Snowflakes pelt his shivering body.

Wind buffets his fragile frame.

His sight goes black; his knees collapse.

A strong pair of arms envelope him.

“Why are you out here?”

“Jihoon…” he chokes out.

Jihoon drags him back inside with much difficulty.

“Soonyoung, you ing idiot,” he hisses, depositing Soonyoung’s limp body by a crackling fire.

Soonyoung smiles tiredly beside the life-giving flames.

“Jihoon, you…”

“Rest assured, I would not have left you out there to die, however ing much you wanted to.”

Jihoon disappears into the kitchen, and Soonyoung closes his eyes.

---

The month passes quickly amid Jihoon’s snarky comments and Soonyoung’s laughter.

Sometimes, when they are talking, Jihoon leaves abruptly, and Soonyoung is fairly certain that he is laughing.

“Jihoon-ah,” Soonyoung calls quietly, knowing that, despite his many complaints, Jihoon would show up anyway.

And so he does, appearing in the doorway with an irritated expression.

“What now, young master?” he scorns, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

“Talk to me.” Soonyoung puts on his best innocently cute face.

Jihoon sighs annoyedly but sits down beside Soonyoung’s armchair.

“Drop the expression.”

Soonyoung only laughs and reaches out to ruffle Jihoon’s hair.

Jihoon ducks away.

“Talk.”

---

That night, Soonyoung makes Jihoon sleep with him.

“I’m scared!”

“You were the one who wanted to hear all those stories, dumb. Plus, you’re older than me.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t be scared!”

In the end, Jihoon gives in and slips into Soonyoung’s bed.

Soonyoung falls asleep easily and happily, latching onto Jihoon, who just doesn’t have the heart to push him away, not this time.

Yes, he has been desperately trying to detach himself from Soonyoung, all this time, ever since he fell in love with him.

But Soonyoung is a dumb, and he just doesn’t see the heartbreaking hurt in Jihoon’s eyes whenever he goes out with his latest girlfriend.

Jihoon lies there in the dark, and he thinks.

The more he thinks, the more he hurts.

And suddenly, he is crying.

He tries desperately to stop his tears, to muffle his tortured sobbing, to somehow ease the pain.

“Jihoon, are you crying? Why are you crying?”

“It’s all your fault, you dumb!”

Because somehow, someway, Soonyoung’s soft voice makes Jihoon feel worse.

He means to run away, to escape to his own room and lock the door and cry more, but Soonyoung’s arms are around his waist, trapping him there.

I’m trapped, I’m trapped…

“Jihoon-ah, tell me why you’re crying, tell me so I can help,” Soonyoung pleads softly, burying his face in Jihoon’s soft hair.

Jihoon only cries harder and thrashes, trying desperately to get away.

Escape from this thing called love.

But Soonyoung’s arms are around his waist and his legs are pinning him down and his face is in his hair and then suddenly Jihoon feels his breath on his neck and then-

And then Soonyoung is in front of him, wiping the tears away.

“Don’t be sad, Jihoonie,” he says with a smile. “I’m here for you.”

And then Jihoon can’t control himself anymore and he throws himself at Soonyoung who is so shocked so shocked but then they’re kissing and Jihoon can’t breathe can’t think but he doesn’t even care anymore-

---

And then it’s over.

Jihoon is gone, all too quickly, and Soonyoung hobbles to the funeral.

How did a perfect story end so badly?

Soonyoung is broken, completely and utterly broken.

Ruined, shattered, crushed.

Because of him.