"Woah! Hold it!" Joong raised his brows, not liking the way Dunk's voice sounded. "Where is this even going? You're not..."

"No, I'm not suicidal," Dunk sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm just...I don't know...honestly, I don't know what the fuck I'm feeling anymore."

Joong studied the way Dunk's shoulders slacked, his posture was off and the way his eyes seemed hollow, unfocused. There was this aura about him, like he had aged a decade since he had last seen him and truth be told, even though Dunk had just told him he wasn't suicidal, his voice and his recent 'activity' of drowning in alcohol denoted otherwise.

Turning towards his bathroom, Dunk turned on the water to fill the bathtub and added a few of his expensive collection of essential oils into the water. Once the tub was halfway filled, he went back into the room and extended his hand towards Dunk. "Come on."

"Huh?" Dunk looked up at him startled. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you disappear."

Dunk didn't know what he meant, but he took his hand and got off the bed, heading towards the bathroom. The sound of the running water provided an eerie sense of comfort and once he entered, Joong took off his own shirt and pants, leaving him in his underwear, before he turned towards Dunk. "Your turn."

"Bah! What the hell are you thinking?" Dunk's face turned red as he took a hasty step back.

"Do you trust me?" Joong asked, raising his brows.

"Hell no!"

"Good." Joong smirked as he reached out and started to unbutton Dunk's shirt.

"Hey!" Dunk swatted at his hand. "Don't touch me!"

"Is there any point in overreacting when we fucked each other already?" Joong raised his eyebrows. "You remember that night, don't you? And entire box of condoms? I think we're well past all this modesty shit."

"Doesn't mean I want to parade around naked in front of you." Dunk defended himself. "What on earth are you even thinking?"

"You'll find out." Joong told him, folding his arms across his bare, muscled chest. "You don't need to get naked...unless that's what you want. Just strip down to your underwear and get into the tub. It'll help."

Dunk looked at him skeptically, wondering if her was really overreacting. But then he decided to just fuck it all, and took off his shirt and his pants, leaving him in his underwear as well, before he did as Joong had told him and sank into the bathtub.

The water was warm against his skin and the scent from whatever Joong has put in it helped to clear his mind. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath...and sank underwater, letting himself drown out the noises all around him, inside his head.

For a few moments, he was at peace with himself, the quiet was welcoming and he really felt like he had disappeared from the rest of the world. His hair floated on top of his face, the water making a serene noise all around him.

At first, he tried to hold his breath for as long as possible, but soon, he kept on holing it in even though his lungs burned, his chest tightened from the loss of oxygen. But Dunk didn't resurface, trying to hold on a little longer...until he was all but being yanked up from underwater by strong arms around his shoulders.

He gasped for air as he broke the surface, his eyes blinking open as they tried to adjust to the light. And Joong was right in front of him, his eyes worried as he helped wipe the water off of his face.

However, there was no judgment in his eyes, no sarcasm or harsh remarks. The usual cat and mouse games they were accustomed to playing on the daily was pushed aside. Dunk could hardly recognize the man in front of him, and oddly, it made his heart clench in ways he couldn't explain.

"Are you feeling better now?" Joong asked, after making sure Dunk was okay.

He had felt a kind of panic he never knew he was capable of feeling when he had seen Dunk stay underwater for far too long, holding his breath. His worry was palpable, his heart still thrashing uncontrollably inside his chest.

"Not completely," Dunk sighed, rising to sit up against the bathtub. "But it feels a little better."

"Good." Joong stood up, before joining Dunk in the tub.

"What do you think you're doing?" Dunk asked skeptically. "I thought you weren't getting in."

"I want a bath too," Joong shrugged, settling in comfortably, his legs on either side of Dunk. "This...saves water."

"La?" Dunk smirked, placing his hands on Joong's legs, holding onto them with gentle hands.

"What are you doing?" It was now Joong's turn to be skeptic.

"You said we were well past all this modesty shit, mai chai la?" Dunk's grip tightened on Joong's legs and suddenly, with one brisk move, he had managed to pull Joong closer to him. "Then why are you getting shy now?"

Joong's heart thrashed against his ribcage, his face so close to Dunk's that he could feel their breaths mingle.

"Who says I'm shy?" And then Joong was pulling him in for a searing kiss, his hands on his nape, holding him in place.

Dunk felt his whole body react to the kiss, the way desire rushed in his veins. He drew closer, his hands on Joong's shoulders, his nails digging into his skin.

There was no intoxication this time, no influence of alcohol or anything else he could name to justifying the wild flutter of his heart or the way he desperately wanted to be close to Dunk. There was no denial in Joong's heart this time that what his brother had told him was indeed true...he was falling for Dunk.

He felt his heart flutter at the thought, the weight of it all sinking in. Joong had fallen for Dunk, officially, and the thought of it sent a shiver of excitement down his spine. Before he could pull away however, Dunk's lips began to move on top of his, soft at first, then more insistent, more demanding.

Joong's resolve to get up and let Dunk take a peaceful bath, crumbled instantly. He wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him closer as the world outside the bedroom ceased to exist.

"I suppose you're no longer willing to disappear," Joong whispered against his lips as he pulled back, his body already surrendering to the heat between them.

Dunk was just as out of breath as he was when he met his eyes, but what he said next, made all the air rush out of his lungs as if he had been punched in the gut.

"No...I want you to disappear with me."

Joong didn't, waste any more time, his lips crashing onto Dunk's once again as he pulled him onto his lap, his arousal evident against his abdomen.

Dunk's response was a grunt of approval as his hands roamed Joong's body, and before they knew it, they were lost in each other again, the rest of the world forgotten as they gave in to the passion that had been simmering between them since the first time they set eyes on each other.

Time stretched, and every touch, every kiss, felt like a promise, like a declaration of the bond they now shared.