Changkyun took the same route home from school every day. He also took this same route every day last year, when he was in the sixth grade, and back then it kinda scared him- walking all by himself for nearly twenty minutes. Now that he’s in the seventh grade, however, he was much older and wiser- and truthfully, the walk had become dreadfully boring. Just the same boring scenery every day… that is, until the third day of seventh grade, when Changkyun started noticing a high school boy that took the same path with him for the latter half of his walk. The high school had always been on his route, but they got out earlier than the middle school, and Changkyun never saw any other high schoolers on his walk… just this one. And he wasn’t just any ordinary kid.

No- he was far more stylish and cool than any high schooler Changkyun had ever seen before. He was tall, and handsome, and everything Changkyun could ever dream of in a perfect boyfriend… the only issue was that Changkyun was way too short and young to ever grab the attention of a high schooler, let alone one who was this cool and fashionable. Plus… he probably wasn’t interested in men, either.

Changkyun hung his head down and distractedly bobbed his head to the music in his headphones, his eyes prickling with tears just from the knowledge that this strange, beautiful boy he walked behind every day would never, ever like him back… or give him a chance, all because Changkyun was tiny and gay. He knew that being gay was something to be ashamed of, or at least they weren’t liked in his school at all, and the few friends he’d confided in about his uality had told him a huge myriad of mean things… and continued to do so. Every. Day.

Yeah… this crush was probably gonna be one-sided forever. If Changkyun knew what was good for him, he’d give up on his little infatuation and just pretend like his mind never even went there to begin with. The major problem with this plan was one thing: Changkyun is in middle school, therefore: he had no idea what was good for him.

This crush blossomed into something Changkyun himself would easily describe as love no more than one week after having first seen this beautiful stranger. He watched him walk to an apartment complex not far from Changkyun’s house every day, saw the little saunter in his walk, the pride in his fashion and appearance. In Changkyun’s mind, this high school boy was a legend in his class- probably insanely popular with girls for his style and incredible good-looks. Changkyun felt jealous, and he wasn’t even introduced to the boy yet!

Today was a pretty normal day. It was 3PM on the Monday of the third week of school, and Changkyun was walking past the high school, just like he always did. He felt his heartbeat pick up, and Changkyun took a few more excited steps, knowing that once he rounded this corner- he’d see his love walking ahead of him, wearing yet another incredible outfit. As he rounded the corner, Changkyun’s eyes widened, and his chest pounded with an outpour of admiration and affection, his cheeks turning pink upon seeing his crush. As he took a few more steps, however, Changkyun noticed that something was a little... off.

Hoseok wasn’t walking down the street towards his apartment complex, just like every other day. Instead, he was holding an icepack to his face and slouched against the brick fence outside of the school. Changkyun felt his heart break at the wince that passed over the stranger’s handsome face. Even though they’d never even spoken, Changkyun couldn’t just ignore a person in pain. Scrambling towards the boy, Changkyun bit his lip, observing his haggard state with worried eyes.

“A-are you okay?” Changkyun asked, his voice trembling. He almost hit himself in regret, knowing that this boy was not in fact okay, and he didn’t need to sound like such a dork for stuttering out such a redundant question- 

“Heh, I’m okay kid,” the boy responded, cutting through all of Changkyun’s self-doubting thoughts. The high school boy looked so suave, so incredibly cool, even with an icepack to his face. Changkyun swallowed thickly, sweat beading on his face from both the heat of the summer and his own nervousness- here he was, actually talking to the love of his life!!

“I see you after school every day,” Changkyun explained, his heart pounding so loud he was sure his crush could hear it. He couldn’t manage to actually look at the boy in the eye, instead staring at his chest… which was more eye-level with him anyway. “I-I always think you look so cool, I-I kinda look up to you,” Changkyun continued, actually trembling from the pressure of talking to such a tall, handsome man so close.

“My name is Hoseok,” he simply responded, holding his hand out for Changkyun to shake. Honestly, Hoseok had never been seen as the object of a younger person’s admiration… it felt warm and soft- a much needed feeling after everything he’d just been through today. Hoseok smiled gently, staring down at the clearly frazzled boy speaking to him. 

Finally looking up into Hoseok’s eyes, Changkyun froze, his eyes widening at the intense, caring look in the older boy’s gaze. He looked absolutely, positively gorgeous, and to actually be acknowledged? Well, that was just icing on the cake! Changkyun eagerly took Hoseok’s hand, shaking it with care. 

“I’m Changkyun,” he replied, dropping his hand from Hoseok’s and blinking out of his love-induced haze, truly observing all of Hoseok’s cuts and bruises. He looked like he’d been used as a punching bag. “What happened to you, h-hyung?” Changkyun stuttered out, not knowing if calling him ‘hyung’ was going a bit far… especially since they’d just met each other. Hoseok smiled sadly, reaching his hand out to ruffle this cute, caring middle schooler’s hair.

“Bullies,” Hoseok plainly replies, lips quirking up in a mirthless smile, his eyes flicking to the ground in humiliation. Clearly this boy looked up to him… and he had to admit to being a victim of bullying right in front of him? It just made Hoseok feel bad, like a ty role-model.

Changkyun’s eyebrows drew together in confusion and he frowned, clearly not comprehending this explanation.

“Huh? How could such a popular guy like you get bullied?” Changkyun asked, not even knowing how cruel this question was- too naïve and young to fully understand. Hoseok winced, blinking slowly as he pressed the ice-pack a little closer to his cheek. He didn’t want to tell Changkyun the truth- that he wasn’t popular, or even generally liked by his class. He was an outcast, and an easy target for basically every bully at the school. But… Changkyun didn’t need to know this. 

“H-Have you ever been bullied?” Hoseok asks, pointedly avoiding the question and instead trying to change the topic. Changkyun hummed slowly, his eyes darting down to the floor as his entire mood rocketed downhill. Changkyun bit his lip, nodding slowly. 

“I’ve never been beat up before… but I get told a lot of nasty things by people I considered friends…” Changkyun admits, purposefully leaving out why. He didn’t want Hoseok to think he was something so many others thought was bad. Hoseok hummed thoughtfully, nodding his head. 

“Maybe we’re not so different then,” Hoseok says, smiling fondly down at this little middle-schooler, realizing that even though he was young- he had more heart and compassion than every kid at his school combined. Changkyun smiled happily, displaying two cute little dimples as he took a step closer to Hoseok.

“Hehe, maybe not!”

 

---

 

The next four days of the school week were absolutely lovely for both Hoseok and Changkyun. They’d spent every day talking together on their walks back to their houses, and a few people even mistook them for brothers, much to Changkyun’s chagrin. Despite that, Changkyun really felt like he was starting to get closer to Hoseok, actually get to know him. And the more he learned, the more he knew that Hoseok was The One. Nobody else could compare to him, not in the middle school or the high school- he was kind, and sweet, and never saw Changkyun as being lesser than him. 

It was everything Changkyun needed to confirm his love for the boy, and next week: he was going to ask Hoseok to hang out after school. Sunday came and went, and now that school was out on Monday, Changkyun walked to the high school with a nervousness that he hadn’t felt since his first encounter with Hoseok. In Changkyun’s mind, this was essentially asking Hoseok out on a date, only… he wouldn’t exactly specify that in front of Hoseok cause that might weird him out. Rounding the corner where Hoseok typically waited for him, Changkyun’s heart stopped as he saw only emptiness.

“Hyung?” Changkyun called out softly, turning his head around and looking anxiously for his older friend to magically appear out of thin air. Frowning worriedly, Changkyun briefly pondered the notion that more bullies had messed with his Hoseok, and his heart raced in his chest. Feeling his lower lip tremble, Changkyun shook his head, willing himself not to think of the worst possible scenario.

He stood where Hoseok always stood, and set his bag down, preparing to wait on Hoseok until he inevitably showed up. Surely he wouldn’t have just ditched Changkyun… right? But as more time passed, and Hoseok still wasn’t there, Changkyun was starting to think that Hoseok had really just left early without waiting on him. Looking down at his watch, Changkyun frowned, realizing that he’d been standing here for 20 minutes already, and that his mom was probably worried sick about him. Frowning, Changkyun picked up his bag, trudging back onto the sidewalk to walk back to his house. 

After school on Tuesday, Changkyun couldn’t help but have faith that Hoseok would be waiting for him this time. He even quickened his pace, hoping that yesterday it wasn’t actually his fault. As he rounded the corner, Changkyun’s face split into a huge grin as he sees Hoseok there waiting for him… but that grin quickly melts into a gasp of shock as he sees what state Hoseok is currently in.

Looking over at him with hooded, dark eyes- Hoseok looked like an absolute mess. He wasn’t even wearing his typical flamboyant clothing- instead opting for gray sweatpants and a black hoodie. His face was half-covered by the hoodie- but underneath a blooming black-eye was clearly obvious, and, when Hoseok moved his hand to wave at Changkyun- his arm was covered in a cast.

“H-hyung!” Changkyun called out, running over to Hoseok’s side, eyes watering with fear. “What happened?” he asked, concern clear on his face. Usually, Hoseok would smile and assure Changkyun that everything was okay… but today wasn’t like the other times that Hoseok had been bullied.

“Just bullies,” Hoseok replied, but his voice was cold, almost lifeless. Changkyun swallowed, his eyes flooding with worry and care, his hand reaching out to touch Hoseok’s shoulder gently.

“What could possibly warrant getting bullied until you need a cast?” Changkyun asks, not even able to stop the tears from flowing. He’d told Hoseok to talk to a teacher about his bullying problem, but Hoseok always insisted that it wasn’t that bad. Well, it had reached that point.

Swallowing thickly, Hoseok feels his restraint slip at the sight of Changkyun crying in front of him- crying just at the sight of how horrible Hoseok looked right now. He couldn’t possibly keep hiding this part of himself from Changkyun any longer, and honestly, what was the point of not telling Changkyun when his whole school knew anyway? 

“I’m gay,” Hoseok plainly answered, feeling bitterness and anger well up inside him. He had come out as openly gay at the end of last year, and this year- nobody was planning on letting him live without constantly reminding him of how much they disapproved of his personal life. Hoseok had been beaten, he’d been spat on, hell- he didn’t even mind the name-calling anymore! He thought he could handle it, but yesterday, after school… it had gone too far.

“They did this to you, for that?” Changkyun said, wiping away his tears as he faced the high school, raising his tiny little fist and shaking it in the direction of every that attended it.

“Yeah,” Hoseok plainly replied, blinking away the tears still pouring out of his eyes like a broken faucet. He didn’t even feel embarrassed- crying like this in front of his much younger friend, because right now… it felt better than lying. Changkyun looked back over to Hoseok, seeing how lifeless and cold he still looked. Changkyun knew that there wasn’t anything he could do to reverse what they did to Hoseok, but maybe, just maybe… talking about his own story might help him feel just a little bit better.

“I actually get bullied for the same reason,” Changkyun admitted, frowning. “But they haven’t broken my arm for it,” he continued, eyes staring honestly up into Hoseok’s. Staring down into Changkyun’s chubby little face with wide eyes, Hoseok scrunched his eyebrows together, wondering if he just heard the boy right.

“You’re gay too?” Hoseok asked, and Changkyun nodded, shrugging.

“Yes,” Changkyun said, and then stared over at the brick fence, pouting his lips slightly. “My so-called friends never let me forget it,” he continued, and Hoseok nodded, reaching his non-broken arm out to pull Changkyun to his body, giving him a tight hug.

“Don’t cry, Changkyunnie,” Hoseok said, and Changkyun blinked a few times, realizing that, wow, he was actually crying- just from saying that. Reaching his arms around Hoseok, Changkyun felt more tears pouring out, repressed fear and anxiety about his constant bullying draining from his body in one giant wave. Hoseok only held him, occasionally assuring him it would be okay. All this time, Changkyun had been comforting Hoseok, telling him that he’d ‘protect him’ and look out for him… All this time, Hoseok should’ve been doing the same for Changkyun. They had a lot more in common than they could ever hope to imagine having one month ago when they met. 

Feeling Hoseok’s cast-covered arm hold him from behind, Changkyun remembered what he really should be most concerned about right now- and that was comforting Hoseok.

“Hyung, you need to talk to somebody about this. Tomorrow. And tell your mom about it, she’ll help too. As for protecting you after school- you come straight here, to me,” Changkyun said, his voice commanding… with a small tremble from crying earlier. He held his back straight, staring up into Hoseok’s eyes with commitment. Hoseok nodded, smiling fondly at his dongsaeng with watery, thankful eyes. 

“And when we’re older- I’m gonna ask you to marry me, and I’ll never let you get hurt again,” Changkyun vowed, and Hoseok barked out a happy laugh, unable to resist the urge to ruffle this adorable kid’s hair, feeling happy for the first time all day. 

“I’m counting on you, kid,” Hoseok replied, and Changkyun frowned, blinking nervously.

“I’m not a kid, and you better!” Changkyun replied, and then grabbed Hoseok’s hand, leading him away from the brick gate. “If you want to, you could come hang out at my house today?” Changkyun offered, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment and eagerness. Hoseok smiled, gripping onto Changkyun’s hand tighter, thinking that there was no cuter person in the world.

“My mom would be worried about me- so how about we hang out at my place instead?” Hoseok suggested, and then started walking in the direction of his house. Changkyun visibly brightened, and he nodded eagerly, standing close to Hoseok as they walked back to his house, the first of many times, he’d hope~

**

Ten years later, they actually do get married- in a beautiful, springtime ceremony beside a lake. They wore blue and white, and Hoseok couldn’t stop crying throughout the entire ceremony. Changkyun didn’t even realize it, but he was crying too. <3