Warnings: angst

Word count: 496

Prompt found here

Heechul and Seunghyun were nearly at the bottom of the stairs when they came across a small crying figure. His head was in his hands and his body was shaking. Heechul and Seunghyun shared a concerned look before Heechul settled himself next to the person. Seunghyun sat on the steps above them.

“Hey there,” Heechul said softly. “You okay?”

The nameless kid wiped his face quickly. “Yeah. Fine.”

“I'm Heechul. This is Seunghyun, my boyfriend and roommate. We're seniors.”

“I'm Jonghyun. Freshman.”

“May I ask what is making you so distressed?”

“It's nothing,” Jonghyun said hastily. I'm fine.”

Heechul raised an eyebrow. “It's okay,” he said. “We want to make sure you're happy here.”

Jonghyun bit his lip. “It's just... I dunno. There's all the cliques and everyone knows each other and I'm just... me. I don't belong here, I don't belong anywhere.”

Heechul's heart ached. He recognized that pain. He'd seen it four years previous on Seunghyun's face.

Seunghyun leaned forward. “Do you see that brunette, standing by the boy with silver hair?”

Jonghyun nodded.

“That's Donghae and Eunhyuk. They came from the same orphanage. They were put into different dorms when they got here, and they didn't take it well. They barely ate, barely slept, and were depressed. They clung to each other whenever they could. The headmaster finally put them in the same room, and they improved quickly. Some other boys teased them, but they didn't care. As long as they're together, that's all they need.”

“And see that tall bloke with the dimples?” Heechul asked. “Siwon's parents wanted him to go into the ministry. He's happy here, but sometimes he gets overwhelmed by the idea of disobeying his parents.”

“And I was bullied as a freshman,” Seunghyun said. “I weighed a lot more back then.”

“What happened?” Jonghyun asked.

“Heechul,” Seunghyun smiled. “He's fierce and loyal and went off on my bullies. It was amazing.”

Jonghyun smiled back.

“See?” Heechul said. “Everyone has their own story, their own stuff they're going through.”

“Except Chulie, he's perfect.”

“I'm so glad you finally realized that.”

Jonghyun chuckled shyly, and Heechul smiled. Jonghyun was about to reply, but a voice calling his name interrupted.

“Taemin, my roommate,” Jonghyun whispered, wiping his face.

A cute boy with long hair and plump little cheeks bounded up to Jonghyun. “Hyung! Are you okay?” He reached out to caress Jonghyun's face.

“Just... felt like I didn't belong,” Jonghyun replied softly.

“But you do belong.” Taemin slid his hand into Jonghyun's. “You belong with me.”

Jonghyun blushed and smiled brightly. Taemin answered with a smile of his own, and tugged him down the stairs.

“Come on, we're toasting marshmallows.”

Jonghyun waved at Heechul and Seunghyun. Taemin slid his arm through Jonghyun's and rested his head on Jonghyun's shoulder.

Seunghyun slid his arm around Heechul's waist. “They'll be okay,” he murmured, pressing a kiss into Heechul's hair.

Heechul sighed, smiling. “Yeah, I know. We'll keep an eye on them, though.”

“Definitely.”