The sun is filling up the room (How long till we call this love?)

When Baekhyun and Kyungsoo break-up, it feels like it happens in the blink of an eye. One moment, Kyungsoo was sleeping rather peacefully, dreaming of rapping and becoming a big star someday, along with Chanyeol, one of his best friends; the next moment, he’s waking up to a break-up text from his boyfriend. We need to talk. Okay, so it’s not exactly a break-up text, but Baekhyun never tells him that they needed to talk about anything. He usually just…talks. So he scrambles out of bed, accidentally knocking over his alarm clock and hurries to wear whatever it was that’s on the floor to go over to his boyfriend’s house.

“It’s just not working for me anymore,” Baekhyun shifts from foot to foot, not meeting Kyungsoo’s eyes.

Kyungsoo looks confused because he truly doesn’t understand. He feels like he’s suddenly in a boxing ring and is punched without even knowing why he was there in the first place. He and Baekhyun seemed to be doing fine just the past couple of days. Well, they were, if you didn’t count the fact that Baekhyun just whined the whole time they were together and didn’t even want to kiss him or hold his hand. Still, this sudden change of heart (or didn’t he just see it coming?) makes him wretch out his guts later on.

Chanyeol is the first one to console him. Because he is his best friend, along with Baekhyun. The three of them grew up together. Kyungsoo remembers how Baekhyun threw sand in his eyes when they first met, which Chanyeol always jokes is the reason why Kyungsoo’s eyes became the way they were. Then Baekhyun would always counter that his eyes are what attracted him to him in the first place (and why he threw sand at him).

“You knew, didn’t you,” Kyungsoo says, after he’s wiped his mouth. It’s not a question. Because Chanyeol was always the one who seems to know how everything would pan out before it even happens. The thought makes his chest constrict.

Chanyeol hesitates, and then Kyungsoo knows. It’s the way Chanyeol falters and doesn’t say anything. Chanyeol always has something to say. He wonders how long this has been brewing and why no one’s told him.

He pushes Chanyeol’s hand off his shoulder.

“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol calls after him. His name sounds broken in his lips and Kyungsoo stops to listen but Chanyeol doesn’t say anything more.

“I would never have done this to either of you,” Kyungsoo states indisputably. “Never.”

The betrayal stings his chest as he walks out into the sudden rain.

-

Kyungsoo skips lunch break because he hates answering questions and he hates seeing the looks on everyone’s faces. He knows that everyone pities him because he’s the stupid person and the stupid friend. Just how much more stupid can one person get? And he didn’t really need that right now because he has enough to think about. Like the fact that his two best friends in the world, the people he would do anything for, both cheated on him with each other.

He throws his backpack on the floor when he enters an empty classroom and walks up to the blackboard, chalk in hand. He isn’t really sure what he aims to achieve by drawing on the empty board, which eerily resembles the emptiness of his life, but he draws anyway because drawing always made him feel better.

There was a time where he used to think that he and Baekhyun would grow old together, with Chanyeol and whichever partner he decides he wants in his life. That had always been their plan because they felt inseparable like that. Planning their lives around each other had become like breathing, necessary and would kill them if not done.

He’s never minded that Chanyeol always tagged along with him and Baekhyun. It was the natural course of things. But this. This he cannot accept.

He takes a deep breath and stares at the board. Drawing used to make him feel better.

He puts the chalk down and slides to the floor, bending his knees towards him and buries his face on them. Maybe he should try shooting some hoops instead. Junmyeon would probably be up for that. Then he sighs again and bites his lip. Hard.

It’s the only thing he can do to stop from crying out loud.

-

It’s only two weeks later that Kyungsoo decides to come out from hiding. He’d had too much of wallowing and crying and too much hiding that he was starting to become a hermit.  Too much time by himself isn’t healthy, as he had discovered, judging by the piles of video games he had finished. He figures that he should start reentering into the social world again and talk to his friends. It’s come to the point where he realized that he couldn’t just ignore all of them forever. That, and Sehun’s texts and whining voice calls had become truly annoying after a while.

He ignores Chanyeol’s stumble and Baekhyun’s sharp gasp when Kyungsoo arrives and squeezes in between their huddle on the steps of the building. He puts an arm around Jongin and asks, “What are we doing this weekend?”

“Kyungsoo,” Sehun chirps. He pulls him away from Jongin, who makes an off-putting noise at being pushed aside, and wraps his arms around his waist. Kyungsoo pats his cheek. “My texts and calls finally got to you.” Kyungsoo pats his cheek with a little more vigor after that.

Junmyeon and Jongin exchange a look, which he decides to ignore. He knew everyone was going to be like this, awkward and stuttering before dissolving into smiles, like nothing uncomfortable has just transpired. Good, he couldn’t help but think. He did feel a bit of resentment for all of them. There was no reason for them to not know and not tell him that something was going on with Baekhyun and Chanyeol behind his back. As his friends, he wished that they’d be more that than scared and just told him outright.

“My cousin’s here,” Junmyeon tells him with a smile and Kyungsoo smiles back in turn. It was Junmyeon’s thing: smiling and having everyone smile back even when there wasn’t really anything to smile about. “I’m picking him up then meeting with everyone for some bowling.”

“Or billiards,” Jongin pipes in, pulling Sehun back to his side, blatantly showing Kyungsoo this show. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and Jongin grins at him.

“Bowling sounds fun,” Sehun seals the decision for them before Kyungsoo could even make up his mind. Junmyeon amusedly smiles at him, while Jongin gives him a squeeze. The boys probably intended for the youngest boy to shut up and let Kyungsoo decide.

Kyungsoo doesn’t really care, though, what they do. It’s been two weeks of hanging out at home by himself and his television set so it doesn’t matter to him what form of enjoyment they do, as long as he was actually with people.

“Okay then,” Junmyeon claps his hands and glances at his watch. “I’ll see you guys at around seven at the bowling alley.”

The group disperses. Jongin and Sehun go off together, while Junmyeon starts fixing his things to leave as well. Kyungsoo stands there, not really sure what to do anymore, when Baekhyun clears his throat. From his peripheral vision, he sees Baekhyun shift in his stance, opening his mouth and closing it again, obviously at a loss for words. Silently, he’s glad that Baekhyun didn’t know what to say. There really weren’t enough words in the world to make what he did less repulsive, less betraying.

It is Chanyeol who speaks instead. And Chanyeol, for all his long limbs and wide mouth, is never really one for perception, especially when flustered. “Are you mad at us?”

Junmyeon freezes, slowly getting up from his position bending over his bag. Baekhyun pinches Chanyeol, who flinches and realizes how stupid the words that came out of his mouth sounded. Kyungsoo wants to laugh at how they ridiculous they all were. But he doesn’t. And he doesn’t answer Chanyeol’s question either.

“Can I go with you?” Kyungsoo asks instead, his eyes on Junmyeon. “To pick up your cousin?”

There’s a crinkle of concern that twitches Junmyeon’s eyes as he blinked at him. It was to be expected. Junmyeon was always the more mature one out of all of them, the fatherly, smothering one, always gathering them together and picking up after all of their messes. Sometimes, he thinks that Junmyeon actually feels what they feel. He then wonders what he must be feeling with this love triangle mess.

Junmyeon smiles at him. And Kyungsoo inwardly sighs, with a wish that, at times like these, he was more like him.

-

The ride to the bus station is quiet. Junmyeon is on the wheel, eyes fixed on the road, and Kyungsoo’s sitting in the passenger’s seat, watching the trees and houses pass them by. Although he finds the quiet disconcerting these days as it makes him think too much, it’s the only thing he would accept. All the time he spent in his head was enough for him to start slowly recognizing the fact that there’s more to his life than Baekhyun and Chanyeol and thinking about them—

“You don’t have to keep torturing them, you know,” Junmyeon suddenly breaks the silence, startling him.

Kyungsoo hesitates and his eyes find the scenery that they pass by even more interesting. He’s never talked to any of them about the current situation or the fact that this could potentially change the dynamics of their friendships forever. He knows that it was unfair to the group, not fixing things, but he didn’t think he should be the one to initiate it. He’s the victim in the whole thing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kyungsoo finally speaks. He actually does know what Junmyeon is talking about. Chanyeol and Baekhyun had been trying to talk to him for days, but he never wanted to listen. There isn’t anything they could say that would make anything okay. But he wasn’t about to admit anything. Especially not to Junmyeon, who was in his fatherly mode again. “And please don’t patronize me about how it’s not their fault and about how these things happen because you know they are in the wrong. I don’t know in what plane or space it’s ever right to cheat on your partner with your best friend, who also happens to be your best friend,” he suddenly snaps and he bites his lip after he’s done. Junmyeon was just being nice and totally didn’t deserve any of the words he just spewed out at him. Contritely, he looks over at Junmyeon. “I’m sorry.”

Junmyeon doesn’t respond immediately. Then he lets out a quiet sigh, coupled with a comforting smile. “Of course, you’re right,” he agrees with him. “I do know that they’re wrong. There’s nothing that can justify what they did.” He pauses quickly, but long enough to meet his eyes before turning his attention back on the road. “I just said that because it’s making you suffer, too, not talking to them.”

Kyungsoo merely leans back on his seat and closes his eyes. That was exactly the reason why everything was so hard. Because, no matter which way he looks at it, he lost three things: his boyfriend, his best friends, and himself.

-

Jongdae’s the quiet type. The whole ride from the bus station to the bowling alley, Junmyeon’s cousin only said three words: Hi, thank you, and yeah. Then nothing. Not even when Junmyeon kept the conversation going on the car and Kyungsoo was forced to indulge him and talk about things he wouldn’t normally talk about (like wildlife in South Korea). Maybe Jongdae was just shy, or something. But, it was weird, seeing as he and Junmyeon were close and hadn’t seen each other in years. He’d have thought that they would be catching up nonstop.

He becomes slightly more relaxed in the bowling alley, but he still doesn’t talk. He gets wide-eyed at Sehun poking his cheek, the youngest, but really tall boy poking his tongue out as he studies the beautiful bone structure that Jongdae’s face had. Jongin, meanwhile, sulks in a corner as this is happening. Kyungsoo almost laughs when Jongdae takes a step back when Chanyeol towers over him as he introduces himself.

“You look like you’re having fun,” Jongin sides up to him, arms crossed on his chest.

Kyungsoo merely raises an eyebrow at him. Jongin could be very childish when he wants to be, which was all the time. Such trait comes out more when he thinks Sehun is flirting with other cute boys and he gets jealous.

“You do know that Sehun is just naturally curious, don’t you?” Kyungsoo tries to make him feel better. But Jongin merely makes a face at this and it’s obvious that he knows Sehun is naturally curious, but that it doesn’t make him feel any better. It also probably doesn’t help that Jongdae is actually cute, with his dark, searing eyes, wide mouth, and his jet-black hair covering his eyebrows.

“You don’t think he has bad breath, do you?” Jongin elbows Kyungsoo. “He hasn’t said a word since he got here.”

“Junmyeon’s staring at you,” Kyungsoo tells him instead of answering. Junmyeon has always had some sixth sense on whether someone’s talking about him, or if something’s saying something mean about anyone to someone.

“Oh crap.” And Jongin ducks to Sehun’s side, pulling him away rather harshly from Jongdae, before Junmyeon could reach him.

“He’s not mute and he doesn’t have bad breath,” Junmyeon clarifies, settling on the space beside him. Kyungsoo doesn’t even dignify that with a response because the whole thing is ridiculously funny and he knows that if he even opens his mouth, he will just laugh and Junmyeon will just end up even more upset. Especially since Kyungsoo is supposed to be more mature than Jongin. But, as it turns out, Junmyeon is more upset than he let on. “I’m going to kill that kid,” he mutters.

The last time Junmyeon had said that was when Jongin had decided to do something “nice” for Junmyeon and washed all of his clothing without even breathing a word about it. All Junmyeon’s clothes had shrunk and he had to live off on Kyungsoo’s and Baekhyun’s donations for weeks until he could get a proper wardrobe back together.

“Go ahead. No one’s stopping you,” Kyungsoo encourages him, smiling a little, just as Jongin slips onto the lane, dragging Sehun down with him. It wouldn’t hurt anyone in the group if Jongin gets a little beating for all his rambunctiousness. He’s pretty sure Sehun wouldn’t mind as well. “It would be a great reflection of how much you value us as your friends. It will be your legacy.”

“Let me plan on it,” Junmyeon pats his shoulder, moving to take his turn to bowl. But before he leaves he turns to him again, and Kyungsoo just knows that he’s going to impart another one of those things that he’s sure Junmyeon doesn’t think changes lives. “Jongdae’s just looking for a friend.” Kyungsoo shifts his eyes to the mentioned male, who’s staring at Jongin and Sehun laughing on the floor. “Just like you.”

-

Sehun’s the youngest in their group, the one who’s supposedly the annoying but cute one, so you let everything annoying that he does slide. Except Sehun doesn’t act like that. Well, he does, but not really. He’s clingy and whiny when he wants to be, but he’s more serious than anything or anyone in the group, except for, maybe, Junmyeon. He’s meticulous about things and takes his schooling very seriously. It’s quite rare for them to be out with Sehun on a school night. He always says that going out on a school night was a waste of time and wasn’t going to help him achieve his goals. But there are times when he takes advantage of his status, mostly when he wants bubble tea or ice cream or any form of food out of nowhere.

Jongin’s the one who acts like the baby most of the time. Only a couple of months older than Sehun, he takes advantage of the fact that Sehun doesn’t want to be treated like an infant and takes his place instead. He clings and whines and pouts and do all other things that he thinks youngest kids gets away with. Kyungsoo’s sure that it only makes each one of their friends smack him right on the face. But no one does. Because that’s Jongin’s charm. He’s the mood maker of the group. Rarely seen unhappy or frowning, he makes everyone laugh with his antics, sometimes exasperatedly, but there’s always some form of happiness when he’s around.

“Heyyy!” Jongin happily greets him as soon as he walks into Kyungsoo’s apartment without any sort of warning.

“I really don’t know why there are things such as doorbells or knocking when there’s a person like you who just ignores them,” Kyungsoo comments without looking up from his reading. Sundays were usually his time for himself. He supposes this isn’t going to be one of those Sundays.

Jongin merely flops down the sofa right beside him, making sure to make it dramatic so that Kyungsoo is actually lifted up from his seat, and peers at his book. “Don’t you ever do anything else but read when we’re not around to bug you?” he asks, making a face.

“No,” Kyungsoo answers plainly, turning a page.

Jongin sighs and lays his head on Kyungsoo’s lap, turning on his side so that he was more comfortable. This alerts something in Kyungsoo’s head. Jongin is affectionate and sweet, but he isn’t really the type to seek it out. Yet, here he is, in Kyungsoo’s apartment.

“What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo asks, closing his book and putting it down beside him.

“I just want things to be back to normal,” Jongin finally speaks after a couple of seconds of silence. He slowly turns on the sofa and looks up at him.

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo wants to know confusedly, ignoring the fact that he’s lying straight to his friend’s face. “Things are normal. Or are you and Sehun fighting again?” Things are far from normal, but he isn’t going to admit that right out loud, especially when it still stings just thinking about it.

“We’re not,” Jongin shakes his head. “This isn’t about me and Sehun. Just… I don’t see you as much anymore. And the guys are always wondering where you are and Sehun’s always asking me…”

There isn’t really a way he could answer this to make him feel better. The decision to stay away was made by him because there’s only so much of Baekhyun and Chanyeol handholding that he can handle.

“Are you being jealous because Sehun misses me?” Kyungsoo teases instead, a smile quirking up his mouth as he looks down at him.

“Of course not,” Jongin makes a face indignantly. “You’re not Sehun’s type.” Kyungsoo merely smirks. “But, Kyungsoo…” he hesitates.

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo states, breathing deeply, and finally admitting to the changes.  “I didn’t mean for this to be such a mess.”

Jongin sits up and leans his head on his shoulder. Kyungsoo’s arm comes around him, pulling him closer. For some reason, he and Jongin is close like this. They have a certain bond that was different with how he was friends with Chanyeol and Baekhyun. While Chanyeol and Baekhyun had known everything about him, Jongin is there for the things he really needs someone to commiserate with. Jongin immediately swoops down to him and comforts him without him even asking. He realizes now that he really appreciates this fact.

“We’re sorry, too, you know,” Jongin confesses. “I mean how could we not know that—.”

“None of this is your fault,” Kyungsoo cuts him off. Despite his slight anger for them not telling him, it really wasn’t their fault. He leans his head on Jongin’s and wonders how things could become so messy. Those guys are his life; they are what made his life fun and bearable.

“You know,” Jongin speaks again after a short silence. “Jongdae has been asking about you.”

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo wonders, lifting his head up to look at him. The subject change is jarring even coming from Jongin.

Jongin shrugs as he straightens up as well. “I guess he’s just curious about you.” Kyungsoo snorts. “He’s pretty cute, if you ask me.”

Kyungsoo slaps the back of his head and pushes him off of the couch. The way Jongin matchmakes is that he invents stories and hopes that it’s all true and that everyone will live happily ever after. Happily ever afters are sketchy for him now, though. He isn’t sure they existed anymore.

“I’ll make sure to tell Sehun that,” Kyungsoo retorts. He picks his book up once more, but Jongin grabs it from him and throws it across the room. “Very mature, Jongin.”

“I’m being serious!” Jongin declares seriously. “Why doesn’t anyone believe me when I’m being serious?” Kyungsoo shoots him a look that says everything and Jongin smiles sheepishly. “But, really, Kyungsoo, you never speak to Jongdae, never include him in conversations or in anything.”

Kyungsoo opens his mouth to deny this because he’s done nothing of the sort. Jongdae was Junmyeon’s cousin and, of course, he is going to be nice to him. Then he realizes that Jongin is right. There’s been no interaction between them whatsoever.

“Fine,” Kyungsoo sighs this time, suddenly remembering Junmyeon’s words too him. “I’ll make more of an effort.”

Jongin grins and gets off the couch. Kyungsoo is just starting to get comfortable on the couch again when Jongin latches a hand on his wrist. “Make me something to eat.”

-

He gets dragged into a weekend at the beach. No matter how many times he’s said no, he still found his clothes packed into one of his more worn-out backpacks (because Jongin was stupid). They’re all standing outside the van, bags all packed in the trunk, when Jongin suggests that they should all have buddies for the trip. It’s a stupid idea because their number is uneven. Before anyone can say anything, Junmyeon insists on being by himself, giving Kyungsoo a look. With Baekhyun and Chanyeol and Sehun and Jongin already paired up, he doesn’t really have a choice but to sit with Jongdae. Not that he doesn’t want to.

Kyungsoo sighs. One of the reasons he hates traveling is because he hates traveling (especially long drives). He doesn’t like the feeling of being stuck in a vehicle for a long time. It makes him dizzy and not in control of his bodily functions. But Baekhyun had always taken care of him, letting him lean his head on his shoulder and putting an arm around him as he tried to sleep.

He moves restlessly in his seat, not even speaking to Jongdae, and glances surreptitiously at the seats behind him, where Baekhyun and Chanyeol were. Before he can even lay his eyes on them, a hand clamps on his thigh, startling him.

“Don’t torture yourself,” Jongdae murmurs, his eyes on his game.

Kyungsoo follows his advice, feeling like his wrist had been slapped for doing something inappropriate. He leans against his seat, eyes closed. Of course Jongdae is right. Anyone else who might have seen him would say that he shouldn’t have to bury himself into any more misery. Why is he even here? He thinks he’s been too nice since he still hangs out with the group even when Chanyeol and Baekhyun are around. He groans quietly, his head starting to pound as the van starts to move.

Jongdae shifts lower in his seat. “Kyungsoo, lean your head on my shoulder,” he quietly tells him, interrupting his train of thought.

“What?” Kyungsoo idiotically asks. He looks at Jongdae and blinks. The cause of his surprise is more of the fact that Jongdae spoke to him at all and not that he just asked him to lean his head on his shoulder (although that is very surprising as well). He doesn’t forget that he’s noted how nice his name sounded from his lips.

“I’d rather you didn’t puke on me, so lean your head on my shoulder and get more comfortable,” Jongdae patiently repeats.

Kyungsoo glares at him. He opens his mouth to retort when Jongdae looks at with concern and shuts his mouth. “I’ll be fine,” he mumbles, sinking into his seat, trying to get comfortable.

Suddenly his head is grabbed and shoved onto Jongdae’s shoulder. Kyungsoo lets out what sounded like a groan and a yelp, but follows suit. He decides that he’s not going to fight him anymore since his head is already on his shoulder and it’s comfortable.

Jongdae’s shoulder feels strangely cozy. Kyungsoo audaciously buries his head more into his shoulder, moving his body closer to him, wanting to feel snugger. Jongdae repositions himself, still gaming, and Kyungsoo stiffens, thinking he was going to be pushed away; they weren’t that close, after all; they weren’t even really friends yet. But Jongdae just shifts closer to him, making sure that Kyungsoo has all the comfort that he needs. Kyungsoo relaxes and closes his eyes.

-

The first thing that they do when they arrive at the beach is attending a party. Junmyeon, despite looking boring and stiff, actually is pretty friendly and knows a lot of people from everywhere. The group disperses as soon as they see the big group, the bonfire starting as the sun approaches the horizon.

Kyungsoo decides to stay by the bar and just sit and sightsee. Although he isn’t really sure how people getting drunk and making out was a sight, he doesn’t really have a choice. He doesn’t want to hurt Junmyeon’s feelings and make him think that he doesn’t appreciate the things that he does for them. He searches the crowd and finds Jongin on the dance floor, which isn’t surprising, moving flawlessly to the beat. Sehun, meanwhile, isn’t bad himself. He’s learned a thing or two about dance from dating Jongin. A couple of spaces away from them were Baekhyun and Chanyeol, arms wrapped around each other. Kyungsoo immediately averts his eyes and grabs the first drink that he sees on the bar. He downs it and reaches for another.

“Want to walk with me?” a voice says in his ear.

He jumps, almost spilling his drink. Before he’s able to respond, Jongdae is already halfway towards the shore. Thinking there isn’t anything to lose and that this is an opportunity for him to talk to Jongdae, he decides to join him.

The night is comforting, quiet and serene, the waves almost mutedly meeting the shoreline. Kyungsoo buries his toes in the sand with each step, enjoying how the coarseness of it massages his feet. After a short while of just walking, Jongdae stops and faces the sea, his feet getting wet. Kyungsoo follows suit.

“Everything seems so simple here,” Kyungsoo comments, letting his eyes fall close to just enjoy the soft breeze. He tries to remember when the last time was that he’d felt so peaceful.

“Everything is simple,” Jongdae responds after a moment. “Or it should be. Then again, not everything is black and white.”

“No, not everything,” Kyungsoo echoes. He puts his hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts and looks out into the waters, breathing deeply. “I haven’t been to the beach in a long time,” he shares. “I don’t really remember the last time I was here.” He pauses for a bit. “I used to think I hated it.”

“I love the beach,” Jongdae simply states. “It’s peaceful. It reminds me that things are probably where they should be, that I’m right where I should be at the moment.” He pauses then smiles a little. “So do you not hate the beach anymore?”

“Do you think you’re right where you should be at the moment?” Kyungsoo asks at the same time.

They stare at each other and laugh. Kyungsoo smiles, suddenly more comfortable about this whole trip than a couple of minutes ago. The way Jongdae speaks, the timbre of his voice, there’s something about it that made Kyungsoo feel like he’s being wrapped in a hug, comforting and warm.

The flow of conversation after that turns considerably lighter and more at ease. They sit down on the sand, their feet wet with the water, and the smiles on their faces more genuine.

Kyungsoo talks about school, drawing and his friends. He tells Jongdae stories of Jongin’s silliness, Sehun’s impudence as the youngest, and how Junmyeon defends his bossiness. All his stories revolve around Junmyeon, Jongin and Sehun, as if Baekhyun and Chanyeol were never a part of his life. He hopes that Jongdae doesn’t notice, or if he does, doesn’t ask about it.

He doesn’t and Kyungsoo is relieved. Jongdae just shares stories of his life in China, how different it was studying there, how lonely he felt even when he’d found some semblance of family. He tells him how Junmyeon kept on sending emails regularly even when he’s barely replied to any of them, how he appreciates the fact that someone from where he originally was, tried their best to remind him that there is a place he can go back to if he needed to.

Afterwards, when the banter dies down, they just sit there, side by side and listen to the waves wash in and out.

Kyungsoo takes a deep breath as the sudden rush of emotion tears through him. The absence of Baekhyun and Chanyeol in his stories just made the whole situation seems more real. It hurts him more to think that this could be how things would be from now on. They would hang out, but not really, and the friendship would just fizzle out.

An arm slides up around him and he realizes that Jongdae has scooted closer to comfort him. His other hand reaches up to dry the tears he doesn’t even realize was falling from his eyes. Kyungsoo gives in to his embrace and cries on his chest.

-

There was a time when Kyungsoo truly enjoyed going to school. He excelled in all his classes, got straight A’s, joined clubs, and his friends were there. And his boyfriend. It’s the perfect high school setup. But now, his boyfriend has become his ex-boyfriend and his other best friend is dating him. Lately, school has become tiring. Baekhyun and Chanyeol are in all of his classes. It’s bad enough that they’re there. It’s even worse seeing them all smiley and touchy with each other. He used to think that he could handle it, being around them so much. But he’s not so sure anymore. How is he ever going to move on with his life when he’s always in their shadow?

So, in order to avoid all of that, he eats as quickly as he can during breaks and escapes to the library, and hurries ahead of them to leave classes. He senses Junmyeon’s frowns and Jongin’s eyes and Sehun’s pouts trailing after him when he does, but all he can do is hope that they understand. He’s given in to that weekend at the beach. Now, he hopes they can give him this.

“Hey.”

Jongdae, in his simple jeans and collared shirt, stands by the school gate, hands in his pockets. He gives Kyungsoo a small smile, slightly adjusting the black circular glasses on his face.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo greets back, pulling his backpack higher up on his shoulder. It’s slightly weird for Jongdae to be in their school. Especially since they never see each other anymore. “What are you doing here? Waiting for Junmyeon? I think he stopped by the student council’s office. You might want to wait inside in case he takes long.”

Jongdae shifts in his stance before clearing his throat awkwardly. “I was actually waiting for you,” he admits.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo replies in an equally awkward manner.

Their conversation at the beach has made Kyungsoo more comfortable around Jongdae. Considering Kyungsoo had practically gotten snot all over him, he figures that it was a start of some form of friendship for the both of them. Kyungsoo’s sure that he saw Junmyeon give him an approving nod when they’d dropped him off at home, maybe as a form of thanks for extending some accepting to his cousin. But they haven’t seen each other after that. Kyungsoo’s avoided any form of invitation from the group at the whiff of Baekhyun and Chanyeol being there.

“I mean, I see Junmyeon at home all the time, as well as the others, and well, I just thought of, you know, checking on you,” Jongdae prattles. “To make sure you were okay. I mean, at the beach—.”

Kyungsoo realizes that it’s been unfair for Jongdae to be dragged into his mess. They are only starting to become friends and, already, he’s been shutting him off.

“I was going to go to the nearby coffee shop to start getting some homework done,” Kyungsoo cuts him off, making up his mind to make up for his absence and seeming snub. He has no problems hanging out with Jongdae. He’s nice and funny and warm and it seems like they click well together. Plus, ever since he’s been skirting out of the group get-togethers, he’s been hanging out less and less with people again. “Unless, there’s something in particular you wanted to do?”

Jongdae shrugs. “I could use some coffee,” he agrees, shoving his hands in his pockets.

The walk to the coffee shop was quiet. There was some sort of awkwardness, the type that occurs when two not-very-close people see each other again and it just feels like maybe there’s nothing to talk about. Kyungsoo decides to change that when they reach the café and get their coffee.

“Don’t you have school?” Kyungsoo asks Jongdae as he hands him his mug of coffee. He sits down on the seat across from him and opens his bag to take out his books. “I mean, are you on break or something?”

“I’m taking a couple of months off,” Jongdae tells him, taking a sip of his coffee, “decided to visit Junmyeon since I haven’t seen him ever since I moved to China years ago.”

“Why did you move to China?” Kyungsoo wants to know.

“It was a family decision,” Jongdae shares, leaning back on his seat. He smirks and shakes his head. Kyungsoo notes how this makes Jongdae’s bangs almost cover his eyes and that his hair has actually grown longer since he’s met him. Jongdae casually brushes his hair away from his eyes. “Actually, no, we didn’t have a choice. My parents had a lot of debt, so we left.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo mutters, not knowing what to say. He wasn’t really sure what was the polite way to react to such information. “Well, is it okay that you’re back here?”

“We’ve paid all of it off,” Jongdae assures him teasingly. “So you don’t have to worry about me getting sent to jail.”

“So why did you take time away from school?” Kyungsoo then asks. He stops himself almost immediately. “Sorry, I think I’m prying,” he apologizes and turns his attention backs to his books. There’s a time when he thought that Jongdae was being too involved with his problem with his friends. Now he feels like he’s doing the same thing and the last thing that he wants Jongdae to feel is pressured.

“It’s probably the same reason my parents had years ago,” Jongdae answers after a pause. Kyungsoo meets his gaze. “To get away.”

-

“You guys ready?” Sehun asks them as they gathered their things. It’s the last class of the day and the first smell of the weekend. Everyone’s excited to just leave and get out of school. Sehun smiles and Jongin puts an arm around him, jumping in anticipation.

“Ready for what?” Kyungsoo inquires, wearing his backpack. He’s pretty sure his plans for the weekend doesn’t include going out with the group. He very carefully makes sure of this now.

“Didn’t we plan on watching a movie today? Then maybe go to the arcade or something,” Jongin reminds him, slinging an arm around him as they walked out of the classroom, a grin sweeping his handsome face.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo bites his lip, lying through his teeth. “Was that today? I completely forgot.” He’s sure that they’ve noticed that he never hangs out with them anymore, but no one has brought it up thus far and he intends to carry this out for as long as he can.

“Why, do you have plans?” Junmyeon peers at him curiously. There’s a crease in between his eyebrows that Kyungsoo hates to see. It just means that Junmyeon is disappointed, but is trying very hard not to show it. Junmyeon’s too nice for his own good to actually say stuff like that aloud to people.

“Er, well,” Kyungsoo hesitates. “Sort of?” He pauses and wonders if he should tell them what his plans are. But, at the sight of Jongin’s face falling into disappointment, and Junmyeon’s eyebrows furrowing further, he just tells them. “I kind of promised Jongdae I’d meet up with him today.” He stares at the ground when all his friends look at him.

Jongin frowns. “Didn’t you just go out with him the other day?”

Kyungsoo doesn’t remember ever telling Jongin that, or anyone else for that matter, but decides that it doesn’t matter how he knows. He could hear the jealousy and annoyance in Jongin’s tone loud and clear. He could even hear the curiosity bristling in the rest of the boys.

“We got into talking and he mentioned about wanting to do it again,” Kyungsoo explains. “I can always cancel—.”

“No, don’t,” Junmyeon shakes his head. He blatantly ignores Sehun’s pout. “It’s fine. We can all go out another time.”

“What—?” Jongin starts to whine, but Junmyeon squeezes his arm and he shuts up.

“Are you guys sure?” Kyungsoo looks uncertain. It’s clearer now than before how they feel about this new setup, him disappearing from them, and now, him disappearing from them to hang out with other people.

“It’s fine,” Sehun agrees, not meeting his eyes. “We’ll see you tomorrow?”

Kyungsoo nods and smiles for the first time. “Thanks, guys.” He waves at them and hurries towards the school gates, deigning to forget Junmyeon’s disappointment, Jongin’s frown, and Sehun’s pout.

-

Kyungsoo and Jongdae’s meet-ups become a weekly, if not a daily, thing. Jongdae goes by Kyungsoo’s school everyday, waiting for him by the gates, as classes end. Kyungsoo would always find him leaning against the wall beside the gate, game console in hand, biting his lips particularly when he was in the middle of a killing spree. When Kyungsoo arrives, Jongdae would immediately pocket his console, whether or not he was done with his game, and they would be off to the coffee shop nearby so that Kyungsoo could make some headway with his homework. When he was done, they would go to the mall, to the arcade or to watch a movie. Sometimes, they just stayed in the coffee shop to talk. During the weekends, they would hangout at the park and just watch people and then talk some more.

In the beginning, all they talked about was the past, mostly all about Kyungsoo’s heartbreak. Kyungsoo continued to whine about how it was so unfair, about how heartless they where, about how could they do this to me, and Jongdae would just sit there and listen, letting him get all his pain out. Jongdae would then speak of his own heartbreaks, how loneliness in China just at up at his heart and ended up driving away the people who cared about him there. They offered comfort to each other, each filling in the empty parts of each other’s hearts.

Soon enough, the conversations veered away from heartbreak and the past and moved onto happier things, talks of the presents and the future, the places they wanted to go to, the things they wanted to do, by themselves and together. They made plans to go to places, to travel, to experience new things.

It is interesting to Kyungsoo how easily Jongdae fit himself into his life at a snap of a finger. The comfortable energy between them, the easy conversations, the endless smiles and laughter; then there’s Jongdae himself, the crinkles in his eyes when he smiles, the twinkle they project when he’s being mischievous, the curl of the end of his lips, the whites of his teeth, the way his touch felt… it felt like it was something that’s always been in his life, been a part of him. It’s kind of hard to imagine his life anymore without Jongdae in it.

This thought stops him in his tracks, making Jongin, who had an arm around him, stumble, and Sehun, who was walking right behind them, bump onto his back.

“Sorry,” Kyungsoo apologizes when he two friends yelp in surprise.

“Everything okay?” Junmyeon asks in concern.

“I…yes,” Kyungsoo hesitates.

As they resume walking, Jongdae continues to occupy his thoughts some more, certain questions plaguing his mind. It’s not until they stop to sit down does he realize that they reached the cafeteria and he was sitting on a table, alone with Chanyeol. He blinks rapidly as he thinks of what to do and how to excuse himself without being too rude about it.

“Hi,” Chanyeol says it so awkwardly and with such uncertainty that it makes Kyungsoo laugh. At his laughter, Chanyeol’s eyes widen so comically that Kyungsoo just ends up laughing even more. A smile starts forming on his face, still uncertain, but definitely more relaxed that earlier. “I suppose you laughing at me is better than you ignoring me,” Chanyeol decides.

The laughter in Kyungsoo slowly dies down and all that’s left is a smile on his face. “I suppose so,” he agrees with a nod. And, suddenly, it’s as if the three months had never happened. It’s as if Chanyeol had never stolen his boyfriend from him, as if he hadn’t been angry with him.

“I’m sorry,” they chorus.

Chanyeol blinks. Kyungsoo blinks. Soon, they’re laughing again, Chanyeol’s right eye twitching with happiness, Kyungsoo’s eyes disappearing completely.

“I should be the one apologizing,” Chanyeol says when they’ve calmed down. And he peers into Kyungsoo’s eyes, truly contrite. “I really am sorry, Kyungsoo. For what I did and for what it did to our friendship.”

Kyungsoo looks down, stares at his clasped hands on the tabletop. He’s always been the forgiving person, slow to anger and always easy to appease. But when he’d found out about his best friends, he’d never been so furious in his life that he thought he would never be able to forgive them, that he couldn’t, wouldn’t because it just hurt too much.

“Time heals all wounds,” Jongdae always tells him. “One day you’re going to wake up and realize that you’re not angry anymore. You may not even remember the exact reason why you were in the first place.”

He’s starting to think that Jongdae is right. Because, as he looks at Chanyeol, who looks so worried about the next words that were going to come out of his mouth, he realizes that the feeling that he had before, the spite and the resentment he had for them, weren’t there anymore. It was all just in his head now, the resistance of going back into that comfortable friendship, if that was even still possible, and the fear; he wants to be certain that he was really over what happened.

“You have a long time to make it up to me,” he tells Chanyeol and they’re both surprised. Because Chanyeol knows that what he did was unforgivable and because even if Kyungsoo feels like he can forgive them now, him actually saying the words is a different story.

Before Chanyeol can respond from relief and delight, Sehun slams his tray down on the table, making them both jump. Sehun stops, brows furrowed, and looks from Kyungsoo to Chanyeol then back again.

“Everything okay?” Sehun asks cautiously. He knows, everyone knows, that it was never a good idea to leave him with either Chanyeol or Baekhyun.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo answers with a placating smile. He grabs his back and stands. “I have to go, though,” he announces just as the others get back with their lunch trays.

“What’s new,” Jongin mutters dejectedly and bites out a sorry when Sehun squeezes his shoulder.

“You’re not going to eat?” Junmyeon asks.

Kyungsoo chuckles, but shakes his head. “I have a lot of homework for tomorrow and I really have to get started,” he shares. “I’m seeing Jongdae tonight and I don’t know if I’ll be able to get anything done.” He shifts uncomfortably when they all stare at him. “I, uh, I’ll be here tomorrow.” Jongin raises an eyebrow at him. “I promise.” He smiles at all of them, even Baekhyun, who’s eyes widen slightly, before walking away.

He hangs onto the straps of his backpack as he makes his way out of the cafeteria and beams.

-

“This is nice,” Jongdae sighs in contentment as he leaned back on his reclined chair.

Kyungsoo hums in agreement. It’s a lazy Saturday afternoon and Kyungsoo didn’t have any homework or any other obligation to meet that day. So it was just all about hanging out and spending time at home, lounging by the garden, soaking up the day.

“I don’t think I’ve had a day with nothing to do in a while,” Kyungsoo says, closing his eyes, enjoying how relaxed his whole body feels. After the indirect reconciliation with Chanyeol (and Baekhyun, sort of), he can’t help but notice how different, how significantly lighter and happier, he feels. He opens his eyes and turns his head to look at Jongdae, whose eyes were closed as well, his eyelashes displayed on his cheekbones. “I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet."

“For what?” Jongdae asks, opening his eyes and meeting his gaze.

“For helping me put my life back together,” Kyungsoo tells him genuinely. “I feel like things have gotten way better for me ever since we became friends.” He smiles nervously because he’s never been so honest about his feelings to anyone ever since he found out that feelings can backfire on you when affection is thrown back in your face.

Jongdae smiles at him, easily. “You did that yourself, Kyungsoo,” he responds, shaking his head slightly. “I was just here to listen and to hold your hand.” And oh, Kyungsoo suddenly wishes that he really could hold Jongdae’s hand. “But I’m glad to have helped you in whatever way I could,” he accepts the gratitude.

Kyungsoo smiles, this time rather sadly. “I really don’t know what I’ll do when you go back to China,” he mutters quietly.

The thought of Jongdae leaving has been bothering him ever since they started to become really close. Jongdae was someone who’d grabbed him and pulled him back up when it felt like he was sinking into mud. He wasn’t sure how he was going to keep on standing if he was in a different country.

Jongdae doesn’t say anything and Kyungsoo chooses to drop it. He wonders if it was a sore subject for him, too.

They’re quiet for a while, just basking in the rays of the sun, enjoying the rustle of the leaves against the wind. Kyungsoo thinks he could get used to such a life, where things are all well again with his friends, with his classes, and where he has a special friend by his side, someone who talks to him everyday, never fails to make him laugh, makes him think about things, and supports him and is always there for him, guiding him; Jongdae. He thinks that he’s very blessed to have found a new friend after all that he went through, that there really is a silver lining in everything. Jongdae’s definitely that silver lining for him.

He’s so lost in his thoughts, so adrift in his happiness, that he doesn’t hear Jongdae speaking.

“…two really close people can be just friends?”

“What?” he asks apologetically.

Jongdae shoots him another smile, but shakes his head. “Never mind.”

-

Kyungsoo is happy, like he’s floating on air, walking on rainbows, skipping on sparkles. He knows that it’s obvious, but he doesn’t comprehend how obvious, not until Jongin calls him out on it.

“You’ve been really weird, you know that,” Jongin says as he shoves a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

“And like you’re not?” Kyungsoo snaps back at him, poking his tongue out.

Jongin snickers. “Really, though, I’m glad you’re back and all, but you’ve been strange,” he insists. “It’s like…you’re seeing stars all the time. You’re always friggin’ smiling, okay,” he finishes when Kyungsoo looks confused. “Your teeth is always out and it’s really weird.” He shudders for effect.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “I’m happy, okay? I feel so much better now. I’m not angry or hurt anymore. I’m just…happy,” he tries to elaborate.

“Of course you are,” Jongin makes a face. “With all the time you spend with Jongdae, I can only assume why.”

“What?” Kyungsoo blinks.

“Seriously,” Jongin smirks. “I’m not stupid, you know. It’s so obvious that you and Jongdae are going out already. I don’t know why you guys don’t just come out and say it.”

“We’re just friends, Jongin,” Kyungsoo reaches out and ruffles his hair, ignoring his cries of indignation. “And here I thought high school was helping fix your brain.”

-

“So…” Junmyeon starts slowly and barely says anything for a while. Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow in response to his hesitation.

“I hear you’re seeing this senior. Kyuhyun?” Kyungsoo cuts him off.

Junmyeon practically inhales the hot ramyun he had in front of him and Jongin and Sehun burst into fits of laughter as the soup dribbles down his mouth and uniform. Kyungsoo smiles, resting his chin on his hand, as he watching Junmyeon grumble over how his uniform was now so dirty he won’t be able to concentrate in his classes.

“They’ve gone out on a couple of dates,” Jongin supplies for him. “They go to the public library to read books and recite poems to each other. Afterwards, they go to the ice cream stall down the street and feed each other then they walk in the park and—.”

“We’re not that boring, okay,” Junmyeon interrupts rather heavily, his glare pinning Jongin down.

“They talk about school work all the time, though,” Sehun says this time. “They’re always going off about tangents and angles and—.” He stops and grins when Junmyeon shoots him a look this time.

“Looks like all’s going well,” Kyungsoo teases him. He knows how hard it was for Junmyeon to find anyone who understood his passion for reading and learning. “Is it serious?”

“I don’t know,” Junmyeon admits when he’s sure Jongin and Sehun are preoccupied with each other. He hesitates and meets Kyungsoo’s eyes. “We’ve been going out and spending time together, but we’ve never…we don’t talk about feelings or anything like that.”

Kyungsoo looks thoughtful. “Maybe you don’t have to?” He leans forward, resting his arms on the edge of the table. “Do you guys have fun when you’re together? Is it all endless conversations and laughter and comfortable? Because if it is then it’s probably a mutual thing.”

“The keyword being probably,” Junmyeon reminds him. He lets out a breath. “This wasn’t supposed to be about me, though. What about you and Jongdae?”

“What about me and Jongdae?” Kyungsoo asks back. He really isn’t sure what the big deal is about them. Ever since Jongin, he’d been getting questions from Sehun and even Chanyeol as well. He didn’t think that him having a new friend would be such an issue and would warrant such a barrage of interest.

“You guys have been spending a lot of time together,” Junmyeon points out. “I barely see him at home. He picks you up at school, helps you with your homework, and does errands with you. You text or call each other everyday, you go out for dinner, watch movies by yourselves… Should I go on?” he pointedly enumerates.

“I don’t see how this is such a big deal,” Kyungsoo admits. “We’re friends. Friends.”

Junmyeon frowns. “Is that really all there is? Are you sure?”

“I don’t see how being friends is such a bad thing,” Kyungsoo says, frowning a little. What he has with Jongdae, their relationship, is something he greatly treasured and he doesn’t like the fact that it seems like everyone is belittling that.

“Do you honestly believe that two very close people can be just friends?” Junmyeon questions. “Because, really, that closeness is bound to progress to something else, something more.”

This triggers something in Kyungsoo’s head.

Do you think two really close people can be just friends?

Kyungsoo shakes it away and frowns. “He’s leaving,” he emphasizes and Junmyeon practically glares at him, making him cower a bit.

“You’re really stupid,” Junmyeon declares.

-

The weather’s nice; sunny, but not hot, breezy, but not cold. Kyungsoo thinks it’s just about his favorite kind of weather. But he is unable to appreciate it just yet. Not when he’s nervous right to his bones, his eyebrows creased in concentration. He’s never been this nervous since—he shakes his head. He’s never been this nervous. This is different.

The door in front of him opens and Kyungsoo’s heart feels like it’s going to pop out of his chest and get stepped on. But he smiles anyway when Jongdae says hi, a bit confused to see him there.

“I, uh, hi,” Kyungsoo stammers.

Jongdae raises his eyebrows because Kyungsoo is never flustered this way, not like this. “What’s going on? Everything okay?”

“Nothing,” Kyungsoo blurts out. “I mean, yes, everything’s okay. I just—I have a question. Or rather, you have this question that you asked me and I never really heard and—.” He cuts himself off because by the expression on Jongdae’s face, he knows that he’s being silly.

Jongdae is smiling, though, and Kyungsoo is reminded of all those other times that Jongdae’s smiled at him, all those times he comforted him, made him feel like the world wasn’t going to end in a split second. He’s reminded of his shoulders that he’s leaned on and cried on so many times, of the arms that hugged him, of the eyes that shed tears with him. They’ve had many mini adventures together, zoo trips, museum explorations, movie marathons, food sprees and he realizes that this is Jongdae. This is Jongdae and he shouldn’t be afraid to say anything to him.

“You had a question,” Kyungsoo continues, taking a deep breath, “the other day. I thought I didn’t hear it and I forgot about it. Then Junmyeon and I were talking and I just remembered it and I thought of—.”

“Kyungsoo, you’re rambling,” Jongdae interrupts, a small smile on his face. It’s one of the smiles that he loves so much.

“Do you think two people can really be just friends,” Kyungsoo cuts to the chase. “That was your question.” Jongdae opens his mouth to reply, but Kyungsoo shakes his head. “I want to change the question, make it more…specific.” He bites his lower lip and fiddles with his hands, but when he raises his eyes to Jongdae, it’s certain and earnest. “Do you think two people, who’ve known each other a while, who’ve shared a lot of things with each other, who spend practically everyday together, and enjoy each other’s company so much, can be just friends?”

“Yes.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen a fraction before feeling the sting of rejection coarse through them. He blinks and lowers his gaze to the ground so that Jongdae wouldn’t see that he’s expected so much more than just friendship from him. And, just then, it’s come to his attention that he really does want their relationship to progress, to be so much more.

He feels fingers on his chin and his face is tilted up and Jongdae is there. He traces the tear streaks on his cheeks and gently thumbs them away.

“Kyungsoo,” Jongdae softly says, “look at me.” Kyungsoo fixes his eyes on him. “Yes, I think two people, who are all what you just said, can be just friends,” he repeats and Kyungsoo starts to look away again, but Jongdae makes sure that he doesn’t. “But, they can be so much more, too.” He pauses as if searching Kyungsoo’s face for any sign that he shouldn’t continue. “Like how I want us to be so much more. If you want it, too.”

Kyungsoo looks at Jongdae’s face, almost studying his expression, maybe making sure that he’s not just making fun of him, and he sees it again: the silver lining, the sun peeking through the clouds. There weren’t that many times in his life when he’s felt it raining all too much, but when it rained, it really poured. With Jongdae’s arrival in his life, the sun has been shining more often, filling his days with warmth and, maybe, just maybe, love.

“Kyungsoo?” Jongdae prompts him, uncertainty coloring his expression.

Kyungsoo stands on tiptoe, wrapping his arms around his neck. Just as their lips were about to touch, he whispers, “Yes.”

The kiss is more than he hoped it would be. It’s simple and sweet and he put everything of himself into it, tightening his hold on him. When he pulls away, his eyes are still closed.

“I know you’re leaving,” Kyungsoo speaks.

Jongdae cuts him off with another kiss. “Not anymore.”

-

Everyone is in a festive mood. It’s Jongin’s birthday and they’re having a mini party in his house, courtesy of his parents, who had retreated upstairs to let them all have their fun. Now, Sehun is on the dance floor, twirling Jongin around and around awkwardly, due to their heights, but they’re laughing and even when Jongin falls to the floor, everyone just chuckles it off.

Kyungsoo smiles across the room, where Jongdae and Junmyeon were talking about something serious, probably something nerdy. Jongdae looks up at him and his lips quirk into a smile before turning his attention back to Junmyeon.

“Hi,” Baekhyun sides up to him, non-alcoholic drink on hand.

“Hi,” Kyungsoo says, surprised, but not really. It’s been some time since they had spoken to each other by themselves. Baekhyun lets out a shaky breath, obviously struggling with the apology that Kyungsoo knows is on the tip of his tongue. “Don’t sweat it, Baekhyun,” he chuckles, putting him out of his misery.

Baekhyun gives him a sheepish look. He bites his lip. “I really am sorry, though,” he finally manages to get it out. “I never meant to hurt you the way I did and I really did love you and I was happy, but…” He looks so upset with himself and what happened that Kyungsoo was glad that his feelings of anger were long gone. He could never stay mad at Baekhyun long enough anyway.

“…things change, I know. I now know that you didn’t mean to hurt me,” Kyungsoo accepts his apology. “Baekhyun,” and he sighs because he’s never felt more relieved that they’re able to talk like this again, “I’m glad that you and Chanyeol are together, that you’re happy.”

Baekhyun lets out a tiny whimper and rushes forward to wrap his arms around him. Kyungsoo chuckles and wraps his own around Baekhyun’s waist. He closes his eyes and enjoys the warmth of their embrace. It’s closure and a reconfirmation of friendship.

When they pull away, Baekhyun’s cheeks are wet. Kyungsoo shakes his head and wipes his tears away with his knuckles.

“Still a crybaby, I see,” Kyungsoo teases and Baekhyun pouts.

“You should’ve seen him when you wouldn’t talk to us,” Chanyeol says as he arrives. Baekhyun sniffs when Kyungsoo smiles a bit sheepishly. “So… you and Jongdae, huh?” There’s a teasing, but curious note in his voice. Baekhyun looks at him interestedly.

Kyungsoo glances at Jongdae, who seems to have been watching his whole exchange with his ex as one of his eyebrows were slightly raised. He smiles at him and nods when he turns back to his best friends.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo verbally confirms.

“We’re glad,” Baekhyun congratulates at once. “Really.”

And Kyungsoo’s smile is brighter than the sun. “Me too.”

Much later, after all the food and drinks and dancing, when everyone’s gotten tired and scattered around the living room, and the sun’s early light is peeking through the curtains, Kyungsoo’s eyes flutter open. Jongdae is asleep beside him, the rays on the sun framing his beautiful face. Smiling, he lifts his face up and presses a kiss to his cheek. Jongdae slightly stirs, tightens his arms around Kyungsoo, but doesn’t wake up. Kyungsoo sighs contentedly and snuggles even closer to him.

It’s going to be morning soon.

--
1. This is loosely, very loosely, based on real life. LOL.
2. I stole the title from Distance by Christina Perri (yet again).
3. I hope this made sense.
4. Kyungsoo and Jongdae are seriously so cute. And I really do like Chen's facial structure.
5. Comments/suggestions/violent reactions are welcome but not required. :)