You found me (1/2)
★Title: You found me for everyone ♡
★Pairings: Kyungsoo/Sehun
★Rating: pg-13
★Length: 13827 words
★Warnings/Disclaimers: language, bullying, violence
★Author’s notes/Messages for the recipient: A big thanks to my two betas, M (who gladly accepted to read through this on such short notice!) and S (for the constant support and precious advices!) Also, I really enjoyed your prompts, dear recipient. I hope this fic meets your expectations! ;;
★Summary: Kyungsoo struggles with harassment and bullying on a daily basis until someone skates his way into his life.
Kyungsoo storms out of class even before the teacher has the time to dismiss it, holding his backpack firmly against his stomach. His rapid footsteps echo on the college's dirty tiled floor as he makes his way out. He flies down staircases and almost races through the exit door but pushes the handle right before he does.
He's done this too many times.
Kyungsoo jogs out of campus and after a few minutes of light running, when he's on a main road, he finally stops and leans on a street-lamp to catch his breath. It doesn't take him more than thirty seconds before he's in motion again, slower this time, walking what's separating him from the bus stop in long strides - the longest his short legs allow him to. He frequently shoots a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure nobody's following him and keeps moving forward, avoiding people's glances.
Kyungsoo shakes his leg as he waits for the bus to come, seated on the corner of the bus stop bench with his backpack on his lap. He spends the whole minute of waiting like this, his body tense, hands holding the bag's straps and eyes like a scared animal's : moving from right to left, up and down.
Once he catches a glimpse of the bus, Kyungsoo stands up instantly, firmly holding his backpack. He's the first to climb inside and immediately goes to the back. He sits on a bench and looks around nervously every time people get inside.
Kyungsoo is already standing at the doors before the bus even stops, and he jumps out of it the second they open. He doesn't take his time to walk and appreciate the colours of the leaves in the trees, the chalk drawings kids sketched on the sidewalks after school or the shimmering green of the grass like he used to; he simply runs, not stopping until he's finally reached the front door of his grandparents' house.
"I'm home!"
Only then, after he takes off his shoes and throws his backpack on the floor, does he breathe in and out normally, a smile tugging at his lips when he hears his grandmother respond to him warmly.
For now, he's okay.
The smell of apple pie teases Kyungsoo's nose when he enters the kitchen and sees his grandmother in front of the sink, cleaning the dishes. She must have felt him staring at the pies displayed on the counter cooling off because she chuckled to him:
"You can have a piece, now, if you want. Dinner is not ready yet."
"Ah, I don't wanna spoil my dinner, grandma."
"A little bite never killed anybody, Soo."
"Well, it's true that I could never get enough of your cooking," Kyungsoo smiles back at her with his heart-shaped lips, eyes like crescents as his grandmother's laugh echoes in the room.
In moments like these, Kyungsoo almost forgets. He almost forgets that as soon as he's going to leave the door after dinner, he'll have to face reality. A reality where he cannot go anywhere without having to avoid them, to fear them, to wait for them to leave, or to hope they're not waiting for him at the least expected place or time.
Kyungsoo thought that maybe the problem would be solved after he left high school; new city, new school, new people, new beginning. He thought people matured after a while. He thought they grew out of their silly hurtful games.
But apparently he was wrong.
He was still being teased, still being called various names in the hallways, still getting his food stolen or his homework copied. He was still sometimes cornered by people hitting him for this and that and whatever reason they could come up with. Blackmail was frequent; and he'd do whatever he was asked to, because it was better than getting beaten up.
"How was school today?"
Kyungsoo's smile fades a little, but his grandma's too busy scrubbing the sink to see it.
"It was alright," Kyungsoo states.
And it’s the truth. He only had half of his lunch stolen today, and only had a little homework to do.
He was getting better at avoiding the bullies. He supposed it came from experience.
"Your grandpa should come be back from the store soon," his grandma goes on, and Kyungsoo discreetly sighs in relief. The last thing he wants is his grandparents, or any member of his family, to know he's being hurt and made fun of at school. He mastered the art of pretending everything was okay; it had become an automatism. Yes, he was fine; no, he didn't struggle in school; and yes, his friends were doing alright.
Except no, he’s not fine; yes, he is struggling at school; and no, he has no friends.
Kyungsoo helps his grandmother prepare dinner after she's done with the dishes. He loves to help her cook because it helps him forget. It's one of the best - and only - distractions he has.
By the time Kyungsoo's grandfather comes home, they're done preparing dinner and setting up the table for the meal.
"It's gonna be time to rake the leaves soon," Kyungsoo's grandfather comments during dinner, referring to the brand new tool he bought this afternoon.
"I'll do it, grandpa, don't worry." Kyungsoo assures him, concerned he'd hurt himself.
"Our backyard is quite big, Kyungsoo. You cannot do this by yourself."
"Of course I can, it’ll just take more time."
"I’ll help you-"
"No, you're gonna hurt your arms," Kyungsoo protests.
His grandfather pauses and muses over the thought for a bit.
"How about you invite a friend over, then? I could even pay you."
Kyungsoo chokes on his food.
A friend.
"Are you okay!?" Kyungsoo's grandma screeches, reaching for Kyungsoo's back to stroke it.
"Yes, I'm alright," he mumbles between coughs. "I'll be fine by myself, really," he assures, gulping down water.
"A little help wouldn’t kill anybody, though," his grandfather insists and Kyungsoo feels his composure crumble.
"I’ll be fine," Kyungsoo repeats, trying his hardest to smile.
"Let him be, honey. He's probably just shy." his grandma calmly replies. "There is still plenty of time left before it's time to rake, anyway. You'll have numerous occasions to convince him."
They both chuckle and Kyungsoo sighs before joining with their laughter.
Except the smile doesn't quite reach the corners of his eyes.
***
When Kyungsoo locks the door of his small apartment behind him after coming back from his grandparents' place, he doesn't have the time to reach his bed before the tears start falling, deafening sobs coming out of his throat. He sits down on his bedroom floor and covers his mouth with his hands, desperately trying to calm the shrill noises he breathes out.
Kyungsoo almost never cries anymore. He used to cry himself to sleep every night back then, in high school, when everything was just unbearable. But now that he's in college, he's learned to just ignore it. He's sort of numb to the sadness.
Or so he thought.
Loneliness had never really struck him, but his grandfather insisting on him getting help to rake the backyard somehow got to him that night. How long had it been since Kyungsoo had been helped? How long had it been since he'd talked to someone who genuinely wanted to spend time with him because they like him and not because they were assigned as partners by the teacher? How long had it been since he'd called someone a friend and had been himself called a friend? How long?
It takes him a while before he takes his shaking hands off his mouth and climbs into bed, burying himself under the covers. He closes his eyes and lets darkness swallow him, tiny droplets still sliding down his cheeks long after he's stopped shaking.
***
Kyungsoo wakes up the next day with knots in his stomach. He waits ten minutes before his alarm clock yells at him to wake up and barely has the time to hear it ring before he turns it off. Apparently stress and fear are a better alarm clock than the radio will ever be.
He's used to it by now; he still wonders why he keeps setting an alarm if he doesn't need it. He decides it's habit, probably. There's a lot of things Kyungsoo does out of habit now, without really needing or wanting to do them.
Begrudgingly, he gets up and gets dressed, making a short detour to the small kitchen to grab a piece of toast before picking his backpack from the ground where he dropped it carelessly the night before.
He sees one of them on the bus on his way to college. He’s tall and imposing, with eyes as dark as his hair. He’s one of the smartest ones, usually asking for money or for his homework to be done. He’s also one of the scariest, too; he doesn’t even need to utter a single word to be obeyed: his cold stare is more than enough.
His oppressors are generally smart enough not to attempt anything on the bus, but Kyungsoo dreads the moment he gets off the public transportation.
Once he's on campus, anything can happen.
***
Kyungsoo rubs his shoulder as he gets off the bus, his backpack resting against his torso. He hisses at the contact, but doesn't stop walking until he's at a safe distance from the bus stop and not before he's absolutely positive nobody's following him. Only then does he drop his backpack on the ground and sits on the sidewalk. He gently rubs the wounded spot close to his neck, eyes closed and teary, scowling as pain rushes in waves in his body.
The young man is brought back to reality by something wet on his ankle. His eyelids flutter open at the speed of light and he almost hurts his neck again to look down.
He doesn't know what he expected but it was definitely not that.
"Hey there," Kyungsoo says gently to the small puppy at his feet.
The dog looks up at him and tilts its head to the side, examining Kyungsoo. After a few seconds, it goes back to its puppy business, which is licking Kyungsoo's leg.
"Hey, stop, it tickles," he laughs, petting the puppy's head affectionately. He thinks maybe the animal would shy away or avoid his touch but it doesn't move, and Kyungsoo even thinks the puppy's leaning into the touch, demanding for more caresses.
And so he keeps petting the animal for a while, until he realizes his grandparents will probably wait for him and wonder where he is if he doesn't show up soon.
He's not the type to go out with friends very often anyway.
He gives three pats on the dog's tiny and curly head before reaching for his shoulder once again, massaging it a bit so he can move properly with his backpack.
The dog starts whining and jumps on Kyungsoo's lap, paws against his torso. Kyungsoo leans back but oh boy was that a bad idea because his shoulder hurts like hell right now.
"Hey there, little buddy, someone got shoved against a wall today, please go easy," he sighs, scratching the spot between the dog's neck and ears. It makes a noise then, something that sounds like disapproval.
“Oh, you’re not a little buddy aren’t you,” he chuckles. He grabs the dog and puts it back on the sidewalk before standing up and stretching his back. She starts whining again.
"I can't keep you," Kyungsoo states sadly as the dog stands on two legs and pats his legs with his paws.
Kyungsoo starts walking and the dog follows him. He sighs, but then remembers he's got some leftover beef stew he got from his school cafeteria (they weren't after his food today, thank God). He fumbles through his backpack and finds the styrofoam container. He drops it to the ground and stares at the dog, who eats the food happily. It's as if Kyungsoo's not there anymore, and he's almost sad because for a while he almost felt as if someone wanted to be with him - even if they weren't exactly human.
He says goodbye to the dog - who's clearly too busy lapping the stew to respond - and walks the way to his grandparents' house, a little sad but a little happy at the same time. The dog's affection gave him a tad bit of happiness that he clearly needed after the horrible day he'd just gone through.
***
One of Kyungsoo's favourite places is the library, despite the bad memories it holds. He used to hide there in high school when he couldn't stand it anymore, to be left alone for a couple of minutes before going back to being pushed and shoved and insulted.
Because, as cliché as it may sound, his bullies would rarely follow him in the library, too busy persecuting other poor kids to care about him.
They might also be scared of the librarian, who would probably interrupt their bullying activities by dragging them out of the library by the ear.
Even years later, he still finds shelter in the library. It's even bigger than his high school's, and feels a lot more peaceful too. It's a bit more dangerous, however. Sometimes one of his oppressors would be there working on a group project or just using the computer for personal reasons.
Today's not one of those days, though, and Kyungsoo spends about two hours working on his assignments before heading back to his grandparents' house. He closes his books and puts them in his backpack before walking down the stairs. He always prefers to take a spot on the third floor, hidden behind bookshelves.
What he didn't plan was bumping into one of them when making his way out of the library building. He literally runs into him and falls on the ground, scraping his hands.
"What have we got here," grins the tall, chestnut haired man in front of him. He brushes off invisible dust from his shirt without looking at Kyungsoo. "You should be careful, little one."
"I-I'm sorry," Kyungsoo blurts out, too petrified and vulnerable to feel the pain due to his wounds. He stands up and bows in apology.
"Oh?" the student finally looks down at him, rearranging the shining white-gold watch on his wrist. "You're sorry. Well then, everything's all good, right?" he frowns, turning his back to Kyungsoo as if to leave, but after a few steps he spins around and grabs Kyungsoo by the collar of his shirt, shoving him into the building's thick brick walls.
"Bastard," the tall student hisses between gritted teeth, a fierce, menacing look in his eyes.
Kyungsoo huffs in pain. Tears well at the corner of his eyes and he bites his lips to keep the screams inside. His shoulder starts to hurt, the wound he received three days ago from being shoved against a locker starting to act up again.
When will this end? Kyungsoo cries internally, a silent prayer he's repeated again and again so many times by now, yet never been answered.
Kyungsoo's oppressor brings his hand back as if to wind up the punch he's going to throw at him and then-
"Leave him alone."
The voice comes from behind the other young man so Kyungsoo cannot see who's speaking. All he knows is that the grip on his collar loosens and he can finally breathe properly. He closes his eyes and falls to the ground, silently thanking whatever entity up above for saving him this one time.
The bully sighs and rolls his eyes but still turns to face the newcomer, clearly annoyed, ready to hit.
"And why would I do that?"
There's a pause, and Kyungsoo almost thinks the other guy is gone, but he answers after a while.
"Just leave the damn kid alone, Kris." His voice doesn't rise much but it seems more hostile than the first time. Kyungsoo opens his eyes, curious about his bully's reaction. His jaw almost drops straight to the pavement when he sees him just walk away, fists clenched.
Kyungsoo's eyes remain wide open for a few seconds.
What the hell was that?
His gaze follows the movements of the stranger, who's walking towards him. Their eyes meet and Kyungsoo is ready to panic, but then the other boy's eyebrows furrow, creases appearing between them.
"Are you alright?" he asks.
His lips are curved into a gentle, almost concerned smile and it takes a while for Kyungsoo to react. He's not used to kindness from strangers anymore.
He stutters a weak "yes" and his hand almost instinctively reaches for his hurt shoulder.
"Does it hurt?" his eyebrows furrow again.
"It's okay." he replies. It's been hurting for a while anyway, he tells himself.
"Is it the first time?"
The question is very vague but oddly precise and Kyungsoo knows even without asking what the other boy wants to know. He doesn't answer.
The stranger doesn't pry, though, and offers his hand to Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo stares at it, then stares back at the boy. He's really tall but doesn't seem that much older than himself. He's thin and everything about him has some sort of graceful aura, from the way he stands to the curve of his open, offering hand. He has a skateboard tucked under one of his arms and his leather jacket is not completely buttoned.
Kyungsoo hesitantly reaches for his hand and helps himself back to his feet. He grabs his backpack from the ground and carefully adjusts it on one shoulder to give a break to the hurt one.
"Thank you," Kyungsoo mumbles, avoiding the boy's gaze.
"No problem," he replies, then seems to hesitate a bit before adding "what's your name?"
"Kyungsoo."
"Kyungsoo… no problem, Kyungsoo." he says rather cheerfully.
With that he drops his skateboard to the ground, waves his hand at Kyungsoo and skates away.
***
It hits Kyungsoo a few minutes after the stranger left him and he's on the bus that he doesn't know his name. He was too busy processing the fact that someone cared enough to stop someone from hitting a person they didn't know to ask the boy his name. Plus, it had been a while since he'd had an actual positive conversation with another human being besides his grandparents.
He doesn't see him until two days after the library incident.
He's on the bus, holding his backpack, but he doesn't see him until he gets off and notices someone following him. He hears him before he sees him, his skateboard announcing his presence.
"Hey," the boy smiles, getting off his skateboard and walking to get beside Kyungsoo.
His smile seems ten times brighter than the last time Kyungsoo's seen him. Without the furrowed eyebrows and the disdain in his eyes, he looked a lot younger and his features appeared softer.
"Hi," Kyungsoo replies, his fingers holding his backpack straps tightly.
He'd never thought he'd see the boy again, since he'd never seen him before the library incident, and never even dreamed of him speaking to him either.
"So, how's your shoulder?" he asks, and Kyungsoo's a bit surprised that he even remembers about it being hurt in the first place.
"It's doing good," he replies, unconsciously reaching for it and massaging it slightly.
"That's good to hear." He pauses. "Has Kris harassed you again?"
"Not him," Kyungsoo mumbles, trying to keep the words inside but they escape before he has the chance to stop them. He doesn't know why he should tell him about his harassers or why he would even care.
"What do you mean not him?" the boy frowns, and the softness all but disappears from his features.
"Listen…," Kyungsoo starts but then he remembers he doesn't know the stranger's name - because that's what he is, a stranger - and he puffs his cheeks in frustration. "I don't even know your name, so why should I tell you anyway?" he sighs, looking away. He'd tried to sound angry but it had come out rather sadly.
Why would you even bother?, he thinks, chewing on his lip.
"My name's Sehun," the boy states after a while.
Kyungsoo shoots him a glance and notices there's still creases between his eyebrows. He looks like he's thinking about something.
They walk in silence and Kyungsoo wonders why Sehun is still there walking with him but he doesn't ask, because he's been straightforward enough for the year.
They both stop in surprise when they hear barks. Kyungsoo smiles when he sees the puppy he met a couple of days before.
"Hey princess," he smiles. He throws his backpack on the ground and crouches to welcome the animal in his arms. The little creature excitedly jumps in his arms and licks his face. Kyungsoo smiles but frowns almost instantly. The animal feels fragile in his arms and seems to weigh less than the previous week. Had she been eating at all?
"I'm sorry, princess, I don't have food with me," Kyungsoo sighs.
He puts the dog back on the sidewalk and pets her head a few times. She walks around him for a bit, sniffing his feet and legs, trying to find the remnants of whatever food she could find on his clothes.
"Is this your dog?" Sehun asks, speaking for the first time since the dog's appearance.
"She's a stray dog, I don't think she has a home… I found her a week ago. I can’t take her because my landlord doesn't accept animals and my grandparents are allergic," he sighs once more, smiling sadly to Sehun before scratching the dog's ears. He grabs his backpack and resumes walking, the dog running beside him and Sehun following behind.
"Looks like she doesn't wanna let you go."
Kyungsoo bites his lip at the comment. Of course he wants to keep the puppy, but there is no way he can.
"My landlord's pretty flexible," Sehun muses out loud and Kyungsoo's face shoots right up, eyes wide open, waiting for what's coming next.
"Maybe I could take her with me."
Kyungsoo's pretty sure stars would shine in his eyes right now if he was a manga character.
"Would you?" he realizes how excited he sounds, but he doesn't care at this point; he cannot bear to see that poor puppy out there in the cold without food or a master.
Sehun nods and Kyungsoo smiles brightly at him before he picks up the dog from the ground and hugs her tightly. The dog gets excited and Kyungsoo's pretty sure she has no clue what's going on, but he knows she probably feels as happy as he does.
"Thank you so much," he says, giving her to Sehun. The latter holds her in his arms, keeping a safe distance. The dog seems confused for a while and tries to go back to Kyungsoo's arms.
"It's okay, baby girl, Sehun's gonna take good care of you," he smiles, petting her head affectionately.
"Alright, so, I don't wanna interrupt you guys but I should probably get going," Sehun says after a while, clearly amused at the scene.
Kyungsoo nods and waves them goodbye. His bright smile is so contagious it reaches his eyes and even Sehun's. They both part ways, Sehun on his skateboard (the dog seems unsure at first and whines a bit, making Kyungsoo laugh) and Kyungsoo walking. When he arrives to his grandparents' house, he's still smiling.
He doesn't know why, but knowing the puppy now has a home makes him happy. He's not even sure he's gonna see the boy again, let alone the dog, but he trusts him to take care of her properly.
For once, at the dinner table, his smile is a hundred percent sincere.
***
Kyungsoo honestly thought he wouldn’t ever see Sehun again.
He had never been more wrong.
At first he thought maybe Sehun was following him; it took him a full week to conclude that he probably was.
It's as if since that day he stopped him from getting beat up, Sehun was everywhere and anywhere Kyungsoo was or was going. He was in the library, in the seat in front of Kyungsoo or the chair beside him. He was on the same bus and in the hallways when he was trying to leave his classes without being seen by anybody who could try to hurt him. He would always talk to him when he saw him and give him updates on the puppy or at least smile and say "hi" when he was short on time.
Without him actually noticing, Sehun became a part of his daily routine.
It dawned on him that he wasn't harassed as much as he used to be. He wasn't hiding more than usual, though; he'd kept his usual habits, except sometimes Sehun would join him in the library or they would meet on the bus home and walk to wherever they were headed.
"I think these people are scared of you," Kyungsoo says one day while they're sitting in a small cubicle in the library to eat their lunch.
It's the second time Sehun shows up at the library and forces Kyungsoo to eat with him, and Kyungsoo never refuses because he quite enjoys the other student's company.
"Who?" Sehun lifts his head from his bowl of rice and looks through the glass wall from the cubicle in the direction Kyungsoo's pointing.
A group of freshmen are sitting at the tables in front of them, reading their textbooks and whispering to each other when Sehun looks in their direction.
The boy frowns before taking another mouthful of rice, silent.
"Everybody does, actually," Kyungsoo squints. "Even that guy from that time," he vaguely adds, recalling that time he'd stopped the tall boy from hitting him.
"Who? Kris?"
Kyungsoo nods and highlights something in his textbook.
"Well. Are you not… scared of me?"
Kyungsoo looks up from his notes and meets Sehun's gaze.
"Why would I be?" he chuckles.
"I- do you not- ugh. Have you not heard the rumours?"
"Actually no, I haven't," he frowns, closing his textbook to munch on a granola bar. He had nobody to hear them from, anyway, too busy hurrying himself at the speed of light to avoid people.
Sehun sighs and puts his chopsticks on the table. He looks extremely serious and Kyungsoo wonders if he's offended him, because Sehun almost never frowns when he's with him, usually showing his bright, crescent eye-smile.
But then Sehun smirks and puts his hand on the table, stands up and gets closer to Kyungsoo, their noses only a few inches apart.
"They say I've killed someone."
Kyungsoo almost spits his food out and Sehun's laugh echoes in between the thick, soundproof walls. If the people at the table in front weren't already scared of Sehun, they probably were by now.
"Are you se-"
"You should have seen your face," Sehun barely blurts out between fits of giggles.
Kyungsoo throws his granola bar package at his face. That doesn't stop Sehun from giggling, however. He wipes a tear forming at the corner of his eye and picks up Kyungsoo's trash to throw it in the garbage beside him.
They’ve been hanging out for a while now, but Kyungsoo doesn’t quite know yet how to decipher Sehun’s odd sense of humor.
"Your aim sucks," Sehun smiles. "Alright, kid, I gotta go to class." he adds, getting up and making sure to pat Kyungsoo's head before he leaves.
"I'm older than you," Kyungsoo shouts before the door closes behind Sehun. He doesn't hear him laugh but he can tell he does with the way his shoulders bounce.
He shakes his head but can't help the smile that slowly creeps up on his lips.
***
Kyungsoo storms out of class as usual, but instead of heading for the door, he goes the opposite way, going downstairs in the hallway leading to the cafeteria. He stops in front of the telephone booth and rummages through his backpack in search of money. He doesn't own a phone, since he doesn't have that many people to call anyway. If he ever needs to, there's a public phone in his apartment building or he can use the one at his grandparent's house to call his parents from time to time.
He looks around a couple of times alertly to make sure nobody's around him so he has time to make his call peacefully without fearing bad surprises. Luckily, it's a little past 2pm, so there's not many coming and going in and out of the cafeteria.
"Hello?" Kyungsoo's grandma's voice rings in his ear after the first tone.
"Hi, grandma! I was gonna go to the grocery store before I drop by your house, do you need anything?"
"Ahh, Kyungsoo~" she singsongs, "such a sweet grandchild! Thank you, lovely, but we're good for tonight's dinner."
"Great! I'll see you tonight then," he giggles.
Giggles beside him make Kyungsoo go silent. He spins his head towards the direction of the noise to see three taller young men glaring at him with their arms crossed on their chest. The tallest is giggling, mimicking him with a smirk on his face.
"Alright honey. I'll see you tonight!" she chirps before hanging up.
Kyungsoo puts the phone down with shaking hands and turns to face his oppressors.
"Long time no see," the tallest student says. It's the guy from last time, the guy he ran into while leaving the library a few weeks ago.
Kyungsoo doesn't reply; he knows better. The two others just glare at him, standing a little behind their leader.
"You've been hanging out a lot with that freshman," he adds. "Luckily for you, we don't get along very well with him," he smirks, firmly grabbing Kyungsoo's jaw. He kicks him in the stomach then lets go of his face.
Kyungsoo bends slightly, trying to catch his breath. He doesn't have the time, though, because the two other boys kick him too. He drops to his knees, unable to breathe, and the chestnut-haired giant once again grabs his jaw. Their faces are only a few inches apart, and Kyungsoo can see the man's gritted teeth from way too close.
"Aren't you afraid of him, too?" he whispers slyly into Kyungsoo's ear and the latter shivers. "He could kill you. Wouldn't be the first time he’s done it."
With that he punches him. The shock causes Kyungsoo to fall over on the floor. Before they leave, his aggressors kick him a couple of times on the chest and legs, making sure he won't stand up before long.
Kyungsoo lays there long after they're gone, confused and in pain.
"Kyungsoo?" Sehun's horrified voice reaches his ear after a while. He hears him drop his backpack and skateboard to the ground and run to him hurriedly.
"What the fuck happened?" he panics, brushing the hair of Kyungsoo's face and wiping the blood on Kyungsoo's lips. "Who did this, who the fuck-" he trails off, and even in his state of semi-confusion Kyungsoo registers the panic in the boy's voice. "Kyungsoo, wake up," Sehun all but pleads. Kyungsoo feels something wet falling on his cheek and blinks his eyes open, startled.
He grunts, and Sehun sighs in what seems like relief.
"Why did they do this to you?" he's shaking, and Kyungsoo gathers all the strength he has left to grab his wrist in what he hopes to be a comforting manner.
“I’m sorry,” Sehun murmurs so softly Kyungsoo almost fails to hear it. He wants to tell Sehun to stop worrying, to tell him it’s not his fault and that he couldn’t have stopped them anyway, but all that comes out is a cough.
“Can you stand?” Sehun asks, and Kyungsoo answers with a grunt.
“Alright, I’ll try to sit you up. Tell me if it hurts, alright?”
Kyungsoo nods feebly in agreement but huffs in pain. That was a bad idea.
Sehun carefully circles one of his arms behind Kyungsoo’s back and the other one behind his neck and shoulders and pulls him up slowly. His whole body aches but the pain is bearable, so he lets himself be hauled up. Once he’s in sitting position, Sehun carefully turns him so his back is pressed against the wall.
“That’s better,” Sehun says more to himself than anything. “Don’t move, I’ll get you some water,” he adds and quickly leaves to fetch his backpack.
It’s not like I can move anyway, Kyungsoo thinks.
It’s funny how Sehun just leaves his stuff in the middle of the hallway without fearing anybody will steal them, Kyungsoo realizes while he watches the boy coming back with his stuff.
Sehun grabs his bottle of water from his backpack and holds it close to Kyungsoo’s mouth so he can drink it. Kyungsoo’s a bit embarrassed to be given a drink by a younger boy, but he doesn’t think he can hold the bottle properly anyway.
“Okay, I’m gonna try to get you to stand up now,” Sehun states as he puts the cap back on the bottle and shoves it carelessly in his backpack.
Sehun offers one of his hands to Kyungsoo and he grabs it, his body slightly going upwards. Sehun puts an arm behind the older boy’s waist to help him up.
Kyungsoo winces in pain but manages to stand after a few attempts. He rests his back on the wall for a while to catch his breath.
“Try to walk, now,” Sehun suggests and Kyungsoo obeys. He winces and almost falls, putting weight on his right foot, but Sehun catches him before he hits the ground.
“Alright, walking isn’t an option,” Sehun muses out loud. “What could we do?”
He pauses, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
“Okay, you will sit on the skateboard and I will push you to the bus stop,” Sehun offers.
“But-” Kyungsoo protests, his voice still hoarse.
“I’m not gonna give you a piggyback ride, Kyungsoo - this is the only option we have,” Sehun shakes his head.
Kyungsoo makes strangled noises, half-offended Sehun thought that Kyungsoo would even consider getting a piggyback ride (he’s still got a little pride left) and half-embarrassed.
Sehun takes his sweater off and lays? it on the skateboard for Kyungsoo’s comfort. Then, he motions his friend to sit on it and Kyungsoo looks at him with pleading eyes, but he doesn’t take any of it and motions to the skateboard, hurrying him to sit.
“I don’t wanna stay here all night, Kyungsoo,” Sehun sighs.
“Help me,” Kyungsoo orders him wearily. Sehun gets on his knees and holds the skateboard in place while Kyungsoo crouches to sit on the homemade cart, supporting himself with Sehun’s back.
Once he’s comfortably (as comfortably as can be on a skateboard) seated, Sehun gives Kyungsoo his own backpack, which is lighter, and puts Kyungsoo’s on his back.
Luckily, they were on the first floor, so they didn’t have to go up or down flights of stairs.
Sehun pushes Kyungsoo’s back very gently to set him in motion, not wanting to hurt him. It goes slowly but it works so they decide to stick to the plan. It’s not like they have many possibilities anyway.
It takes them a while before they reach the bus stop. Kyungsoo wishes Sehun had another sweater so he could bury in face into it because suffocating seems like a better fate than being stared at weirdly by people on the street.
“This is embarrassing,” Kyungsoo mumbles, his cheeks red.
“It’s almost over, kid. Come on, don’t be such a baby,” Sehun says.
“I look like a baby, might as well act like one,” Kyungsoo moodily replies.
Kyungsoo’s almost sure he hears Sehun’s eyes rolling in his skull.
Once they’re at the bus stop Sehun helps Kyungsoo off his skateboard and to the bench where he sits, wincing with every move. It doesn’t take long for the bus to arrive and Sehun helps the older boy to get inside, following close.
When they get off the bus Sehun helps Kyungsoo to the nearest bench, one arm circling his waist and one hand grabbing Kyungsoo’s arm that’s around his shoulders.
Once he’s sat down, Sehun puts his sweater back on the skateboard and Kyungsoo glances at him, mortified.
“No,” he shakes his head, “I am not getting back on there.”
“Then how will you move? Crawling, maybe?” Sehun asks flatly.
Kyungsoo’s only answer is a pained whine.
They repeat the exact set-up as before, Sehun pushing Kyungsoo along the streets.
“Wait, this is not the road to my apartment, you have to turn left here,” he points in the right direction but Sehun keeps pushing on the opposite way.
“That’s because we’re not going to your apartment,” he calmly explains as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“And why’s that?” Kyungsoo inquires.
“For starters, I don’t know where you live,” Sehun points out and Kyungsoo nods in agreement.
“Fair enough.”
“And also, there is no way in hell I’m letting you go back to your place in that state. That would make me a very shitty friend.”
Kyungsoo almost falls off the skateboard.
“Friend?” he repeats, tasting the word’s tonality in his mouth.
“Well, yeah,” Sehun chuckles.
Kyungsoo blinks a few times, trying to process the thought. Friends.
He tries to recall the last time he’s had someone to refer to as a friend. It was probably in elementary school; that transfer student from China. His name was Zitao and he could barely speak Korean, but somehow they made it work. Kyungsoo would patiently teach him words and the boy would try his hardest to make Kyungsoo proud. He’d cried a couple of times because he couldn’t voice his thoughts properly and Kyungsoo had to comfort him.
He was a sweet kid, really. They had a lot of fun and Kyungsoo is pretty sure he’s the only friend he’s ever had. Sadly, he’d moved back to China before high school, and Kyungsoo had been left alone to face this mess.
They’d exchanged addresses and sent each other letters or emails from time to time for a while, but it had been years since Kyungsoo had received - or sent - anything.
And now, years later, he finally has someone to call a friend. Of course, Kyungsoo really wants a friend like Sehun; they have fun together and Kyungsoo feels safe with him. But why would the younger boy consider Kyungsoo a friend? He wasn’t anything special. If anything, he was a liability.
Kyungsoo’s train of thought is interrupted when the skateboard stops. Sehun stands in front of him, his arms crossed on his chest, a smirk on his face.
“Are you gonna stay here forever now or...?” he asks, staring at an open-mouthed Kyungsoo with amusement.
Kyungsoo mumbles something inaudible and Sehun chuckles, helping Kyungsoo to stand on his feet. As they walk Sehun explains to his friend that they have to take the elevator because he lives on the fourth floor, and they obviously cannot walk upstairs.
“Fortunately they fixed the elevator two days ago. I had to climb up there for three weeks straight,” Sehun says. “Okay, hold on to me now, the ride’s pretty shaky.”
Kyungsoo holds on onto Sehun’s arm tightly.
“Hey, wanna try something?” Sehun smiles excitedly. He looks almost scary, his mouth and eyes wide opened.
“Tr-try what, exactly?” Kyungsoo asks reluctantly.
“Stand on the skateboard instead of sitting, I’ll drag you to the room! You can stand up, right?”
“Huh…,” Kyungsoo scratches his hands, unsure.
“Awesome, let’s go!”
“Wai-” Kyungsoo begins but Sehun kneels down to hold the skateboard.
“Come on, hop on!”
“You’re crazy,” Kyungsoo whines as he slowly gets on the skateboard.
“Maybe a little,” Sehun admits, rising to his feet.
“Oh my- scratch that, you’re insane,” Kyungsoo screeches when Sehun grabs his hands and starts dragging him to the door.
Insane, insane, insane, he repeats to himself, eyelids shut, until the skateboard stops moving.
He opens his eyes and gets off the skateboard as fast as his wounded limbs let him and rests on the wall beside him.
“Man, that looks fun, we should switch roles when you can walk,” Sehun cheerfully says while unlocking the door to his apartment.
Kyungsoo doesn’t even want to answer.
“Do you wanna skate to the cou-”
“Are you trying to kill me?” Kyungsoo asks in a shrill voice.
Sehun laughs it off.
He grabs Kyungsoo’s waist and holds his hand firmly, walking slowly to the couch.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the puppy runs to them, barking happily. She jumps on their legs and Kyungsoo winces in pain, trying to shoo the dog away.
When Kyungsoo is comfortably situated on the couch he picks the dog up off the ground and pets her while Sehun disappears into the bathroom to get his materials.
He comes back with a first-aid kit, ice packs and wet cloths. He sets everything on the small table and rubs his hands together.
“You look like a mad scientist,” Kyungsoo states flatly.
“What if I am one?” Sehun whispers.
“Then you might actually want to kill me. I knew it,” Kyungsoo shakes his head, “you only want me for my body.”
Slowly, Kyungsoo stops moving his head, realizing how wrong what he just said sounded.
He catches Sehun’s glance and feels his face heat up.
“I mean- I just- ugh,” Kyungsoo trails off.
When he thought he couldn’t feel more embarrassed in one day, there he was, involuntarily making sexual innuendos.
Sehun chuckles but doesn’t say a word, a faint blush rosing his cheeks. He decides to start taking care of his friend’s wounds instead. He starts with the legs, applying wet cloths to the smallest bruises and ice to the biggest ones. He ties up an ice pack to Kyungsoo’s hurt ankle and rests it on a cushion he placed on the table. Kyungsoo has to hold the dog firmly so she won’t try and jump around to help Sehun, her own definition of helping being licking the boy’s wounds.
“I’m gonna need you to lift up your shirt,” Sehun says, “I need to see if there are any open wounds.”
If he feels embarrassed he doesn’t show it. Kyungsoo, however, feels the blush creeping up his cheeks again. He obeys anyway, shyly exposing his chest.
“Your waist is not bruised,” Sehun announces, “that’s very good. There’s just a couple of scratches, that’s easy to clean up!”
He gets back to work, disinfecting the wounds on Kyungsoo’s waist carefully. It itches and Kyungsoo shifts in his seat in discomfort, biting his lip.
“Alright, you can put your shirt back on,” Sehun smiles once he’s done and Kyungsoo hurriedly puts the piece of clothing on properly.
“Now to the face,” Sehun says softly, cupping his friend’s face with one hand to examine the wounds properly. He wipes the dried blood off his cheeks and forehead, noticing a couple of scratches here and there. There’s a cut very close to Kyungsoo’s eye and Sehun’s face contorts as he disinfects it, careful not to touch his friend’s eye.
“You’re so lucky they didn’t get your eyes.” Sehun’s voice is a mere whisper now; he’s close enough to Kyungsoo’s face that he doesn’t need to speak very loudly for him to hear.
The concern Kyungsoo sees in Sehun’s eyes touches him. He doesn’t recall the last time someone’s looked at him like that or took care of him like that. Sehun’s touch is so gentle and it almost feels too right.
“Thank you,” Kyungsoo says quietly, petting the dog while Sehun cleans up.
His only reply is a nod he gives him before going to the bathroom to put back his first aid kit and what he doesn’t need anymore.
When he comes back he asks Kyungsoo if he’d like to order something and the older boy’s eyes widen.
“Grandma!”
“You could at least call me grandpa,” Sehun states flatly.
“What time is it?” Kyungsoo goes on, ignoring Sehun’s intervention.
“Huh, close to 7pm I guess.”
Kyungsoo starts to panic; he totally forgot about his grandparents. He should have been at their house a while ago now.
He asks Sehun to borrow his phone. The latter fumbles for it in his pocket, taking it out and throwing it at Kyungsoo. He quickly dials the number, absentmindedly scratching the puppy’s head.
“Grandma?” Kyungsoo answers as soon as she picks up.
“Kyungsoo? Kyungsoo, where are you?” her voice is full of worry and Kyungsoo feels the shame from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.
“I’m sorry, grandma, I- I was with a friend and I forgot to call you. I won’t be able to make it tonight,” he says, afraid of her reaction.
“Kyungsoo!” she all but yells in the phone and Kyungsoo waits a while for her to continue but she doesn’t.
“Are you mad?” he asks feebly.
“Mad? Kyungsoo, why would I be mad! A friend! How many times a decade do you meet up with a friend! Of course it’s fine sweetheart, we’ll see each other whenever you want!”
This time it’s Kyungsoo’s turn to stay silent, mouth parted, eyes looking around in confusion.
Sehun snaps his fingers in front of Kyungsoo’s face to bring him back to reality and points to the phone, reminding him his grandma is probably still waiting for him to talk.
“Yes, hum, I’m- thank you, grandma. Say hi to grandpa for me.”
Kyungsoo hangs up and sighs, banging his head on the couch. He wonders how he could forget about his grandparents. How is that even possible? He’s been going there for over a year now, at least three times a week after his classes. He’s been doing that ever since he moved in this city, a few hours from home. He was trying to flee from his little own personal hell, but somehow it had chased him down even to college.
Visiting his grandparents was his only source of comfort, as upsetting or bothersome as it could be sometimes. How could he simply forget that?
“Hey, you had a long day, don’t beat yourself up too much,” Sehun says comfortingly, squeezing his shoulder.
He has indeed had a long day.
Kyungsoo sighs and smiles weakly at Sehun, who replies with one of his brightest smiles, one of those that make Kyungsoo’s heart flutter.
They both decide to order pizza and play video games. Kyungsoo is really bad but Sehun lets him win anyway. The dog is between them on the couch, following their movements with attention, which makes Kyungsoo laugh.
Suddenly someone knocks on the door and the dog starts barking loudly.
“Could you please hold Princess K while I go get the food?” Sehun asks, “or she’ll be all over the delivery person.”
Kyungsoo laughs and holds the puppy against his chest, peppering kisses on her curly head.
“Princess K?” he repeats, and the dog tilts her head, as though she recognized her name.
Sehun comes back with the pizza and two carton plates and sets everything up on the table in front of the couch. He serves Sehun a slice and gives it to him, trying his best to avoid the dog who’s trying her best to lick the food.
“Why did you call her Princess K,” Kyungsoo inquires Sehun after they’re both comfortably seated and eating their pizza, the dog eating food in her own plate beside them on the floor.
“I heard you calling her Princess,” Sehun replies, struggling with a piece of pepperoni that doesn’t want to stick to the crust. “I thought it suited her.”
Kyungsoo nods in agreement. It does suit her.
“I should probably go home”, Kyungsoo says long after they’ve stopped eating, while they’re still sitting on the couch playing video games. “We have classes tomorrow.”
“Only in the afternoon,” Sehun replies, “and besides there is no way you’re going back home in this condition. You need rest.”
“But-”
“My couch is your couch, friend,” Sehun says, taking advantage of Kyungsoo’s lack of attention on the screen to win the race. Baby Mario starts jumping with hands in the sky in his little toy car.
“Hey!” Kyungsoo yells when he realizes he’s just lost for what’s probably the tenth time that night.
Sehun simply shrugs and laughs. He ruffles Kyungsoo’s hair, who can’t really avoid the touch since he’s pretty much stuck on the couch anyway.
“Time for bed, kid.”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at the ridiculous nickname but doesn’t argue, moving his leg from the table to lay it on the couch. Sehun brings him a blanket and tucks him in neatly.
“Goodnight, kid,” he whispers after turning off the lights.
Kyungsoo instantly shuts his eyes, slumber rapidly getting a hold of him.
Not quickly enough, however, for he can feel Sehun’s lips softly pressing against the skin of his temple before he falls asleep.
(part 2)
★Pairings: Kyungsoo/Sehun
★Rating: pg-13
★Length: 13827 words
★Warnings/Disclaimers: language, bullying, violence
★Author’s notes/Messages for the recipient: A big thanks to my two betas, M (who gladly accepted to read through this on such short notice!) and S (for the constant support and precious advices!) Also, I really enjoyed your prompts, dear recipient. I hope this fic meets your expectations! ;;
★Summary: Kyungsoo struggles with harassment and bullying on a daily basis until someone skates his way into his life.
Kyungsoo storms out of class even before the teacher has the time to dismiss it, holding his backpack firmly against his stomach. His rapid footsteps echo on the college's dirty tiled floor as he makes his way out. He flies down staircases and almost races through the exit door but pushes the handle right before he does.
He's done this too many times.
Kyungsoo jogs out of campus and after a few minutes of light running, when he's on a main road, he finally stops and leans on a street-lamp to catch his breath. It doesn't take him more than thirty seconds before he's in motion again, slower this time, walking what's separating him from the bus stop in long strides - the longest his short legs allow him to. He frequently shoots a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure nobody's following him and keeps moving forward, avoiding people's glances.
Kyungsoo shakes his leg as he waits for the bus to come, seated on the corner of the bus stop bench with his backpack on his lap. He spends the whole minute of waiting like this, his body tense, hands holding the bag's straps and eyes like a scared animal's : moving from right to left, up and down.
Once he catches a glimpse of the bus, Kyungsoo stands up instantly, firmly holding his backpack. He's the first to climb inside and immediately goes to the back. He sits on a bench and looks around nervously every time people get inside.
Kyungsoo is already standing at the doors before the bus even stops, and he jumps out of it the second they open. He doesn't take his time to walk and appreciate the colours of the leaves in the trees, the chalk drawings kids sketched on the sidewalks after school or the shimmering green of the grass like he used to; he simply runs, not stopping until he's finally reached the front door of his grandparents' house.
"I'm home!"
Only then, after he takes off his shoes and throws his backpack on the floor, does he breathe in and out normally, a smile tugging at his lips when he hears his grandmother respond to him warmly.
For now, he's okay.
The smell of apple pie teases Kyungsoo's nose when he enters the kitchen and sees his grandmother in front of the sink, cleaning the dishes. She must have felt him staring at the pies displayed on the counter cooling off because she chuckled to him:
"You can have a piece, now, if you want. Dinner is not ready yet."
"Ah, I don't wanna spoil my dinner, grandma."
"A little bite never killed anybody, Soo."
"Well, it's true that I could never get enough of your cooking," Kyungsoo smiles back at her with his heart-shaped lips, eyes like crescents as his grandmother's laugh echoes in the room.
In moments like these, Kyungsoo almost forgets. He almost forgets that as soon as he's going to leave the door after dinner, he'll have to face reality. A reality where he cannot go anywhere without having to avoid them, to fear them, to wait for them to leave, or to hope they're not waiting for him at the least expected place or time.
Kyungsoo thought that maybe the problem would be solved after he left high school; new city, new school, new people, new beginning. He thought people matured after a while. He thought they grew out of their silly hurtful games.
But apparently he was wrong.
He was still being teased, still being called various names in the hallways, still getting his food stolen or his homework copied. He was still sometimes cornered by people hitting him for this and that and whatever reason they could come up with. Blackmail was frequent; and he'd do whatever he was asked to, because it was better than getting beaten up.
"How was school today?"
Kyungsoo's smile fades a little, but his grandma's too busy scrubbing the sink to see it.
"It was alright," Kyungsoo states.
And it’s the truth. He only had half of his lunch stolen today, and only had a little homework to do.
He was getting better at avoiding the bullies. He supposed it came from experience.
"Your grandpa should come be back from the store soon," his grandma goes on, and Kyungsoo discreetly sighs in relief. The last thing he wants is his grandparents, or any member of his family, to know he's being hurt and made fun of at school. He mastered the art of pretending everything was okay; it had become an automatism. Yes, he was fine; no, he didn't struggle in school; and yes, his friends were doing alright.
Except no, he’s not fine; yes, he is struggling at school; and no, he has no friends.
Kyungsoo helps his grandmother prepare dinner after she's done with the dishes. He loves to help her cook because it helps him forget. It's one of the best - and only - distractions he has.
By the time Kyungsoo's grandfather comes home, they're done preparing dinner and setting up the table for the meal.
"It's gonna be time to rake the leaves soon," Kyungsoo's grandfather comments during dinner, referring to the brand new tool he bought this afternoon.
"I'll do it, grandpa, don't worry." Kyungsoo assures him, concerned he'd hurt himself.
"Our backyard is quite big, Kyungsoo. You cannot do this by yourself."
"Of course I can, it’ll just take more time."
"I’ll help you-"
"No, you're gonna hurt your arms," Kyungsoo protests.
His grandfather pauses and muses over the thought for a bit.
"How about you invite a friend over, then? I could even pay you."
Kyungsoo chokes on his food.
A friend.
"Are you okay!?" Kyungsoo's grandma screeches, reaching for Kyungsoo's back to stroke it.
"Yes, I'm alright," he mumbles between coughs. "I'll be fine by myself, really," he assures, gulping down water.
"A little help wouldn’t kill anybody, though," his grandfather insists and Kyungsoo feels his composure crumble.
"I’ll be fine," Kyungsoo repeats, trying his hardest to smile.
"Let him be, honey. He's probably just shy." his grandma calmly replies. "There is still plenty of time left before it's time to rake, anyway. You'll have numerous occasions to convince him."
They both chuckle and Kyungsoo sighs before joining with their laughter.
Except the smile doesn't quite reach the corners of his eyes.
***
When Kyungsoo locks the door of his small apartment behind him after coming back from his grandparents' place, he doesn't have the time to reach his bed before the tears start falling, deafening sobs coming out of his throat. He sits down on his bedroom floor and covers his mouth with his hands, desperately trying to calm the shrill noises he breathes out.
Kyungsoo almost never cries anymore. He used to cry himself to sleep every night back then, in high school, when everything was just unbearable. But now that he's in college, he's learned to just ignore it. He's sort of numb to the sadness.
Or so he thought.
Loneliness had never really struck him, but his grandfather insisting on him getting help to rake the backyard somehow got to him that night. How long had it been since Kyungsoo had been helped? How long had it been since he'd talked to someone who genuinely wanted to spend time with him because they like him and not because they were assigned as partners by the teacher? How long had it been since he'd called someone a friend and had been himself called a friend? How long?
It takes him a while before he takes his shaking hands off his mouth and climbs into bed, burying himself under the covers. He closes his eyes and lets darkness swallow him, tiny droplets still sliding down his cheeks long after he's stopped shaking.
***
Kyungsoo wakes up the next day with knots in his stomach. He waits ten minutes before his alarm clock yells at him to wake up and barely has the time to hear it ring before he turns it off. Apparently stress and fear are a better alarm clock than the radio will ever be.
He's used to it by now; he still wonders why he keeps setting an alarm if he doesn't need it. He decides it's habit, probably. There's a lot of things Kyungsoo does out of habit now, without really needing or wanting to do them.
Begrudgingly, he gets up and gets dressed, making a short detour to the small kitchen to grab a piece of toast before picking his backpack from the ground where he dropped it carelessly the night before.
He sees one of them on the bus on his way to college. He’s tall and imposing, with eyes as dark as his hair. He’s one of the smartest ones, usually asking for money or for his homework to be done. He’s also one of the scariest, too; he doesn’t even need to utter a single word to be obeyed: his cold stare is more than enough.
His oppressors are generally smart enough not to attempt anything on the bus, but Kyungsoo dreads the moment he gets off the public transportation.
Once he's on campus, anything can happen.
***
Kyungsoo rubs his shoulder as he gets off the bus, his backpack resting against his torso. He hisses at the contact, but doesn't stop walking until he's at a safe distance from the bus stop and not before he's absolutely positive nobody's following him. Only then does he drop his backpack on the ground and sits on the sidewalk. He gently rubs the wounded spot close to his neck, eyes closed and teary, scowling as pain rushes in waves in his body.
The young man is brought back to reality by something wet on his ankle. His eyelids flutter open at the speed of light and he almost hurts his neck again to look down.
He doesn't know what he expected but it was definitely not that.
"Hey there," Kyungsoo says gently to the small puppy at his feet.
The dog looks up at him and tilts its head to the side, examining Kyungsoo. After a few seconds, it goes back to its puppy business, which is licking Kyungsoo's leg.
"Hey, stop, it tickles," he laughs, petting the puppy's head affectionately. He thinks maybe the animal would shy away or avoid his touch but it doesn't move, and Kyungsoo even thinks the puppy's leaning into the touch, demanding for more caresses.
And so he keeps petting the animal for a while, until he realizes his grandparents will probably wait for him and wonder where he is if he doesn't show up soon.
He's not the type to go out with friends very often anyway.
He gives three pats on the dog's tiny and curly head before reaching for his shoulder once again, massaging it a bit so he can move properly with his backpack.
The dog starts whining and jumps on Kyungsoo's lap, paws against his torso. Kyungsoo leans back but oh boy was that a bad idea because his shoulder hurts like hell right now.
"Hey there, little buddy, someone got shoved against a wall today, please go easy," he sighs, scratching the spot between the dog's neck and ears. It makes a noise then, something that sounds like disapproval.
“Oh, you’re not a little buddy aren’t you,” he chuckles. He grabs the dog and puts it back on the sidewalk before standing up and stretching his back. She starts whining again.
"I can't keep you," Kyungsoo states sadly as the dog stands on two legs and pats his legs with his paws.
Kyungsoo starts walking and the dog follows him. He sighs, but then remembers he's got some leftover beef stew he got from his school cafeteria (they weren't after his food today, thank God). He fumbles through his backpack and finds the styrofoam container. He drops it to the ground and stares at the dog, who eats the food happily. It's as if Kyungsoo's not there anymore, and he's almost sad because for a while he almost felt as if someone wanted to be with him - even if they weren't exactly human.
He says goodbye to the dog - who's clearly too busy lapping the stew to respond - and walks the way to his grandparents' house, a little sad but a little happy at the same time. The dog's affection gave him a tad bit of happiness that he clearly needed after the horrible day he'd just gone through.
***
One of Kyungsoo's favourite places is the library, despite the bad memories it holds. He used to hide there in high school when he couldn't stand it anymore, to be left alone for a couple of minutes before going back to being pushed and shoved and insulted.
Because, as cliché as it may sound, his bullies would rarely follow him in the library, too busy persecuting other poor kids to care about him.
They might also be scared of the librarian, who would probably interrupt their bullying activities by dragging them out of the library by the ear.
Even years later, he still finds shelter in the library. It's even bigger than his high school's, and feels a lot more peaceful too. It's a bit more dangerous, however. Sometimes one of his oppressors would be there working on a group project or just using the computer for personal reasons.
Today's not one of those days, though, and Kyungsoo spends about two hours working on his assignments before heading back to his grandparents' house. He closes his books and puts them in his backpack before walking down the stairs. He always prefers to take a spot on the third floor, hidden behind bookshelves.
What he didn't plan was bumping into one of them when making his way out of the library building. He literally runs into him and falls on the ground, scraping his hands.
"What have we got here," grins the tall, chestnut haired man in front of him. He brushes off invisible dust from his shirt without looking at Kyungsoo. "You should be careful, little one."
"I-I'm sorry," Kyungsoo blurts out, too petrified and vulnerable to feel the pain due to his wounds. He stands up and bows in apology.
"Oh?" the student finally looks down at him, rearranging the shining white-gold watch on his wrist. "You're sorry. Well then, everything's all good, right?" he frowns, turning his back to Kyungsoo as if to leave, but after a few steps he spins around and grabs Kyungsoo by the collar of his shirt, shoving him into the building's thick brick walls.
"Bastard," the tall student hisses between gritted teeth, a fierce, menacing look in his eyes.
Kyungsoo huffs in pain. Tears well at the corner of his eyes and he bites his lips to keep the screams inside. His shoulder starts to hurt, the wound he received three days ago from being shoved against a locker starting to act up again.
When will this end? Kyungsoo cries internally, a silent prayer he's repeated again and again so many times by now, yet never been answered.
Kyungsoo's oppressor brings his hand back as if to wind up the punch he's going to throw at him and then-
"Leave him alone."
The voice comes from behind the other young man so Kyungsoo cannot see who's speaking. All he knows is that the grip on his collar loosens and he can finally breathe properly. He closes his eyes and falls to the ground, silently thanking whatever entity up above for saving him this one time.
The bully sighs and rolls his eyes but still turns to face the newcomer, clearly annoyed, ready to hit.
"And why would I do that?"
There's a pause, and Kyungsoo almost thinks the other guy is gone, but he answers after a while.
"Just leave the damn kid alone, Kris." His voice doesn't rise much but it seems more hostile than the first time. Kyungsoo opens his eyes, curious about his bully's reaction. His jaw almost drops straight to the pavement when he sees him just walk away, fists clenched.
Kyungsoo's eyes remain wide open for a few seconds.
What the hell was that?
His gaze follows the movements of the stranger, who's walking towards him. Their eyes meet and Kyungsoo is ready to panic, but then the other boy's eyebrows furrow, creases appearing between them.
"Are you alright?" he asks.
His lips are curved into a gentle, almost concerned smile and it takes a while for Kyungsoo to react. He's not used to kindness from strangers anymore.
He stutters a weak "yes" and his hand almost instinctively reaches for his hurt shoulder.
"Does it hurt?" his eyebrows furrow again.
"It's okay." he replies. It's been hurting for a while anyway, he tells himself.
"Is it the first time?"
The question is very vague but oddly precise and Kyungsoo knows even without asking what the other boy wants to know. He doesn't answer.
The stranger doesn't pry, though, and offers his hand to Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo stares at it, then stares back at the boy. He's really tall but doesn't seem that much older than himself. He's thin and everything about him has some sort of graceful aura, from the way he stands to the curve of his open, offering hand. He has a skateboard tucked under one of his arms and his leather jacket is not completely buttoned.
Kyungsoo hesitantly reaches for his hand and helps himself back to his feet. He grabs his backpack from the ground and carefully adjusts it on one shoulder to give a break to the hurt one.
"Thank you," Kyungsoo mumbles, avoiding the boy's gaze.
"No problem," he replies, then seems to hesitate a bit before adding "what's your name?"
"Kyungsoo."
"Kyungsoo… no problem, Kyungsoo." he says rather cheerfully.
With that he drops his skateboard to the ground, waves his hand at Kyungsoo and skates away.
***
It hits Kyungsoo a few minutes after the stranger left him and he's on the bus that he doesn't know his name. He was too busy processing the fact that someone cared enough to stop someone from hitting a person they didn't know to ask the boy his name. Plus, it had been a while since he'd had an actual positive conversation with another human being besides his grandparents.
He doesn't see him until two days after the library incident.
He's on the bus, holding his backpack, but he doesn't see him until he gets off and notices someone following him. He hears him before he sees him, his skateboard announcing his presence.
"Hey," the boy smiles, getting off his skateboard and walking to get beside Kyungsoo.
His smile seems ten times brighter than the last time Kyungsoo's seen him. Without the furrowed eyebrows and the disdain in his eyes, he looked a lot younger and his features appeared softer.
"Hi," Kyungsoo replies, his fingers holding his backpack straps tightly.
He'd never thought he'd see the boy again, since he'd never seen him before the library incident, and never even dreamed of him speaking to him either.
"So, how's your shoulder?" he asks, and Kyungsoo's a bit surprised that he even remembers about it being hurt in the first place.
"It's doing good," he replies, unconsciously reaching for it and massaging it slightly.
"That's good to hear." He pauses. "Has Kris harassed you again?"
"Not him," Kyungsoo mumbles, trying to keep the words inside but they escape before he has the chance to stop them. He doesn't know why he should tell him about his harassers or why he would even care.
"What do you mean not him?" the boy frowns, and the softness all but disappears from his features.
"Listen…," Kyungsoo starts but then he remembers he doesn't know the stranger's name - because that's what he is, a stranger - and he puffs his cheeks in frustration. "I don't even know your name, so why should I tell you anyway?" he sighs, looking away. He'd tried to sound angry but it had come out rather sadly.
Why would you even bother?, he thinks, chewing on his lip.
"My name's Sehun," the boy states after a while.
Kyungsoo shoots him a glance and notices there's still creases between his eyebrows. He looks like he's thinking about something.
They walk in silence and Kyungsoo wonders why Sehun is still there walking with him but he doesn't ask, because he's been straightforward enough for the year.
They both stop in surprise when they hear barks. Kyungsoo smiles when he sees the puppy he met a couple of days before.
"Hey princess," he smiles. He throws his backpack on the ground and crouches to welcome the animal in his arms. The little creature excitedly jumps in his arms and licks his face. Kyungsoo smiles but frowns almost instantly. The animal feels fragile in his arms and seems to weigh less than the previous week. Had she been eating at all?
"I'm sorry, princess, I don't have food with me," Kyungsoo sighs.
He puts the dog back on the sidewalk and pets her head a few times. She walks around him for a bit, sniffing his feet and legs, trying to find the remnants of whatever food she could find on his clothes.
"Is this your dog?" Sehun asks, speaking for the first time since the dog's appearance.
"She's a stray dog, I don't think she has a home… I found her a week ago. I can’t take her because my landlord doesn't accept animals and my grandparents are allergic," he sighs once more, smiling sadly to Sehun before scratching the dog's ears. He grabs his backpack and resumes walking, the dog running beside him and Sehun following behind.
"Looks like she doesn't wanna let you go."
Kyungsoo bites his lip at the comment. Of course he wants to keep the puppy, but there is no way he can.
"My landlord's pretty flexible," Sehun muses out loud and Kyungsoo's face shoots right up, eyes wide open, waiting for what's coming next.
"Maybe I could take her with me."
Kyungsoo's pretty sure stars would shine in his eyes right now if he was a manga character.
"Would you?" he realizes how excited he sounds, but he doesn't care at this point; he cannot bear to see that poor puppy out there in the cold without food or a master.
Sehun nods and Kyungsoo smiles brightly at him before he picks up the dog from the ground and hugs her tightly. The dog gets excited and Kyungsoo's pretty sure she has no clue what's going on, but he knows she probably feels as happy as he does.
"Thank you so much," he says, giving her to Sehun. The latter holds her in his arms, keeping a safe distance. The dog seems confused for a while and tries to go back to Kyungsoo's arms.
"It's okay, baby girl, Sehun's gonna take good care of you," he smiles, petting her head affectionately.
"Alright, so, I don't wanna interrupt you guys but I should probably get going," Sehun says after a while, clearly amused at the scene.
Kyungsoo nods and waves them goodbye. His bright smile is so contagious it reaches his eyes and even Sehun's. They both part ways, Sehun on his skateboard (the dog seems unsure at first and whines a bit, making Kyungsoo laugh) and Kyungsoo walking. When he arrives to his grandparents' house, he's still smiling.
He doesn't know why, but knowing the puppy now has a home makes him happy. He's not even sure he's gonna see the boy again, let alone the dog, but he trusts him to take care of her properly.
For once, at the dinner table, his smile is a hundred percent sincere.
***
Kyungsoo honestly thought he wouldn’t ever see Sehun again.
He had never been more wrong.
At first he thought maybe Sehun was following him; it took him a full week to conclude that he probably was.
It's as if since that day he stopped him from getting beat up, Sehun was everywhere and anywhere Kyungsoo was or was going. He was in the library, in the seat in front of Kyungsoo or the chair beside him. He was on the same bus and in the hallways when he was trying to leave his classes without being seen by anybody who could try to hurt him. He would always talk to him when he saw him and give him updates on the puppy or at least smile and say "hi" when he was short on time.
Without him actually noticing, Sehun became a part of his daily routine.
It dawned on him that he wasn't harassed as much as he used to be. He wasn't hiding more than usual, though; he'd kept his usual habits, except sometimes Sehun would join him in the library or they would meet on the bus home and walk to wherever they were headed.
"I think these people are scared of you," Kyungsoo says one day while they're sitting in a small cubicle in the library to eat their lunch.
It's the second time Sehun shows up at the library and forces Kyungsoo to eat with him, and Kyungsoo never refuses because he quite enjoys the other student's company.
"Who?" Sehun lifts his head from his bowl of rice and looks through the glass wall from the cubicle in the direction Kyungsoo's pointing.
A group of freshmen are sitting at the tables in front of them, reading their textbooks and whispering to each other when Sehun looks in their direction.
The boy frowns before taking another mouthful of rice, silent.
"Everybody does, actually," Kyungsoo squints. "Even that guy from that time," he vaguely adds, recalling that time he'd stopped the tall boy from hitting him.
"Who? Kris?"
Kyungsoo nods and highlights something in his textbook.
"Well. Are you not… scared of me?"
Kyungsoo looks up from his notes and meets Sehun's gaze.
"Why would I be?" he chuckles.
"I- do you not- ugh. Have you not heard the rumours?"
"Actually no, I haven't," he frowns, closing his textbook to munch on a granola bar. He had nobody to hear them from, anyway, too busy hurrying himself at the speed of light to avoid people.
Sehun sighs and puts his chopsticks on the table. He looks extremely serious and Kyungsoo wonders if he's offended him, because Sehun almost never frowns when he's with him, usually showing his bright, crescent eye-smile.
But then Sehun smirks and puts his hand on the table, stands up and gets closer to Kyungsoo, their noses only a few inches apart.
"They say I've killed someone."
Kyungsoo almost spits his food out and Sehun's laugh echoes in between the thick, soundproof walls. If the people at the table in front weren't already scared of Sehun, they probably were by now.
"Are you se-"
"You should have seen your face," Sehun barely blurts out between fits of giggles.
Kyungsoo throws his granola bar package at his face. That doesn't stop Sehun from giggling, however. He wipes a tear forming at the corner of his eye and picks up Kyungsoo's trash to throw it in the garbage beside him.
They’ve been hanging out for a while now, but Kyungsoo doesn’t quite know yet how to decipher Sehun’s odd sense of humor.
"Your aim sucks," Sehun smiles. "Alright, kid, I gotta go to class." he adds, getting up and making sure to pat Kyungsoo's head before he leaves.
"I'm older than you," Kyungsoo shouts before the door closes behind Sehun. He doesn't hear him laugh but he can tell he does with the way his shoulders bounce.
He shakes his head but can't help the smile that slowly creeps up on his lips.
***
Kyungsoo storms out of class as usual, but instead of heading for the door, he goes the opposite way, going downstairs in the hallway leading to the cafeteria. He stops in front of the telephone booth and rummages through his backpack in search of money. He doesn't own a phone, since he doesn't have that many people to call anyway. If he ever needs to, there's a public phone in his apartment building or he can use the one at his grandparent's house to call his parents from time to time.
He looks around a couple of times alertly to make sure nobody's around him so he has time to make his call peacefully without fearing bad surprises. Luckily, it's a little past 2pm, so there's not many coming and going in and out of the cafeteria.
"Hello?" Kyungsoo's grandma's voice rings in his ear after the first tone.
"Hi, grandma! I was gonna go to the grocery store before I drop by your house, do you need anything?"
"Ahh, Kyungsoo~" she singsongs, "such a sweet grandchild! Thank you, lovely, but we're good for tonight's dinner."
"Great! I'll see you tonight then," he giggles.
Giggles beside him make Kyungsoo go silent. He spins his head towards the direction of the noise to see three taller young men glaring at him with their arms crossed on their chest. The tallest is giggling, mimicking him with a smirk on his face.
"Alright honey. I'll see you tonight!" she chirps before hanging up.
Kyungsoo puts the phone down with shaking hands and turns to face his oppressors.
"Long time no see," the tallest student says. It's the guy from last time, the guy he ran into while leaving the library a few weeks ago.
Kyungsoo doesn't reply; he knows better. The two others just glare at him, standing a little behind their leader.
"You've been hanging out a lot with that freshman," he adds. "Luckily for you, we don't get along very well with him," he smirks, firmly grabbing Kyungsoo's jaw. He kicks him in the stomach then lets go of his face.
Kyungsoo bends slightly, trying to catch his breath. He doesn't have the time, though, because the two other boys kick him too. He drops to his knees, unable to breathe, and the chestnut-haired giant once again grabs his jaw. Their faces are only a few inches apart, and Kyungsoo can see the man's gritted teeth from way too close.
"Aren't you afraid of him, too?" he whispers slyly into Kyungsoo's ear and the latter shivers. "He could kill you. Wouldn't be the first time he’s done it."
With that he punches him. The shock causes Kyungsoo to fall over on the floor. Before they leave, his aggressors kick him a couple of times on the chest and legs, making sure he won't stand up before long.
Kyungsoo lays there long after they're gone, confused and in pain.
"Kyungsoo?" Sehun's horrified voice reaches his ear after a while. He hears him drop his backpack and skateboard to the ground and run to him hurriedly.
"What the fuck happened?" he panics, brushing the hair of Kyungsoo's face and wiping the blood on Kyungsoo's lips. "Who did this, who the fuck-" he trails off, and even in his state of semi-confusion Kyungsoo registers the panic in the boy's voice. "Kyungsoo, wake up," Sehun all but pleads. Kyungsoo feels something wet falling on his cheek and blinks his eyes open, startled.
He grunts, and Sehun sighs in what seems like relief.
"Why did they do this to you?" he's shaking, and Kyungsoo gathers all the strength he has left to grab his wrist in what he hopes to be a comforting manner.
“I’m sorry,” Sehun murmurs so softly Kyungsoo almost fails to hear it. He wants to tell Sehun to stop worrying, to tell him it’s not his fault and that he couldn’t have stopped them anyway, but all that comes out is a cough.
“Can you stand?” Sehun asks, and Kyungsoo answers with a grunt.
“Alright, I’ll try to sit you up. Tell me if it hurts, alright?”
Kyungsoo nods feebly in agreement but huffs in pain. That was a bad idea.
Sehun carefully circles one of his arms behind Kyungsoo’s back and the other one behind his neck and shoulders and pulls him up slowly. His whole body aches but the pain is bearable, so he lets himself be hauled up. Once he’s in sitting position, Sehun carefully turns him so his back is pressed against the wall.
“That’s better,” Sehun says more to himself than anything. “Don’t move, I’ll get you some water,” he adds and quickly leaves to fetch his backpack.
It’s not like I can move anyway, Kyungsoo thinks.
It’s funny how Sehun just leaves his stuff in the middle of the hallway without fearing anybody will steal them, Kyungsoo realizes while he watches the boy coming back with his stuff.
Sehun grabs his bottle of water from his backpack and holds it close to Kyungsoo’s mouth so he can drink it. Kyungsoo’s a bit embarrassed to be given a drink by a younger boy, but he doesn’t think he can hold the bottle properly anyway.
“Okay, I’m gonna try to get you to stand up now,” Sehun states as he puts the cap back on the bottle and shoves it carelessly in his backpack.
Sehun offers one of his hands to Kyungsoo and he grabs it, his body slightly going upwards. Sehun puts an arm behind the older boy’s waist to help him up.
Kyungsoo winces in pain but manages to stand after a few attempts. He rests his back on the wall for a while to catch his breath.
“Try to walk, now,” Sehun suggests and Kyungsoo obeys. He winces and almost falls, putting weight on his right foot, but Sehun catches him before he hits the ground.
“Alright, walking isn’t an option,” Sehun muses out loud. “What could we do?”
He pauses, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
“Okay, you will sit on the skateboard and I will push you to the bus stop,” Sehun offers.
“But-” Kyungsoo protests, his voice still hoarse.
“I’m not gonna give you a piggyback ride, Kyungsoo - this is the only option we have,” Sehun shakes his head.
Kyungsoo makes strangled noises, half-offended Sehun thought that Kyungsoo would even consider getting a piggyback ride (he’s still got a little pride left) and half-embarrassed.
Sehun takes his sweater off and lays? it on the skateboard for Kyungsoo’s comfort. Then, he motions his friend to sit on it and Kyungsoo looks at him with pleading eyes, but he doesn’t take any of it and motions to the skateboard, hurrying him to sit.
“I don’t wanna stay here all night, Kyungsoo,” Sehun sighs.
“Help me,” Kyungsoo orders him wearily. Sehun gets on his knees and holds the skateboard in place while Kyungsoo crouches to sit on the homemade cart, supporting himself with Sehun’s back.
Once he’s comfortably (as comfortably as can be on a skateboard) seated, Sehun gives Kyungsoo his own backpack, which is lighter, and puts Kyungsoo’s on his back.
Luckily, they were on the first floor, so they didn’t have to go up or down flights of stairs.
Sehun pushes Kyungsoo’s back very gently to set him in motion, not wanting to hurt him. It goes slowly but it works so they decide to stick to the plan. It’s not like they have many possibilities anyway.
It takes them a while before they reach the bus stop. Kyungsoo wishes Sehun had another sweater so he could bury in face into it because suffocating seems like a better fate than being stared at weirdly by people on the street.
“This is embarrassing,” Kyungsoo mumbles, his cheeks red.
“It’s almost over, kid. Come on, don’t be such a baby,” Sehun says.
“I look like a baby, might as well act like one,” Kyungsoo moodily replies.
Kyungsoo’s almost sure he hears Sehun’s eyes rolling in his skull.
Once they’re at the bus stop Sehun helps Kyungsoo off his skateboard and to the bench where he sits, wincing with every move. It doesn’t take long for the bus to arrive and Sehun helps the older boy to get inside, following close.
When they get off the bus Sehun helps Kyungsoo to the nearest bench, one arm circling his waist and one hand grabbing Kyungsoo’s arm that’s around his shoulders.
Once he’s sat down, Sehun puts his sweater back on the skateboard and Kyungsoo glances at him, mortified.
“No,” he shakes his head, “I am not getting back on there.”
“Then how will you move? Crawling, maybe?” Sehun asks flatly.
Kyungsoo’s only answer is a pained whine.
They repeat the exact set-up as before, Sehun pushing Kyungsoo along the streets.
“Wait, this is not the road to my apartment, you have to turn left here,” he points in the right direction but Sehun keeps pushing on the opposite way.
“That’s because we’re not going to your apartment,” he calmly explains as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“And why’s that?” Kyungsoo inquires.
“For starters, I don’t know where you live,” Sehun points out and Kyungsoo nods in agreement.
“Fair enough.”
“And also, there is no way in hell I’m letting you go back to your place in that state. That would make me a very shitty friend.”
Kyungsoo almost falls off the skateboard.
“Friend?” he repeats, tasting the word’s tonality in his mouth.
“Well, yeah,” Sehun chuckles.
Kyungsoo blinks a few times, trying to process the thought. Friends.
He tries to recall the last time he’s had someone to refer to as a friend. It was probably in elementary school; that transfer student from China. His name was Zitao and he could barely speak Korean, but somehow they made it work. Kyungsoo would patiently teach him words and the boy would try his hardest to make Kyungsoo proud. He’d cried a couple of times because he couldn’t voice his thoughts properly and Kyungsoo had to comfort him.
He was a sweet kid, really. They had a lot of fun and Kyungsoo is pretty sure he’s the only friend he’s ever had. Sadly, he’d moved back to China before high school, and Kyungsoo had been left alone to face this mess.
They’d exchanged addresses and sent each other letters or emails from time to time for a while, but it had been years since Kyungsoo had received - or sent - anything.
And now, years later, he finally has someone to call a friend. Of course, Kyungsoo really wants a friend like Sehun; they have fun together and Kyungsoo feels safe with him. But why would the younger boy consider Kyungsoo a friend? He wasn’t anything special. If anything, he was a liability.
Kyungsoo’s train of thought is interrupted when the skateboard stops. Sehun stands in front of him, his arms crossed on his chest, a smirk on his face.
“Are you gonna stay here forever now or...?” he asks, staring at an open-mouthed Kyungsoo with amusement.
Kyungsoo mumbles something inaudible and Sehun chuckles, helping Kyungsoo to stand on his feet. As they walk Sehun explains to his friend that they have to take the elevator because he lives on the fourth floor, and they obviously cannot walk upstairs.
“Fortunately they fixed the elevator two days ago. I had to climb up there for three weeks straight,” Sehun says. “Okay, hold on to me now, the ride’s pretty shaky.”
Kyungsoo holds on onto Sehun’s arm tightly.
“Hey, wanna try something?” Sehun smiles excitedly. He looks almost scary, his mouth and eyes wide opened.
“Tr-try what, exactly?” Kyungsoo asks reluctantly.
“Stand on the skateboard instead of sitting, I’ll drag you to the room! You can stand up, right?”
“Huh…,” Kyungsoo scratches his hands, unsure.
“Awesome, let’s go!”
“Wai-” Kyungsoo begins but Sehun kneels down to hold the skateboard.
“Come on, hop on!”
“You’re crazy,” Kyungsoo whines as he slowly gets on the skateboard.
“Maybe a little,” Sehun admits, rising to his feet.
“Oh my- scratch that, you’re insane,” Kyungsoo screeches when Sehun grabs his hands and starts dragging him to the door.
Insane, insane, insane, he repeats to himself, eyelids shut, until the skateboard stops moving.
He opens his eyes and gets off the skateboard as fast as his wounded limbs let him and rests on the wall beside him.
“Man, that looks fun, we should switch roles when you can walk,” Sehun cheerfully says while unlocking the door to his apartment.
Kyungsoo doesn’t even want to answer.
“Do you wanna skate to the cou-”
“Are you trying to kill me?” Kyungsoo asks in a shrill voice.
Sehun laughs it off.
He grabs Kyungsoo’s waist and holds his hand firmly, walking slowly to the couch.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the puppy runs to them, barking happily. She jumps on their legs and Kyungsoo winces in pain, trying to shoo the dog away.
When Kyungsoo is comfortably situated on the couch he picks the dog up off the ground and pets her while Sehun disappears into the bathroom to get his materials.
He comes back with a first-aid kit, ice packs and wet cloths. He sets everything on the small table and rubs his hands together.
“You look like a mad scientist,” Kyungsoo states flatly.
“What if I am one?” Sehun whispers.
“Then you might actually want to kill me. I knew it,” Kyungsoo shakes his head, “you only want me for my body.”
Slowly, Kyungsoo stops moving his head, realizing how wrong what he just said sounded.
He catches Sehun’s glance and feels his face heat up.
“I mean- I just- ugh,” Kyungsoo trails off.
When he thought he couldn’t feel more embarrassed in one day, there he was, involuntarily making sexual innuendos.
Sehun chuckles but doesn’t say a word, a faint blush rosing his cheeks. He decides to start taking care of his friend’s wounds instead. He starts with the legs, applying wet cloths to the smallest bruises and ice to the biggest ones. He ties up an ice pack to Kyungsoo’s hurt ankle and rests it on a cushion he placed on the table. Kyungsoo has to hold the dog firmly so she won’t try and jump around to help Sehun, her own definition of helping being licking the boy’s wounds.
“I’m gonna need you to lift up your shirt,” Sehun says, “I need to see if there are any open wounds.”
If he feels embarrassed he doesn’t show it. Kyungsoo, however, feels the blush creeping up his cheeks again. He obeys anyway, shyly exposing his chest.
“Your waist is not bruised,” Sehun announces, “that’s very good. There’s just a couple of scratches, that’s easy to clean up!”
He gets back to work, disinfecting the wounds on Kyungsoo’s waist carefully. It itches and Kyungsoo shifts in his seat in discomfort, biting his lip.
“Alright, you can put your shirt back on,” Sehun smiles once he’s done and Kyungsoo hurriedly puts the piece of clothing on properly.
“Now to the face,” Sehun says softly, cupping his friend’s face with one hand to examine the wounds properly. He wipes the dried blood off his cheeks and forehead, noticing a couple of scratches here and there. There’s a cut very close to Kyungsoo’s eye and Sehun’s face contorts as he disinfects it, careful not to touch his friend’s eye.
“You’re so lucky they didn’t get your eyes.” Sehun’s voice is a mere whisper now; he’s close enough to Kyungsoo’s face that he doesn’t need to speak very loudly for him to hear.
The concern Kyungsoo sees in Sehun’s eyes touches him. He doesn’t recall the last time someone’s looked at him like that or took care of him like that. Sehun’s touch is so gentle and it almost feels too right.
“Thank you,” Kyungsoo says quietly, petting the dog while Sehun cleans up.
His only reply is a nod he gives him before going to the bathroom to put back his first aid kit and what he doesn’t need anymore.
When he comes back he asks Kyungsoo if he’d like to order something and the older boy’s eyes widen.
“Grandma!”
“You could at least call me grandpa,” Sehun states flatly.
“What time is it?” Kyungsoo goes on, ignoring Sehun’s intervention.
“Huh, close to 7pm I guess.”
Kyungsoo starts to panic; he totally forgot about his grandparents. He should have been at their house a while ago now.
He asks Sehun to borrow his phone. The latter fumbles for it in his pocket, taking it out and throwing it at Kyungsoo. He quickly dials the number, absentmindedly scratching the puppy’s head.
“Grandma?” Kyungsoo answers as soon as she picks up.
“Kyungsoo? Kyungsoo, where are you?” her voice is full of worry and Kyungsoo feels the shame from the top of his head to the tip of his toes.
“I’m sorry, grandma, I- I was with a friend and I forgot to call you. I won’t be able to make it tonight,” he says, afraid of her reaction.
“Kyungsoo!” she all but yells in the phone and Kyungsoo waits a while for her to continue but she doesn’t.
“Are you mad?” he asks feebly.
“Mad? Kyungsoo, why would I be mad! A friend! How many times a decade do you meet up with a friend! Of course it’s fine sweetheart, we’ll see each other whenever you want!”
This time it’s Kyungsoo’s turn to stay silent, mouth parted, eyes looking around in confusion.
Sehun snaps his fingers in front of Kyungsoo’s face to bring him back to reality and points to the phone, reminding him his grandma is probably still waiting for him to talk.
“Yes, hum, I’m- thank you, grandma. Say hi to grandpa for me.”
Kyungsoo hangs up and sighs, banging his head on the couch. He wonders how he could forget about his grandparents. How is that even possible? He’s been going there for over a year now, at least three times a week after his classes. He’s been doing that ever since he moved in this city, a few hours from home. He was trying to flee from his little own personal hell, but somehow it had chased him down even to college.
Visiting his grandparents was his only source of comfort, as upsetting or bothersome as it could be sometimes. How could he simply forget that?
“Hey, you had a long day, don’t beat yourself up too much,” Sehun says comfortingly, squeezing his shoulder.
He has indeed had a long day.
Kyungsoo sighs and smiles weakly at Sehun, who replies with one of his brightest smiles, one of those that make Kyungsoo’s heart flutter.
They both decide to order pizza and play video games. Kyungsoo is really bad but Sehun lets him win anyway. The dog is between them on the couch, following their movements with attention, which makes Kyungsoo laugh.
Suddenly someone knocks on the door and the dog starts barking loudly.
“Could you please hold Princess K while I go get the food?” Sehun asks, “or she’ll be all over the delivery person.”
Kyungsoo laughs and holds the puppy against his chest, peppering kisses on her curly head.
“Princess K?” he repeats, and the dog tilts her head, as though she recognized her name.
Sehun comes back with the pizza and two carton plates and sets everything up on the table in front of the couch. He serves Sehun a slice and gives it to him, trying his best to avoid the dog who’s trying her best to lick the food.
“Why did you call her Princess K,” Kyungsoo inquires Sehun after they’re both comfortably seated and eating their pizza, the dog eating food in her own plate beside them on the floor.
“I heard you calling her Princess,” Sehun replies, struggling with a piece of pepperoni that doesn’t want to stick to the crust. “I thought it suited her.”
Kyungsoo nods in agreement. It does suit her.
“I should probably go home”, Kyungsoo says long after they’ve stopped eating, while they’re still sitting on the couch playing video games. “We have classes tomorrow.”
“Only in the afternoon,” Sehun replies, “and besides there is no way you’re going back home in this condition. You need rest.”
“But-”
“My couch is your couch, friend,” Sehun says, taking advantage of Kyungsoo’s lack of attention on the screen to win the race. Baby Mario starts jumping with hands in the sky in his little toy car.
“Hey!” Kyungsoo yells when he realizes he’s just lost for what’s probably the tenth time that night.
Sehun simply shrugs and laughs. He ruffles Kyungsoo’s hair, who can’t really avoid the touch since he’s pretty much stuck on the couch anyway.
“Time for bed, kid.”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at the ridiculous nickname but doesn’t argue, moving his leg from the table to lay it on the couch. Sehun brings him a blanket and tucks him in neatly.
“Goodnight, kid,” he whispers after turning off the lights.
Kyungsoo instantly shuts his eyes, slumber rapidly getting a hold of him.
Not quickly enough, however, for he can feel Sehun’s lips softly pressing against the skin of his temple before he falls asleep.
(part 2)