Lost Memories
Title: Lost Memories (The Remembrance Intro)
Words: 4687
Pairing: Kaisoo, Seho, Baekyeol, and many more to come in later oneshots/drabbles
Summary: Kyungsoo can't seem to remember a year of life in the city, and he can't make sense of the thought that he had done absolutely nothing in that time. With no way to actually figure it out though, Kyungsoo had decided to set his life back on track. It's only went two boys in a alleyway seem to know him that he realizes that he might get the chance to figure out what the heck has been going on.
Author's Note: /pretends that summary doesn't sound like crap/ So I'm calling this the intro, but really i wrote the Keo drabble/oneshot (trust me, I'm just going to call it drabble because i have crap luck with oneshots) came first.... but that one actually takes place right after this one... in a different setting... Basically this is like a frame story where most of these stories will interact in some way.... So yeah...
Kyungsoo knew he should’ve just stayed in today. He should’ve just agreed with Baekhyun when he had said that he wanted to do this delivery, but no, he wanted to be the nice guy.
What kind of smoothie café did deliveries anyway?
Not like a lot of things made sense in this city as it was, Kyungsoo thought as he was being held tightly against a brick wall in a random back alley with a well-defined forearm plastered across his chest. He figured that smoothie delivering cafes was the least of his worries. Kyungsoo tried to peer up into the stranger who held him captive eyes, but all he could catch sight of was a bunch of tousled brown hair. As much as he tried to catch his eyes, this boy had his head turned to the side as he hissed orders at the other bleach-blond haired boy standing just a few feet behind him.
Why does this have to happen to him, Kyungsoo wanted to cry out. All he wanted to do was deliver those stupid smoothies. With a side glance to the road just outside the alleyway, Kyungsoo sighed. He guessed that wouldn’t be happening now, seeing as how they happened to have been reduced to a puddle in the street.
Junmyeon was going to be taking this out of his check for sure this time.
“Sehun!” the brunette hissed back into the alley.
“I know, I know!” Sehun, or who Kyungsoo guessed to be Sehun, angrily hissed back as he ripped apart his shirt at the bottom. “Just remember you owe me for this shit. This is my favorite shirt!”
“Alright, alright!” The other grunted out as he turned his gaze back to Kyungsoo’s. “I’ll get you a new one, just hurry up and bring it over here.” Kyungsoo could hear Sehun muttering something in an angry tone, but he couldn’t really hear what was being said. Kyungsoo was too busy being shocked into silence by this stranger’s face because if anyone asked Kyungsoo he would swear that this stranger isn’t really a stranger.
But he was. And no one was really asking Kyungsoo in the first place.
Kyungsoo just couldn’t place the face, but he felt like he knew it.
“Do I know you?” Kyungsoo asked hesitantly and watched how this stranger-but-not-really-stranger’s face fell before a sad grin spread across his lips. Kyungsoo didn’t know why, but he kind of wanted to hold this man’s face and kiss it away.
Well, Kyungsoo paused, that’s an awful weird thought to be having about some guy that has him pressed up roughly against a brick wall.
… Or wait, that came out wrong.
“You really don’t remember me?” The brunette asked, and when he only received a blank stare from Kyungsoo he sighed.
“Us,” Sehun mumbled from behind the other’s shoulder. “He doesn’t remember us, Jongin. Besides, Kris already told you as much. Don’t be too shocked,” and with Sehun’s little input Jongin pressed his lips into a thin line, but otherwise ignored Sehun’s comment.
“I’m sorry, Kyungsoo,” Jongin sighed out. “But I don’t really have much of a choice here, I really don’t want to drag you back into this.”
Oh god, Kyungsoo panicked, he’s going to kill him.
Wait, if Kyungsoo begged maybe he’d show pity?
But then again, Kyungsoo has never been good with voicing his needs. Especially when it came to life or death needs.
“Uhhh,” Kyungsoo stared wide-eyed from one boy to the other. They couldn’t be much younger than he was. “I’m too young to die?”
“Why is that a question?” Sehun asked as he stared right back at Kyungsoo as if he had grown a second head.
Maybe that wasn’t the best way to say that, Kyungsoo pondered as he looked between the two boys again. But they can’t really expect him to be functioning at 100% with a handsome guy pinning him to a wall.
… Wait… wrong again.
“Look,” Kyungsoo tried to reason and push the other man, Jongin was it, off him a little because dang, he’s making Kyungsoo a little crazy. But the other just held him in place. “I don’t really feel up to dying today, and I’m sure you two don’t really would rather not have a death on your hands. So let’s just say you killed me, and I’ll pretend I died, then we can part ways. How does that sound?” As Kyungsoo finished he raised a questioning eyebrow at the two, but the most he got back from them was blank stares. Kyungsoo was about to backtrack and do a little re-wording until Sehun dropped his mouth open and pointed at Kyungsoo with wide eyes.
“D-did he just give us the ‘I’m smarter than you, so you should really listen to me’ Kyungsoo tone?” Sehun stuttered out as he shook Jongin’s shoulder.
That was another question he had for the two. How the heck did they know his name?
“Seriously,” Kyungsoo grunted out as he tried to move Jongin’s arm from where it was digging into his chest. “How the heck do you two know my name?!” With an irritated huff, Sehun fisted his almost white hair as he turned away and walked to the other side of the alleyway before banging his head against the wall and then leaning on it.
“Jongin, what are we going to do with him?!” Sehun all but whined out as he slid down the wall until he sat on the ground, but Jongin just continued to stare into Kyungsoo’s eyes. Kyungsoo would be lying if that didn’t make him want to squirm a little. After what seemed like forever, Jongin finally lowered his gaze and glanced back at Sehun. Kyungsoo wanted to be grateful for the chance to be able to breathe again until he remembered the arm was still planted across his chest, and he realized that this Jongin guy could feel that very sharp intake of breath.
Great, Kyungsoo. Just great.
“We never saw him,” Jongin said softly as he leaned back, successfully freeing Kyungsoo as he took his arm with him.
Kyungsoo can’t tell if he was happy about that or not.
“We can’t just lie to Kr-” Sehun started, but Jongin cut him off.
“Then we won’t,” Jongin sighed out as he placed his hand over his face. “Look, it’s obvious that he doesn’t remember anything, so what good would it do getting Kris all worked up over nothing? We won’t lie, we’ll just leave this out of the report, alright?” Sehun didn’t look like he was alright with it, but it seemed like he trusted Jongin. Kyungsoo didn’t know why, but he felt like this was wrong. Like it was supposed to be someone else there. Kyungsoo pretends that he doesn’t see himself standing in Sehun’s place, but the image seemed to have burned itself in Kyungsoo’s mind.
But that was crazy… right?
“So…” Kyungsoo tested out the water as he looked between the two. “You’re letting me go? Just like that?” He expected to be sworn to secrecy or something. Nothing this easy.
“Not exactly,” Jongin hummed out as he turned back to Kyungsoo.
“Not exactly?” Kyungsoo and Sehun echoed in question as they watched a sly grin spread across Jongin’s features.
“Exactly,” he said simply, and before Kyungsoo knew what was happening he felt a swift blow to his neck and the word seemed to shift sideways before going dark.
The last thought Kyungsoo remembered having was that Jongin better be ready if they ever passed on the street because Kyungsoo sure as hell was going to be sure to mark up that pretty face as best as he could.
Sehun stared in shock as he watched Jongin lower Kyungsoo to the ground.
“I can’t believe you just knocked out Kyungsoo…” Sehun trailed off and continued to watch how Jongin jumped away as if his hands were burned as soon as Kyungsoo was no longer in danger of getting hurt from the unconscious free fall.
“I know…” Jongin said soullessly.
“You know that if he remembers anything later he is going to hunt us down and kill us, right?” Sehun felt the need to remind Jongin that, no, Kyungsoo was never a force to be reckoned with. He looked like he was all full of smiles and cuteness, but really he was just plain evil. An entity of evil, really. Wait no, evil didn’t quite cover it…
Demonic was a better word for it.
“I know…” Jongin repeated again.
“Is that all you have to say for yourself?” Sehun demanded as Jongin shook his whole body in jerky motions as if to shake out a chill.
“Oh my god,” Jongin stared wide-eyed at Kyungsoo’s still form on the concrete ground. “I did not just do that. Oh my god, Kyungsoo is going to kill me!”
Sehun felt like this was a very appropriate time for an ‘I told you so,’ moment, but he also realized that it wouldn’t be very welcomed. Which was a shame because these moments didn’t come very often with Jongin.
“Us,” Sehun deadpanned. “He’s going to kill us because now you’ve officially dragged me into the complications of your unhealthy friendship with your very forgetful friend.”
“My friendship is not unhealthy,” Jongin forced out as he glared at Sehun.
“Oh, it is so unhealthy,” Sehun waved a hand as his gaze slipped to where Kyungsoo was lying on the ground. “Only you would risk everything for him. Our mission, our pay, and both of our lives just so that he stays out of this. I don’t really want to be the one to say it, but everyone else seems to shy away from it. If we didn’t know any better we’d all think you were in love with out little heart shaped lipped demon… which is gross because he’s the devil.” Jongin all but growled as he stormed his way over to an indifferent Sehun and grabbed him by his collar to pull him face to face with himself.
“Keep at it, Sehun,” Jongin ground out as he moved his face in closer. “Keep pissing me off, and you might just find yourself with a knife through your ribs.”
“Yeah right,” Sehun rolled his eyes and pulled back a few inches. “Like you could stand losing both your best friends in a few months’ time.”
“I still have Taemin…” Jongin trailed off, but he knew very well that they both heard the empty threat in his words.
“Yeah, and I’m sure you’d jump at the chance to introduce him to the gang,” Sehun sighed and pushed Jongin’s hands off him before side stepping him and going to crouch down by their unconscious friend. “If anything, I’m sure Kris would have fun screwing with him. That man is almost as evil as this little shit.” Sehun huffed as he poked at Kyungsoo’s cheek. Sehun was almost afraid that he would wake up and beat the crap out of them any moment now.
“Stop messing with him,” Jongin sighed out before crouching down to join him. “We gotta get him back to where ever it is he came from.”
“Well…” Sehun paused and looked towards the road that was littered with empty Styrofoam cups. It was almost binding and highly displeasing to the eye, Sehun thought, how ugly the slogan was plastered all over the now empty cups. How tacky can someone get? “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where he works.” Without another word, Jongin walked out and grabbed one of the cups before sending Sehun a sly grin.
“How would you like a visit to The Squeeze?” Jongin said with glee as he stared down at Sehun, as Sehun raised his gaze to look to get a better look at that ugly cup again. Sehun didn’t really know what to feel at the moment, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to pass out or throw up, he just knew that the universe most have a sick pleasure watching him squirm.
“Ah fucking hell,” was all Sehun could say. Sehun dropped his head into his hands as waves of imagines filled with too bright smiles and crescent shaped eyes invaded his mind.
Not him again.
“Come on, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon smiled at said male over the heavy boxes he was carrying to the front pass where he was standing with his hip cocked out as he leaned over the counter. Baekhyun had deemed that he would have nothing to do with moving any boxes, and that Junmyeon tried to make him, he’d quit. Plain and as simple as that. “Where’s your happy attitude? You know that in The Squeeze we are happy and full of smiles.”
Baekhyun was anything but.
“Oh I don’t know,” Baekhyun huffed out and he leaned over the counter to watch Junmyeon work because there was no way in hell he was lifting any of that. Baekhyun wasn’t about that life. “I think I squeezed the last of that happiness into a smoothie a few hours ago, or I lost those smiles as soon as I saw your face when I walked in the door. I lose track of my happiness’s daily decline as the days drag on.”
“That’s the spirit,” Junmyeon called out from across the small café as he heaved up another box and headed for the counter.
“I swear, I would’ve killed myself by now if it wasn’t for the fact that I love myself too much for that,” Baekhyun growled out and held the swinging door, which lead to the area behind the counter and into the back, closed with his foot, and smiled as he watched Junmyeon huff out a strained breath.
“Now don’t be rude,” Junmyeon chided as he kicked the door open with ease. It always shocked Baekhyun how strong he actually was at times. Not that he’d ever tell Junmyeon that. “Please try to remember that I am your boss, and that I am paying you for your work. However little you actually do on a daily bases.”
“Not like you pay that much anyway,” Baekhyun groaned as Junmyeon passed with a smile on his face.
“At least I hired you,” Baekhyun heard Junmyeon call from the backroom. “That’s more than most would do with that sass you give everyone. It you tried being friendlier like Kyungsoo then maybe I would give you a raise.”
Fat chance, Baekhyun thought as he went back to cleaning the counter like he was doing before Junmyeon interrupted him to ask him to help. Junmyeon was a little too cheap for a rich man, Baekhyun decided.
“Speaking of Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun sighed as he listened to Junmyeon slowly drew out the question. Baekhyun figured that Junmyeon was only half paying attention to this conversation. “Shouldn’t he be back by now? He left a while ago I thought.”
Now that Junmyeon mentioned it, Baekhyun figured that Kyungsoo really should’ve been back by now. Just as that thought fluttered through Baekhyun’s mind, a man with too long limbs who didn’t seem to know what to do with them, pushed his way through the door.
“Baekhyun! Junmyeon!” Chanyeol shouted as he raced up to the counter before slamming his hands down right in front of Baekhyun. “You wouldn’t believe what just happened!”
“Jesus Christ, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun panted out as he raised his hand to cover his racing heart. “For the love of god, don’t scare me like that!”
“What happened?” Junmyeon asked as he made his way out of the backroom.
“Sorry, Baek,” Chanyeol threw Baekhyun an apologetic frown before turning his wild gaze on Junmyeon. “I don’t really know, but I was just walking up the street, minding my own, and next thing I know a car stops in front of your shop. Which wouldn’t be weird, but then these two guys with cloths over their faces get out, and guess what!” Baekhyun almost had to physically suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Chanyeol was a story teller, if nothing else. He always had to make sure he had an audience.
“What?” Junmyeon and Baekhyun asked at the same moment. Baekhyun a little more irritated than the ever patient Junmyeon.
“They pulled open their back door and dumped Kyungsoo all tied up on the sidewalk!”
There was a few moments of silence between the three men before Junmyeon walked a little closer and peered into Chanyeol’s eyes.
“So…” he started as he casted his gaze towards the glass doors. “Kyungsoo is out there now… tied up on the sidewalk?” Chanyeol looked back from Junmyeon to Baekhyun, then back again before it seemed to click in his head.
“Oh,” he said in a small voice. “I guess I should’ve brought him in here…”
“You idiot!” Baekhyun yelled as he bypassed the both of them to the door. “You could’ve at least made sure he was alive!”
“Did you catch the license plate number?” Junmyeon asked as he followed right on Baekhyun’s heel.
“Uh,” Chanyeol scratched the back of his head as he followed the other two. “I didn’t, sorry. I was in a bit of a shock when it happened,” Chanyeol apologized, and Baekhyun scoffed.
“I’m sure you were. Let’s just go make sure he’s still alive.”
With all his routes done for the day, Chanyeol couldn’t wait to get to The Squeeze and get a smoothie. What Chanyeol liked the most about that particular café was that if he helped the owner, Junmyeon, out for free every once in a while, Junmyeon would let him have free meals here and there.
And with the money Chanyeol was making now, every little bit helped.
Those meals intended to happen more often than not, so it always put an extra spring in his step on his way back to the café from his newspaper routes in the morning.
The Squeeze was like his unofficial second job, and he loved it. Everyone there was nice and welcoming, even Baekhyun at times. He just had a rougher way of showing it.
Just as Chanyeol turned the final corner that lead down the street to The Squeeze, he paused as he felt a car whiz past him before it came to a screeching halt in front of his destination. Curious, Chanyeol stayed back and watched as the two front doors were thrown open and two guys hoped out with hoods pulled up and covered over their faces. Chanyeol couldn’t really make sense of what they were yelling, but he watched as they raced around to the back door closest to the café.
“Hurry, hurry!” The one with a bit of blond hair sticking out of his black hood yelled as the other one yanked the door open. “I’d rather not be caught here!”
“Don’t you mean that you don’t want to see your boyfri-” the other boy tried to say but the other one pushed him out of the way and started to haul out a pair of small legs.
“If I can’t talk about the unhealthy relationship you have with him, then you can’t talk about this either!” the blond hissed as he glared at the other. “Fucking hell, I regret even telling you about that.”
“It was a cute story,” the other cooed, but only received another glare from the blond.
“Hurry and grab his head before I let it hit the ground, idiot,” the blond threatened. “You know what, I think that might actually help us here.” Paying no mind to the teasing of the blond, the other boy rushed forward and grabbed the upper half of the body and helped to haul him out of the car. Chanyeol gasped when he caught sight of a familiar brown fuzz ball head stuck in binds.
Kyungsoo!
Before Chanyeol could even call out to the strangers that held his friend, the two boys dropped Kyungsoo right on the sidewalk and Chanyeol watched as he saw the both of them wince when they heard the heavy thump Kyungsoo’s fall made.
“Crap,” the other boy muttered out. “Shit, sorry Kyungsoo.” Then the two of them ran back to the car doors they came out of and hopped into their seats. Before Chanyeol could even get a word out they sped off.
Chanyeol only stayed there for a second longer before he took off full speed to the glass doors of The Squeeze.
Holy crap, Baekhyun and Junmyeon are never going to believe this!
Kyungsoo wants to know why everything strange seems to happen to him. It wasn’t too long ago that Kyungsoo found himself waking up in a hospital with no memory whatsoever of coming to this city in the first place. The only thing that Kyungsoo could remember was graduating high school and a college in this city being on the list of many colleges that he wanted to go to.
With a little help from Junmyeon, an innocent bystander that happened to have seen the accident that led Kyungsoo to that hospital bed, he found out that he wasn’t currently enrolled in any school. Which Kyungsoo found weird, he was pretty sure his plan was to get into a college of his choosing as soon as possible. And apparently it had almost been a years since he came to this city.
Weird.
Thankfully, Junmyeon didn’t stop helping there. He told Kyungsoo how he was planning on opening a little café very soon, and was in need of a few workers. As soon Kyungsoo was back on his feet, Junmyeon promised him a place to live and a secure job offer. So from there on started Kyungsoo’s and Junmyeon’s strange, but comfortable friendship.
As soon as Kyungsoo was back on his feet, he took Junmyeon up on his offer, and not a week after he started his work Junmyeon hired a new employee.
Baekhyun.
Kyungsoo didn’t know what to think of the other boy at first. He looked nice and full of sweet smiles, but Junmyeon and Kyungsoo both soon found out that wasn’t the case. Baekhyun was tough skinned and did things his own way, which Kyungsoo admired a lot. Baekhyun just happened to have a sharp tongue, so Kyungsoo found himself more often than not having to smooth over angry customers.
The paper boy, Chanyeol, seemed to be the only one that would put up with him. Not that Kyungsoo minded, he liked to think that those two made interesting friends.
Just as things were looking up, and he was setting himself back on the right track, things seemed to have gotten weird again.
Kyungsoo can’t help but groan at the pain that seemed to have settled itself in the back portion of his skull as he blinked the blurriness away from his vision. It took a while, but soon his eyes cleared and he found himself staring up into unfamiliar eyes.
“Who…” Kyungsoo tried to croak out. “Who are you?” He asked as he stared up into a round face with big round eyes.
“Don’t worry,” the stranger told him as he took Kyungsoo’s wrist into his hand and held it securely in between his two fore fingers. “I’m a doctor.” Kyungsoo groaned again as he settled himself back down as he heard the other chuckle. “Sometimes I think the only reason I became a doctor is to say that.”
“Oh, that’s real reassuring to hear now,” Kyungsoo heard the distinctive sound of Baekhyun’s mumble from behind the doctor’s right shoulder, and he couldn’t hold the little grin from fitting his heart shaped lips. But it seemed like Baekhyun’s two cent was ignored for the most part.
“So, Doctor Kim was it? How is he?” Kyungsoo heard Junmyeon’s worried voice wash over him. Kyungsoo guessed that Junmyeon must me right on the other side of the doctor by the sound of his voice.
“Please, call me Minseok,” he responded to them before Kyungsoo felt the cool soft touch of the backside of a hand lie flat against his head. “And as far as I can tell he’s fine. His head took a little beating from the drop, but other than that he’ll be just fine.” Kyungsoo could almost feel the sigh of relief that went through the group before he opened his eyes to see them all hovering over him. It was touching to see how they all (was that Chanyeol over there?) were worrying over him… if he didn’t feel so short of breath at the moment.
“Guys,” Minseok started to say but was interrupted by Kyungsoo flailing his arms. As the doctor held Kyungsoo’s arms at bay, he threw a meaningful look at the group of men that had gathered behind him and said, “He might need a little room to breathe.”
“He looks like he’s breathing just fine to me,” Baekhyun tried to say but was cut off by a coughing fit from Kyungsoo before Minseok leveled him with a look.”
“How about we leave those calls to the doctor here?” Minseok said as he turned back to Kyungsoo with a smile. “So, what’s your name?”
“His name is Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol helpfully added until Minseok dropped his head into his hand and released a deep sigh.
“I was asking him that to check for any memory loss,” Minseok mumbled into his hand, and Baekhyun chuckled and patted Chanyeol on the shoulder for comfort.
“Oh no need to worry there, Doc,” Baekhyun said with a wide grin. “Kyungsoo has plenty of that already.”
“Oh does he now?” Minseok asked as he looked back at the boy still lying on the ground in front of him. When Kyungsoo finally looked up at him and really looked at Minseok for the first time since he woke up, Kyungsoo was shocked. This man said he was a doctor, but Kyungsoo couldn’t see how that was possible. Minseok looked young, too young to have been able to have accomplished that already. As he looked around more and more he noted that he was in front of The Squeeze, but Kyungsoo couldn’t make sense of that. The last thing Kyungsoo could remember was that he was in the alley way with these two men, one was Sehun and the other was-
“Jongin!” Kyungsoo shouted out as he looked around him wildly. “Where is he?!” as he scanned the walkway he noticed how Baekhyun’s eyes darkened at the mention of the name, but before he could question it, Junmyeon moved into Kyungsoo’s line of sight.
“Jong- who?” Junmyeon asked as he kneeled down by Kyungsoo’s other side.
“The jerk that knocked me out,” Kyungsoo wheeled around to look Junmyeon in the eye. “I swear I am going to punch him a new one when I see him again,” he growled out as he grabbed onto Junmyeon’s shirt front. Kyungsoo knew he was freaking Junmyeon out, but he couldn’t be bothered by that now.
Kyungsoo was angry.
“Well, as a doctor I must say that I don’t approve of this thought of violence, but,” Minseok smiled, successfully drawing Kyungsoo’s attention back to him. “I am very interested in this loss of memories your friend mentioned before. How about we go on in to this tacky café and chat about it.” At the mention of tacky everyone could hear the offended intake of breath from Junmyeon before they could vaguely hear the mumbles of offence it had caused. That, however, was all but ignored as Minseok gave Kyungsoo a welcoming smile, waiting for his answer.
Kyungsoo couldn’t see a reason to reject the offer. Sure, Kyungsoo hardly knew the doctor, but that didn’t mean that this chat would hurt him. Heck, maybe Kyungsoo would even learn something new about his little condition.
What could this hurt? With that thought, Kyungsoo felt a single rain drop land on his cheek before he glanced towards the sky. Kyungsoo didn’t like how the much the clouds had darkened, but he guessed he heard some news about rain for some time that afternoon.
“I don’t see why not,” Kyungsoo said as he started to stand. “Besides, we might as well get inside before it starts to rain.”
Words: 4687
Pairing: Kaisoo, Seho, Baekyeol, and many more to come in later oneshots/drabbles
Summary: Kyungsoo can't seem to remember a year of life in the city, and he can't make sense of the thought that he had done absolutely nothing in that time. With no way to actually figure it out though, Kyungsoo had decided to set his life back on track. It's only went two boys in a alleyway seem to know him that he realizes that he might get the chance to figure out what the heck has been going on.
Author's Note: /pretends that summary doesn't sound like crap/ So I'm calling this the intro, but really i wrote the Keo drabble/oneshot (trust me, I'm just going to call it drabble because i have crap luck with oneshots) came first.... but that one actually takes place right after this one... in a different setting... Basically this is like a frame story where most of these stories will interact in some way.... So yeah...
Kyungsoo knew he should’ve just stayed in today. He should’ve just agreed with Baekhyun when he had said that he wanted to do this delivery, but no, he wanted to be the nice guy.
What kind of smoothie café did deliveries anyway?
Not like a lot of things made sense in this city as it was, Kyungsoo thought as he was being held tightly against a brick wall in a random back alley with a well-defined forearm plastered across his chest. He figured that smoothie delivering cafes was the least of his worries. Kyungsoo tried to peer up into the stranger who held him captive eyes, but all he could catch sight of was a bunch of tousled brown hair. As much as he tried to catch his eyes, this boy had his head turned to the side as he hissed orders at the other bleach-blond haired boy standing just a few feet behind him.
Why does this have to happen to him, Kyungsoo wanted to cry out. All he wanted to do was deliver those stupid smoothies. With a side glance to the road just outside the alleyway, Kyungsoo sighed. He guessed that wouldn’t be happening now, seeing as how they happened to have been reduced to a puddle in the street.
Junmyeon was going to be taking this out of his check for sure this time.
“Sehun!” the brunette hissed back into the alley.
“I know, I know!” Sehun, or who Kyungsoo guessed to be Sehun, angrily hissed back as he ripped apart his shirt at the bottom. “Just remember you owe me for this shit. This is my favorite shirt!”
“Alright, alright!” The other grunted out as he turned his gaze back to Kyungsoo’s. “I’ll get you a new one, just hurry up and bring it over here.” Kyungsoo could hear Sehun muttering something in an angry tone, but he couldn’t really hear what was being said. Kyungsoo was too busy being shocked into silence by this stranger’s face because if anyone asked Kyungsoo he would swear that this stranger isn’t really a stranger.
But he was. And no one was really asking Kyungsoo in the first place.
Kyungsoo just couldn’t place the face, but he felt like he knew it.
“Do I know you?” Kyungsoo asked hesitantly and watched how this stranger-but-not-really-stranger’s face fell before a sad grin spread across his lips. Kyungsoo didn’t know why, but he kind of wanted to hold this man’s face and kiss it away.
Well, Kyungsoo paused, that’s an awful weird thought to be having about some guy that has him pressed up roughly against a brick wall.
… Or wait, that came out wrong.
“You really don’t remember me?” The brunette asked, and when he only received a blank stare from Kyungsoo he sighed.
“Us,” Sehun mumbled from behind the other’s shoulder. “He doesn’t remember us, Jongin. Besides, Kris already told you as much. Don’t be too shocked,” and with Sehun’s little input Jongin pressed his lips into a thin line, but otherwise ignored Sehun’s comment.
“I’m sorry, Kyungsoo,” Jongin sighed out. “But I don’t really have much of a choice here, I really don’t want to drag you back into this.”
Oh god, Kyungsoo panicked, he’s going to kill him.
Wait, if Kyungsoo begged maybe he’d show pity?
But then again, Kyungsoo has never been good with voicing his needs. Especially when it came to life or death needs.
“Uhhh,” Kyungsoo stared wide-eyed from one boy to the other. They couldn’t be much younger than he was. “I’m too young to die?”
“Why is that a question?” Sehun asked as he stared right back at Kyungsoo as if he had grown a second head.
Maybe that wasn’t the best way to say that, Kyungsoo pondered as he looked between the two boys again. But they can’t really expect him to be functioning at 100% with a handsome guy pinning him to a wall.
… Wait… wrong again.
“Look,” Kyungsoo tried to reason and push the other man, Jongin was it, off him a little because dang, he’s making Kyungsoo a little crazy. But the other just held him in place. “I don’t really feel up to dying today, and I’m sure you two don’t really would rather not have a death on your hands. So let’s just say you killed me, and I’ll pretend I died, then we can part ways. How does that sound?” As Kyungsoo finished he raised a questioning eyebrow at the two, but the most he got back from them was blank stares. Kyungsoo was about to backtrack and do a little re-wording until Sehun dropped his mouth open and pointed at Kyungsoo with wide eyes.
“D-did he just give us the ‘I’m smarter than you, so you should really listen to me’ Kyungsoo tone?” Sehun stuttered out as he shook Jongin’s shoulder.
That was another question he had for the two. How the heck did they know his name?
“Seriously,” Kyungsoo grunted out as he tried to move Jongin’s arm from where it was digging into his chest. “How the heck do you two know my name?!” With an irritated huff, Sehun fisted his almost white hair as he turned away and walked to the other side of the alleyway before banging his head against the wall and then leaning on it.
“Jongin, what are we going to do with him?!” Sehun all but whined out as he slid down the wall until he sat on the ground, but Jongin just continued to stare into Kyungsoo’s eyes. Kyungsoo would be lying if that didn’t make him want to squirm a little. After what seemed like forever, Jongin finally lowered his gaze and glanced back at Sehun. Kyungsoo wanted to be grateful for the chance to be able to breathe again until he remembered the arm was still planted across his chest, and he realized that this Jongin guy could feel that very sharp intake of breath.
Great, Kyungsoo. Just great.
“We never saw him,” Jongin said softly as he leaned back, successfully freeing Kyungsoo as he took his arm with him.
Kyungsoo can’t tell if he was happy about that or not.
“We can’t just lie to Kr-” Sehun started, but Jongin cut him off.
“Then we won’t,” Jongin sighed out as he placed his hand over his face. “Look, it’s obvious that he doesn’t remember anything, so what good would it do getting Kris all worked up over nothing? We won’t lie, we’ll just leave this out of the report, alright?” Sehun didn’t look like he was alright with it, but it seemed like he trusted Jongin. Kyungsoo didn’t know why, but he felt like this was wrong. Like it was supposed to be someone else there. Kyungsoo pretends that he doesn’t see himself standing in Sehun’s place, but the image seemed to have burned itself in Kyungsoo’s mind.
But that was crazy… right?
“So…” Kyungsoo tested out the water as he looked between the two. “You’re letting me go? Just like that?” He expected to be sworn to secrecy or something. Nothing this easy.
“Not exactly,” Jongin hummed out as he turned back to Kyungsoo.
“Not exactly?” Kyungsoo and Sehun echoed in question as they watched a sly grin spread across Jongin’s features.
“Exactly,” he said simply, and before Kyungsoo knew what was happening he felt a swift blow to his neck and the word seemed to shift sideways before going dark.
The last thought Kyungsoo remembered having was that Jongin better be ready if they ever passed on the street because Kyungsoo sure as hell was going to be sure to mark up that pretty face as best as he could.
Sehun stared in shock as he watched Jongin lower Kyungsoo to the ground.
“I can’t believe you just knocked out Kyungsoo…” Sehun trailed off and continued to watch how Jongin jumped away as if his hands were burned as soon as Kyungsoo was no longer in danger of getting hurt from the unconscious free fall.
“I know…” Jongin said soullessly.
“You know that if he remembers anything later he is going to hunt us down and kill us, right?” Sehun felt the need to remind Jongin that, no, Kyungsoo was never a force to be reckoned with. He looked like he was all full of smiles and cuteness, but really he was just plain evil. An entity of evil, really. Wait no, evil didn’t quite cover it…
Demonic was a better word for it.
“I know…” Jongin repeated again.
“Is that all you have to say for yourself?” Sehun demanded as Jongin shook his whole body in jerky motions as if to shake out a chill.
“Oh my god,” Jongin stared wide-eyed at Kyungsoo’s still form on the concrete ground. “I did not just do that. Oh my god, Kyungsoo is going to kill me!”
Sehun felt like this was a very appropriate time for an ‘I told you so,’ moment, but he also realized that it wouldn’t be very welcomed. Which was a shame because these moments didn’t come very often with Jongin.
“Us,” Sehun deadpanned. “He’s going to kill us because now you’ve officially dragged me into the complications of your unhealthy friendship with your very forgetful friend.”
“My friendship is not unhealthy,” Jongin forced out as he glared at Sehun.
“Oh, it is so unhealthy,” Sehun waved a hand as his gaze slipped to where Kyungsoo was lying on the ground. “Only you would risk everything for him. Our mission, our pay, and both of our lives just so that he stays out of this. I don’t really want to be the one to say it, but everyone else seems to shy away from it. If we didn’t know any better we’d all think you were in love with out little heart shaped lipped demon… which is gross because he’s the devil.” Jongin all but growled as he stormed his way over to an indifferent Sehun and grabbed him by his collar to pull him face to face with himself.
“Keep at it, Sehun,” Jongin ground out as he moved his face in closer. “Keep pissing me off, and you might just find yourself with a knife through your ribs.”
“Yeah right,” Sehun rolled his eyes and pulled back a few inches. “Like you could stand losing both your best friends in a few months’ time.”
“I still have Taemin…” Jongin trailed off, but he knew very well that they both heard the empty threat in his words.
“Yeah, and I’m sure you’d jump at the chance to introduce him to the gang,” Sehun sighed and pushed Jongin’s hands off him before side stepping him and going to crouch down by their unconscious friend. “If anything, I’m sure Kris would have fun screwing with him. That man is almost as evil as this little shit.” Sehun huffed as he poked at Kyungsoo’s cheek. Sehun was almost afraid that he would wake up and beat the crap out of them any moment now.
“Stop messing with him,” Jongin sighed out before crouching down to join him. “We gotta get him back to where ever it is he came from.”
“Well…” Sehun paused and looked towards the road that was littered with empty Styrofoam cups. It was almost binding and highly displeasing to the eye, Sehun thought, how ugly the slogan was plastered all over the now empty cups. How tacky can someone get? “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where he works.” Without another word, Jongin walked out and grabbed one of the cups before sending Sehun a sly grin.
“How would you like a visit to The Squeeze?” Jongin said with glee as he stared down at Sehun, as Sehun raised his gaze to look to get a better look at that ugly cup again. Sehun didn’t really know what to feel at the moment, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to pass out or throw up, he just knew that the universe most have a sick pleasure watching him squirm.
“Ah fucking hell,” was all Sehun could say. Sehun dropped his head into his hands as waves of imagines filled with too bright smiles and crescent shaped eyes invaded his mind.
Not him again.
“Come on, Baekhyun,” Junmyeon smiled at said male over the heavy boxes he was carrying to the front pass where he was standing with his hip cocked out as he leaned over the counter. Baekhyun had deemed that he would have nothing to do with moving any boxes, and that Junmyeon tried to make him, he’d quit. Plain and as simple as that. “Where’s your happy attitude? You know that in The Squeeze we are happy and full of smiles.”
Baekhyun was anything but.
“Oh I don’t know,” Baekhyun huffed out and he leaned over the counter to watch Junmyeon work because there was no way in hell he was lifting any of that. Baekhyun wasn’t about that life. “I think I squeezed the last of that happiness into a smoothie a few hours ago, or I lost those smiles as soon as I saw your face when I walked in the door. I lose track of my happiness’s daily decline as the days drag on.”
“That’s the spirit,” Junmyeon called out from across the small café as he heaved up another box and headed for the counter.
“I swear, I would’ve killed myself by now if it wasn’t for the fact that I love myself too much for that,” Baekhyun growled out and held the swinging door, which lead to the area behind the counter and into the back, closed with his foot, and smiled as he watched Junmyeon huff out a strained breath.
“Now don’t be rude,” Junmyeon chided as he kicked the door open with ease. It always shocked Baekhyun how strong he actually was at times. Not that he’d ever tell Junmyeon that. “Please try to remember that I am your boss, and that I am paying you for your work. However little you actually do on a daily bases.”
“Not like you pay that much anyway,” Baekhyun groaned as Junmyeon passed with a smile on his face.
“At least I hired you,” Baekhyun heard Junmyeon call from the backroom. “That’s more than most would do with that sass you give everyone. It you tried being friendlier like Kyungsoo then maybe I would give you a raise.”
Fat chance, Baekhyun thought as he went back to cleaning the counter like he was doing before Junmyeon interrupted him to ask him to help. Junmyeon was a little too cheap for a rich man, Baekhyun decided.
“Speaking of Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun sighed as he listened to Junmyeon slowly drew out the question. Baekhyun figured that Junmyeon was only half paying attention to this conversation. “Shouldn’t he be back by now? He left a while ago I thought.”
Now that Junmyeon mentioned it, Baekhyun figured that Kyungsoo really should’ve been back by now. Just as that thought fluttered through Baekhyun’s mind, a man with too long limbs who didn’t seem to know what to do with them, pushed his way through the door.
“Baekhyun! Junmyeon!” Chanyeol shouted as he raced up to the counter before slamming his hands down right in front of Baekhyun. “You wouldn’t believe what just happened!”
“Jesus Christ, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun panted out as he raised his hand to cover his racing heart. “For the love of god, don’t scare me like that!”
“What happened?” Junmyeon asked as he made his way out of the backroom.
“Sorry, Baek,” Chanyeol threw Baekhyun an apologetic frown before turning his wild gaze on Junmyeon. “I don’t really know, but I was just walking up the street, minding my own, and next thing I know a car stops in front of your shop. Which wouldn’t be weird, but then these two guys with cloths over their faces get out, and guess what!” Baekhyun almost had to physically suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Chanyeol was a story teller, if nothing else. He always had to make sure he had an audience.
“What?” Junmyeon and Baekhyun asked at the same moment. Baekhyun a little more irritated than the ever patient Junmyeon.
“They pulled open their back door and dumped Kyungsoo all tied up on the sidewalk!”
There was a few moments of silence between the three men before Junmyeon walked a little closer and peered into Chanyeol’s eyes.
“So…” he started as he casted his gaze towards the glass doors. “Kyungsoo is out there now… tied up on the sidewalk?” Chanyeol looked back from Junmyeon to Baekhyun, then back again before it seemed to click in his head.
“Oh,” he said in a small voice. “I guess I should’ve brought him in here…”
“You idiot!” Baekhyun yelled as he bypassed the both of them to the door. “You could’ve at least made sure he was alive!”
“Did you catch the license plate number?” Junmyeon asked as he followed right on Baekhyun’s heel.
“Uh,” Chanyeol scratched the back of his head as he followed the other two. “I didn’t, sorry. I was in a bit of a shock when it happened,” Chanyeol apologized, and Baekhyun scoffed.
“I’m sure you were. Let’s just go make sure he’s still alive.”
With all his routes done for the day, Chanyeol couldn’t wait to get to The Squeeze and get a smoothie. What Chanyeol liked the most about that particular café was that if he helped the owner, Junmyeon, out for free every once in a while, Junmyeon would let him have free meals here and there.
And with the money Chanyeol was making now, every little bit helped.
Those meals intended to happen more often than not, so it always put an extra spring in his step on his way back to the café from his newspaper routes in the morning.
The Squeeze was like his unofficial second job, and he loved it. Everyone there was nice and welcoming, even Baekhyun at times. He just had a rougher way of showing it.
Just as Chanyeol turned the final corner that lead down the street to The Squeeze, he paused as he felt a car whiz past him before it came to a screeching halt in front of his destination. Curious, Chanyeol stayed back and watched as the two front doors were thrown open and two guys hoped out with hoods pulled up and covered over their faces. Chanyeol couldn’t really make sense of what they were yelling, but he watched as they raced around to the back door closest to the café.
“Hurry, hurry!” The one with a bit of blond hair sticking out of his black hood yelled as the other one yanked the door open. “I’d rather not be caught here!”
“Don’t you mean that you don’t want to see your boyfri-” the other boy tried to say but the other one pushed him out of the way and started to haul out a pair of small legs.
“If I can’t talk about the unhealthy relationship you have with him, then you can’t talk about this either!” the blond hissed as he glared at the other. “Fucking hell, I regret even telling you about that.”
“It was a cute story,” the other cooed, but only received another glare from the blond.
“Hurry and grab his head before I let it hit the ground, idiot,” the blond threatened. “You know what, I think that might actually help us here.” Paying no mind to the teasing of the blond, the other boy rushed forward and grabbed the upper half of the body and helped to haul him out of the car. Chanyeol gasped when he caught sight of a familiar brown fuzz ball head stuck in binds.
Kyungsoo!
Before Chanyeol could even call out to the strangers that held his friend, the two boys dropped Kyungsoo right on the sidewalk and Chanyeol watched as he saw the both of them wince when they heard the heavy thump Kyungsoo’s fall made.
“Crap,” the other boy muttered out. “Shit, sorry Kyungsoo.” Then the two of them ran back to the car doors they came out of and hopped into their seats. Before Chanyeol could even get a word out they sped off.
Chanyeol only stayed there for a second longer before he took off full speed to the glass doors of The Squeeze.
Holy crap, Baekhyun and Junmyeon are never going to believe this!
Kyungsoo wants to know why everything strange seems to happen to him. It wasn’t too long ago that Kyungsoo found himself waking up in a hospital with no memory whatsoever of coming to this city in the first place. The only thing that Kyungsoo could remember was graduating high school and a college in this city being on the list of many colleges that he wanted to go to.
With a little help from Junmyeon, an innocent bystander that happened to have seen the accident that led Kyungsoo to that hospital bed, he found out that he wasn’t currently enrolled in any school. Which Kyungsoo found weird, he was pretty sure his plan was to get into a college of his choosing as soon as possible. And apparently it had almost been a years since he came to this city.
Weird.
Thankfully, Junmyeon didn’t stop helping there. He told Kyungsoo how he was planning on opening a little café very soon, and was in need of a few workers. As soon Kyungsoo was back on his feet, Junmyeon promised him a place to live and a secure job offer. So from there on started Kyungsoo’s and Junmyeon’s strange, but comfortable friendship.
As soon as Kyungsoo was back on his feet, he took Junmyeon up on his offer, and not a week after he started his work Junmyeon hired a new employee.
Baekhyun.
Kyungsoo didn’t know what to think of the other boy at first. He looked nice and full of sweet smiles, but Junmyeon and Kyungsoo both soon found out that wasn’t the case. Baekhyun was tough skinned and did things his own way, which Kyungsoo admired a lot. Baekhyun just happened to have a sharp tongue, so Kyungsoo found himself more often than not having to smooth over angry customers.
The paper boy, Chanyeol, seemed to be the only one that would put up with him. Not that Kyungsoo minded, he liked to think that those two made interesting friends.
Just as things were looking up, and he was setting himself back on the right track, things seemed to have gotten weird again.
Kyungsoo can’t help but groan at the pain that seemed to have settled itself in the back portion of his skull as he blinked the blurriness away from his vision. It took a while, but soon his eyes cleared and he found himself staring up into unfamiliar eyes.
“Who…” Kyungsoo tried to croak out. “Who are you?” He asked as he stared up into a round face with big round eyes.
“Don’t worry,” the stranger told him as he took Kyungsoo’s wrist into his hand and held it securely in between his two fore fingers. “I’m a doctor.” Kyungsoo groaned again as he settled himself back down as he heard the other chuckle. “Sometimes I think the only reason I became a doctor is to say that.”
“Oh, that’s real reassuring to hear now,” Kyungsoo heard the distinctive sound of Baekhyun’s mumble from behind the doctor’s right shoulder, and he couldn’t hold the little grin from fitting his heart shaped lips. But it seemed like Baekhyun’s two cent was ignored for the most part.
“So, Doctor Kim was it? How is he?” Kyungsoo heard Junmyeon’s worried voice wash over him. Kyungsoo guessed that Junmyeon must me right on the other side of the doctor by the sound of his voice.
“Please, call me Minseok,” he responded to them before Kyungsoo felt the cool soft touch of the backside of a hand lie flat against his head. “And as far as I can tell he’s fine. His head took a little beating from the drop, but other than that he’ll be just fine.” Kyungsoo could almost feel the sigh of relief that went through the group before he opened his eyes to see them all hovering over him. It was touching to see how they all (was that Chanyeol over there?) were worrying over him… if he didn’t feel so short of breath at the moment.
“Guys,” Minseok started to say but was interrupted by Kyungsoo flailing his arms. As the doctor held Kyungsoo’s arms at bay, he threw a meaningful look at the group of men that had gathered behind him and said, “He might need a little room to breathe.”
“He looks like he’s breathing just fine to me,” Baekhyun tried to say but was cut off by a coughing fit from Kyungsoo before Minseok leveled him with a look.”
“How about we leave those calls to the doctor here?” Minseok said as he turned back to Kyungsoo with a smile. “So, what’s your name?”
“His name is Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol helpfully added until Minseok dropped his head into his hand and released a deep sigh.
“I was asking him that to check for any memory loss,” Minseok mumbled into his hand, and Baekhyun chuckled and patted Chanyeol on the shoulder for comfort.
“Oh no need to worry there, Doc,” Baekhyun said with a wide grin. “Kyungsoo has plenty of that already.”
“Oh does he now?” Minseok asked as he looked back at the boy still lying on the ground in front of him. When Kyungsoo finally looked up at him and really looked at Minseok for the first time since he woke up, Kyungsoo was shocked. This man said he was a doctor, but Kyungsoo couldn’t see how that was possible. Minseok looked young, too young to have been able to have accomplished that already. As he looked around more and more he noted that he was in front of The Squeeze, but Kyungsoo couldn’t make sense of that. The last thing Kyungsoo could remember was that he was in the alley way with these two men, one was Sehun and the other was-
“Jongin!” Kyungsoo shouted out as he looked around him wildly. “Where is he?!” as he scanned the walkway he noticed how Baekhyun’s eyes darkened at the mention of the name, but before he could question it, Junmyeon moved into Kyungsoo’s line of sight.
“Jong- who?” Junmyeon asked as he kneeled down by Kyungsoo’s other side.
“The jerk that knocked me out,” Kyungsoo wheeled around to look Junmyeon in the eye. “I swear I am going to punch him a new one when I see him again,” he growled out as he grabbed onto Junmyeon’s shirt front. Kyungsoo knew he was freaking Junmyeon out, but he couldn’t be bothered by that now.
Kyungsoo was angry.
“Well, as a doctor I must say that I don’t approve of this thought of violence, but,” Minseok smiled, successfully drawing Kyungsoo’s attention back to him. “I am very interested in this loss of memories your friend mentioned before. How about we go on in to this tacky café and chat about it.” At the mention of tacky everyone could hear the offended intake of breath from Junmyeon before they could vaguely hear the mumbles of offence it had caused. That, however, was all but ignored as Minseok gave Kyungsoo a welcoming smile, waiting for his answer.
Kyungsoo couldn’t see a reason to reject the offer. Sure, Kyungsoo hardly knew the doctor, but that didn’t mean that this chat would hurt him. Heck, maybe Kyungsoo would even learn something new about his little condition.
What could this hurt? With that thought, Kyungsoo felt a single rain drop land on his cheek before he glanced towards the sky. Kyungsoo didn’t like how the much the clouds had darkened, but he guessed he heard some news about rain for some time that afternoon.
“I don’t see why not,” Kyungsoo said as he started to stand. “Besides, we might as well get inside before it starts to rain.”