2.a.m

He stays out until 2.a.m. At two fifteen he arrives back, being careful to be quiet - sensible people are asleep at this hour. But not Kris however. Kris’ bedtime is around midnight on a good night but tonight he stayed up waiting. Chanyeol has formed this habit of staying out until ungodly hours, coming home worse for wear more and more often. Kris is sick of it.

Chanyeol turns on the small lamp in the corner of the cramped living room and has a minor heart attack when Kris’ unamused figure is illuminated on the sofa.

“Oh my God, hyung! You scared me.” Chanyeol moves carefully, not just because of his sore wounds and limb, but because Kris is giving off an dangerous aura. “What are you doing up?”

Kris’ eyes snap up to the younger boy, anger burning in his gaze. He takes in Chanyeol’s bloodied lip, his bruised eye, and grazed knuckles. It’s too cold for Chanyeol to be wearing so little, but he doesn’t need the layers doing what he does. It breaks his heart that Chanyeol looks so rough and weak right now. Kris might be shaking a little.

“Why don’t you stop?” He bites, hands balling into fists on his lap. Chanyeol quietly walking into the kitchen to get the first aid kit from the cupboard. He doesn’t deem Kris with an answer because he’s said it all before. They’ve been over it a million times already, they eachother’s questions and answers by heart and Chanyeol is fed up of playing ‘stuck record’.

He sifts through the kit with ease, surprised to see that supplies aren’t running all that low. He takes out the antiseptic, bandages and plasters and begins to clean his wounds meticulously. Kris watches him, and if looks could kill, Chanyeol would be on fire by the sheer intensity of his glare. “You shouldn’t do it anymore!”

Chanyeol wants to say: ‘you don’t tell me what to do’ but it wouldn’t mean anything anymore. It’s better to bite his tongue anyway. (Kris can tell him what to do because he’s older.)

“Look how hurt you’re getting! This needs to stop.” Kris rises to his feet, stepping into the miniscule kitchen. His voice drops into a softer tone, “I’m worried about you.”

Chanyeol stops treating his wounds because he’s fallen into a small state shock, staring into the space of the wall.

He hadn’t been expecting that.

It’s easy to forget about Kris who’s always there for him when he does what he does. It’s easy to forget how patience and caring he is. He’s forgotten what a friend Kris is to him - how important he is to him. He plays a big role in Chanyeol’s life. They were best friends until the relationship fizzled out to whatever it is now. But they still hold the title ‘best friends’ to eachother.

Chanyeol begins to tremble.

Of course his best friend is worried about him.

Look at him! He’s covered in cuts and bruises, his bones are sore and his muscles are aching because fighting - proving he’s strong - somehow became more important than anything. there’s probably a million reasons why this happened, all of them physiological - but Chanyeol doesn’t want to acknowledge them right now.

He can feel tears stinging the corner of his black eye.

In the space of twenty minutes he’s been reduced from the strongest man in the city to a shuddering scolded child all at the hand of his ‘best friend’.

“Chanyeol,” Kris whispers, daring to take a step closer.

The younger hiccups, desperately trying to fight the onslaught of emotions that are threatening to crash through him like a tsunami. His face knots with the effort and his misses Kris stepping a little bit closer.

The older man takes the cotton bud covered in antiseptic from Chanyeol’s quivering hand and delicately - tenderly - daps the corner of the shorter’s mouth with it.

“I know you’re strong, Chanyeol-ah. But I also know you’re stronger than this.”

Chanyeol doesn’t break down into hysterics. No. The tears fall silently without restraint over a straight face as he accepts Kris’ words. His body shakes and jumps with small sniffs and hiccups.

Kris has always been right.

Tonight, Kris will clean all of his wounds and look after him - his best friend.

끝

Can someone tell me how to keep the margins I set?