[A81] THE LITTLE KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR
Prompt Code: A81
Title: The little knight in shining armor
Rating: g
Warnings: bullying
Word Count: 5,288
Summary: Words are sharper than knife, it inflicts pain. And Kyungsoo is just a kid ready to save Jongin’s day.
AN: i hope you’ll all like this fic in which i had fun writing!
“Kyungsoo, remember what mom said? Be a good kid in school or you’ll never get friends like Pororo has hm?”
With a red shirt and black shorts, seven year old Kyungsoo stares right up to his big brother that he loves so much to the point of idolizing him for being a perfect brother and son and he wants to be just like him when he grows up. His innocent round eyes are twinkling and he doesn’t say a word, but to confirm with a nod that he remembers what his mom has told him earlier before he and his brother left to his school.
A good kid gains nice friends.
“Kyungsoo promises he’ll be good in school hyung.” Kyungsoo flashes his perfectly white teeth, round cheeks coloring a slightly hint of pink as the morning sun drapes over them.
Seungsoo musses his little brother’s hair and smiles proudly.
“That’s my little brother.”
Kyungsoo is an obedient kid and Seungsoo trusts his little brother will not do anything harsh or very unlikely of him at school. Besides, Kyungsoo’s previous teachers before had always complimented him for being a behaved and well-mannered student. Kyungsoo’s parents taught him that there will always be no good coming from bad actions and his family is very proud to have a good kid like him. They feel blessed for having him as their cute angel.
“Seungsoo hyung?” He tugs on the end of Seungsoo’s shirt to request for something.
“What is it?” Seungsoo can’t just say no to his brother’s requests because Kyungsoo’s cute and fluffy features hinder him to do so. In times like this, he actually knows what Kyungsoo wants.
“Can I go to the playground in the afternoon?” Kyungsoo asks. His eyes on Seungsoo never falter at all. “I wanna play on the swing and on the slides and watch the sundown hyung.”
“Sundown?” Seungsoo chuckles. “May I ask where did you learn that word?”
Kyungsoo pouts, “I just heard it from mom. Is it a wrong word hyung?”
His big brother continues to cackle. “Of course it’s not.”
Kyungsoo winces when Seungsoo squishes his chubby cheeks and Kyungsoo deeply frowns at him while rubbing his hurt cheeks. Kyungsoo grips on the straps of his backpack and juts out his lower lip.
“So can I go hyung?”
Seungsoo crouches down to his brother’s level. The bell is ringing from the background while the other kids with their guardians keep on coming to the school grounds to go to their respective rooms. Seungsoo brushes little Kyungsoo’s jet black hair and pats it once he deemed his brother neat.
“There, there,” He mumbles before holding Kyungsoo’s shoulders and looks at him directly in the eyes. “I will pick you up later and then I will send you to the playground and play there. Are you happy now?”
Kyungsoo jumps to his brother with a hug, cheering happily. “Yay! Hyung thank you so much! I really really promise I will be a good boy! Thank you so much hyung!”
Seungsoo pats his brother’s back and smiles in relief. “Alright, you better go now to your room or you’ll be late.”
Kyungsoo pulls away from his big brother, but the grin etched on his face is still intact. He nods and hums as an answer before running to the direction of his room.
The cemented floor outside is wet from the morning rain, yet the sun is now beaming up in the sky, casting a warm glow over the place. The leaves are rustling and the trees make shade on them even just for a little.
Kyungsoo halts and turns to his big brother who is still watching him from a distance.
“Bye hyung! Take care on your way home! See you!”
Seungsoo’s grin and wave is the only reply Kyungsoo receives before pivoting on his heel and running away to his class with a bounce on his feet.
Kyungsoo is very hyped up from the thought of playing later in the playground. Which also means, meeting his favourite playmate of all time.
u - - - --u
Right after class, Kyungsoo sees his big brother waiting for him outside his classroom. Some guardians and parents are around waiting for their kids and just as the bell rings, Kyungsoo runs to Seungsoo with all smiles.
“Seungsoo hyung! Look I got a star!” Kyungsoo proudly shows his red colored star stamped on his pale fist.
His big brother grabs his hand and makes an amused sound, “Whoa, why did you got one?” He holds his brother’s unstamped hand and makes their way to the school gates.
“Teacher Lee said I had a neat writing so she gave me a star.” Kyungsoo bobs his head happily. “Hyung, don’t you have school?”
Seungsoo shifts to Kyungsoo’s right side as they meander by the sidewalk so in case if a bicycle or a car passes by, Kyungsoo will not get hit easily.
“I don’t have.”
They pass by an ice-cream truck for awhile. “I know you want some ice-cream.”
“I do!” He enthusiastically beams.
Kyungsoo’s height stops by Seungsoo’s waist and he holds onto his brother’s shirt while Seungsoo fishes out his wallet from his pocket and pulls out a bill to pay for two cones of ice-cream.
After getting the ice-cream cones, Kyungsoo carefully licks his chocolate flavoured ice-cream, same as his big brother as they cross the road and arrive to the playground where some kids are already there, playing.
Kyungsoo’s eyes dart from left to right, from front to back as he searches for someone. Kyungsoo bites on his cone, chews and swallows. He uses his tissue to wipe of his lips. He takes another look around for the second time.
“Jongin is still not here?”
“Jongin?” The sound of cone bitten by Seungsoo merges with the cacophonous sound by children playing. “ Is he your playmate from last time when I picked you up here?”
“Yes hyung! He’s a nice kid too. He gave me lollipop when we first met although he looks so dirty that time.” Kyungsoo is staring at the swings where he met his friend that time, looking nostalgic and happy to meet such a nice person.
“So maybe he’s still in school then huh?”
“Maybe.” Kyungsoo finishes his ice-cream and walks to the nearby trashcan to dump his used tissues. As he sees one of the swings is finally unoccupied, his eyes sparkle and his legs bring him towards the swing. Chubby hands grip on the chains and he starts swinging up towards the sky.
Seungsoo appears right behind him and helps pushing him up and Kyungsoo keeps on giggling happily, feeling like he’s flying.
Minutes after, Seungsoo grips the chains to a halt and Kyungsoo looks up to his brother towering on him behind.
“Kyungsoo, I have to leave you here for now. I’ll be back in sundown to fetch you. Also, if something happens, if you get a scraped knee or a scratch, you always have your medicine kit in your bag.”
Kyungsoo nods fast without any complaints. He knows Seungsoo needs to go to help their mother probably with household chores or maybe Seungsoo has something important to do for now so Kyungsoo is really fine being left alone in the playground.
“Okay hyung!”
Watching Seungsoo leave, Kyungsoo heaves out a sigh and pouts on the soiled ground. He scuffs the sole of his shoe on it while listening to the laughter and feet padding on the ground by children playing around.
Kyungsoo looks at the empty swing beside him and remembers how he found Jongin on that side last week, gloomy and droopy eyes staring right back at him with his matching sleepy smile. Jongin was covered with mud as well that time but when asked, Jongin said he tripped on the wet ground and dirtied himself, but Kyungsoo half-believed it.
After introductions and a little chit-chats, Jongin gave Kyungsoo a lollipop that he enjoyed because the lollipop he got had gum inside it that Kyungsoo happily chewed on the way to his home.
But where is Jongin?
“You’re here again.” A familiar voice comes behind and as Kyungsoo lifts up his head, Jongin is taking the swing beside him and grins up at him.
Jongin is wearing a blue shirt and black shorts. He removes his red cap sitting atop his head and puts it on his lap before he swings slightly.
Kyungsoo can’t help himself but pull up a grin ear to ear, glad that Jongin is here.
“I’ve been waiting for you. Did you just get out of school?”
Jongin swings higher and higher and Kyungsoo’s eyes follow his movements. Jongin doesn’t answer him right away. He receives an answer once the swing has settled down and Jongin’s hair is in disarray, his cap is thrown on the ground.
“My noona fetched me then when we got home I sneaked out and went here.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes pop out from surprise. “You sneaked out? Why would you do that?”
Jongin’s plump lips form into a pout. “Because I just want to and besides noona knows I’m just here.”
“But you should have at least told her you will go here so she won’t get worried of you.” Kyungsoo says in a gentle and soothing manner.
“Okay. I’ll do that next time then.” Jongin is still pouting. He yawns right after and his eyes droop as he leans his head on the chain of the swing. “Jongin is sleepy.”
“You should sleep early at night. That’s what my big brother always tells me so you’ll grow up tall.”
Kyungsoo tilts his head slightly towards Jongin’s direction. “Jongin are you sleeping now?”
The other boy has already his eyes closed, his hair falling over his eyes. Jongin has his hair too long for a guy, but Kyungsoo doesn’t say a word about it because he thinks maybe it’s Jongin’s kind of style and it suits him well anyway, although it’s really unusual for him to see a boy with his curly hair reaching his shoulders.
Jongin is mumbling incoherently Kyungsoo doesn’t understand, but makes him giggle by the cute actions Jongin is making. He probably doesn’t know how cute he looks like right now.
“I see someone!” Someone says from a distance. Kyungsoo’s eyes land over a group of boys approaching them. They are five boys that Kyungsoo doesn’t see much around whenever he’s in the playground. Right when the group has reached merely meters away from them, Jongin’s eyes narrow and he sems like he’s finally fully awake.
Kyungsoo doesn’t like the look Jongin has on his face and it gives him a feeling that this group of boys is bad news.
“Oh look, the dark skinny boy is here again.” One kid laughs followed by the others as they harmonize in a series of laughter.
Kyungsoo furrows his brows because he can’t get why these boys are laughing and who are they laughing at. But when he turns to Jongin, Jongin has his head hanging low, legs press together and his fingers gripping on his shorts.
Kyungsoo throws his head over the boys with a hard glare. He’s not stupid not to catch what they are after. He may be just a kid, but this occurrence is also common at school, but only he’s lucky that he’s not subjected from bullying.
“I bet when it gets dark, his mommy and daddy can’t see him because he’s so dark he blends in.” Another boy, the tallest from the group says before cracking up and clapping like a retarded seal.
His companions agree to him with nods and hums and yeses.
“Yeah! And look at his skin, it looks like a color of mud. It looks dirty!” The third boy snorts and laughs, high fiving with his friends as if it’s the greatest news they have ever received on that day.
“YAH!” Kyungsoo shoots out from his swing, his cheeks puffing, bushy brows scrunching as he faces the group of bullies.
“And just who are you?” The tallest tilts up his head as if challenging Kyungsoo, cracking his knuckles and a lilt of his lips into a smirk.
“Are you the dark skinny boy’s minion?” The boy with naturally brownish curly hair speaks up. He looks like Chinese and has girly features.
“I am no one’s minion! I’m Jongin’s friend!”
Kyungsoo derives a trump card, but he doesn’t use it at all. His rage is getting out of hand as he hears them laugh and continue to talk about how awful Jongin’s skin is for a Korean.
“You can see the dark boy? You befriend that ugly skinned skinny guy?” The boy with rectangular smile makes a silly playful face which makes a good strategy to irk Kyungsoo more.
“Yeah! And didn’t your parents teach you not to judge a person by his appearance? Why do you keep calling him dark skin boy? He’s not dark. He’s fair!” Kyungsoo rebuts, but it’s not enough. The boys won’t stop. They don’t run out of foul words to throw on Jongin.
“You may have big wide eyes but you’re blind.”
“I am not blind! I can see you all!” Kyungsoo is yelling, a behaviour he rarely displays.
“Kyungsoo, just ignore them.” Jongin suddenly speaks earning everyone’s attention.
The boy with huge ears in the middle of the group who is the tallest crosses his arms like a boss. Well, it seems like he is the boss of the group. “Ohh, I heard someone speaking but I can’t see him!”
The boys laugh again, clapping hands from amusement as they enjoy discriminating Jongin who remains in the swing and doesn’t put up a fight.
“It’s probably the soil speaking!” The Chinese looking boy adds sassily, shoulders shaking as he cackles.
“YAH!” Kyungsoo’s anger meter is speeding up to the highest peak and if this only were a cartoon, puffs of smoke is probably coming out from his ears and nose. He’s infuriated and Kyungsoo doesn’t want them to continue tormenting Jongin so he thinks of a way to stop this.
“What?”
“Stop teasing Jongin! He’s not dark! Why can’t you all understand that?”
“Because he’s ugly!”
Kyungsoo is furious. His fists are clenching from his sides and even if his parents and big brother always reminds him that violence will not do anything, he can’t just think of another way to defend Jongin from these foul mouthed kids so he stands up on his own feet and suddenly throws a punch to the tallest boy knocking him down like those professional boxers his dad loves to watch every weekend on television.
“Chanyeol!”
The boy with lisp bellows and turns to Chanyeol within a lightning speed. Kyungsoo feels guilty right after as he stands right in-front of the group with his knuckles hurting after a hard punch he threw to the boy.
But he deserves it anyway.
“Kyungsoo!” Jongin calls out but Kyungsoo remains on his spot, guilty and feeling bad for doing the wrong thing. He never had thrown a punch to anyone like this before, but because of these guys badgering his only friend, he can’t just stay immobile and idle and do nothing at all.
He has to save Jongin from these bullies. They need to be punished.
But what if his mom knew what he had just done?
He will totally disappoint her as well as his dad and his big brother.
But again, he deserves the punch. He deserves more than a punch.
Dazed from his thoughts lurking in his head, Kyungsoo isn’t able to protect himself from a hard push one of the bullies does, sending him powerless on the ground. His butt hurt from the push, the heels of his hands glued on the dirty ground. He winces. Remnants of soil stick to his skin and on his shirt.
The enraged boy with a rectangular smile and cat-like eyes towers over him. “How dare you hurt Chanyeol. What’s so great about your friend anyway? He’s just a wimp.”
“Jongin is not a wimp!” Kyungsoo stands and faces the bully.
The boy is an inch taller than him, but he’s not intimidated, yet he receives another hard shove and he isn’t able to balance himself once again even if he tries to withstand the push. Kyungsoo falls on the ground and just before he sits up, the five irate boys tower around him, glaring and smirking at him.
Kyungsoo’s hate on them intensifies. He hates their guts. They are all just kids so why do they need to prove themselves that they are all mighty through bullying who they deem to be inferior to them?
There’s padding of feet on the ground. “Stop it! Don’t hurt him!” Jongin draws near, but one of the bullies trips Jongin on the ground, sending him face flat on the ground.
“The chocolate boy meets chocolate soil!”
The group double up in laughter and Kyungsoo clenches his teeth in exasperation. Their laughter is now a buzz in his ears and his vision blurs as they look up to them then towards Jongin who is helpless and doesn’t even raise his fist unlike him.
Jongin doesn’t fight back. Well, he actually tried earlier, but it was futile.
“You’re chubby don’t you know that? You’ll get fat if you don’t stop eating a lot. And look at you, you’re just a wimp too.” They tell to him and Kyungsoo’s tears threaten to erupt, but he holds them back because he can’t let them have the upperhand. He can’t let them see him in his vulnerable state. He might be just a kid, but he can fight for what he knows is good and protecting Jongin is the least thing he can do.
Yet, the fact that their words strike him hurt a lot.
“You must be eating too much sweets.”
“You’re still even wearing your backpack. What a loser.”
“Then dark boy must love eating chocolates. Dark chocolates that’s why his skin is like that.”
Kyungsoo groans in anger and lifts his hand again, but the boy with lisp avoids his attack making Kyungsoo fall down on his knees and it hurt.
“What’s so fun in bullying us? Why don’t you just play instead wasting your time teasing us?” Kyungsoo grits, but it falls on deaf ears as the bullies continue to titter and throw insults to them.
Jongin, suddenly presses to his side and hugs his waist and shakes his head as to say stop. Jongin is teary eyed. It’s obvious that a few tears escape his lids. Kyungsoo, however, stands up and spreads his arms out as if to shield Jongin from the dangers these kids might inflict on him.
“Bully me all you want but stop bullying Jongin!” Kyungsoo says sternly and the boys stop as they look up at him in surprise, but Chanyeol has this annoying look on his face.
The sun sinks down from the horizon and the sky is splashed with pink and red orange as the street lamps flicker one by one.
“You got the nerve wimp. What are you ,Superman?”
“That’s gay. He’s like that dark boy’s Superman eww.”
“Or maybe Wonderwoman.”
“Stop it!” Kyungsoo shouts to the last person who speaks and glowers at him, before turning to Chanyeol. “Mom said, those kids who do bad things will not receive gifts from Santa on Christmas and doing bad things will receive nightmares at sleep. So if I were you, I will do good things, I will be a good boy so I won’t have nightmares at night and I will receive lots of gifts from Santa. So please stop bullying Jongin if you don’t want to have nightmares later this night.”
“You’re lying!” Chanyeol scowls, but the other boy behind him holds his arm and shakes his head.
“I think he’s right Chanyeol. Maybe that’s why we didn’t receive gifts from Santa last year because we’re bad kids.”
The boy with lisp is hugging himself, shaking. “I hate nightmares. I don’t wanna dream about zombies chasing me again.”
“Aish. Let’s go home!” The other suggests, but Chanyeol gives Kyungsoo a hard glare first before leaving with his friends.
Kyungsoo heaves a sigh of relief and winces from pain. He ignores it for a moment, but he knows there is a deep scratch on his knee.
Surprisingly, Jongin is already right in-front of him, bended down. “Get on my back.”
“I am fine.”
“You’re not.”
“Come on.”
“Jongin I’m fine it’s just a scratch.”
“Please Kyungsoo?” Jongin’s pleading face weakens Kyungsoo, so he surrenders and gets on Jongin’s back, but Jongin’s knees give up in an instant and falls.
“Jongin!” Kyungsoo calls out in worry. “Are you sure about this? I can walk.”
Jongin tries to stand again, holding Kyungsoo’s legs with difficulty. “Just hold on to me. I can do this.”
Not entirely sure about this, Kyungsoo tries to get off from Jongin’s back, but Jongin throws him another pleading plus puppy eyes that Kyungsoo is sure he can’t say no to.
Kyungsoo hums in agreement and holds Jongin’s neck loosely.
“Fine!”
Jongin reaches the second lamp post by giving Kyungsoo a piggyback when he falls again for the second time.
“Jongin!”
“I’m fine. This is what I can do to say thank you to you.”
“You don’t need to. You’re just making this hard for you. I can walk Jongin.”
“But I want to do - “ Jongin stands on his feet as strong as he can and walks again. “ - this.”
Falling silent, Kyungsoo lets Jongin do what he wants, yet with unnecessary falls over and over again. Even if Kyungsoo wants to tell him to stop, he knows Jongin will not, so he lets him do what he pleases and Kyungsoo is left thinking about Jongin’s bullies and he wonders when they started bullying him like that, but he doesn’t ask.
“This is my fault. K-Kyungsoo I’m sorry.” Jongin breaks the silence with an apology that he really doesn’t need to do.
“No, it’s okay. Are you okay Jongin? I can just walk by myself. You don’t need to carry me home. I’m heavy.” Kyungsoo’s face scrunches up to a sad expression as he remembers those painful words that made his chest clenched earlier. “I’m chubby anyway.”
Jongin winces and Kyungsoo doesn’t fail to notice it. Yet, Jongin speaks sternly, “So what if you’re chubby? That’s you and that makes you even cuter Kyungie.”
“Cute? A-And you called me Kyungie? Is that the nickname you’ll start calling me from now on?”
“You can give me a nickname too if you want.” Jongin offers with a giggle but he keeps on wincing and Kyungsoo’s first instinct is to look for an empty bench.
“Jongin, let’s rest first on that bench!” Kyungsoo points his forefinger to an empty bench and Jongin makes his way towards it. Once they settle, Jongin slumps on the seat covering his knee with his dirty palm and it’s obvious that he’s hurting.
“You’re wounded aren’t you?” Kyungsoo asks before crouching in-front of his scraped knee. “Oh Jongin this is my fault.”
“It’s not.” Jongin sniffles, yet his eyes are trained also over Kyungsoo’s knee. “You got your knee scraped too.” He croaks.
“What?” Kyungsoo asks, bug eyed as he fishes out his medicine kit from his backpack. His medicine kit is Pororo designed and once Jongin sees it, his lips tug into a wide smile.
“You like Pororo Kyungsoo?”
The other boy brings out a cotton and a cleansing solution. “Hm?” He looks at Jongin’s curious eyes, before applying the ointment on Jongin’s wound, making him emit a cringing reaction.
“It h-hurts.” Jongin seems to be in the verge of crying, his eyes tightly shut while Kyungsoo coaxes him as he cleanse the wound like how his mom does it to him whenever he hurts his knees before when he was five and six.
“Uhm, d-do you like Pororo?”
Kyungsoo gives him an innocent stare and he pulls out a Pororo band-aid from his kit and sets it on Jongin’s wound before sporting out a wide smile for deeming to be a good nurse to his friend.
“I do! Pororo is the cutest. Look, your band-aid is Pororo too.”
“Really?” Jongin excitedly looks at his knee and beams to his friend as he sees the band-aid. “But you’re hurt too Kyungsoo. I saw your knee. You fell a lot earlier because of those kids.”
Kyungsoo pouts, climbs on the bench and sways his dangling legs while staring at his scraped knee. “It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt that much anyway.”
Looking down on the ground sadly, Jongin says, “I’m sorry you have to face those kids and now you hurt yourself.”
Dabbing ointment on his own wound, Kyungsoo flinches this time from pain, but he bears on it even if he already badly wants to cry.
“Kyungsoo,” Jongin watches him intently, his eyes darting back and forth on his face and on his wound.
“Kyungsoo!” Someone calls from a distance and the two kids dart their heads towards the owner of the voice and Kyungsoo grins and calls back.
“Seungsoo hyung!!” Kyungsoo resumes in applying the band-aid on his wound, the same band-aid he used on Jongin and once he’s done, Seungsoo is already beside him, meeting his eye level and frowning.
“Kyungsoo what happened to you? Why are you full of scratches and look at your shirt. Did you fall?” Seungsoo glances at Jongin who cowers his head shyly, fingers twiddling on his lap. The elder from them, gives Kyungsoo an eye, “Explain.”
Kyungsoo’s heart is beating fast. He’s afraid to tell the truth, yet he doesn’t want to lie from his favourite brother. “Promise you won’t get mad at me.”
Seungsoo sighs and nods, “But you have to tell the truth.”
“Okay,”
“Can I tell the truth instead for Kyungsoo?” Jongin suddenly speaks and the siblings turn to him. Kyungsoo is about to speak, but Jongins beats him to it.
“Kyungsoo saved me from my bullies. H-He - “ Jongin asks permission to Kyungsoo if he should continue and Kyungsoo fills in the blanks for him.
“I had a fight with them.”
Seungsoo’s wide eyes settle on his little brother. He can’t believe his brother will resort to violence for a friend. It is Kyungsoo’s first act of violence and it’s very unlikely of Kyungsoo to do it, yet he kinda understands where Kyungsoo is coming and what he’s fighting for which is very admirable of him as a kid.
“Then I punched their leader, but they pushed me on the ground so I got myself dirty and wounded hyung. I am deeply sorry. I deserve punishment for this. Santa will not be happy to know this and I will have nightmares from now on because I hurt a kid. But he hurt Jongin too with his words hyung so I did it even if I know it’s wrong.” Kyungsoo confesses guiltily and Jongin beside him is scared of what will be the outcome of this for Kyungsoo.
“Please don’t punish Kyungsoo. He’s good to me. He saved me. If not for him, those kids will throw mud at me again if he wasn’t there to save me.” Jongin sniffles and tears pour out from his eyes. Jongin wipes his tears with his arm and Kyungsoo furrows his brows in sadness because Jongin’s tear streaked face hurts him too.
“Jongin, please don’t cry.” He asks him, but the revelation that those kids even did worse things to him before makes him want more to protect Jongin.
“So, h-hyung, “ Jongin bravely confronts Kyungsoo’s brother and says, “Don’t punish him. Don’t hurt Kyungsoo. He’s hurt enough. He was bullied too. The kids called him chubby.”
Seungsoo is silent for awhile, processing all the information he got from the two kids and also weighing decisions on what he should do about this.
“I’m glad you two told me about this.” He gave the two boys a small smile, but deep inside, he’s glad that the kids are fine despite facing a group of bullies. “Kyungsoo, you might have done something reckless, but you did a great job of taking care of your playmate. I know mom will not get mad at this, in-fact, I think she’ll be proud of you for fighting for what you know is right. Although, like we would always say, violence is not the only way to settle things. I can still give you a punishment Kyungsoo because violence is a no, no.”
“But hyung - “ Jongin protests, yet he receives a pat on his head by Seungsoo and an assuring smile that he will not impose a grave punishment for his little brother. He can’t do it, not when Kyungsoo did something remarkable and very heroic.
“I’m not going to hurt my own brother Jongin,” His shoulders quiver as a bubble of laughter spills from his lips before making a turn to his brother. “Just no sweets for you for now in a week, understand?”
Kyungsoo’s lips form into a pout, but nods nonetheless even if it breaks his heart that he will not have a taste of sweet treats starting that day onwards.
Although from the thought of sweets that Kyungsoo loves indulging, he remembers again those words that pinned his heart from those bullies. “I’m chubby anyway.”
“Kyungsoo,” Both Jongin and Seungsoo choruses, but Seungsoo supplies ahead, “Kyungsoo, you might be chubby, but that makes you unique. Face value is nothing if you don’t have the heart. Don’t let their words affect you that much. Even if you’re chubby, I still love you as my brother, mom and dad loves you and your playmate - “he gestures his head to Jongin, “ - likes you so don’t be sad. You’re cute like that and that is you, the real you.”
Understanding his brother’s point, Kyungsoo pulls up a smile and just from the thought of Jongin liking him even if he’s chubby is already enough. His brother is right, his parents and his brother loves him anyway and he has a nice friend who is Jongin who accepts him as he is and he accepts Jongin as well for who he is and what he is.
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo giggles a little as Jongin yawns and his eyes are about to fall shut again. “I know you’re sleepy, but like what hyung said, I like you too and you’re not dark. Don’t listen to those kids.”
Jongin blushes from his friend’s words, yet he returns him with a happy smile. “Hyung is right too, I like you too, chubby or not. Don’t listen to those kids too.”
Seungsoo straightens up and watches the two boys giggle together in the silence of the night. The cold breeze passes by and dinnertime is calling them as their stomachs rumble asking for food.
The case is finally closed, but one thing for sure, Seungsoo will not let those bullies hurt his brother and his friend again and that if he sees them and catches them bullying his little brother and his friend, he will not let them get away, until he’s rest assured that they will not bother the two ever.
“I guess we have to go now.”
“Jongin let me and hyung walk you home!”
“Is it okay?” Jongin gets up from his seat while looking up to Seungsoo and Kyungsoo holding hands together.
The siblings nod at the same time and Kyungsoo reaches out his hand for Jongin to take, “Let’s go home?”
Jongin accepts his friend’s hand and holds it. “Will I see you again tomorrow?”
Kyungsoo turns to his big brother and Seungsoo chuckles, his lips curving up into a smile as he says, “Of course you will.”
And that’s how their day ends.