Eric stretched out, squinting as he looked around the room. Right. He was staying with the Moons. He climbed out of bed, seeing Mr Moon and Kevin standing in the living room from outside the door.

"Are you staying out late again...?"

"Stop pretending that you care."

"Kevin-"

"DON'T SAY MY NAME WITH THAT FILTHY MOUTH OF YOURS!" shouted Kevin, seconds away from throwing something at him.

"Don't speak to your father-"

"You stopped being my father years ago."

Mr Moon could only watch Kevin's retreating figure with hurt in his eyes. The betrayal hurt him too deeply. Mr Moon collapsed onto the couch, trying not to sob uncontrollably.

"Uh, Mr Moon?"

"Oh, Eric! I made breakfast. If you need anything, give me a call. I uh, have to head out for work. We can chat when I get home."

Eric waved, watching Mr Moon leave as he locked the door behind him. Now was the perfect time to do investigating without worrying about them looking over his shoulder. First stop, Mr Moon's room.

Eric entered the room, seeing parts of the room had empty spaces. Probably things Mrs Moon took with her as she slowly moved out. He inspected Mr Moon's things, noticing pills hidden away.

"For anxiety... As much as I want to feel bad, he did bring it upon himself..." mumbled Eric, poking around the drawer more.

There wasn't much else to find, not much to his surprise. Mr Moon wasn't one to keep secrets, well, until his cheating. The room he should be investigating the most was Kevin's room.

Eric entered Kevin's room, it being the same amount of messy as yesterday. At least it didn't get messier. He inspected his desk, lifting up objects to look at the papers underneath. Homework, tests, quizzes...

"And what do we have here?"

It seemed like a note that was passed around in class.

You've been weird Kevin

No weirder than you, Sangyeon

Seriously, Kev. What's eating you

...How do you know you're obsessed with something?

Huh? Why do you ask? Is someone bugging you?

Just answer me

It's a fixation of sorts. You can't get whatever it is off your mind, you constantly crave, need and want that thing

I see

That was where the note stopped. Did they talk after school? He wanted to know what... Eric turned his gaze towards the bean bag chair that hid numerous photos of himself.

"He's obsessed with me?!"

If he thought back on his behavior, it started fitting together just like the revelation of Mr Moon's cheating. Fear started to creep into his heart. Did Kevin do anything while he was asleep?! No, he had to put those thoughts aside. Kevin hasn't done anything... to his knowledge. He may be better at controlling himself than he knew.

Eric turned on Kevin's pc, seeing it required a password. It most likely wasn't the same as his phone. Kevin was thorough that way. He tried a few before it finally unlocked.

"Huh. It seems like a random calendar date. I'll ask for his phone later."

Eric started going through files, seeing nothing of note. Even his browser history was normal, except for the occasional "how to curb your obsession" or something of similar nature. Kevin was really keeping everything contained within himself. That was unhealthy. No wonder he ended up like this.

Eric thought in silence as the day crawled by. What question would he ask him today? The obsession could wait, so he'd ask about school.

•

Eric peeked out, hearing someone come home.

"Eric? Are you here?"

"I'm here."

Quick footsteps were heard on the floor, Kevin tightly hugging him. Everything Kevin did now had a different meaning once he connected the pieces. Kevin seemed to notice his wariness, pulling away sooner than usual.

"Was your day okay? Did you go out?"

"Yeah, for a bit. Didn't want to leave the door unlocked for too long." smiled Eric, trying to reassure him.

It didn't ease Kevin any, his body language still cautious. Well, it was fine. He'd distract him with the topic of school anyway.

"How was school? You stopped telling me about it."

"It was okay. They... mmm..."

Eric interlaced their fingers, giving Kevin's hand a squeeze.

"Take your time."

"They keep being rude to me. And mean. They say harsh things! I didn't... I haven't done anything..."

"And who would 'they' be?"

"My ex friends."

Ex friends? Wait, they weren't friends with Kevin anymore? Not even Woowoo?

"Even... Woowoo?"

Kevin nodded solemnly. No wonder he's this messed up. He had no one to talk to about anything.

"How long have you stopped being friends...?"

"A few months ago..."

So not too long ago thankfully. Still awful though.

"Did they say why? Or was it a really bad argument?"

"They called me crazy and hard to be around. They said I'm not Kevin anymore..."

He could agree with the last part. It seemed his friends couldn't be bothered to even try and learn what was going on. He expected that from the other two, but Woowoo? They had to have influenced him. Changmin and Woowoo completed their close friend group, Changmin being the last addition.

"You still have me. Even though learning about your obsession is freaking me out." said Eric, keeping the rest to himself. "I'll support you in getting through this."

Kevin smiled, Eric's heart wavering. Somewhere in that smile he could see the Kevin he always knew, waiting to be freed. Eric asked him more about school, learning his grades have been slipping and the possibility of bullying on the horizon. The faculty was informed but whether they actually do something has yet to be seen.

"I don't want to go anymore... It's horrible."

"I know, I want to get you out of there too, but... I also want to see you graduate. I don't want to see you become a shut in..."

Kevin picked at his sweater sleeve, remaining quiet. Eric exhaled, getting to his feet.

"You hungry? Why don't we cook something together?"

Kevin nodded in agreement, following him into the kitchen. They decided to make something simple, the two of them hungrier than they realized. Maybe on the weekend he could convince Kevin to talk a walk with him.

"Hey, do you want to see something?"

Eric couldn't hide his surprise. This was a first since he got here. It felt like he was getting a glimpse of how Kevin used to be.

"Yeah, sure."

Kevin moved their dirty dishes into the sink before quickly grabbing Eric and taking him outside. He wouldn't say where they were going, so he was forced to hope it wasn't anything dangerous.

Kevin finally stopped on a short bridge, showing him the view. He didn't know you could see the sights from here.

"Wow... This is really nice, Kevin! When did you..."

Eric quieted, seeing Kevin was staring at him when he turned. Despite knowing the truth, Kevin hasn't treated him any differently. The look in his eyes wasn't the look of someone wanting to possess him solely. It was a look he himself was familiar with.

"Love..." whispered Eric, feeling heat grow in his cheeks.

"Huh?"

"N- Nothing. Let's enjoy the sunset." Eric spoke quickly, wanting to move past it.

Kevin said nothing in response, watching the sunset with him. Maybe Kevin was misunderstanding his feelings as a whole.

"Hey, Kev."

"Yeah?"

The question was on the tip of his tongue yet it refused to be spoken. Not today it seemed.

"Thanks for bringing me here. We should come again sometime."

"I'd like to as well."

•

The two arrived home, Mr Moon anxiously waiting in the living room. He stood and quickly strode over to them with worry.

"Where have you been?"

"I don't have to tell you anything because that's what we do here: keep secrets!"

"You can't keep doing this, Kevin. Please... it's only going to make you worse."

"If you cared about me and Mom, you wouldn't have done it in the first place! But you don't! You're part of the reason I'm like this! I'll never consider you my father. EVER!"

Kevin stormed off to his room, leaving the air tense. Eric looked to Mr Moon who looked ready to collapse where he stood.

"I'm not Kevin, so I don't know how bad he took it. You're also not my Dad on top of that. Still, it's unfair to ask him to stop feeling hurt over it just because you don't want to be reminded of your wrongdoings." Eric spoke, looking towards Kevin's room. "Everyone heals differently. Instead of trying to do whatever it is you're doing, support him in silence. Wait until he's comfortable living with his Mom to reach out."

Mr Moon, chuckled slightly before tears fell from his eyes. They wouldn't stop no matter how many he wiped away.

"To think I've sunk so low I had to get lectured by a high schooler... Thank you, Eric. I'll keep it in mind."

He did want to see the Moon family heal from this, so if he could help out in any way, he'd do it. Eric knocked on Kevin's door, announcing his presence to avoid getting shut out. Kevin was curled up in bed, unmoving.

"I may not know how much pain you're in over your Dad's cheating, but you can be a little less harsh with him."

"Maybe..."

Eric climbed into bed with him, hugging Kevin from behind. The tension in Kevin's body melted away, leaving him relaxed. Kevin eventually turned, the two now facing each other.

"I'm really glad you came, Eric. Everything felt so hopeless. I... I was distraught when you thought we weren't friends anymore..."

"You've just been acting strange lately. It was worrying me."

Eric gently wiped Kevin's tears away, feeling Kevin interlace their fingers.

"I was dealing with so much... too much..."

"Then why not tell me? I'm the bestest friend you've got."

"I didn't want to bother you with my problems."

Eric gently cupped Kevin's cheek, giving him a warm smile.

"Your problems are my problems and vice versa. You'll never be alone as long as I'm alive."

Kevin cried in silence, Eric pulling him close.