Sungmin cried quietly, his head resting on Kyuhyun's shoulder as the boy comforted him.

"I'm sorry Min, I wish I'd been there for you. I'm sorry that I was late."

Sungmin sniffed deeply and wiped his eyes. "It's okay Kyu, thank you for comforting me like this."

He rubbed his arms, wincing at the tender bruises and the scrapes. Tears threatened to fall again as he remembered the way the boys had shouted around him, yelling abuse in his face.

"Look at you, so pathetic."

"Kyuhyun's not here for you now, is he? He hates you too."

"Everyone hates you, just leave here."

 

He had laid on the ground as they threw punches at his cowering frame. They left him there and went to class, sending Sungmin hateful glances as he lay helplessly. That's where Kyuhyun had found him. 

 

Normally the younger boy walked to school with Sungmin and the bullies kept their distance, afraid of Kyu because he would fight back. One of the boys was still nursing a broken arm from the last time Kyu had dealt with them.

But this morning Kyu hadn't shown up at the bus stop. Sungmin had waited anxiously, his heart filling with dread as he climbed slowly onto the bus alone.

He remembered the way that the passengers had glared at him, the hurtful whispers between friends that he had pretended not to hear, although they stung him badly.

 

When Kyuhyun had found him on the ground, he had helped the boy to his feet and cleaned him up. Wiping the mud of the field from the smooth skin, brushing the messy hair, and kissing the bruises.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry" the boy had repeated as he gently cleaned away the traces of the bullies. Sungmin knew that Kyu was beating himself internally for not being there, for not helping his friend.

 

"It's okay Kyu, don't beat yourself up. It's enough that one of is is hurt" he said in a jokey tone, trying to make Kyuhyun feel better. The taller boy had pulled him to sit under a tree, and that's where they were resting now. With the strong trunk behind him and Kyuhyun's shoulder warm and supportive, Sungmin began to tell the boy about the comments.

He saw Kyu clench his fists in anger and he felt the boy's arm tighten around him in a way that would almost be painful if Min didn't crave the contact so much.

Every touch that Kyu gave him was special and treasured. Every hug and caress, even just a simple hand-hold, were all saved in Sungmin's mind. Those were the moments that he remembered when the bullies were hurting him.

 

When they shouted that Kyu hated him, he remembered the night that Kyu had sat for hours with him under the stars, talking with him and just holding him close.

 

When they said that Kyu wanted him dead, he thought of the time that Kyuhyun had stayed up with him all night on the webcam, to comfort Sungmin from the death of his pet bunny. 

 

And when they had called him stupid for loving Kyuhyun, he hadn't cared. Because in his heart, he knew that Kyuhyun loved him too.