Prompt: angst baeksoo with a pint of hurt/comfort

Word Count: 3644

“Kyungsoo looks bummed.”

Baekhyun stares at his friend with a brow slightly raised. Kyungsoo has his head buried in his arms on the table, unmoving. He hears Jongdae click his tongue at the sight. “He never did told us what happened. I tried asking him one time, didn’t answer – made me look like I was talking in mid-air. Do you think we should go there and cheer him up?”

Chanyeol sighs. “I don’t know, man. I want to but he looks like he needed some space.”

It pains him to see Kyungsoo like this. Usually, he’d be this naggy guy who likes to point out Chanyeol’s untidiness and Jongdae’s lower grades that pops out of nowhere and gives them an earful. Kyungsoo can be savage at times and the jokes he would say always makes Baekhyun laugh. Every morning before class, Kyungsoo would meet up with them with that gentle smile. Seeing the younger male in this state isn’t right.

“I got this.” Baekhyun approaches Kyungsoo’s desk. After all, Kyungsoo tells him everything. He’s bound to tell him what’s wrong.

He walks up to him, slowly coming to a stop when he’s near. From across, he grabs the chair and turns it around, pulling it to him and taking a seat there, his elbow on the table. “Good morning, Soo!” He gives the male a poke. “You asleep?” He sees Kyungsoo not budging. “Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo doesn’t acknowledge him and Baekhyun admits it stings a little. He’s not used to Kyungsoo ignoring him. As a matter of fact, Baekhyun’s one of the few people he wouldn’t dare ignore.

That afternoon, Baekhyun decided to follow said male home. “Kyungsoo!” He shouts, “Hey, wait up!” It makes him deflate a little, seeing as Kyungsoo didn’t bother to stop and wait for him as always and continues walking outside of the school building. He didn’t have any choice but to run to catch up. By the time he reached him, he was panting. Flashing him a smile, Baekhyun chirps. “Kyungsoo, hey. I told you to –“

Kyungsoo walked past him without even giving him a single glance.

Baekhyun sighs and puts his hands on his hips. With the younger acting like that, it could only mean that whatever Kyungsoo is going through right now, it’s hard. Somehow he understands what Kyungsoo’s been feeling. That only made Baekhyun’s resolve stronger.

“Kyungsoo, do you want some ice cream?”

“There’s this new item at KFC. Do you want to go there? My treat.”

“Want to watch a movie?”

Silently, Baekhyun tailed after Kyungsoo’s brooding form, feeling more dejected at every ignored things he said. But just as he was about to lose hope, Baekhyun sees a perfect opportunity that will definitely lighten Kyungsoo up. So he grabs Kyungsoo by the wrist and gives him a gentle pull. “It’s been a while since we last hang out at our favorite spot, Soo. Let’s go? Come on.”

But Kyungsoo acts as if he doesn’t hear and leaves Baekhyun’s hand suspended in mid-air.

Ouch.

In the end, Baekhyun ended up being the only one coming at the jungle gym – the place where Baekhyun and Kyungsoo used to climb on top and sit around, watching the blue sky or the twinkling stars. He sadly smiles once he reached the top and sits there, his legs dangling on air. He wanted to show Kyungsoo this place in hopes of cheering him up. Because whenever they’re here, Kyungsoo would tell him his problems at home or at school.

Since when did Kyungsoo stopped confiding to him? Aren’t they best friends?

“You look troubled. Is something bothering you?”

Baekhyun lets out a startled gasp, immediately looking down and sees a tanned skinned man, giving him a small smile and questioning eyes – those deep and clear brown eyes. He has three dogs on a leash, poodles, to be exact, and they’re also looking at him their tongues out and all that. Baekhyun blinks twice. “No.” He answers. “But thank you for your concern.”

“Oh, but you look really troubled and I can’t help but feel worried.” He shrugs. “Penny for your thoughts?”

It’s crazy how Baekhyun could spill everything from this stranger. He tells him of how they met and how he became so attached to Kyungsoo after that. He tells their many adventures and what Kyungsoo really is as a person. It was like passing down to memory lane: remembering a toothy Do Kyungsoo knocking on his door and asking him to come out and play when they were still seven. Even remembering how Kyungsoo rejected the girl who asked him to play as the father in their pretend house and declares that the only person he’ll consider as his wife is Baekhyun. The memory has Baekhyun blushing and giggling.

“So you like this person, is that it?”

Baekhyun sputters midway of talking about something, staring at the stranger with wide eyes. “W-What?” He waves his hands in dismissal. “No, I –“

“I’m just stating the obvious.” The stranger shifts in his seat and keeps an eye to his dogs playing around the small park, playing with each other from below. From how they’re not running away means that these dogs are very well trained. That or they’re just too attached to their owner. “Watching you talk about that person… it’s like that. There’s no use lying to me.”

“Uh, I –“ Baekhyun looks down, face turning red as a tomato. He clears his throat and looks away. “But that’s not the problem. It’s just… he’s facing something hard and difficult now and it pains me how useless I am now. I want to help him but how can I when he ignores me?”

“Have you told him what you really wanted to say?”

“H-Huh? What do you mean?”

“Tell him how you really feel.” The stranger slowly climbs down the jungle gym. “I promise whatever you wanted to tell him will get through.”

Baekhyun furrows his brows. “How I feel?”

“Uh-huh.” The stranger makes a loud whistle, rounding up his dogs before bending down to tie them back in their leash. “It’ll work out.”

Before the stranger leaves, Baekhyun cups his hands on his mouth and shouts. “Hey, I forgot to know your name!”

His eyes widens upon hearing that as if he’d just realized it too. He chuckles to himself and looks at Baekhyun with a smile. “Jongin.”

“Baekhyun.” He answers. “My name is Baekhyun and thank you!”

Jongin nods and leaves, giving him a small wave before doing so.  

Tell him how you really feel.

But what does he really feel? Staring at Kyungsoo’s slumped form on his desk, Baekhyun feels the energy draining on him upon seeing the younger male like yesterday. Chanyeol and Jongdae aren’t still here. They might get mad at him for not waiting for them but Baekhyun doesn’t care at this moment. Because right now, Kyungsoo is much more important.

What do you really feel, Baekhyun?

He stops in front of Kyungsoo, looking down on raven hair, his face buried in his arms as always. Gently, he lowers his hand and cards them on Kyungsoo’s hair, feeling soft tufts tickling his fingertips. He can feel his heart thump – skipping in every touch.

“Kyungsoo.” He whispers. “Soo-yah.”

“I just want you to know that whatever you’re going through right now, I’ll always be there.” He can feel Kyungsoo twitch at that. “I’ll always be there for you, Soo, you know that, right? So please… don’t be sad anymore, okay? It… hurts… seeing you like this. So stop moping around and – and maybe, we could continue that Kingdom Hearts game you still haven’t finished.”

It took a long while before Kyungsoo finally lifted his head and tilts his head up, staring straight at him. As if burned, he shrieked and took his hand off. Baekhyun can’t help but blush at how intense Kyungsoo’s gaze is – like he’s staring at him like an open book. But other than that, Kyungsoo looks like he just woke up.

Oh.

“I’m… hungry.”

Baekhyun laughs upon hearing this.

What he did may have been embarrassing, talking like that not knowing that Kyungsoo’s actually sleeping, but that’s not what matters. He sees Kyungsoo looking normal now, like he’s not acting all emo and depressed. He got through him and it made Baekhyun feel… happy.

He thought things were starting to become normal, but then he hears one morning from Chanyeol that Kyungsoo is seeing a psychiatrist. Like why does he even need one? There’s nothing wrong with Kyungsoo… right?

Jongdae sighs and munches on his sandwich, worried. “I don’t know what’s going but I really hope that he’s okay. His mom said that Kyungsoo’s been having trouble sleeping.” He stops and swallows before placing his sandwich down on his paper plate. “He even talks randomly, you know? Talks to himself. It’s crazy.”

Baekhyun furrows his brows. “It’s not crazy. Don’t say that, Jongdae.”

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