Leo watched Hyuk carefully from the kitchen as the maknae took a seat beside Hongbin. The visual through an arm around the younger’s shoulders, pulling him into a one armed hug. Hyuk didn’t smile like he normally would, but he did return the hug which – sad as it might sound – was progress.

Even two months after the destruction of his relationship with Ravi, the maknae was still depressed. Leo couldn’t blame him, Hyuk had really loved the rapper. Probably still did, even after what had happened. Even if Ravi had cheated on him, Hyuk still loved him and that made the betrayal hurt worse.

“Ken wanted to take him out today,” N said, following Leo’s gaze, “maybe you should go along.”

The four – N, Hongbin, Ken, and Leo – had been trying desperately trying to cheer Hyuk up. Whenever Hyuk was in front of the fans and/or cameras, he’d smile and act like normal-Hyuk. But it didn’t take much for those who really knew him to realize it was all fake. The second Hyuk didn’t need to pretend, his smile dropped and he returned to this depressed state that was slowly becoming normal.

Leo was strongly against the idea of this Hyuk becoming the norm.

(Same went for the others, but that was a given)

N and Leo were starting to make their way into the living room when they heard a door open. Their heads snapped in the direction of Ravi’s room. The rapper stood in the doorway, eyes frozen on Hyuk who was staring blankly at the episode of One Piece Ken had playing on his laptop. They all knew that Hyuk was aware of Ravi’s presence, but he refused to acknowledge it and Leo couldn’t blame him. The rapper slowly made his way into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water and something to eat, before returning to his room.

Once he was gone, Hyuk curled up into a little ball and pressed his face into Hongbin’s shoulder. Ken reached over the visual and rubbed the maknae’s leg. They all knew Hyuk wasn’t going to cry – he was beyond that point now. Leo suspected that the youngest didn’t have any strength left to cry. N was convinced that the lack of tears just meant that Hyuk was getting over his broken heart. Hongbin and Ken figured that Hyuk had used up all of his tears and the crying would start again once his body had stored up enough liquid to form tears.

“Let’s go,” Leo said, making his way over to Hyuk and pulling him up, “Ken and I are going to take you out for the day, alright?”

“Yeah, Hyukkie,” Ken smiled, getting up after closing his laptop, “so let’s get you dressed.”

“Alright,” Hyuk nodded. Normally, if two of his favorite hyungs had said that they wanted to spend the whole day with him, he would have given them his biggest smile. He would be radiating happiness. But Hyuk couldn’t seem to find the strength to manage even a small smile.

He knew it hurt his hyungs to see him like this. He wanted to smile for them and make them feel better, but he just couldn’t seem to smile. It was like the part of him that felt happiness was broken and with it out of service he couldn’t smile a true smile. However, he had to recognize that he felt a lot more broken a few months ago when the sting of Ravi’s…….. actions were still fresh in his mind.

“It doesn’t hurt as much today,” Hyuk said when Ken handed him the cloths Leo had selected for him, “it still hurts a lot, but not as much as yesterday.”

“That’s great, Hyukkie,” Ken laughed, pulling the maknae into a hug, “just wait, by the end of the day, I’ll have you laughing like you used to.” A small part of Hyuk doubted that, but a larger part fully believed that Ken would be able to make him laugh just like he did before….. well before his heart was shattered.

--

It must be a sign that he’d getting better.

That’s what Leo thought as he watched Hyuk giggle in response to Ken antics. It wasn’t how he used to react – loud, happy laugher that made Leo want to laugh right along with him – but it was better than nothing. It was still enough to create a small smile on Leo’s face, so that was something, too.

“Come on, hyung,” Ken called, throwing an arm around Hyuk’s shoulders and waving for Leo to fall into step with them. Leo did fall into step with them, but he walked on Hyuk’s other side to avoid whatever pranks Ken had planned for him.

The three ended up in a clothing store and Ken got a massive grin on his face the second he spotted a cute animal hoodie. Taking Hyuk’s hand, he dragged the maknae over, grabbed an arm full of hoodies, and then shoved Hyuk into the nearest changing room. About an hour of Ken squealing over how cute Hyuk looks, the vocal was at the counter, paying for everything.

Leo looked over at Hyuk to find the boy looking at the selection of hats the store has to offer. The look on Hyuk’s face was unreadable and Leo quickly made his way over, pulling the maknae into one of the changing rooms after grabbing a couple of random items from a nearby shelf. If Hyuk broke down crying, it was better he did it in here where no one can see. The last thing Hyuk needed is for a fan to see him crying his eyes out and start asking questions.

“I’m fine, hyung,” Hyuk smiled slightly and Leo wanted to hug him because that smile was real. It was small, but it was real and that’s what mattered.

“I know,” Leo said, giving into his urge to hug Hyuk, “but I worry about you.”

“I know,” Hyuk nodded, hugging back, “I’m sorry I’ve been worrying all of you.”

“It’s fine,” Leo replied, pulling away just enough for him to see Hyuk’s face, “you’re our Hyuk. Of course we’re going to worry about you.”

Leo wanted to say something else. He wanted tell Hyuk just how much he cared. But he just couldn’t do it. Hyuk was still hurting too much and expressing his real feelings now would only end badly. He was could tell Hyuk in the future that he loved him, but it would have to be another day. A day when Hyuk was smiling like his normal self again.

“What are you two doing in here?” Ken asked, throwing open the changing room door, “we have to get going if we want to get back to the dorm in time for dinner.”

“Right,” Hyuk’s small smile remained on his face and once Ken noticed that it was a real smile his own smile grew impossibly large. He knew as much as Leo did what a huge step this was for Hyuk.

 --

Ravi’s room was a mess. Hongbin had tried to clean it several times, but eventually he’d given up trying. The condition of the room wasn’t nearly as important as the condition of the rapper. Not to say that Hongbin and N had forgiven Ravi for what he had done – they would forgive him when Hyuk did – but he was still their friend and they cared about him.

“Come on,” N urged, “I want everyone to eat dinner together. Please?”

“Hyuk will be there,” Ravi replied, not even bothering to look at the leader, “I can’t face him yet, hyung. I messed up too badly. I hurt him too much.”

“You two can’t keep dancing around each other,” Hongbin advised, “you have to talk to him at some point. You know, he’d never actually heard you apologize to him.”

“I’m apologized,” Ravi growled, “hundreds of times.”

“To us,” N shrugged, “not to Hyukkie. Avoiding each other was fine at first, you both needed time to collect yourselves. But now? Now it’s a habit. A bad one to boot.”

“So what then?” Ravi sighed, “What do I do to fix this?”

“When he gets home,” N said, “I’m going to send him to our room. You’ll be waiting there for him. I’ll even lock the door and keep Leo distracted so you can talk. But Ravi, you need to realize that things……well, things aren’t going to go back to how they were. I don’t think Hyuk will just forgive you and you’ll get back together and everything will be perfect.”

“I know,” Ravi hung his head for a moment before looking back up, “but it’s worth a shot, right?”

The rapper left the room, headed for the bedroom that the other members shared. He wasn’t foolish enough to think Hyuk would return to him just like that. It would take time. But it would all be worth it if he got Hyuk back in the end.

--

N locked the door behind Hyuk and turned around. Before he’d even gone two steps, he came face to face with Leo. The vocal tried to get around the leader, but grew frustrated when his every move was blocked.

“Let me past, N,” Leo sighed, “I need to change.”

“Not right now,” N tried to push him in the direction of the kitchen, “eat first. Dinner’s ready.”

“What are you doing, N?” Leo asked, looking to see that Hongbin was keeping Ken from going into the bedroom, too.

“Nothing,” N way trying too hard to appear innocent and Leo suddenly realize what was going on.

“Stop, hyung,” Hongbin said, rushing to help pull Leo away, “they need to talk. This is the only way to help Hyuk get better. Please, hyung.” Leo stopped fighting and just glared at the pair.

“If he makes Hyuk cry again,” the vocal warned, “I’ll kick is .”

--

“Hyuk,” Ravi called, hoping to get some kind of reaction from the younger, “please look at me.”

Once Hyuk was inside the room, his eyes had zeroed in on the rapper. The maknae was just about to exit the room when the door clicked, signalling that he was now locked inside with Ravi. With the realization that they would be stuck in here for a while, Hyuk sat down by the door, looking at the floor. He didn’t want to talk to Ravi. He wasn’t ready to hear the older boy’s reasons for doing what he had done.

“I’m so sorry, Hyukkie,” Ravi said, deciding that he might as well say his peace regardless of Hyuk looking at him. The maknae could still hear him and that’s what mattered.

“Why did you do it?” Hyuk asked, still refusing to look up. Ravi made a move to get closer, but stopped when he saw Hyuk flinch away.

“I don’t know,” the rapper explained, “at first it was just a little flirting to make you jealous. I didn’t think anything of it. But then, I don’t know, I guess I just wanted to see how far I could take it. It became some kind of game to me. What will happen if I say this? What will happen if I put my arm around her like that? I don’t know why it happened, I was more than happy with you and I didn’t need anyone else. I still don’t need anyone else.”

Hyuk kept silent, trying to process this information. It had been a game to Ravi? All that flirting and touching was just because he wanted to see how far he could take things? Why? Why would he do that if he was happy with his relationship? What did he think would happen when he finally took things to far? It was just so stupid.

“Hyuk?” Ravi called and this time Hyuk looked at him, “I’m so sorry, yeobo. I never wanted to hurt you. I just want you back, Hyuk. Please, please come back to me. I love you, Sanghyuk.”

Hyuk did something stupid and foolish right then.

“I don’t love you anymore.”

He lied.

He watched as a devastated look appeared on Ravi’s face. It killed him to see the one he loved hurting like that. It hurt even more to know that it was his fault. But a dark part of him wanted Ravi to hurt. That dark part of him wanted to see Ravi suffer like he had. Hyuk knew he shouldn’t give into that dark part of him, but he felt too weak to say ‘no.’

“Hyung,” Hyuk called, knocking gently on the bedroom door, “we’re done talking. Can I come out now, I’m hungry”

Leo was right behind N when the door swung open. The vocal took one look inside at Ravi’s face and pulled Hyuk out, pushing N inside with a whispered ‘I think he needs you.’ N was about to joke about Leo treating him roughly, but then he saw Ravi and rushed to the rapper’s side. Leo shut the door before leading Hyuk over to the others.

“Hyukkie?” Ken asked when Hyuk and Leo sat down on the couch, “What happened?”

“We’re done,” Hyuk replied, sounding distant as if his body was there, sitting between Leo and Ken, but his mind was anywhere else, “we’re over.” He couldn’t, however, stop the tears from flowing. Leo pulled him into a hug and Ken started rubbing his back. Hongbin got up from his spot on the other side of Ken and took hold of Hyuk’s hands, silently reassuring Hyuk that he was there for him, that everything would be alright.

Inside the bedroom, Ravi was staring blankly at the place Hyuk had been. N sat beside him, petting his hair and trying to comfort him.

“We’re done,” Ravi whispered as his own tears started to flow, “we’re over. I lost him, hyung.”

A/N: you can say it, I’m a horrible person. This is not the end, though. there will be another chapter! My Rahyuk feels are too strong to leave things like this.