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airplanewishes) wrote2012-08-06 11:07 pm
[PG] The sun is filling up the room (How long till we call this love?) [EXO] (2/2)
Title: The sun is filling up the room (How long till we call this love?)
Author: 
airplanewishes
Fandom: EXO
Characters: D.O/Chen
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Angst
Rating: PG
WC: 10,213
Summary: One moment, Kyungsoo was sleeping rather peacefully, dreaming of rapping and becoming a big star someday; the next moment, he's waking up to a break-up text from his boyfriend.
A/N: Thank you to 
khrysallis1106 for the beta!!!
This is for penipenpen because she's a big Chen fan! I hope you like this.
-
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. :)
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Taking up this spot because I can.You know how I feel about this. The beginning of the story is just so emotional, so real, so painful that I wanted to just push Chanyeol and Baekhyun off the cliff (despite my overwhelming love for them in real life) and pull Kyungsoo into a hug. Like I said, they weren't mean towards Kyungsoo; they were being idiots. Idiots who couldn't even find the courage to tell Kyungsoo right in his face, and had to sneak around like that for so long.
It suffocates me to watch Kyungsoo suffer like that, knowing that it shouldn't happen because he is the victim in this mess. Although I did want to smack him in the head for distancing himself from Junmyeon, Jongin, and Sehun, I can understand why he did that. People all need time away from people to heal their wounds, and when they're done feeling stupid they'll eventually walk out and face the world again (though if Kyungsoo did not come out sooner, I might've dragged him out personally).
It's a good thing that Jongdae appeared in Kyungsoo's life, though. It's evident that Kyungsoo needed a lift, and Jongdae is the person to do so; someone who hasn't been involved with his current group of friends (apart from Junmyeon) which seem to hurt him without even intending do. Well, despite Jongdae's straightforwardness with his actions (which is seriously adorable to watch, hihi), I'm glad that they managed to break the ice and got comfortable with each other.
I really loved this, Frances, even if it's filled with Kyungsoo being so much of an idiot and such a dense person that I wanted to hit him (out of love, perhaps?). The heartache was difficult to bear, but absolutely necessary to make this such a beautiful piece. Thanks for letting me be your beta♥ I love you♥♥♥
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Sometimes a change of scenery is the best way to go. It makes you forget and it makes it easier to move on.
I really like Jongdae here. I still honestly don't know about him that well so I figured I'd just write him how I want. Haha! And Jongdae was someone fresh for Kyungsoo, someone new, someone untainted by his drama.
I love you beyond words for beta-ing this and for commenting and everything. :D Thank you!!
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aaaaaaw the angst was.. angsty but a nice kind of angsty and the fluff was adorable and i liked that everyone seemed to know what Jongdae and Kyungsoo were feeling except Kyungsoo aw baby such a precious little baby he is ;~; i would really like to hug him because seeing him angsty and sad is not nice but then there was Jongdae and Joonmyun pushing them together and aaaaaaaaaaaw
JUST A BIG AW FOR YOU AND THIS FIC AND KYUNGSOO
i also like how chanyeol and baekhyun eventually apologized to kyungsoo and the other way around it seemed very realistic somehow and this comment is getting out of hand i should stop
i reaaaally like kyungsoo
lol i'm sorry
yeah i like this fic too like a lot it seems realistic and that's always nice~
♥ for yooooooou
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I thought that Kyungsoo owed them, too, somehow when he didn't even bother talking to them anymore. They were still friends, but I get that it was hard for him.
I really like Kyungsoo, too. He's so precious. He's really like a little kid, so tiny, and so squishable.
Thank you so much for reading and for your comment! :D
♥ for you, too. :D
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also. i love that you wrote kyungsoo/chen, who i ship a lot for no reason at all, but apparently it just makes sense in my head.
really, this was great. <3
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Exo is so shippable with each other, anyone, honestly. I'm trying out new pairings. :D
Thank you so much!!! :D
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AND I KNOW YOU KNOW THAT. ;AAAA;
This is beyond my expectations, Frances. SOBS AT YOU.
The angst pierced through my heart. I love how you emphasized the hardships and struggles of Kyungsoo. And everything's close to reality.
THANK YOUUUUU. /HUGGLES YOU
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Omg I'm happy that this even met your expectations. orz /huggles you
I'm so happy you liked it, seriously. /jumps and plays in rainbows
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but then jongdae came and aaaaaaa everything was cute and happy, yay ♥
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so i have never seen a chen/d.o moment but i want to. so badly /puts blame on you
hurm, where do i begin? ok i guess i should start at the part where baekyeol broke that secret bff code where you dont go liking your friend's bf or something. because that part hurt a lot D< i mean, if i were in that situation i'm not sure if i'm that forgiving but you could see how everyone was hurting when they didnt speak to each other. but still, it left me all sad D:
isnt jongdae a breath of fresh air! i guess it was what kyungsoo needed all along to make him forget things? at first i was superrr scared kyungsoo was just making jongdae some rebound friend or something but then they started getting close and awwww the confession was super cute ;w;
sobs ugly tears your fics are always fluffy and leaving me with a float-like feeling! /floats away
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I feel really bad for Kyungsoo. He doesn't deserve what happened to him. I honestly don't know what I would do if that happened to me. I don't know how I can be friends with them anymore.
Jongdae is a breath of fresh air, such precious air. :D
/huggles you
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;u; doesn't help that Jongdae has been climbing up my bias list the past few weeks and he's jumped to #2 right behind Kyungsoo tho. STOP MAKING ME LOVE MY BIASES MORE IT IS NOT ALLOWED.
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I take full responsibility for you making you love your biases more. Hihi.
Thank you for reading!! :)
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it also reminds me of something that happened in my life (except i was just an onlooker). so story time. my friend A had feelings for friend B. B is a flirt, but she also has a way of totally zeroing in on someone and making them feel like the most important. and apparently A and B had hooked up like a year prior. so A confessed to B when B was flirting hardcore with her and basically leading her to believe that she had feelings for her. B kind of brushed it off and A found out a couple week later that B had started dating A's best friend two days after A confessed. needless to say, A was really upset and didn't want to hang out with her bff and B, but then other ppl in our friend group kept bugging A to hang out with everyone b/c she was only going to lose friends, but she was really angry at B and at her friend. so drama. i was pretty much on A's side b/c i don't think B even ever really apologized. so. anyway! that reminded me /shuts up
but this was so sweet and sad at the beginning but then kyungsoo and jongdae! ;;
and i'm glad that he was able to make up with baekyeol at the end. and i was pissed at them throughout too, but then when chanyeol said that baekhyun had been crying b/c kyungsoo wouldn't talk to them, i started thinking about the other side of the story. which is a really great thing to be able to do as an author- make it so there is no "bad guy" and instead everyone just seems like a real person who makes mistakes, but is still a god person /rambles
anyway! i liked this! obviously. lol
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Anyway, I'm glad you liked this. I really wanted to have BaekYeol make up with Kyungsoo because friendship is very important and I wanted them to overcome the problem that they had with each other. And I'm happy that you managed to see their side and understand them too.
Thank you for reading!!! <3
This amazing fic
(Anonymous) 2015-11-25 10:54 pm (UTC)(link)I really, really didn't like it because I have this extreme dislike foe cheaters and that they should be never foegived, no matter what reason.
And come on his boyfriend cheated on him with his best friend, how can one forgive that without feeling resentment.
And baekyeol here didn't even try hard as friends. Showing affection for each other in front of your ex- best friend is really too cruel and thoughtless of them.
I wouldn't want such "friends" in real life.
But aside this, I really liked the chen d.o dynamics, I just wished this was more longer because I feel there was so much more that coulde be covered ya know?
Anyway, I hope you continue writing more and more because I happen to enjoy reading whatever you publish
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(Anonymous) 2017-04-06 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)[that doesn't mean i didn't want to punch baekyeol because i really did hahaha]