author's note: for this prompt - “I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.”

If Kibum had a choice, Minho wouldn’t be helping him pack his stuff into cardboard boxes right now. But when he’s faced with such a loving, overly nice bandmate like Minho who can’t mind his own business, Kibum doesn’t have the heart to turn down Minho’s good intentions. And well, his offer also comes at the right time since Kibum is due to move out of the dorm in a few days but has barely done any packing.

Even though Minho is the last person Kibum wants help from, they still end up alone in Kibum’s room and organizing his mountain of clothes into categories so it’ll be easier for Kibum to arrange his walk-in wardrobe when he moves into his new apartment.

They’ve got a system going on with Minho colour-coding Kibum’s clothes and separating tops from bottoms after Kibum decides which to keep, sell or donate. It’s a smooth and efficient process, the mountain slowly disappearing, as they casually chat with each other about their individual schedules until Minho brings up something that Kibum has no wish to talk about, particularly with Minho himself.

“I don’t get it though…” Minho begins as he seals a cardboard box with shipping tape, “Why do you want to move out?”

Kibum stops folding his clothes and frowns, “I thought I explained already? I just want more space.”

“There are only three of us left, Kibum. You even have your own room.” Minho stops what he’s doing as well and points out, “Is it really not enough?”

“Even if it is enough, we can’t be living here forever.” Kibum sighs, “I just feel that it’s time I get my own space in Seoul too.”

“Yeah, I get that… but I just find this all a little too rush?” Minho thinks out loud, “Like it happened so suddenly…”

“I’ve been searching for a place for quite some time already.” Kibum reveals.

“How did we not know? Or am I the only one who didn’t notice?”

“I didn’t want to say anything until everything was settled and official.”

“I still think this is too sudden.” Minho shakes his head, clearly dissatisfied with Kibum’s explanation, “You can’t be moving out just because you want more space. It just doesn’t make sense. You would have moved out ages ago then… Why now?”

“You’re overthinking it.” Kibum simply answers.

“Am I?” Minho narrows his eyes at his bandmate, “Come on, Kibummie, tell me. I thought we can talk to each other about everything… aren’t we unofficial best friends?”

Yeah, they are, Kibum thinks, but that’s exactly the problem.

Keeping his thoughts to himself, Kibum remains silent and shrugs, hoping Minho will get the hint that he has no interest in talking more about this. In fact, Minho does; he’s not stupid. After knowing Kibum for this many years, he can easily read his bandmate and understand every one of his expressions or actions. One look and he knows what Kibum is thinking, but that doesn’t mean he stops questioning.

“What’s going on, Kibum?” Minho turns stern, believing that his unofficial best friend has met some sort of trouble that may be more serious than he thinks, “You’re making me worried.”

Kibum lets out a huge breath, “I told you, you’re thinking too much.”

“I know I’m not.”

“You are.”

“Spit it out. What on earth is bothering you?”

“Right now?” Kibum asks, raising his volume as he immediately answers himself, “You!”

“Kibum!”

“Get off my back, Choi Minho.”

“You know I’m not giving up until I get answer from you.”

“Keep waiting then.”

“I’m not going to leave your room until you tell me.”

“I’ll chase you out.”

“Bet you can’t.”

“Oh for ’s sake, how the hell am I in love with an annoying like you?!”

“Who are you calling an annoying ?!”

Silence surrounds them as they suddenly realize what has been said out loud, Kibum berating himself for letting his biggest secret slip out of his own mouth while Minho realises that the main point of Kibum’s exclamation isn’t about him being an annoying .

With Minho looking at him with eyes as wide as saucers, as if pigs are flying above his head, Kibum takes in a deep breath, lets it out and composes himself so he can finally, finally, talk to Minho about what has been bothering him in the recent year.

“I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.” Kibum mutters as he tries to maintain eye contact with Minho but ends up focusing on the bridge of his nose, “The only reason why I’m moving out is because of you. You don’t know how much it hurts to be close to you right now, Minho… I’m just praying things will get better if I distance myself from you. You think you know me so well, didn’t you? Bet you didn’t see this coming…”

Minho his lips nervously and then parts them to speak, but nothing comes out. Kibum first looks at Minho expectantly, wanting to hear him say something, anything, but as the seconds tick by and the silence becomes suffocating, a bitter smile appears on his face.

It takes a long moment before Minho’s brain starts to function again. The first thing he does after he finally sorts his thoughts out is not to end the silence though. Instead, he reaches for his phone and begins typing.

Completely pissed off when he sees what Minho is doing, Kibum is about to blow up at the rapper for using his phone at a time like this when his own phone lights up and the text tone goes off.

It’s a message.

From Minho himself.

I’m terrified too.

Offended and hurt, Kibum looks up from his phone and angrily meets Minho’s eyes.

“Just because I love you?!”

Swallowing hard, Minho shakes his head, “Because I love you too.”

(“Does this mean you don’t have to move out anymore?”

“Nope, this makes it even more certain that I should move out.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you think we need a separate place of our own now that, you know…? To date in secret and all?”

“Oh.”

“Exactly.”

“Let’s quickly get back to packing then!”

“Idiot.”)

author’s note 2: another possible reason why kibum moved out. ^^ the last bit of conversation is like a fun, deleted scene sort of thing~ hope you enjoyed it!