-Hyung! The video’s done and everyone who participated is gonna get a preview of it in three days! :D I’ll bring Snapple and snacks to celebrate later! ^_^-

God hated him, Jinki decided while feeling his heart sink as he read Kibum's message, pulling his knees up to his chest and curling up in the chair at his secluded table in the corner of the library. This could not be happening right now. This was not happening! Minho had finally started to give up on him! He barely even came to the library to study with him anymore and had started to hang out with Kibum regularly the past week! And then the video was done?!

There was a twisting in his chest and he could barely breathe, burying his head in his arms.

He had ignored Taemin and Jonghyun the entire week after his and Minho's little outing. He refused to call it a date, because that would imply affectionate feelings, which most certainly should not be present. He was sad, lonely and above it all he was angry. He had tried so hard to let go of Minho and get him together with Kibum and those two morons kept ruining it! Although he also could be blamed for his weak resolve when it came to the tall underclassman, he completely blamed the other two for making it a lot worse than it would have been.

Which was why he twenty minutes later pretended to read his biology book when his youngest friend approached him. He refused to acknowledge the boy right away, furiously turning a page. Taemin sighed.

“So, what’s up Hyung?” he asked and threw himself into the chair opposite him.

“Oh, you know,” Jinki said, deciding to finally speak to him against his better judgment, and shrugged without looking up from his book, “a direction in which you can find the roof, the sky and the sun as well as the risk of you being brutally murdered by my hands.”

The boy sighed again, leaned over and yanked the book from under his nose.

“Yah!” Jinki whisper-yelled. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“Let’s talk, Hyung,” he said simply, fixing the older with a hard stare.

“Yes! Let’s!” Jinki retorted angrily. “Why in hell did you trick me into going out alone with Minho?! What is wrong with you?! You were on the verge of destroying what we have-”

“You have,” Taemin corrected nonchalantly and Jinki really wished his eyes could shoot daggers at that moment. Maybe he should invent glasses that could make it a reality.

“Fine! You were on the verge of destroying what I’ve been trying to make happen!” he hissed. “Minho probably viewed the whole thing as a date! That is not something he should think about with me! Have you lost your mind?! I-”

“Hyung,” the boy interrupted him sternly. “When are you going to see that Minho-Hyung really, really likes you? And that you feel exactly the same?”

“I do not like him!” Jinki wanted so badly to yell. Too bad for him he liked spending most of his time in the library. “It’s nothing but-”

“A small crush caused by the endorphins released by your kiss, right?” Taemin scoffed. “Please, Hyung, you need a new argument.”

“Taemin!”

“Do me a favour, Hyung,” the boy said and stood up, glaring down at his older best friend. “Sit down and make a list of all the things you feel around Minho-Hyung and if it still seems as if it’s the effects from the kiss well… then you can come to me and tell me that it is nothing but a hormone induced reaction.”

Taemin threw the book onto the table in front of him before grabbing Jinki’s collar, pulling him closer so he had every bit of attention he could. Jinki couldn’t look anywhere else except the other’s threateningly narrowed eyes, feeling slightly frightened. This was not Taemin, the gently, smiling and polite boy. This was an angry, devious young man, fed up with what he was seeing.

“And I may not be a science major, but I’ve heard enough from you to know a thing or two so let me tell you this, Lee Jinki,” he hissed in his face, “isn’t love just that? Isn’t love hormones produced from a connection you feel to another person? The sight, the smell, the feel of them? Love is hormones, Hyung.” Jinki opened and closed his mouth, at a loss as to what to say. “So get your head out of your and face the facts,” Taemin growled before releasing him, turning on his heel and stomping away down the aisles of books, leaving Jinki to stare blankly after him.

It took him a few moments to gather his scattered thoughts, his heart still beating rapidly. He had been completely taken aback by the boy’s sudden anger. Taemin never got angry like that. Sure he could get irritated, but for him to be so completely and utterly mad had never happened before and it made Jinki start wondering once again if he really was doing the right thing.

He shook his head and frowned. Things were finally going in the right direction with Kibum and Minho; he couldn’t afford to waver in his decision now. Sighing, he pulled the book towards him and opened it to the right page, taking up his studying again.

For the rest of the day he occupied his mind with genetics, pushing thoughts of everyone else out of his head and giving him sweet relief for a couple of hours until he’d have to face reality again.

It would have worked impeccably (as he continued to think about DNA and RNA and all that even after he left the library) if he didn’t happen to slip and fall onto his back in the snow on his way back to the dorm that evening. He groaned slightly and couldn’t find the strength to get up so he just laid where he had fallen. As memories of his and Minho's snowball fight filled his head, he realised it wasn’t the greatest idea, especially since they were followed by the time when things still didn’t seem as complicated and hard as they were now. Because Jinki knew he didn’t feel as strongly back then as he did now.

A lump formed in his throat and couldn’t help the choked sob that escaped his lips, tears running down his temples as he stared up at the starry night sky. He didn’t even bother to move when he started shivering from the cold that seeped through his clothes.

“Hyung?!”

Jinki let out a surprised sob, suddenly wishing he could teleport away. Why oh why did he have to be found by the person he least wanted to see at the moment?! He ignored answering the other, hoping he would just go away, until he could no longer, as Minho's face appeared in his vision, looking worried.

“Hey,” Jinki said in a small voice. “Fancy running into you here.”

The other's expression became even more worried and he took hold of his hands without asking, pulling him out of the snow. Jinki pressed his lips together; the tingling feeling Minho always gave him back in full force.

“What are you doing?” he asked when he had steadied him. “Are you trying to freeze to death?!”

Jinki let out a watery laugh, noting how the other didn’t let his hands linger on him as he had before with a painful stutter of his heart.

“Maybe?” he joked, mostly to distract himself.

Minho didn’t look amused at all and sighed. “What is happening, Hyung? You’ve been avoiding everyone for the entire week and been distant when we do find you and now you’re crying?”

Jinki dragged a frozen hand across his cheeks, managing to stop the flow of his tears.

“It’s nothing, really,” he did his best to smile. “You’ve been busy with Kibum, and Jonghyun and Taemin have been studying. I just got caught up in studying too. And I cried because it really hurt when I fell.”

The other gave him an unconvinced look before closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

“I haven’t really been that busy with Kibum,” he muttered, almost so quietly Jinki didn’t hear. “I pushed him onto Jonghyun most of the time.”

Jinki felt both relief and dread hearing those words. Because as much as he wanted Kibum and Minho to get along and go a step further in their relationship, he also selfishly wished the other would stay uninterested in the blonde and keep fighting for Jinki.

“Why?” he asked quietly, he couldn’t help it.

Minho looked at him then, and the feelings in his eyes were so intense Jinki could barely breathe. His heart pounded against his ribcage so hard it hurt and butterflies made up a storm in his stomach. There were a few moments of what seemed like deafening silence in which they only stared at each other. Then the taller raised his hand and grazed his fingertips across Jinki's cheekbone softly. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say Jinki was put under some sort of mind numbing spell.

“Hyung…. Jinki, I-”

Hearing his name fall from Minho's lips once more, his senses returned and he realised he was venturing out on extremely thin ice.

“Kibum's really great,” he said quickly, almost pleading, trying to fix his momentary lapse. “Please just give it a try? I know you won’t regret it!”

The taller stared at him for a few seconds that stretched out into eons. Jinki saw how Minho begged with his eyes to just let everything out in the open, for him to just once say the truth about what he thought, what he felt. He saw all that and yet he forced himself to turn his gaze away, denying the other something he seemed to so desperately want. He caught a quick glance of the flicker of hurt and sadness that passed Minho’s face as he looked away before his eyes fell onto the snow at his feet. The taller took a deep, shaky breath.

“O-okay… yeah,” he said as he breathed out. “Maybe I should… I-I’ll tell Kibum… I‘ll tell him we can try it out.”

Jinki wasn’t ready for the pang of pain that hit him at those words, much like a bullet shot from a gun, and almost doubled over. It wasn’t only because of what they meant, but also because he could hear how hard it was for the other to say them, to give up what he really wanted in order to give Jinki what he wanted.

Still, all Jinki did was bit his lip so hard he almost drew blood and nodded. Minho nodded as well, his expression stony but determined, and took a step back. They hadn’t been that close to begin with, but still it felt like a gust of cold wind blew into Jinki.

“I’ll… go to the library…” the taller said emotionlessly. “Before they close.”

Jinki could only nod again and watch as he retreated without another word, going down the way he had come from.

He was so distraught he didn’t even notice he started walking; his body going into autopilot and taking him back to his room by itself without any conscious decision. His head was swimming with all sorts of thoughts, going from telling himself he had done a good job to screaming he should run back to Minho and for once be honest like the other had wanted him to. He didn’t know how he could be honest, though. Because if he was going to be honest, he would lose one of the most important people in his life and he couldn’t afford that! So it was better to lose someone he just had gotten to know, right? Even if it felt like his heart was ripped out and put in a blender… right?

Jinki was startled out of his thoughts by the angry face of Taemin opening the door and letting him in since he couldn’t remember how to use the key and the scrambling in the lock had irritated the boy.

“So,” he said viciously, positioning himself in the middle of the room with his arms crossed, glaring at his Hyung while he took off his coat in a zombielike state, “have you done what you were supposed to do?”

Jinki blinked at him uncomprehendingly before sighing, taking a few steps towards the boy with a raised arm in an attempt to show he didn’t want an argument.

“Taemin-”

“Hyung, this is getting ridiculous!” the boy raised his voice, ignoring his attempt completely. “What is wrong with you?! No normal person would do this!”

Jinki groaned, losing his patience quickly. “Taemin! I do not need this right now! What gives you the right to sabotage for Kibum?!”

“BECAUSE YOU LOVE MINHO!” Taemin yelled.

He froze, his heart lodged in his throat and his breath coming out in gasps. He was light-years away from being prepared for this, for even accepting it, and the other had just thrown it out there without any sort of warning.

“I.. what?” Jinki managed, completely bewildered.

The boy deflated in defeat, looking tired and helpless. “I see how you look at him, Hyung… You love Minho-Hyung. This has gone on for far too long.”

The sound of something crashing to the floor made them both jump and turn around. Jinki thought he was going to have a heart attack. In the doorway stood Kibum, staring at him in horror and Snapple bottles lying broken by his feet along with bags of chips and jellybeans.

“Please tell me what I heard wasn’t true,” he whispered, his eyes wide and his hands clutching at his chest. “Please!”

Taemin seemed completely unable to move or speak or even think and Jinki felt the same. However, he forced himself to open his mouth, to make try and explain.

“I-it depends on wh-what you h-heard,” he stammered.

His blond friend’s eyes narrowed dangerously and he looked between them distrustfully before he his heel, angrily stomping away from the room.

“Kibum!” Jinki called desperately, rushing after him. “Wait!”

He managed to quickly catch up to the blonde and grabbed his arm, making him spin around and glare at him angrily, tears in his eyes.

“When were you going to tell me, Hyung?!” he almost shouted. “Is this why he never responded to my advances?! Because you were trying to get with him instead?!”

“N-no, I-I-” Jinki spluttered, his hair in his hands. “Oh God, this would never have happened if we hadn’t kissed!” he exclaimed furiously.

“Kissed?!” Kibum shouted. Jinki’s heart dropped, realising his mistake a little too late. “You two kissed?!”

He struggled for words, wringing his hands together nervously. This was becoming so much worse than he ever thought.

“Lee Jinki,” Kibum hissed, voice filled with poison, “did you or did you not kiss Minho?”

“W-well, it was for the… for the campaign and-”

“AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME?!” the other exploded. “ALL THIS TIME YOU’VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH HIM AND GETTING CLOSE, MAKING ME BELIEVE YOU WERE HELPING ME INSTEAD?!”

“N-no! K-Kibum, please just listen!” Jinki tried and took a small step closer.

“NO! I WILL NOT LISTEN TO YOUR LIES, YOU MANIPULATIVE, TWO-FACED BASTARD!” Kibum pushed him away from him so hard it made him stumble backwards and fall to the stony, cold floor of the hallway. But he barely felt the pain going up his spine seing the tears streaming down his blonde friend’s face. “I ING HATE YOU!” he yelled and turned around, walking away without even glancing back at Jinki.

Tears started running down his cheeks again then and a loud sob escaped his throat. What had he done?

Taemin suddenly appeared by his side and rubbed soothing circles into his back gently, drying his tears with his other hand.

“Hyung,” he murmured softly and sighed, sounding close to tears himself. “This is my fault, Hyung. I pressed on too hard.”

“It’s n-ot,” Jinki's voice broke as another sob escaped him. “I’m th-the liar… a-and now I-I lost… I lost one of m-my best friends.”

“Hyung,” Taemin said again, soothingly, helping him stand up. “Let’s just go to bed and let it be until tomorrow, okay? You and Kibum-Hyung have been friends forever, he won’t let go of you that easily. He’s just angry at the moment.”

Jinki tried swallowing the tears stuck in his throat but only ended up letting out a sob and having more tears run down his face. It wasn’t that he and Kibum had never fought before. They’d had lots of fights, because really, they were not alike at all and they always managed to make up the next day with an apology and a peace bagel. However, he wasn’t entirely sure that would work this time. He had lied and deceived his childhood friend; he wasn’t going to try fooling himself everything would be okay when it clearly had gone so far that he made the other hate him. It was the first time ever someone had said they hated him, and it pained Jinki that it had to be Kibum.

Taemin almost had to drag him back to their room to force him into bed, tucking him in with a tight hug and a ‘good night, Hyung,’ to then go and clean up the mess, caused by Jinki's betrayal, at the door and go to bed himself. The boy listened to him sniffle and stifle sobs for ten minutes before he apparently couldn’t take it anymore and moved over to his bed, cradling Jinki's head to his chest and his hair gently, humming a song Jinki vaguely remembered hearing somewhere. It helped calm him down and soon he was out like a light, his sleep dreamless, giving him much needed relief.

A/N: This story is completely running away with me! I just couldn't stop and so I got this chapter done! So, things are finally starting to go haywire aren't they? >_< Let's just hope Kibum really does realise Jinki would never do anything to hurt him. This was kind of a depressing chapter and there are a few more depressing parts to come, but it'll work out in the end! Don't worry!

Anyways, I hope you kinda liked this double-ish update (it's been barely 24 hours since the last, right?) xD

I love you all!

Bye~! <3