By the time a month has passed, Kibum is much more comfortable with his job. He knows the names of the children in each class, which teacher to call when there’s an issue, and he’s even gotten the hang using the radios. He’s also getting more comfortable with his coworkers. He can finally eat in the administration lounge and has become an important participant of wine night (Kyuhyun deems him necessary after Kibum demonstrates an unparalleled knowledge of white wines). One thing he still hasn’t gotten the hang of is dealing with emotional students. He consults Minho and Suho often about it, even going as far as to talk with Irene and Sooyoung, the 1st and 3rd grade teachers, respectively, as to what he should do. So it’s no surprise that he’s in over his head when Chanyeol has a major breakdown during art class.

Minho is in the lounge having lunch when it happens. He’s enjoying his latest sandwich masterpiece when the radio begins to crackle.

“Uh...Art to....Art to K1?”

There’s panic in Kibum’s voice and a distinct wail in the background and even though Minho knows what’s probably wrong, he’s still worried. He starts packing up what remains of his lunch.

“This is K1, go ahead.”

“Please hurry.”

He reaches the multipurpose room in moments. When he gets there, Chanyeol is wailing, sitting in a ball on the ground, small hands pulling at his own hair. There’s spilled paint all over the table threatening to go on the floor. Kibum is crouched on one side of Chanyeol, Jaemin on the other. While Jaemin seems calm, Kibum is most definitely not; he looks about to cry. Minho feels a hand tugging at his pants. He looks down to see Seojun.

“Mr. Minho, Chanyeol isn’t ok,” he whispers.

Minho crouches down so that he’s at eye level.

“Did you see what happened?”

Seojun nods. “Chanyeol and Jaemin were painting together. We’re painting together today. Jaemin’s arms are too short to reach so Mr. Kibum moved the cups closer. Chanyeol’s arms are too long and he spilled them all and it got all over their painting.”

Minho takes a deep breath. There had been an incident like this last year too and it had played heavily into the decision to have him repeat the grade.

“Thank you, Seojun. Can you please go get the paper towels off of Mr. Kibum’s bookshelf and bring them over to Mr. Kibum?”

Seojun nods and makes his way to the bookshelf. Minho stands and walks over to where the three are huddled up. He realizes the entire class is quietly staring at them and quickly instructs everyone to keep working on their pieces, waiting until they’ve all followed directions before crouching down again.

“Thanks for coming, Minho. I can’t get him to respond or anything and I didn’t know what to do.” Kibum whispers quickly.

“I’ll take care of this if you can go back to watching the others. A continued audience is the last thing he needs.”

Kibum hesitates, then stands and begins walking around. Minho lets Chanyeol sit a minute longer before talking to him.

“Chanyeol, I’m here, buddy. Can we talk?”

Chanyeol doesn’t answer immediately, but his wails become softer. He moves his hands out of the way enough that he can look at Minho and nod.

“Do you want to talk in here or would you be more comfortable in the hall?”

There’s another pause and Chanyeol looks at the door.

“Ok, we can go in the hallway. Is it ok if Jaemin comes with us? I know you guys were working together and he might be able to help us sort it out.”

Another pause, a sniffle, and then finally a nod. Minho reaches his hand out and Chanyeol takes it with one hand, keeping the other firmly rooted in his hair. They make their way out into the hallway and Minho crouches back down.

“Jaemin, can you tell me what happened?”

Jaemin glances at Chanyeol before nodding.

“We were painting. Mr. Kibum tried to put the paint cups to the side so that they wouldn’t get knocked over but I couldn’t reach them so he moved them so I could reach. I moved them more closer because my arm was tired. I didn’t put them back when I was done with the color and they got in Chanyeol’s way and spilled all over the place. But it’s ok because I didn’t like what I painted anyway.” He lightly pats Chanyeol on the shoulder, checking to see if he’s still crying.

“Thank you for being honest with me, Jaemin. I’ve got Chanyeol, so you can go back and paint some more if you like.”

Jaemin nods and heads back into the classroom. As soon as Jaemin is in and the door is closed, Chanyeol starts crying again, though less loudly than before.

“I’m going to sit here next to you, ok?” Minho waits til Chanyeol nods before sitting between him and the door.  “When you feel a little better we can talk about what happened if you want to. You’re not in trouble, Chanyeol. We’re just going to sit here until you feel like you can talk to me or go back in the room. I know you’re upset and that’s ok. I’m right here, it’s going to be ok.” He lets Chanyeol hold his hand with both of his, holding it up to his forehead.

In the year and a half that Minho had Chanyeol, there had been a handful of incidents like this. It always happened during group work that involved making something. He knows well enough to just let Chanyeol be upset initially, that they can talk through it later. The most important part is to physically be there and offer reassurance as he asks for it. After another 5 minutes, Chanyeol’s stopped crying.

“Are you ready to talk to me? There’s only a few minutes before we have to go back to the classroom, but we can wait to talk til snack time if you’re not ready.”

Chanyeol doesn’t respond, but continues to hold Minho’s hand.

“Let’s wait to talk until snack time, ok? We’re going to play board race when we get back to the classroom. Do you feel ok to play that?”

Chanyeol shakes his head.

“Ok, that’s fine. Would you like to sit in the quiet space instead?”

Chanyeol nods.

“Do you want to be alone or do you want someone to sit with you?”

Again, Chanyeol doesn’t respond. Minho tries a different approach.

“Tap my hand once if you want to sit by yourself or three times if you want someone to sit with you.”

After a moment, there’s a single tap. Minho’s plan had originally only accounted for having two teams of five, but three teams of three would also work. His buzzer goes off in his pocket.

“Ok Chanyeol, it’s time to go back to the classroom now. I’m going to go get the rest of the class. You can sit here if you want or you can come in with me, whichever you like better. You can walk with me on the way.”

Chanyeol nods but doesn’t move to get up, so Minho goes in the room alone. Kibum’s finishing helping them clean up, so it takes them a minute to line up. Jaemin asks to stand next to Chanyeol but Minho tells him that Chanyeol is going to be the caboose since he’s still upset so he goes to stand with Haechan instead. Minho grabs his radio out of his pocket as they assemble into their little line.

“K1 to L45”

“This is L45, go ahead.”

“Switch to channel 3.”

Minho turns the nob and waits to hear from Suho.

“On 3. What’s up Minho”

“I have a code Kappa.”

“Copy. Going back to your room?”

“Yup.”

“Give it 10 or so.”

“Copy. Thanks Suho.”

They walk back to the classroom quietly with Seojun leading the line -- his reward for helping Kibum clean up the paints while letting Jaemin make a new painting with Seoeun. Chanyeol holds Minho’s hand the whole way, hiccuping every few steps. When they get to the classroom, he tells the other children to make their teams, partially to see if they're successful at counting it out. He walks Chanyeol to the quiet space. It’s a little corner of the room; it's vaguely defined by a cloud shaped rug, there’s a few pillows, some stuffed animals, and a box with some quiet activities for them to choose from. He makes sure Chanyeol is stable and set up with a coloring book and then proceeds with his lesson. As the game goes on, Minho makes sure to look towards Chanyeol every so often, not only to verify that he was still there but also to assure him that he wasn’t forgotten about. Ten minutes and two rounds into the game, there’s a knock on the door. It opens and Suho pokes his head inside. Minho makes eye contact and nods. Suho exits and Chanyeol’s older brother Kyungsoo slips into the room. Minho waves to him and Kyungsoo nods before heading back to sit with Chanyeol.

The rest of the day goes by rather smoothly. When the game is finished and it’s time for reviewing the lessons from yesterday, Chanyeol is calm enough to rejoin the class. Minho radios Suho to let him know that Kyungsoo is headed back and is relieved when he sees Jaemin happily accept Chanyeol’s apology in the form of a batman coloring page. When the end of the day comes, Chanyeol’s dad comes to pick him up. Minho asks him if they he can stay and have a chat, hoping to mention the days incident to him, but he’s in a rush and declines staying. As he watches Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and their father leave, Minho can’t help but worry. While he wants to see him succeed and move on to the next grade, he worries that it’ll still be too much for him. After his last student leaves, he sets about tidying the room and prepping it for the next morning. An hour or so later, there’s a knock on the door and Kibum comes in. He still looks shaken up, standing quietly while Minho finishes wiping down his tables.

“Was Chanyeol ok?” he asks finally.

“Yeah, he’s fine. He just needs a little extra time and reassurance sometimes. Thankfully Jaemin was kind about the whole thing.”

“It was kind of weird, first Chanyeol needed to go out and then that fourth grader, Kyungsoo, he had to go out too.”

“Kyungsoo was in here. No one’s better at helping Chanyeol sort himself out.”

Kibum looked puzzled. Obviously Suho hadn’t mentioned anything.

“Kyungsoo and Chanyeol are brothers. I know it doesn’t seem that they would be, since they have almost complete opposite temperaments, but they are. Kyungsoo acts like he’s annoyed by Chanyeol all the time but in reality, he’s very protective of him.”

“Never would’ve guessed that.”

Minho laughs. “No one ever does.”

“So how did you learn to give him that extra time and reassurance?”

Minho pauses and starts gathering papers together, sitting down as he arranges his words.

“The very first time Chanyeol had a meltdown like that was during an almost identical project during the second week of school. He was even worse then, since he didn’t know how to deal with it. I’m talking full out screaming, hitting himself, the whole shabang. I had taken a two week crash course of sorts about special education, mostly out of curiosity, so I tried to use all the techniques I could remember from that to help calm him down. Eventually he got it out of his system. When his parents came to pick him up, I asked if he’d ever had a fit like that before. They said yes, but they wouldn’t give me any hints as to why or what to do if he had it again, like they were embarrassed by it. It was really upsetting to me, the way they ignored it. It happened a few more times after that, but then during field day I finally got the answer I was looking for. Kyungsoo happened to be nearby and caught him just as it started. Held his hands, sat with him, whispered little things to him. I was amazed. When Chanyeol was calm again, I pulled Kyungsoo to the side to ask him about it. He told me that they had a very unkind nanny when Chanyeol was younger and that even though she was only present for a few months, it’d had a lasting impact. He told me all the little things that he knew helped and gave me advice on how to help avoid situations where he’d feel that way. The admins always compliment me on my evaluations for being patient and accommodating with my students; everyone says it’s just my nature to be that way. But with Chanyeol it’s the first time I’ve ever really had to sit and be very deliberate with what I’m doing. Making sure that my actions match what I’m saying and not what I’m feeling; checking in with him during team activities; just being extra supportive. Luckily for me, Kyungsoo is always top of his class, so when I don’t think I’m enough to help Chanyeol get back on track, Suho and Kyuhyun are always willing to send him over here.”

Kibum, who’s taken a seat next to Minho, shakes his head.

“Poor thing. I know how he feels though. You’re definitely lucky to have Kyungsoo, though not as lucky as Chanyeol is.”

Minho nods.

“Have they tried putting him in counseling or anything? I know it’s hard with children so young, but it sounds like he needs it.”

“I’ve suggested it to his parents a few times and Leeteuk heavily recommended it when the decision was made to have him stay in here. They’re adamant he’ll grow out of it, but that’s not something you grow out of.”

Kibum shakes his head and sighs.

“Are you doing okay? You looked pretty shaken up when I got there. I know you’re still getting used to that part and that it is kind of shocking to deal with but still.”

“Yeah, I’m fine now. I had...I had a similar sounding experience growing up, so it was like watching little me. I definitely couldn’t have handled it by myself.”

“Well luckily for both of you I’m here.”

Kibum smiles at the comment but doesn’t make eye contact. Minho wants to ask more about Kibum’s background but isn’t sure how to. The papers get sorted and Minho’s officially ready to go home. He grabs his stuff out of his desk and Kibum follows him to the breakroom to clock out. When they get to the parking lot, Kibum turns to Minho.

“Minho, I know you already did me a solid today but can I ask you for another favor?”

“Probably. What is it?”

Kibum fiddles with the sleeves of his cardigan, obviously embarrassed and unsure of how to ask. Minho doesn’t rush him, instead waiting for Kibum to work it out.

“Could you walk me home? I think...I think I’m a little more...shaken up about it than I’m letting myself be.” He sounds unsure of himself but Minho is more than happy to oblige.

“I can definitely walk you home.”

He offers his elbow for Kibum to hold on to. Kibum hesitates, but in the end takes it. The walk from the school to the bus stop is silent, as is the bus ride and the walk to Kibum’s apartment building. He doesn’t try to shoo Minho away at the building door this time, instead holding on just a little bit tighter. When they reach the 5th floor, there’s a bright orange paper on Kibum’s door. It’s an eviction notice. Kibum unlocks the door, takes the paper down, invites Minho inside. Though it had only been a month since he’d been in the apartment, it looks significantly worse. His patches are at their limit and the telltale musty smell of mold has taken over.

“You can sit if you like, do you want anything to drink?”

“I’m ok, Kibum, thank you.”

Kibum heads to the fridge but halfway there he stops and brings his hands to his face, chest heaving. Minho walks over, takes the notice out of Kibum’s hands, and envelopes him in a hug. Kibum tenses at first, obviously unaccustomed to being hugged, but softens after a few moments. Minho doesn’t say anything, allowing Kibum to have the cry that he’s obviously needed for a while. After a fwhile, Kibum collects himself and pulls away from Minho.

“I’m sorry I just...they’re terminating my tenancy because this apartment is unlivable but I can’t afford to change to a different room this was literally the only place I could get no one else would even look at my application.” He pauses, runs his hands through his hair. “I don’t know where I’m going to go.”

“You could stay with me.”

Kibum laughs bitterly, finally looking at Minho.

“No, really I’m serious. I live alone in a two bedroom apartment right now. My roommate moved out like 3 months ago.”

Kibum chews his lip and looks at the floor.

“I can afford the rent on my own, but it would be nice to have someone else living there. It’s kind of creepy to be honest. It comes with furniture and everything.”

“I don’t know.....I dont want to take advantage of you or be a burden or anything.”

“How long do you have until you have to move out?”

“Twenty days.”

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you grab some of your stuff, enough for a few nights, and come try out my apartment. If you like it and want to move in,  we can figure out some sort of rent arrangement if you want. If not, then you can just stay until you find somewhere else to go. I don’t trust you being here, Kibum. If they’re forcing you out because it’s unlivable then you need to get out of here quick.”

Kibum runs his hand through his hair again and sighs.

“Ok. Give me a few minutes to pack. I don’t have that much stuff anyway. I think you’ve seen my entire wardrobe at this point.”

“Do you need any help?” 

Kibum smiles.

“No, thanks. I’ll be quick.”

Minho nods as Kibum disappears into his room. He pulls out his phone to keep busy, laughing at the messages that pop up.

Suho: linking arms? Seems a little romantic to me for a dude who isn't interested in his coworker

Kyu: really? Right in front of the kids?

Minho: the Chanyeol incident had him shaken up and he asked if I could walk him back to his apartment

Suho: wait are you there now???

Minho: yeah

Suho:  THEN WHY ARE YOU TEXTING US GET SOME, BOI

Minho: -_-

Minho: it’s not like that and you know it

Kyu: jeez suho get it right

Kyu: it’s ‘THEN WHY ARE YOU TEXTING US WHEN YOU SHOULD BE DECLARING YOUR UNDYING AND UNBRIDLED AFFECTION’

Suho: u right

Minho: he’s packing right now.

Kyu: ????

Suho: did you already confess???? Are you guys eloping???? Can i be your best man at the wedding???

Minho: he might be moving in with me

Kyu: aren’t you supposed to date before you move in together

Minho: -_-

Minho: he’s living in that ty apartment in King’s Court and I’m worried that he’s going to get sick so he’s going to try living in Donghae’s old room. It’s purely friendly.

Chang: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

Minho rolls his eyes. Of course they’d go there. He puts his phone away just as Kibum comes out with a backpack and a small suitcase.

“Ready?” 

“Ready as I’m going to be.”

Minho grabs the roller suitcase and they make their way out of the building. This time, Kibum’s the one who links their arms together. It takes Minho by surprise, though he tries not to let it show. They stop for take-out on the way manage to get to Minho’s 3rd floor apartment before it has the chance to get cold. They eat in relative silence and Minho wonders if he’s done the right thing. When he shows Kibum to his room he suddenly feels incredibly shy. He excuses himself to go shower, allowing Kibum to unpack. Part of him says to shower quickly, in case Kibum needs him; part of him says to shower slowly, both to clean off the day and give Kibum a breather. He initially goes with short shower, but gets so lost in his shower thoughts it ends up being a long one. He reminds himself to actually put some pants on before going back out. Though they were close enough to contemplate living together, he didn’t figure Kibum was quite ready for just chilling in boxers yet. Especially since most of his are odd novelty ones that Changmin buys him for Christmas every year. Kibum’s in the kitchen when he comes out of his room.

“I know it’s really early but I think I’m going to go ahead and turn in for the night.” he says, getting a glass of water.

“I think I am too. I usually turn the air down a little bit more at night, there should be extra blankets in your bathroom closet if you get cold.”

“Thank you. For everything. It really means a lot that you’re willing to let me stay like this.”

“Don’t worry about it, Kibum. I’m happy to help.”

Both of them get shy and Kibum slowly walks to his new room. He quickly says goodnight before closing the door. Minho gets himself a drink and goes back to his room as well. He checks his phone before getting into bed. The group chat had been going continuously since they’d left Kibum’s apartment, but he hasn’t bothered checking any of the messages. The three most recent are enough to tell him that nothing important has been said

 

Chang: you should wear the boxers I got you this last Christmas he’ll definitely fall for those i guarantee it ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Kyu: when was the last time donghae’s room was even cleaned is it even safe in there

Suho: I hope you know that if you get married and i’m not there that i will be distraught for the rest of our lives and haunt you for it forever.

 

He laughs at the absurdity of the whole day. As he gets into bed, it occurs to him that he might see Kibum’s sleepy face and he quickly falls asleep trying to imagine it.