Kibum doesn't know how he ended up kissing Minho, but it just felt right at the time.

He was currently comforting a crying Minho on his couch, simultaneously hugging him tightly and patting the back of his head. As soon as he forced to Minho sit down and explain what happened, he just broke down in tears wordlessly, trying to choke out syllables in between sobs. And despite Minho being completely incoherent, Kibum patiently waited and continued to calm him down. He had many questions as it was, but there was no need to disturb someone in so much emotional pain.

Eventually, after almost an eternity passed, Minho broke out of Kibum's embrace and tried to regain control over himself. His eyes darted across the room, as he was too embarrassed to look into the other's eyes. "What happened was," he started out, but he ended up stopping and collapsed back into Kibum's arms.

Kibum looked at Minho with tenderness and straightened out his ruffled hair. Out of every interaction they've ever had, he wouldn't have expected that he was the one to comfort the other. Yet seeing Minho in this vulnerable state was somehow comforting, as it made Kibum realize that Minho was capable of feeling strong emotions. "Just take your time," Kibum cooed softly. "There's no need to rush - it's only me here."

He stood him and Minho up, guiding the other to his room. His parents were sleeping at the moment, so he had no reason to disturb them from their rest. "We're just going to my room," Kibum declared tenderly. Once through the door, he set Minho on his bed and sat next to him. Kibum bent down to get a good look of Minho's face, eyes focused on every detail of his face. He didn't know how it could be, but it was if Minho aged backwards into a child. His entire tear-streaked face was innocent and pure, all the more reason for Kibum to feel worse about himself.

"Okay, I think I can talk now," Minho spoke up.

"Go ahead. I'll be here listening," Kibum responded.

With a pained heart, Minho gathered all the courage he had to recall the fresh memory. "To start, I've just been kind of sad this week," he stated honestly, gently skirting around Kibum's past rejection.

"Oh."

"It's okay, really," Minho responded quickly to ease Kibum's mind. "But today my dad came up to my room and asked why I was so sad. Like, why I had skipped school for a few days and stuff." Here, Minho's face grew stiff and he looked like he was struggling to continue. "I told him the reason I was sad was because of you..."

Kibum slowly nodded in realization and brought his hand up to Minho's shoulder, rubbing it slowly to comfort him. "What did he say?" he questioned, although he was sure he would not like the answer.

"He was definitely shocked at first because I had to explain that you were a guy. But then after that he was just angry," Minho said quietly.

"Did he cause this?" Kibum asked, gesturing to Minho's reddened cheek. The sadness was slowly building up in him, as he felt tortured just hearing Minho having to deal with pain.

"Yes," Minho nodded.

"That's terrible," Kibum voiced in a hush, and he elevated his hand higher to the injured cheek.

"Don't worry," Minho reassured Kibum. "I left immediately, because I did not want to face him anymore. He's leaving for work again soon, you know. And I'm not sure what to do. I don't know what to say to anyone, and I don't even know what my mom thinks..." Another lone tear fell down Minho's face, and Kibum wiped it off gently. "What do I do, Kibum? What do I -"

Kibum cut him off in the best way possible.

Turning Minho's face towards his, he dove in for a soft kiss. Minho was caught off guard initially, but returned the action back, and their lips were connected with a comforting feeling. It wasn't sweet like their earlier kisses - it was warm and necessary, as if they needed it to survive. Kibum continued to tenderly Minho's cheek, hoping to erase any remaining trace of pain that he had. "Kibum," Minho murmured, slowly pulling back.

"No," he rapidly answered, grabbing Minho and drawing him right back to connect their lips. The way Minho's lips felt to him was almost perfect. It was the answer that Kibum needed in his barrage of questions, because once he understood how powerful the kiss was, he instantly knew that all the answers pointed to Minho. Any attempt to get away from Minho was totally foolish, as Kibum understood. He felt that they were tied together by a force stronger than the both of them; it was as if they were both meant to exist as pillars of support for each other.

Minho finally pulled away a second time, although he had no desire to. "Kibum... do you still like me?"

Kibum