Seven (A Week's Worth) Pt. 2

      

WARNING: Too much cheese.

Pairings: Kaisoo, Baeksoo, Sesoo, Taosoo

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Thursday was supposed to be his day for kidnapping Kyungsoo to have him all for himself, but that did not happen. Last Thursday didn’t go as schedule. Instead of doing his task, he started reading a cheesy novel her sister owned. He picked it in the morning thinking it was his calculus book but ended up being glued to the novel all day long. It was never his plan to read it and he thought that it would never be part of his plans (He is Jongin, he reads serious books and not childish ones like that), but alas, Jongin could never fully control what books he would stumble upon.

He had read ‘Goodbye Summer’, the novel that is the latest craze for preteens and teens alike. It’s a novel that mainly targets girls and hopeless romantics. Jongin wouldn’t want to be lumped with either of the two, but he found out that a story could have its surprises. To lay the facts straight, Jongin was never embarrassed with reading the book. He would never be since he enjoyed it. What he was embarrassed about is the fact that he cried a river because of the book. To be more specific, he cried because of a minor side-story in the book. Jongin would like to think that he is not a sensitive person. After all, he never did cry to a number of sad movies he watched in the past that had induced Kyungsoo to cry buckets, so why now? He doesn’t know either.

This Thursday however, things should go according to his plan. He will kidnap Kyungsoo to have him all for himself, but things (as before) didn’t go as planned either.

“Kyungsoo.”

“What?”

“Could I kidnap you at lunch?”

“No.”

“Ummm… Ok.”

Kyungsoo is as cold as ever, not even thinking twice before giving his answer. It left Jongin eating lunch together with the likes of Sehun, Tao, Baekhyun, and Yixing in a table that is relatively quiet. Kyungsoo left them alone in the excuse of promising to eat lunch with someone else. He is disappointed but that did not dither him from asking Kyungsoo a second time that day.

“Kyungsoo.”

“What?”

“Could I kidnap you after school?”

“No.”

“Ummm…Ok.”

Jongin is dumbfounded. Kyungsoo denied him a second time that day. That rarely happens. Usually, Kyungsoo is up to whatever up his sleeves. He always, always, caters his whims. With nothing else to do, the rest of his Thursday seems as bleak as his history book.  He decides to pay their school library a visit as he figures that it would be less dull to face shelves of books than the blankness of his bedroom wall.

The smell of warm rich words greets him as he strolls from shelves to shelves. No title had awakened some interest in him. It either goes to two things: the book seems boring or he had already read the book. Before he notices it, he had gone astray to the part of the library he coined as ‘the hopeless romantic section’, and remember, Jongin doesn’t want to be lumped to the likes of them. Jongin shivers and is about to move on when he sees it.

He sees the side of someone, a boy no doubt, sitting on the library floor. Something made him curious, as if a magnet is pulling him to the boy. He steps to the corner and peek thriftily on one side to get a better view. There he sees Kyungsoo reading quietly with crossed legs.

He might get his solo time with Kyungsoo after all.

“What are you reading?” Jongin greets carefully, step by step approaching Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo instinctively looks at Jongin, a smile emerging on his face.

 “Just some random book.” Kyungsoo says, gaze following Jongin until he is directly above him.

“I thought you were busy,” Jongin comments. He briefly smiles back before sitting beside Kyungsoo on the library floor.

“I am busy. I’ve been reading this book since last week.”  Kyungsoo flashes the book to Jongin. It’s a book by Paulo Coelho that Jongin hadn’t read before. “I’ve lost my library card, and I’m too scared of the librarian to ask for another since this is my third time loosing it.”

“You could borrow my card.” Jongin says. “I need a break from reading books anyways since I cried because of one just a week ago.”

Kyungsoo freezes then looks at him in mild shock and disbelief. “Are you serious?  Kim Jongin cried because of a book?”

Incredulity is etched on Kyungsoo’s tone. Jongin nods smiling.  He knows too well that embarrassing things he did would always tickle Kyungsoo’s fancy.

“No way, you must be joking.” Kyungsoo laughs in amusement.

“Look who’s laughing.” Jongin smirks. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. You had cried at more things than I.”

“What book made you cry anyway?”

“It was nothing.” Jongin tries to dismiss, but Kyungsoo keeps on insisting leaving Jongin no choice but to answer. “Goodbye Summer.”

“Seriously?” With that, another round of laughter erupted from Kyungsoo. Jongin could no longer decide whether a crying Kyungsoo would be a better sight than a laughing-his-lungs-out Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo got red from too much laugh making Jongin red himself because of embarrassment.

“Ha-ha, Kyungsoo. Kim Jongin reading a love story is really funny.” Jongin sarcastically comments as he drags Kyungsoo towards him and trap Kyungsoo’s neck between his elbow and body.

“Jongin, stop it.” Kyungsoo yelps still with a giggle, but Jongin follows no heed as he messes the former’s hair with his hand. Jongin did that until Kyungsoo stopped laughing and has a nest for a hair. “Look at what you did to me.”

“Well, it’s your fault for laughing like a madman.”

Just then, an ehem startles them. Both boys raise their head until their eyes lands on their school librarian. She is pushing a cart filled with books and is looking at them like an angry mother. Her face is akin to a vulture and the glint on her eyes is also of one either. A glass is perched on her long nose; she has a permanent scowl, and a big ear that Kyungsoo swore could hear a mouse yawning from miles away. She is the embodiment of the stereotypical strict librarian. Kyungsoo and Jongin gulps then both stands up and bowed to her more out of fear than anything.

“You two boys should not loiter around these areas.” She eyes them, judging their close proximity, the blush on their faces, and Kyungsoo’s messy hair (no thanks to Jongin). “There are designated areas for reading your books—” the librarian pauses then places two books on the shelf beside Kyungsoo. “—and the library is not a place for making out.”

 She then walks leaving the two boys alone in silence. The whistle of the cart’s wheel and the tapping of the librarian’s heels fade along with her to one corner.

“She thought that we’re kissing.” Kyungsoo stutters. He is now quiet, distant from him laughing just moments ago.

“Well, let’s not stay here then.” Jongin chuckles. “Maybe if she returns, she might think we’re doing more things than just making out.”

“M-more things?”

In truth, there’s a strange sense of joy washing Jongin knowing that someone thought he was kissing Kyungsoo, and he wouldn’t mind her thinking they’re doing more things either, but he doesn’t want to be reprimanded and most especially not want to be placed on their librarian’s kids-to-watch list. Yixing has a not so fun experience being part of that list, he doesn’t want him or Kyungsoo to follow suit.

Following her command, the two are now sitting side by side on the reading area with books on their hands merely as an excuse for them to be there.

“…so, why did Goodbye Summer made you cry?” Kyungsoo broaches as he leans closer to Jongin, asking in an almost whisper. He’s careful not to bother the other real readers in the area. “It has a happy ending. Don’t tell me you cried because of joy.”

“No, it’s because of Jinhye and Taeyoung.” Jongin replies also in a whisper.

“The main character’s friends in the choir? They were rarely mentioned. I doubt that you cried because of them, Jongin” Kyungsoo says, not able to control the volume of his voice.

“Sssshhh,” A chubby boy close to them with piles of book in his front shushes the both of them. “Sorry.” The two boys reply. The tapping of the librarian’s shoes could then be heard as she emerges from one shelf pushing an already empty cart. The two could no longer freely speak.

An idea forms on Jongin’s mind. He still wants to stay in the library with Kyungsoo. He grabs a pen and a folded paper which was fortunately on his pocket then wrote his reply.

KJ: It’s really sad how Taeyoung wasn’t able to confess to Jinhye before they separate ways even if Jinhye also has feelings for him.

He gives the paper to Kyungsoo who catches the drift, and wrote his own reply after reading the note a few times. The two continues their conversation on the paper.

DK: Well, it was Taeyoung’s fault. He did not confess.

KJ: That’s because Jinhye has a lot of suitors and he doesn’t want to break their friendship. He has no choice.

DK: He has a choice and he made it. He chose to be his friend forever, so why would you cry because of his choice? :P

KJ: It’s more complicated than your simplistic approach, hyung. Besides, Jinhye did not confess either.

DK: Well, that’s because Jinhye in the story did not realize that she likes Taeyoung until the very moment they separated.

KJ: Jinhye was also too dumb to realize that the guy obviously like her. The clues that Taeyoung was giving were too obvious.

DK:Taeyoung could have just been direct if he knew that Jinhye was dense.

KJ: Please read again the sentence I just underlined above, hyung.

DK: Sheesh, why then was he brave enough to give obvious signals if he has those reasons not to confess in the first place? You’re confusing, Jongin.

KJ: Signals are different from straight out confessing.

DK: Why are you so lean on protecting Taeyoung?

Jongin doesn’t know how to reply to that. Maybe it’s because he sees his self in Taeyoung. Maybe he relates to the story and in some odd way, while he was reading, he imagined Kyungsoo to be the clueless Jinhye and him to be the hopeless Taeyoung. Maybe that’s the reason why he couldn’t control his tears in the first place.

“Yahh, no peeking.” Jongin shoos Kyungsoo once he sees him trying to read what he is writing on the paper. He covers his writing to prevent Kyungsoo’s eyes from seeing.

“Well, it’s because you take too long to reply.” Kyungsoo complains. The chubby boy near them looks at Kyungsoo in annoyance, but decides not to shush them a second time. Kyungsoo just smiles apologetically at him and mouthed a sorry.

KJ: I don’t know.

DK: After five whole minutes, that was your only reply? }:(

KJ: I kind of relate with Taeyoung on some ways I guess.

DK: Don’t tell me you like a close friend of yours? Is it Sehun? Please tell me, it’s Sehun.

KJ: Heck No. Aren’t we over that stage already?

DK: Fine! Is it Yixing? Baekhyun? Tao? Wait, don’t tell me it’s a girl?

KJ:  It’s a secret.

DK: Just give me some hints.I thought we’re friends. I can’t believe you are keeping secrets from me. T^T

KJ:  I will just give you two clues: One, he is uber cute. Two, he is as dense as Jinhye.

DK: Sehun is cute and dense. ;)

“Ehem.”  The two boys freezes upon the familiar voice then shakily looks up. The librarian is glaring at them with her vulture intent, looking at them like they were pieces of dead meat waiting to be scavenged. “If you two are just going to pass love notes to each other, you better do it somewhere else. The library is not a dating place.”

“Umm, we-re not…”

“Get out, you two!”

With that, both Kyungsoo and Jongin were kicked out of the library and lands their way on their librarian’s kids-to-watch list probably as the ‘two boys who dates and smooch in the library’. It is clearly not true, but hey, Jongin is not complaining.  He chuckles inwardly.

“Jongin.”             

“What?”

“Good luck to your crush. If you need me, I’ll support you.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Kyungsoo is really as clueless as Jinhye. Both boys saunter to their school gate side by side to go back home. One thought keeps replaying on Jongin’s mind.

He would do everything not to have the same sad ending as Taeyoung’s.

 

 

 

Friday is not a good day to hear bad news. Friday is supposed to be a day of relief and fun. It’s a day that brings the promising whisper of a long weekend. No school and a two day break from waking up with an alarm clock ringing behind closed eyelids. This Friday however, Kyungsoo hears a bad news. It started with one whisper. He thought it was a lie. Another whisper. He still thinks it’s a lie. And then another, and another, and another. It must be true, but his fingers are stilled crossed hoping that he’s wrong.  Rumors, Kyungsoo learned, could spread as fast as a wildfire no matter how true or how false the first spark is.

“Did you hear it?”

“Hear what?”

“That bully. The principal’s son.”

“What?”

“He was called in his mother’s office. He got into a fight again.”

“Frankly, I’m not surprise.”

“Yeah, I hope he got expelled.”

Kyungsoo could only hear the thunder after a lightning. Senseless noise fades away in the background. He doesn’t care what other people think of his friend. He knows Baekhyun, and the Baekhyun he knows would no longer go into fights for no good reason. That is the old Baekhyun we’re talking about.

“Did you hear it?” Tao whispers to him in one class while Kyungsoo is looking at a blank chair where his seatmate, Baekhyun, is suppose to sit. Kyungsoo nods in reply as the school bell rings. Kyungsoo could only hear the cacophonous clanking of the bell drowning the clamor of the students as he instantly made way to the principal’s office with one goal in his mind.

“Where’s Baekhyun?” He curtly asks their school secretary the very second he saw her, door banging open.

“He went to his house early.” The secretary starts, “He had lots of…” Kyungsoo did not let her finish her sentence as he cuts her by saying a speedy thank you before he scurries out the office to go to the said place, Baekhyun’s house.  The secretary just shakes her head as she meets closed doors before turning back to her work.

Kyungsoo knows that if Baekhyun got into trouble again, he might very well be expelled. He doesn’t want Baekhyun to study in a different school. Not now that they are already close with each other. Not now when Baekhyun is trying to be good. Not now.

Purple patches.

Bruised lips.

Scars.

Those are the imperfections that mar Baekhyun’s face and skin as Kyungsoo arrives to his house. The rumors must be true, but that’s not what Kyungsoo could see. He can only see his friend and his wounds.

“Baekhyun.” He says softly, almost like a broken whisper.

“You shouldn’t have seen me like this, Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun’s lips is in a grim line, trying to smile to show strength. Despite the smooth exterior, Kyungsoo could still see the glimpse of his pain. Kyungsoo ambles towards his friend’s side.

“I-I have an ointment.” Kyungsoo acquires a small gray container from his bag. He gave a shy grin and briefly shows it to Baekhyun, before unscrewing its cover and squeezing a wee amount of cream to a cotton ball. Baekhyun nods, permitting him to place the ointment. He slowly leans forward, inching closer to Kyungsoo for him to have better access of him. His gaze never left the smaller boy.

Kyungsoo holds his hand in place. Baekhyun wince on the very first contact of the cream to a scar on his right fist. To deviate the pain, he tries to focus to the feel of Kyungsoo’s left hand supporting his wrist.

Kyungsoo chuckles causing Baekhyun to look at him in question.

“Look at you picking up fights and acting all tough, but wincing like a kid at the wounds you received.”

“I was not the one who started the fight.” Baekhyun defends himself with tone like a child, still looking at Kyungsoo mending his wounds. His face sags thinking that he must have disappointed him.

“I believe you,” Kyungsoo pauses his ministration then looks at his friend, “but would they expel you?”

“No. I’ve got enough witness to support me. I can’t believe Jongin and Sehun helped me.” Kyungsoo sighs in relief for Baekhyun, and is happy that Jongin and Sehun are now getting chummy with his other friends.  “A fight is still a fight though. I will be suspended for a week and my parents are disappointed with me yet again.”

“Don’t think like that.” Kyungsoo’s hand then rose to Baekhyun’s right cheek, cradling it. He applies enough pressure to the bruises there. “Does it hurt?”

Baekhyun shakes his head, liking the feel of Kyungsoo’s smooth hand on his face, but the feeling was soon gone as Kyungsoo retracts his hands to apply more ointment this time to the wounds on his face.

Baekhyun never regrets fighting back to the person who started it. Every scars, bruise, and wound he received was for defending someone important to him. The person who he fought were saying bad things about Kyungsoo knowing that that action would rile him up into using fist which ultimately would lead to his expulsion, and there’s a good amount of people that would want that. It almost did work, Baekhyun threatened them to stop but he still refused to physically fight back. The last straw though came when he dared calling Kyungsoo . That is not acceptable, Baekhyun was no longer able to restrain his nerves, and everything happened so fast. One fist landed on Baekhyun’s jaw and it went physical from then on.

“Don’t you dare insult Kyungsoo again, or I swear you’ll regret it.” Baekhyun threatened with menace on his voice and fire on his glare as his adviser, Jongin, and Sehun dragged him away from his adversary who was in a far worse shape than him.

“Ouch!” Baekhyun grimaces when Kyungsoo pressed the cotton firmly on one particular bruise on his cheek.

Kyungsoo giggles in opt of apologizing.

“Why are you laughing, do you really like it when I’m in pain?” Baekhyun jokingly glares at him. He flicks his finger to the bridge of Kyungsoo’s nose stopping Kyungsoo’s laugh with an ouch of his own.

“Maybe you’re the one who likes me in pain.” Kyungsoo replies while rubbing his nose, a fake scowl on his face.

“Maybe.” Baekhyun smirks which lead to Kyungsoo hitting his left shoulder.

“Ouch. I also have bruises there.” 

“Stop lying, you only fought with one person.”

“I’m not joking.” Baekhyun removed his necktie then started ing his school uniform. He must really want to prove that he is not lying. Kyungsoo throat goes dry once more skin is revealed. In a matter of second, Baekhyun is topless in front of him with his uniform discarded on the side. He has a more toned body than what Kyungsoo expected. Baekhyun is looking at him with a mischievous smile, liking the blush on Kyungsoo’s face. “So what did you say?”

Kyungsoo composes himself then looks at Baekhyun’s shoulder for bruises, none. He looks at the rest of his body, none.

“There’s not a single bruise anywhere.” Kyungsoo deadpans.

“Oh, I must have been imagining it then.” Baekhyun acted all innocent scanning his body and finding no bruise. It causes him to be hit by Kyungsoo a second time. This time, on his thighs. “Ouch, I have legit bruise there!”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes.

“I swear.” Baekhyun then stands up then was about to unbuckle his slacks when…

“Alright, stop it you ert exhibitionist!” Kyungsoo holds Baekhyun’s wrist to stop him from doing what he is about to do. “Let’s just say I believe you, so none of us here gets , alright?”

Baekhyun nods then the both of them sat back down. There’s still a sly grin on Baekhyun’s face and a lighter blush on Kyungsoo’s face.

“C-could I hug you?” Kyungsoo asks shyly after a few seconds of quiet. Baekhyun could not articulate a word, frozen by Kyungsoo’s sudden request, so he nods instead.

Kyungsoo leans toward him, their face close until Kyungsoo’s chin rests on the bend of his shoulder, both hands encircling around him in a loose hug. “Thanks, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo says.

“What for?”

“As you might notice, Yixing is a very talkative person and a gossip. He told me the reason why you fought back that jerk.” 

Baekhyun raised both his arm then hugged Kyungsoo back, arms encasing his small frame. His gaze lands on a scar in his knuckles. He smiles.

Every wound he receives for Kyungsoo will always be worth it.

 

 

Saturday is for spending the whole day in bed not doing anything but resting under the blankets. Kyungsoo couldn’t figure out what he did on the past days that lead him to such a predicament. He had promised Sehun to spend the whole day with him, and he’s kind of sorry that he might break that promise. It’s not that he doesn’t want to. It’s just because of the stupid flu he caught.

Kyungsoo sneezes.

His hyung and his parents are all out on some errands unaware that he’s sick. It’s better this way. He won’t trouble them and be a burden. Heck if they knew, his hyung might even hire a doctor worth a sack of expensive medicines. He couldn’t have that seeing as that sack of expensive medicines could translate into a dozen sacks of chocolates. He’d rather pick chocolates anytime of the day.

Thinking about chocolates made Kyungsoo’s stomach grumble. He’s hungry, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Even just the mere act of standing is already such a task for him He’s too sick to cook and he’s pretty sure that they don’t have any stored foods in their refrigerator. He needs to eat. He needs his medicines. Or rather, he needs someone to take care of him.

As if on cue, a knock echoes from the door.

“Who’s there? It’s open.” Kyungsoo says with voice scratchy and barely audible. There’s also a looming strangeness, who would knock on his door? He is pretty sure no one else is there in his house.

There’s a knock again.

Kyungsoo shouts that it’s open but to no avail. He starts to feel a little bit nervous. Maybe it is a thief, but who had heard of a thief that knocks? He dismisses the thought quickly. After a while, the atmosphere stills. Time drags with Kyungsoo looking at the door waiting for something to happen. He is about to dismiss it as him hearing things, but then a familiar voice started speaking.

“Kyungsoo-hyung, I’m coming in.” The person behind the door informs. Kyungsoo blinks still looking at the door. It then opens revealing Sehun on the other side. Sehun looks at him in the bed cocooned in his blankets, hair messy and face pale. It doesn’t take a Sherlock to deduce the state Kyungsoo is in. “Hyung, are you sick?”

Sehun’s face sags. Sehun is clad ready to go out. He must have been excited for their supposed friendly date. Guilt slowly consumes Kyungsoo.

 “I’m sorry. “ Kyungsoo answers softly.

“There’s no need to be sorry.” Sehun carefully makes his way to his bed and tries to check his temperature with the back of his hand. His feature is painted with worry. “You are burning, Hyung.”

“That’s because I’m hot,” Kyungsoo smiles, joking to lighten up the mood. “I had been sick before, Sehun. Don’t worry about me. I could take care of myself.”

“Not on my watch.” Sehun shakes his head knowing that Kyungsoo is always too stubborn to admit that he needs help.  “Today, I’m going to be your personal doctor.”

Kyungsoo wants to complain because he doesn’t want to burden a friend he already disappointed, but Sehun is already stern on his decision and he is too sick to argue. After all, he does need help. There’s no use denying that if he wants to be well soon.

“My personal doctor?” Kyungsoo raspy voice repeats.

“Your personal doctor,” Sehun affirms, “and as my first duty, I must fill that stomach of yours—” Sehun pats Kyungsoo’s stomach “—with a delicious breakfast.”

With that, Sehun disappears to the kitchen. Kyungsoo closes his eyes, already needing rest, but before he could snooze, realization struck him. Does Sehun know how to cook? He only knows that Sehun was the one who almost destroyed their school’s chemistry lab by attempting to mix two incompatible substances together because he misread the manual. How could someone misread Sodium Benzoate from Potassium Acid Phthalate? Kyungsoo just hopes that being a pseudo mad scientist doesn’t equate to a bad chef.

Oh no, he sure hopes not. It’s his precious kitchen we’re talking about.

Time drags again with Kyungsoo’s heart making pirouettes inside his chest only punctuated by Sehun returning at last with a plate cradled on his hand. Not a tense sight, Kyungsoo must say albeit the hesitant steps Sehun takes towards him.

So far so good.

“Did you blow up our kitchen?” Kyungsoo asks jokingly.

Sehun chuckles. “No, of course not. I know how much you love that place” Sehun bits his lips, eyes nervously flicking from the food he cooked to Kyungsoo, “but ummm... I don’t think you would love the dish I made just as much.’

Sehun presented his food to Kyungsoo’s lap. The rice looks undercooked and mushy, and raw egg seems to be a more appealing choice than the fried egg Sehun made which, as opposed to the rice, is overcooked. Kyungsoo wants a sunny-side up and not a sunny-side burnt, but you know what they say, ‘it’s the thought that counts.’ After stabbing the food a couple of times with his fork, Kyungsoo summoned all the courage he has to inch one spoon to his mouth.

“Mmm… It’s delicious.”Kyungsoo comments while mustering a contented façade despite the bitterness of the food (if it can be called food). He swallows the food prematurely to get away with the taste.

Sehun smiles, but then a frown follows suit. He sighs. “It’s okay, hyung. You don’t need to lie. I know I’m not a good cook.” Sehun is disappointed at himself. He then grabbed the plate away from Kyungsoo. “You don’t deserve to eat this.”

“N-no. It’s okay, really.” Kyungsoo doesn’t know whether to be relieved or guilty.

“You and I both know that it’s not.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t bear to see the look of dejection on Sehun’s face as he leaves to dispose the food he cooked. For a while, Kyungsoo doubted his own acting. He should’ve shown more enthusiasm while he was munching Sehun’s cooking or perhaps he absentmindedly made a scowl of distaste.  Maybe, he was too obvious. With that in mind, time drags yet again.

Sehun soon returns with medicines, a pitcher of water, and two bananas to compensate for a meal. “Take this.”

Kyungsoo parted his lips so that Sehun could place the medicine in his mouth, but then he quickly shuts his mouth tight the moment he saw the capsule in Sehun’s hand.

“Sehun, that’s not a medicine for flu.”

Sehun eyes enlarges, gaze flicking to the label in the medicine. It’s a capsule for diarrhea. “Oh God, I’m sorry Hyung.”

Kyungsoo nods, saying that it’s okay. He doesn’t want Sehun to feel bad again because even if he keeps quiet, it’s still evident on his face that he blames himself.

To make the long story short, Saturday predominantly consist of Sehun making a series of unfortunate mistakes.  It pains for Kyungsoo to see dejection and disappointment marring Sehun’s face time and time again that day, but after a while, Kyungsoo started expecting it and the whole thing turns amusing instead. Okay maybe that time when Sehun accidentally shoved the thermometer down Kyungsoo mouth a little too deep was more life threatening than amusing. He gagging in front of his friend wasn’t amusing at all.

“Some personal doctor I am.” Sehun says looking down. He thought that taking care of Kyungsoo would be as easy as pie, something that he was born to do, but his clumsiness got the best of him yet again. He just wants Kyungsoo to think that he’s caring and thoughtful for once, but instead he will always be this clumsy younger friend, unlike Jongin. “I couldn’t even take care of you. What would happen if we got married? I’ll be a lousy husband.”

It was in the spur of self-disappointment that Sehun accidentally said those words and not even realizing it, but Kyungsoo, even with the influence of his flu, is still on his proper sense to hear what Sehun said loud and clearly. There’s a sudden pause on Kyungsoo’s mind as he looks at his friend.

“What did you just say?”

“I said what would happen if we got married.” It was on that moment that realization dawns upon Sehun too. Damn, he is totally screwed. He imagined his confession to Kyungsoo to be more romantic. “I-I mean… What would happen if we g-graduated. I’ll surely be a lousy doctor.” Sehun hurriedly follows. He tries to laugh it off but Kyungsoo’s serious face is unwavering. Sehun’s usually blank face is now anything but.

“I’m pretty sure you said ‘married’” Kyungsoo’s gaze never left Sehun’s.

“No. It m-must be your flu.” Sehun stutters, a bit nervous. Kyungsoo’s eyes squint almost unnoticeably, but then he gave in.

“Ummm… You’re right, it must be my flu.” Kyungsoo shrugs. A smile emerges in his face giving no indication whatsoever if he truly believed what he just said. Sehun just convinces himself that he dodged a bullet. Today is still not the right time for him confessing.

“You know, for a sick person. You seem to be quite energetic.” Sehun hopes to change the topic.

Kyungsoo smiles while grabbing Sehun’s hand to make the back of it feel the temperature of his neck. Smooth hand lands on warm neck. Kyungsoo’s temperature is back to normal, the same as his.  Maybe somewhere between him bringing back the wrong medicine to Kyungsoo a second time, and him spilling warm milk all over Kyungsoo’s shirt, the flu went away due to his carelessness.

“Sehun?”

“What?”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For being caring and thoughtful of me.” Kyungsoo smiles then bring Sehun’s hand to his mouth to give a shy kiss and a thank you.

Maybe being a pseudo mad scientist and a clumsy doctor has a certain appeal for Kyungsoo after all.

 

 

Kyungsoo finds himself doing an errand on Sunday noon, sun scorching hot on its zenith. Sunday is his day for doing all his assignments, buying the grocery, washing the laundry, and an absolutely rare time for rest. He finds himself buying a Popsicle stick along with the grocery to treat himself for a well earned sweet and a cold treat for the heat. He had just healed from flu, and he’s making himself busy again today. He wouldn’t be surprised if he’s going to be sick again tomorrow.

“Kyungsoo!” The said boy hears his name being called as he opens the Popsicle and stuffs it on his mouth. He scans for the person who called him.

“Tao!” Kyungsoo’s mouth grumbles. Tao is with two other boys around their age on his tow. Kyungsoo approach his friend as he removes the Popsicle from his mouth after taking a cold bite from it in favor of the treat.

 “Out to buy groceries, I see.” Tao eyes the plastic bag clutched on Kyungsoo’s right hand. He then offers to hold it for him. Kyungsoo, at first, denies the help but Tao’s insistence made him succumb as he finally gave the plastic to him.  “I heard from Sehun that you got sick yesterday.”

“Yes, I did. I’m good now though.” Kyungsoo answers, more interested at knowing the fact that Sehun and Tao are already talking about casual things instead of always squabbling together. Kyungsoo knows that it would only need time for his friends to be friends themselves. He’s glad that they are slowly but surely getting close with each other.

 “Where are you going?” Tao asks, “If you’re not busy, you could come with us.”

Kyungsoo is busy, but he’d rather go to where Tao is going. He figures that his dirty clothes could wait until later, or better yet, his hyung might wash it again for him. He’s already halfway done with his homework anyways. “I’m not busy.”

“That’s great.” Tao is elated with his answer. “This two are Akihiko and Makoto,” Tao introduces his two friends who are subtly glancing at them from the side. It turns out that they are foreign exchange student studying in another school, but unlike Tao, they came from Japan instead of China. The two of them eyes Kyungsoo, checking him out. Tao instinctively put a possessive arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulder once he sees the impish glint on his friends’ eyes.

“Just so you know, Kyungsoo is mine and he is off limits for you two.” Tao glares at his two friends, tone strict and punctuated to emphasize his point. He then leans to Kyungsoo’s ear and whispers: “These two are members of the yakuza, so watch out for them. They like pretty little things like you, and if I’m not careful, you might be on their bed by nightfall. I wouldn’t like that.”

Kyungsoo shivers, looking at Tao’s friend who is smirking mischievously at him. They are both handsome, yes, but there is also an intimidating aura shrouding them.

“Now, now Tao.” The taller one singsong playfully, “Don’t give us a bad first impression to the cutie.”

In the short amount of time since Tao transferred to his school, Kyungsoo had known a lot of things from Tao. He is definitely no longer the innocent Tao he knew who was on his knees proposing to him. He had grown and matured over the years and had been since then hanging out with the kind of people who most would say are ‘bad apples’. Tao already smokes and drinks, he had said it to him honestly. He, however, is always careful enough not to do his vices in front of Kyungsoo as he hates the smell of cigarettes. Kyungsoo doesn’t judge, but he has been convincing his friend not to smoke or drink often so that it wouldn’t destroy his body too much, and Kyungsoo is glad that Tao is following him. Unlike Sehun who is stoic and clumsy, Jongin who is whiny and calculated, Yixing who loves to talk too much, and Baekhyun who acts tough but in reality is softer than most people, Tao is different. He is more mature for his age and had already seen life under the table.

It comes to no surprise that the place they went to is a Tattoo parlor.

“You’re going to get a tattoo?”

Tao nods, “if it’s okay with you?”

“I’m fine if you’re fine with it.” Kyungsoo says. “It’s going to be on your body for the rest of your life though so I want you to think through it if it’s really okay with you.”

The four of them goes inside the parlor and Tao greets and hugs the pierced man who runs the place, they then talk together after he introduced them to him. Kyungsoo is left with the two yakuzas as Tao is talking with the tattoo artist who was a close acquaintance of him from China.

“Are you a ?” The shorter Yakuza asks him out of nowhere with roguish intent.

Kyungsoo’s blood rushes to his face, surprise of the sudden question. “I-I… ummm.” The shorter Yakuza smirks finding his answer on Kyungsoo’s demeanor.

“You are a .” He answers for him with a lopsided grin.

“Stop it, Akihiko. You don’t want Tao to be angry with you for playing with his crush, don’t you?”  The taller one protects him. “It’s okay shortie. We’re not going to do anything bad to you.” He winks at him, all the more making Kyungsoo nervous.

When Tao returns, Kyungsoo unknowingly sighs in relief. Tao hands him a book containing the premade tattoo designs. “I want you to pick the tattoo you would want me to have.”

“M-me? Are you sure?” Kyungsoo clarifies, pointing at himself. Kyungsoo thinks that picking a tattoo to place to your body for the rest of your life is a serious decision, and he’s not truly confident with his tattoo-picking ability if there is such a thing. “What if I choose a hello kitty design, would you ink it on your skin?”

Tao smiles. “I’m pretty sure there’s no hello kitty design there.”

Tao is ardent on his decision so Kyungsoo complies at the end. He opens the book, unsurely scanning at the designs. They all look so cool and Kyungsoo finds it difficult to decide what he would like for Tao the best. Kyungsoo scans page to page, not one was outstandingly cooler than the rest. The two foreigners on either side of him lean towards him to see the design better. There’s a flash of disapproval on Tao’s face due to his friends’ proximity to Kyungsoo but he did not voice it.

“That one looks great.” The shorter one points at a dragon tattoo.

“It is.” Kyungsoo agrees, but he’s not sure if it fits Tao. “Let’s just check the others first.” 

Kyungsoo and the two yakuza member scan the rest of the book. Kyungsoo finds a wolf tattoo that is slightly better than the dragon tattoo they had found, but at the end he settles for a tribal symbol which strangely draws his attention. There is nothing remarkable or outstanding about it, and its curves are simple, almost too simple, but it has a certain je ne sais quoi to it that magnetizes Kyungsoo.  To put it simply, the tattoo looks like a shape of a dragonfly with a curved line drawn across its center and a solid dot on its top.

“I like it.” Tao says while observing it, agreeing on Kyungsoo’s decision.

“Ah, that one is the symbol for ‘resilience’ according to one ancient tribe in south America.” The tattoo artist says, explaining its meaning. Kyungsoo doubts though if what he said was thoroughly researched or just for the business, but hey, Kyungsoo is no expert in tribal symbol, so it’s just pure speculation.

“Resilience,” Tao repeats, “I think I’ll have this one. Good job, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo smiles as the shorter yakuza pouts in defeat. “Well, the dragon tattoo would’ve been much cooler than that dragonfly mumbo jumbo.”

Kyungsoo looks at him then stick his tongue out causing the taller yakuza to laugh. “You’re a sassy brave thing, aren’t you? Sticking your tongue out to a yakuza member.” He says more out of fascination than to threat.

“Well, you said it yourself that you wouldn’t hurt me.” Kyungsoo says, lips curving up barely into a smirk. The shorter yakuza chuckles as well.  

Kyungsoo went closer to Tao whose right biceps is being cleaned by the artist with what seems to be an alcohol or maybe a cream, Kyungsoo couldn’t see. He sits near them, curiosity washing him. The two yakuza, who have taken interest to Kyungsoo, also goes towards them.

“Does it hurt?” Kyungsoo asks as the tattoo needle pierced Tao’s skin.

“Not really.” Tao answers with closed teeth, “It feels more of like a hot scratch.”

Kyungsoo nods, mouth agape. He seems to be interested and fascinated by the whole tattooing process.

“Should I get a tattoo too?” Kyungsoo voice his interest.

“No!” All four of the other boys in the shop, even the tattoo artist, answer at the same time. Kyungsoo doesn’t know whether to get offended by their vocally unanimous answer or not.  He do know that  his parents, his hyung, and his best friends would get angry with him if he would indeed get a tattoo, but he thinks Baekhyun, Yixing, and Sir Wu would find it cool, maybe.  

When the tattoo was done, Tao feels a sense of satisfaction. The area around the tattoo is still red from sore, and the ink is still messy to be fully appreciated, but Tao decides that he likes it already. It’s not just an impulse for Tao to just get a tattoo; he had long contemplated whether to do it or not, weighing the pros with the cons. The last straw though happens when Kyungsoo had absentmindedly commented that he would look good in one. He might have already forgotten saying such things, but it doesn’t matter.

Kyungsoo is fixated at his tattoo.

“Does it look good?” Tao asks, flexing his biceps cockily to flaunt his new tattoo.

Kyungsoo smiles, rolling his eyes at his friend’s sudden smugness. “It looks wonderful.”

Resilient, that’s the meaning of his tattoo.

Resilient, that has also been what his feelings for Kyungsoo is throughout the years.

 

 

Bonus

 “Ummm, Kyungsoo. It’s been fun hanging with you.” The shorter yakuza approaches him as they were walking on the park, already about to go to their respective homes.

The taller yakuza gave him a paper with their numbers written on it. “If you ever got bored and needs some action, you know who to call.”

Kyungsoo smiles, thinking that the two are just being friendly. He puts the paper on his pocket after folding it.

“What are you two doing?”  Tao’s voice is eerie as he finally catches up to them. The two yakuza member froze up in fear.

“Ummm… n-nothing. We were just saying to Kyungsoo how much of a good person you are.” The shorter one excuses, sweat running down his forehead at Tao’s penetrating gaze on them.

“Come here, Kyungsoo.” Tao placed a protective hand around the said boy’s shoulder. He turns back his glare to his friends after a moment of gentle glance to Kyungsoo.  “You remembered what I said earlier?

The two nods their head frantically. “Kyungsoo is off limits for us.”

“Good, keep that in mind. You two know what happens if you get on my bad side, right?”

 

END

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you guys are interested with some ty Kaisoo, Krisoo, Sesoo, and Laysoo in one fic then you might want to see this.

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