Friends Do

Kay was kicking himself as he walked to his room. He couldn't believe he had been...well it wasn't exactly a scolding, but it felt bad, whatever it was Chef Man had given him. It was the disappointment from Chef Man, Kay decided, that was making him hurt. Akk had been praised for plating, and while Chef Man had praised Kay's cooking, it was clear he expected more from Kay. What didn't help was that Neung had been there. Even though they were arguing (and they had never argued like this before), Neung had checked Kay during the talking-to. Kay felt like he didn't deserve that, not when he had disappointed Neung like that. He still couldn't believe he was acting like this, in fact, but he didn't know how to stop. He had been fantasizing about those lips for two years now, but when Neung had leaned in on the bed, Kay had panicked. Kay desperately wanted their old relationship back, but whenever Neung attempted to make things normal, Kay kept being snarky and he wasn't sure why.

Kay got to the room and put in the key. He almost walked into Neung, who was clearly going out. Kay saw Neung look startled, happy for a split second, then incredibly sad as he remembered that Kay was mad at him, then Neung's mouth went into a hard line as he walked past Kay without saying a word. Kay thought about calling him but couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew that Neung had to be in so much hurt if he wasn't talking at all. Kay could hear Neung's "friends don't hurt each other" running through his head, but he didn't know how to tell Neung that he wanted to be more than friends, especially after he had been acting so unlike himself. He sighed and flopped onto the bed.

Neung walked to the bus stop, wondering if he would ever get Kay back. He had thought Kay liked him, considering their accidental kiss (well not *that* accidental, Kay didn't move and Neung took the opportunity) hadn't elicited a huge reaction from him. But when he had leaned in for a real kiss, Kay had rolled out from under him, making Neung so upset he had hid into the bathroom for three hours. Now Kay wouldn't really look at him and Neung was afraid he had destroyed over ten years of friendship. He didn't know what to do, honestly. He sighed and settled into the bench, putting his hand into his pocket to get his phone, when he realized he had forgotten it. He groaned and put his head in his hands. Should he go back and get it or just go to his cousin's for the night like he planned? Neung considered his options, then decided he would just forget it. Kay wasn't talking to him, so what was the point?

Kay looked up from his bed, having been thinking over what he would say when Neung came back. He didn't know where Neung was headed, but figured it was just the cafe or something. He got up and stretched, figuring he would take a shower, when his eyes landed on Neung's nightstand, where his phone had lit up with a game notification. Kay frowned. Neung never forgot his phone. For some reason, this made Kay nervous. Not because he thought Neung would be lost without his phone, but because this meant Neung was even more upset than Kay had realized. He didn't know what to do. Kay bit his lip, then turned the phone over so the notifications wouldn't bother him. Neung would be back in a little while, he reassured himself.

Neung got onto the bus, wishing he had his phone, even if it was just for music. He was going to go to the grocery store first, he had decided. He would ask Akk for help learning how to cook, since Kay didn't want to cook for him anymore, even though it had never bothered him before. If Chef Man though Akk could do it, that was good enough for Neung. The stops went by slowly, but it was finally Neung's stop, three blocks from his cousin's apartment. The grocery store was on the way, which was nice.

Neung went up and down the aisles, looking for ingredients for some basic dishes. He didn't want anything perishable, so he got things like noodles and canned vegetables. He paid and went up to his cousin's.

"Hey Neung"
"Hey P'Ek"
"What's with the bag?"
"Just got some groceries for when I get back to the hotel"
"Nong Kay is gonna cook for you?"
"No...I'm going to learn to cook for myself" Neung muttered, not looking his cousin in the eye.
"Well, alright then" Ek said, clearly confused. "Want to play some video games before we eat?"