across from the man who arched an eyebrow a his appearance. "I thought you left."

"Did you want me to leave?"

Sungmin didn't react and reached for his cup of ice given to him by the waiter. Yesung asked for his own order, waiting in silence until his drink was given shortly after.

"Are you still afraid of romance?" Yesung asked, stirring his coffee.

Sungmin finished chewing the ice. "I hate how it changes people, but I'm warming to the idea... I never felt it strongly towards my exes. The fact that I have a closer relationship with you compared to my past relationships should demonstrate it."

Yesung glowered at the comparison. "It should say enough."

Sungmin didn't seem to hear that, focused on eating the last ice cube in his cup.

"Then what's your solution?" Yesung asked.

"Simple. If they want each other, they should be straightforward with it."

Yesung scoffed. "Nothing's ever simple with you." He then gave a sideways glance. "Then, were you trying to encourage him?"

"Of course."

"...It sounded like a threat."

Sungmin thought over the conversation and exhaled heavily. "This is why I hate this face." Yesung arched an eyebrow as he explained. "I have a naturally discontent expression."

"Ah... and here I thought nothing satisfied you." Yesung said sarcastically, earning a subtle glower, but he couldn't restrain his frustrations.

He wished Sungmin would open his own eyes and see who was there willingly beside him, who understood his blank expressions and often wordless desires.

It may have been fact, but Sungmin simply couldn't see it.

-

Somehow their relationship went a few steps backward. And that irked Kangin the most.

Leeteuk still kept him at a distance, one he wanted to clear up. But at least now, the other wasn't rejecting meeting him at all. And the moment he appeared at the park, stepping out of the car to see Leeteuk already by the swing set.

Even now, he felt he had a part to play, displaying his facial expression carefully even if he could not see it. And once he announced himself, the car signaling his arrival, he was pleased to see the other settle down. If he dare say it, he saw a glimmer of anticipation.

Kangin leaned back against the frigid car door, lifting up his camera and the rapid clicks were heard.

"Why are you obsessed with pictures?" Leeteuk asked, moving to lean against the car beside him, purposely shielding himself away from possibly being the subject of his photos.

"There are irreplaceable moments in pictures," Kangin explained. "And sometimes you can sense things from it, things you can't always describe."

Leeteuk cringed at the description, thinking that sort of intimate feeling was overpowering, intimidating.

He then felt the other move and abruptly closer, any brief contact, any brush of skin was making his chest pound.

"I won't do anything." Kangin assured quietly, reaching for something through the window of the car.

Leeteuk felt the heat rise to his neck, berating himself for thinking something else would happen. He closed his eyes and relaxed his stiffened shoulders, resisting the onset of disappointment.

-

He opened his eyes and still stared into the same darkness as he sat up. He furrowed his eyebrows, not recognizing the texture he laid on, it was only a few minutes after did he realize where he was. To his horror at that thought, he immediately sat up. His eyes shifted, mimicking how panicked he felt.

His hand felt about, realizing the covers that laid on him.

"You're finally up." Leeteuk turned his head in the direction of the voice.

He wasn't sure what to make of this almost too casual meeting between them, but the initial awkwardness he felt dwindled as he stood up. But as he walked forward, he hit into something that made him hiss.

"There was a table here?" He asked out loud.

"The furniture's been moved." Kangin replied, approaching him to help but his offer rejected.

Leeteuk slowly nodded, of course the stuff would be moved around. It had been some time since he was last here, he shouldn't have expected it to stay the same. It bothered him though that despite the countless times he had been in this place, he could barely remember the old way it was styled either.

He carefully coordinated himself through the living room until he reached the bathroom, glad that he could guess most of it. Once he returned to the living room, he continued walking further to the edge of the apartment, knowing that somewhere he'd find it.

And soon enough, he stood before the three paneled windows that overlooked the city.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"It's only eight, but it's already dark out." Kangin commented from a distance.

Leeteuk lowered his eyes, his hands pressed against the glass window. He wanted to remain optimistic, lighthearted, but it were those comments every winter that pulled him back.

He needed to let go. But it was easier said than done.

"I can't see the stars." Leeteuk thought quietly, but despite the thought, he tried to smile nonetheless. If he could force what he could, maybe his thoughts would change, his outlook to follow closely behind.

The struggling smile reflected in the windows, shown clearly and unaware of the man who still lingered behind him, not having yet left the room.

Kangin approached him slowly, gently tapping his shoulder to announce he was there when he carefully placed an object in his hands.

"You might not be ale to see the stars, but you can hold them."

Leeteuk traced the sides of it until he recognized its shape, but furrowed his eyebrows. "This was broken...wasn't it?"

"I bought another." Kangin explained simply. "It's the same brand, make, color."

The other parted his lips, "You didn't have to buy the exact same one, not that it would have mattered."

Kangin shook his head, it held sentimental value. "Do you even remember picking this out?"

"Did I?" Leeteuk asked, cradling the white star in his hands. "I thought we just had it all along."

"You begged me to get it." The man remained blank. "Your memory's like a goldfish." Leeteuk glowered at the comparison.

Horrible memory, slow and inept reactions. He couldn't adapt as easily as others could.

He murmured, leaning against the window. "To be honest, I'm still scared."

"Of me?" Kangin asked innocently.

Leeteuk raised his head, his eyes shifting as he clutched the white star closer, and his lips shifted upwards. The thought of becoming insecure in front of Kangin, didn't bother him as much as it should have.

"It isn't so hard," Leeteuk murmured, reaching out a timid hand until he reached the other's solid chest. Kangin didn't understand his reply, but the other smiled warmly at the thought.

Around Kangin, the warm thoughts became easier, the smiles not as forced.

Kangin stared at the tree beside them, without lights and covered in quirky decorations. By habit, he turned his head to the spot beside him, the spot now occupied. Leeteuk smiled brightly as he did before.

The scene so familiar, it felt like no time had passed between them.

-

"This is illegal."

"We're not stalking. We're assessing the situation." Sungmin said.

"Whatever you want to call it, can we at least be further away? They'll see us." Sungmin refused to listen. "Why not just a private investigator?" Yesung asked a good distance away behind the couple, on his knees, hiding stealthy behind a bush.

"They're unreliable." Sungmin said, squinting his eyes.

"You're quite untrustworthy." Yesung noted.

"I hold you particularly responsible for that." Yesung opened his mouth to retort but Sungmin quickly shushed him.

Yesung noticed how Kangin gently uncurled his own scarf and placed it around Leeteuk's shoulders. He then glanced at Sungmin's exposed neck. He closed his eyes cooly as he proceeded to untie his own scarf. "Here, you'll catch a cold-"

He opened his eyes and shook violently, fuming from frustration as Sungmin had longed disappeared, already running at a quiet pace until he sighed.

Yesung narrowed his eyes, "Look you-"

Sungmin clasped over Yesung's mouth. Yesung's gaze trailed over to the man who cursed his under his breath. "We lost them."

Yesung grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand down. Sungmin tugged his hand from the other's firm grip and scanned the area. Yesung stared at the dark skies and the falling snow, deciding to take a different approach. "Why don't we enjoy the evening instead? It's nice and-" He looked down, Sungmin had already left him. "Romantic...." He finished.

"Flustered and frustrated don't go well together." He announced solemnly, walking alone through the snow.

Beneath those same skies, Leeteuk fidgeted with the scarf's edges, listening to the other, trying to ignore the repeated accusations in his thoughts. Asking himself the lurking question that only puzzled him every time.

How could this be sympathy?

The way his heart reacted when he was around him, the way he held him, just holding his hand was enough to cause his heart to act erratically. A kiss would surely make it burst. Leeteuk felt the air hitch in his throat as Kangin pressed his lips against his forehead.

And as Kangin gently tugged his scarf, he smiled as he leaned in and met Leeteuk's lips.

Leeteuk didn't pull away, force him back, his own thoughts were far from aimless or confused.

It had been far too long since they had done this simple gesture. And as he tenderly met his lips once more, a hope kindled that he wanted this more than to be just a one time act, not a final, but for the first time.