Kyungsoo digs through his closet, and pulls out his empty backpack from behind a stack of old nursing magazines Baekhyun must have stored in there while he wasn’t around. He smiles, because he didn’t think he’d even be looking at it again until he had to leave, but this—this is so much better.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol are sitting on Baekhyun’s bed, staring at him with matching, hopeful expressions on their faces as he heads over to his own bed and starts transferring the pile of nearly folded laundry into his bag. He’s got an embarrassingly small amount of pyjamas, he realizes, then, He makes a mental note to propose to Suho that they add clothes shopping to their list of things to do on his next check up day at the hospital.

“You’re moving in together,” Chanyeol sighs dramatically, eyes looking dreamy as he stares out the window. “You guys are really taking a step to the next level, aren’t you?”

“Moving in together?” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, chuckling, as he disappears into the bathroom momentarily to gather up his toiletries. When he returns to the room, Chanyeol’s hovering over his bed, pressing his palms down on the mattress and nodding in approval. “I’m staying with him for a couple weeks while he recovers. That’s all. You know…down the hall, at another dorm.”

“Uh huh. It’s a little too short. Baekhyun, do you think they’ll let me move my old bed in here? This mattress seems comfy but I’m a bit too tall for it.”

“Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo says sternly. “You’re not moving my bed! I still need it.”

“Really, Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun laughs like he’s exasperated. “You guys are already super serious. If Suho’s asking you to stay with him now, in a few weeks time when he’s all recovered, he’s not going to want you to leave. Especially when he’s going into active duty eventually…”

“Don’t remind me…” Kyungsoo mumbles sadly. The accident most certainly prolonged his enlistment, but since he’s expected to have a full recovery, in a few months time he’ll be sent into the air forces as planned.

“Please, Kyungsoo-sshi,” Chanyeol begs, pulling Kyungsoo out of his thoughts. “It’s been awfully lonely in my room since Sehun got transferred to the marines and that other guy that doesn’t talk replaced him. You stole my Baekhyunnie from me anyway. It’s about time you gave him back.”

“You can stay in here, that’s fine,” he says, as he slings his backpack over his shoulders and places his hands on his hips, staring at Chanyeol, hard, so he gets the point. “But don’t move my bed until we know for sure what’s going to happen with rooming arrangements, and, more than anything,” he takes a deep breath, and averts his gaze to Baekhyun, who he knows would be the initiator of something like this. “Don’t you dare do anything on my bed that you wouldn’t want me and Suho doing to yours. Got it?”

They both nod numbly and he leaves them with a simple wave. He may have tried to seem strict with them back there, but he really doesn’t care what they do—he hopes what Baekhyun says is true, that Suho won’t want him to leave in the end. If this works out, they’ll all be happy.

He’s surprised when he arrives at Suho’s room, because the door is sitting slightly ajar, and he’s sure he closed it on his way out before. He edges slowly towards it, and bites his lip when he hears low voices coming from the room.

Eavesdropping his bad, but he thinks it’s a much more desirable option than interrupting. He places his bag gently down on the ground and leans against the wall, waiting, breathing as little as possible just in case they can hear him.

He’s known Kai long enough to recognize his voice, but he’s never heard it like that, so desperate and thick, like he’s trying not to cry. He’s begging for forgiveness, which, by the looks of it, Suho has long since offered, but Kai isn’t taking it this easy. He doesn’t think he deserves it, even though he wants it so badly.

“I gave Kris my request for a demotion, by the way,” he says slowly when Suho finally snaps, telling him to stop, stop feeling so much pity for himself and just move on. Kyungsoo freezes, suddenly struggling to breathe as the air is knocked right out of his lungs. He scrambles to his feet, neglecting to pick up his bag as he bursts into the room. Kai doesn’t pay him any attention, even though his shoulders tensed when he heard the intrusion. “There’s no point in me sticking around anymore. Thank you for everything.”

“You what?” Suho gasps, wincing as he struggles to push himself up to a proper sitting position. He’s staring at Kai like he’s a ghost. “Don’t do this, because of one mistake… You’re so young…”

Kai shakes his head, the laugh that escapes his lips sounds cold and empty. “I’ll never be able to match up with you. And look… because of my lack of judgement skills I almost killed you. It’s better off this way.”

“It’s not better off this way at all, Kai. We’ve always flown together. It’s always been me and you. Don’t leave me here on my own.”

“You’re not on your own,” Kai’s voice sounds like it’s threateningly close to cracking. “I’ve tried flying… I can’t anymore. I’m scared of my own shadow now. I’m done, okay? Like I said, thank you for everything.”  Suho’s feeble protest goes unheard as Kai turns on his heel, brushing past the shell-shocked Kyungsoo as he leaves the room.  

“He-he can’t,” it’s Suho that breaks the heavy silence, his skin pale, eyes wide. “He’s the best flier I know. He can’t leave.”

“I know,” Kyungsoo whispers as he pads over to the bed, sliding in next to Suho and curling an arm around his waist. Suho sighs, hand instinctively reaching up to run soothing fingers through Kyungsoo’s short hair. “Kris won’t let him leave, right? There’s no way. He has a contract.”

“He does have a contract,” Suho agrees, but he doesn’t sound so sure. He’s worried—and so is Kyungsoo. They’re potentially about to lose someone very important to the both of them.

-

I just got back from the movies

watched Brave

had more fun screaming shinee and EXO in the car on the way home tbh

I'm a pro rapper imma be famouse in korea one day just you watch

chanyeol oppa (omg i'm older than him) will be proud

anyway

next chapter is the last one

last one guise

ARE YOU EXCITED?! I am tbh I wanna get this out and over with so I can focus on the taoris sequel

ok hint number two

ummmm what should I give away? 

ok

you see near the beginning and the end of the war in this one

kris is totally a tragic hero

lolz okay sorry for the word vomit I'm over tired GOING TO BED NOW (soon lol) love you all tata