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soft-jihoonie · 1 year ago

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I Wanna Stay By You Forever - Chapter 8

Kyungsoo x Jongdae + Baekhyun x Chanyeol + Sehun x Jongin - 2.3K Words - Fluff and Angst

Part 2 of the Baby Don’t Go series - Part 1 is here

This is also posted on AO3.

A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger

One Two Three Four Five Six Seven

Kyungsoo goes two days without speaking to or seeing Jongdae. Since they’d started their situationship, they’ve never gone this long without speaking before. Jongdae has tried messaging and calling Kyungsoo, but Kyungsoo just doesn’t feel able to see him yet. He’s sure some people may think he’s being overdramatic, but he’d let himself fall too easily into the idea of being Jongdae’s boyfriend, and it still hurts to think that Jongdae never saw a future for them. He guesses he’d let himself get hopeful that he and Jongdae would end up blissfully happy like Chanyeol and Baekhyun, but this wake-up call has reminded him of the pain Chanyeol went through to get to this happiness.

Speaking of the devil, Chanyeol walks into the living room, lightly tapping Kyungsoo’s head as he says, “What ya thinking about, Soo?”

“Do you think I’m being overdramatic?”

Chanyeol moves over to the cereal cupboard in the kitchen, pulling out a box of cornflakes as he responds, “Staring into a bowl of cereal at 10am looking like your world’s ending? Yeah, I’d say that’s a bit overdramatic.”

Kyungsoo chuckles, finally taking another bite of his now soggy cereal. Chanyeol walks over to the table, setting his bowl of cereal down opposite Kyungsoo. As he pulls the chair out to sit down, Kyungsoo responds, “No, I mean do you think I’m being overdramatic about the Jongdae situation?”

Chanyeol stops mid-chew, swallowing before responding, “I mean, I think it’s perfectly understandable that the whole situation hurt you so much.”

“But?”

“But, there’s only so long Baekhyun and I can tell Jongdae you’re ill and don’t want to see anybody, I mean you must get how hard it is for Baekhyun to lie to Jongdae.”

Kyungsoo nods, eating a few more spoonfuls of cereal before finally responding, “You’re right, I should at least send him a text so he doesn’t think I’m dead.”

Chanyeol smiles and says, “Thank fuck, you have no idea how whiney Baekhyun’s been to me.”

Kyungsoo chuckles, standing up with his bowl in hand as he responds, “I hadn’t heard anything?”

“Of course, he’s not gonna whine to you, he’s just a whiney baby to me”

Kyungsoo laughs as he heads to wash his bowl, calling back, “Should I tell him you said that?”

“Tell him and I’ll tell Jongdae you spent the weekend moping over him”

Washing his bowl, Kyungsoo responds, “Don’t you fucking dare.”

Chanyeol smirks as he comes into the kitchen, nudging Kyungsoo out of the way of the sink as he says, “That’s what I thought.”

Kyungsoo places his bowl on the drying rack, drying his hands with a tea towel before pulling his phone out of his pocket as he responds, “You’re the worst best friend.”

“Oh really? Is that why you’re about to take my advice and message Jongdae?”

“How do you know I’m not just texting Mingyu?”

Leaning over to look at Kyungsoo’s phone screen, Chanyeol says, “Because you’d never take that long to type out ‘Hello’ to Mingyu.”

Kyungsoo pushes Chanyeol away, deleting the ‘Hello’ as he says, “If you’re not going to help me then go bother your boyfriend.”

Chanyeol lets out a dramatic sigh, taking the phone out of Kyungsoo’s hand as he says, “Alright, I suppose I’ll lend you my master communication skills.”

Kyungsoo lets out a laugh, he wants to argue but Chanyeol has his phone and could very much jeopardise him right now. So instead, he just says, “Promise me you’ll show me what you’ve written before you press send?”

“Yeah yeah, I promise, I’m basically done.”

Sure enough, a few moments later Chanyeol passes Kyungsoo the phone, calling out “You can thank me later”, as he walks out of the kitchen.

Kyungsoo ignores him, eyes lowering to read the typed-out message on the phone screen. He has to give it to Chanyeol, he clearly knows how Kyungsoo would text. The message reads ‘Hey, sorry for the silence. I had an awful cold and couldn’t do much but sleep. Chanyeol had to force me to let him look after me, you know how stubborn I can be!’

Kyungsoo’s finger hovers over send before he decided to add ‘I hope you’re doing okay x’ as an afterthought. He doesn’t want Jongdae to think he hates him or doesn’t want him around, it’s not Jongdae’s fault that he got so attached.

He reads the message over a few more times before deciding that he can’t do anything more and pressing send. The moment he sees the words on the screen in a blue bubble, he quickly locks his phone, stuffing it in his pyjama pant pockets and deciding to go and get dressed.

He ignores the worry blooming across his body, trying to think about anything but the phone in his pocket and whether Jongdae’s read it yet or will even want to talk to him again.

When he reaches his bedroom, he places his phone on his bed, deciding he’ll look at it again for any potential messages once he’s dressed. He knows he’s trying to put off possible disappointment but after a weekend of moping, he’s not sure if he can handle further rejection. He dresses comfortably, still having no plans to leave the house, and he can’t deny that disappointment shoots through him when he sees that he’s not had a reply.

Telling himself he’s silly for expecting a reply so quickly, he grabs his laptop to take downstairs, planning on researching some new recipes to experiment with. Chanyeol shakes his head at Kyungsoo’s choice of clothes when they come out of their rooms at the same time. The former is dressed nicely with his hair styled, making Kyungsoo look like a mess in comparison.

Looking Chanyeol up and down before heading towards the stairs, Kyungsoo asks, “Date with Baekhyun?”

Following him down the stairs, Chanyeol responds, “Yeah we’re checking out a new record shop in town, probably be gone for a few hours.”

Kyungsoo heads into the living room, stopping and looking back when he hears Chanyeol ask, “You gonna be okay alone if I go?”

Shaking his head amusedly, Kyungsoo responds, “I’ll be fine Yeol, I’m not a child.”

He hears Chanyeol call out, “Could’ve fooled me”, just before the front door shuts. Rolling his eyes to himself, Kyungsoo sits down on the couch, turning his laptop on.

As sure as he was that he’d be okay, the silence of the house feels suffocating and all he can think about is checking his phone. Turning on the television for background noise, Kyungsoo throws himself into his research, succeeding for an hour at least. After an hour, he convinces himself that surely it’s okay to check his phone now.

Reaching forward to get his phone from where he’d placed it on the coffee table, he can’t help but feel nervous as he tilts the phone forward to light the screen up. A moment of happiness shoots through him when he notices a text message notification but it’s quickly followed by disappointment when he realises the message is from Mingyu.

Feeling like a bad friend for his reaction, he clicks on the notification, reading Mingyu’s message, ‘KYUNGSOO HELP’

Kyungsoo chuckles to himself at Mingyu’s dramatic ways, responding ‘what’s wrong, Mingyu?’

Moments later Kyungsoo’s phone rings, and Mingyu’s name appears on the screen. Kyungsoo takes a moment to prepare himself for interaction outside of Chanyeol before answering the call.

He can barely start to say hello when Mingyu blurts out, “Kyungsoo, Wonwoo is on a date right now at my workplace, I can’t handle this.”

Kyungsoo chuckles quietly before responding, “How do you want me to help you?”

“God, I don’t know Kyungsoo, maybe you can at least come to the cafe to distract me.”

Kyungsoo sighs loudly, weighing up his options in his head. He settles on the thought that really it’ll be good to get himself out of the house, responding, “Okay fine, text me the address.”

Mingyu sighs in relief, loudly saying, “Thank you Kyungsoo, I love you!”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, mumbling out, “Yeah yeah, see you soon”, before hanging up.

He takes a moment to prepare himself before dragging himself off the couch and up the stairs to his bedroom. One look in the mirror has him realising how much of a state he let himself become and he decides in that moment to sort himself out.

It takes him about 15 minutes to wash up and get changed and then he’s checking his phone for the address Mingyu sent him. Surprised by the fact he had no idea Mingyu had started working at the same cafe as Sehun, he pulls on his shoes and heads out of the house, texting Mingyu that he’s just left.

The fresh air is nice and the sun feels warm on his skin. Kyungsoo hates that he let himself hide away for a whole 2 days, telling himself that it was pathetic of him. He makes sure to enjoy his surroundings, looking all around him as he walks the familiar route to the cafe.

The walk only takes around 15 minutes and soon he’s arriving at the cafe, spotting Wonwoo and his supposed date sitting at a window table. He opens the door to the cafe and immediately is greeted by Mingyu, who clumsily pulls Kyungsoo into the cafe, loudly saying, “Kyungsoo, I’m so glad you’re here.”

Kyungsoo allows himself to be dragged to the ordering point, scanning the cafe for Sehun who he hasn’t seen in a long time. His eyes finally land on him, a smile appearing on his face at the sight of Sehun clinging to another attractive man, said man giggling. Sehun then makes eye contact with Kyungsoo, a wider grin appearing on his face as he comes up to the ordering point Mingyu has dragged Kyungsoo to.

Mingyu practically hangs on Kyungsoo’s shoulders as Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at Sehun and asks, “Who’s the cutie?”

A blush appears on Sehun’s cheeks as he says, “He’s called Jongin, he’s a new worker like Mingyu.”

Kyungsoo can’t help the smirk on his face as he says, “Mhmm okay, and how long have you liked Jongin for?”

Sehun’s eyes widen, quickly checking to see if Jongin’s heard before hissing out, “I don’t like Jongin!”

Kyungsoo lets out a chuckle and says, “Alright well you let me know when you’ve stopped being so dumb. Also, I’ll have a black coffee please.”

Sehun rolls his eyes, starting to ring up the order on the till as he says, “I don’t see you in months and you call me dumb, thanks Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo laughs, paying for his drink as he says, “You’re welcome, Sehunnie!” He’s almost immediately dragged away to a table by Mingyu, being pushed into a chair.

Mingyu pulls up the chair opposite and says, “God, Kyungsoo, what do I do? I can’t handle my crush on a date here.”

Kyungsoo glances over at Wonwoo again, observing him and his supposed date for a moment before saying, “Are you sure it’s a date Mingyu? It doesn’t seem very date-like.”

“He’s here with a girl, they hugged when he arrived, I’m pretty sure it’s a date”

“You do know men can be friends with women, right Mingyu?”

Mingyu rolls his eyes, loudly exclaiming, “Of course I do, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen as he sees Wonwoo’s head turn their way. A look of recognition settling on his face as he stands and begins to walk over. Mingyu swings his head around to see what Kyungsoo’s looking at before he looks back at Kyungsoo with a look of horror.

Mingyu hisses out, “What the fuck do I do?”

Kyungsoo chuckles and pats Mingyu’s arm sympathetically as he says, “Just relax, he’s probably just coming to say hi.”

Wonwoo strides up to the table moments later, grinning at the two of them as he says, “I didn’t know you two were here! What brings you to this cafe?”

Noticing Mingyu is unable to answer, Kyungsoo shrugs and says, “Mingyu started working here recently and my friend Sehun works here too so I thought I’d just come to see them both! What about you? On a date?”

Wonwoo laughs loudly, glancing back at the woman he’s left at the table as he responds, “God no, I’m just having a catch-up with my cousin, she’s in town for the week.”

Trying not to chuckle at Mingyu visibly relaxing, Kyungsoo says, “My bad, that must be nice!”

Wonwoo nods, looking at Mingyu as he says, “So, how long have you been working here Mingyu? I’ve been coming here for a while and haven’t seen you.”

Mingyu starts stuttering out an answer and seeing Wonwoo’s look of endearment, Kyungsoo takes that as his cue to move away. Sehun signals to him that his coffee is ready and Kyungsoo strolls over to the drink collection counter.

Jongin, the new kid, holds the takeaway cup with his coffee in out to him, grinning as he says, “You’re Kyungsoo, right?”

Kyungsoo nods as he takes the coffee, “Yeah that’s me! Thanks for the coffee.”

“Sehunnie’s told me so much about you! It’s nice to finally meet you.”

A soft smile appears on Kyungsoo’s face at the nickname and he responds, “Nice to meet you too! I’m going to head off so see you around.”

Kyungsoo waves goodbye to Sehun, heading towards the door to the cafe. He’s just stepped outside when he hears a voice call out, “Kyungsoo!”

Turning towards the sound of the voice, Kyungsoo’s eyes land on Jongdae rushing towards him with a grin on his face.

Kyungsoo tenses up, not really ready to see Jongdae so soon. He doesn’t hug back when Jongdae pulls him into a hug.

Jongdae pulls back to look at Kyungsoo, hands on either side of Kyungsoo’s arms, a frown on his face as he says, “Kyungsoo, what’s wrong?”

Kyungsoo sighs, realising this is the moment he needs to talk to Jongdae about what he heard. Jongdae reaches towards Kyungsoo’s face as if to cup it and Kyungsoo steps backwards out of his hold.

Jongdae’s frown deepens as he asks, “What’s going on?”

Kyungsoo runs a hand through his hair exasperatedly before finally breathing out, “Jongdae, we need to talk.”

#chensoo #chanbaek #sekai #exo fanfic #fanfiction #Kyungsoo fanfic #chen fanfic #Kyungsoo #chen #jongdae #chanyeol #mingyu #wonwoo #kai #jongin #exo #d.o #university au

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soft-jihoonie · 1 year ago

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I Wanna Stay By You Forever - Chapter Seven

Kyungsoo x Jongdae + Baekhyun x Chanyeol - 5.7K Words - Fluff and Angst

Part 2 of the Baby Don’t Go series - Part 1 is here

This is also posted on AO3

A/N: Uhh it's been like 5 years but I'm finally here with a new update

One Two Three Four Five Six Eight

Monday comes quicker than Kyungsoo expected and he finds himself sitting in the back of Jongdae’s brother's car, feeling awkward as they chat with each other. Sure, Jongdae’s holding his hand, keeping up the boyfriend act already, but neither of them have said anything to Kyungsoo for half an hour. He understands, they haven’t seen each other in ages and they have lots to chat about, but he just feels very out of place when the two of them are clearly so close. Jongdae’s checked on him once or twice, quiet ‘you okay’s’ that make Kyungsoo’s heart flutter, but it doesn’t change the awkwardness he feels.

The drive to Jongdae’s parent's house takes about an hour and by the time they arrive, Kyungsoo’s certain he hasn’t felt this nervous since that presentation he had to do in front of his whole year in high school. He’s grateful when they get out of the car and Jongdae instantly moves over to him, intertwining their hands tightly.

Jongdae begins leading Kyungsoo towards the house, pausing when his brother jokingly calls out, “I’ll bring the bags then, shall I?”

Grinning back at his brother, Jongdae responds, “I thought that was a given?”, before continuing to lead Kyungsoo to the front door.

Jongdae knocks the door and the wait has Kyungsoo holding his breath, a hundred possibilities about what’s on the other side running through his head. He doesn’t have much time to think over them though, the door swinging open to reveal a woman that’s undoubtedly Jongdae’s mother. She smiles at them warmly, a smile Kyungsoo’s familiar with after being on the receiving end of Jongdae’s so many times.

Her eyes meet Kyungsoo’s for a moment and he can see the underlying tiredness in them that she’s trying to cover up, clearly not wanting Jongdae to worry. Then, she’s turning back to Jongdae, opening her arms to pull him into a hug that makes Kyungsoo miss his own mother.

Kyungsoo hears Jongdae murmur, “Hi mum”, tightening his arms around her body, which seems so small in his arms. Kyungsoo has to look away for a moment, hit by a wave of emotion he wasn’t expecting.

The two of them pull apart, the attention turning back to Kyungsoo as Jongdae’s mother smiles again and says, “You must be the mysterious Kyungsoo! It’s lovely to finally meet you.”

Smiling apprehensively, Kyungsoo shakes the hand being offered to him, responding with, “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Kim.”

Jongdae’s mother's eyes linger on Kyungsoo a moment longer before she’s ushering the two of them inside, Jongdae’s brother following with the bags. He shuts the door behind him and Kyungsoo’s engulfed in warmth, his eyes scanning the hallway with curiosity.

His attention flits back when he hears Jongdae say, “Can I see dad?”, unconsciously looking to Jongdae’s mother.

He catches the end of a look he can’t quite decipher before Jongdae’s mother smiles gently and says, “He’s sleeping right now, how about you show Kyungsoo your room? I’m sure he’d love to see the room you grew up in.”

Admittedly, Kyungsoo does want to see that, but he dampens his eagerness when he sees Jongdae give a nod, worried by the lack of response.

Jongdae reaches for Kyungsoo’s hand, about to lead him away until his mother calls out, “You may as well take the bags up with you”.

Passing a bag to each of them, she smiles at Kyungsoo and says, “Sorry, we don’t have a spare room so you’ll have to share with Jongdae. I assume that’ll be fine though”.

Ignoring the warmth in his cheeks that he knows means he’s blushing, Kyungsoo nods politely, choosing to ignore the stifled laugh Jongdae lets out. He lets Jongdae lead him to the stairs, following him up quickly, trying to focus on not tripping over his own feet and causing himself more embarrassment.

His eyes stay on the ground until Jongdae leads him through a door, looking up when Jongdae exclaims, “Well, welcome to my bedroom.”

Stepping further into the room so Jongdae can shut the door, Kyungsoo scans the surroundings. The room is a perfect representation of Jongdae’s interests and Kyungsoo feels a sense of comfort washing over him, no longer feeling so out of place in the house. He steps out of the way to let Jongdae pass by, his eyes trailing over Jongdae’s bookshelf filled with little trinkets that make Kyungsoo want to know the story behind each one.

Grinning, Jongdae drops down on the bed, voice teasing as he says, “Are you going to stare all day babe?”

Shaking himself out of his daze, Kyungsoo shakes his head, ignoring the flush on his cheeks as he moves to sit down on Jongdae’s bed. In moments, Jongdae’s pulling him to lie down, rolling on top of Kyungsoo to stop him from moving as he snickers into Kyungsoo’s neck.

Kyungsoo struggles for a moment, half-assed protests falling from his lips before he gives in and rests his hands lightly on Jongdae’s lower back. They lay there for a moment, Jongdae blowing air against Kyungsoo’s neck in an attempt to tickle him, and Kyungsoo mumbling out protests that lack any real strength, his arms wrapping around Jongdae’s back fully.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Jongdae presses a light kiss to Kyungsoo’s cheek, mumbling out, “Thank you for coming, having you here really does make things so much easier.”

Kyungsoo’s hands dance over Jongdae’s back, tracing little patterns as he says, “I’m happy to be here, it’s nice to see where you grew up.”

Jongdae hums lightly in response, nuzzling his face into Kyungsoo’s neck as he lets out a sigh. They lay there like that for a while, occasional soft-spoken exchanges that trail off back into the comfortable silence. They’re only brought out of their moment when there’s a knock on the door, Jongdae’s mother’s voice floating through as she says, “It’s time for dinner boys.”

Lifting his head up, Jongdae calls out, “We’re coming mum”, gently rolling off Kyungsoo and pushing himself to stand.

Kyungsoo follows, scrambling to get to his feet quicker when Jongdae starts heading to the door. He just comes up behind Jongdae as he opens the door, revealing Jongdae’s mother. She smiles at the two of them, leading the way downstairs as they follow her.

Before they enter the dining room, she turns to Jongdae, ruffling his hair as she says, “You can see your dad after dinner, he’s awake”.

Kyungsoo can’t quite read the expression that flits onto Jongdae’s face for a moment, summing it up as a mix between happiness, worry, and pain. It’s gone as soon as it comes, Jongdae’s usually cheeky grin replacing it as he says, “Thanks mum, can’t let your amazing cooking go to waste though so let’s go in”.

Lightly pushing Jongdae through the open dining room door, his mum chuckles, shaking her head amusedly. She then turns to Kyungsoo, smiling as she waves him to go ahead of her into the dining room.

The room is a classical style dining room, large wooden table in the middle fully set, with a cabinet against the wall that’s full of plates that are for special occasions that never occur. A piano sits in the corner of the room, dust gathering on the lid as if it hasn’t been played in a while. Jongdae swipes a finger along the lid as he passes the piano, whining that no one keeps his piano clean whilst he’s gone.

Kyungsoo stands awkwardly for a moment, watching Jongdae take a seat before moving to sit next to him when Jongdae ushers him to. Once seated, Jongdae reaches for Kyungsoo’s hand, linking their fingers as he softly says, “Relax, my family isn’t scary. They’ll only interrogate you a little bit.”

Laughing gently, Kyungsoo nods, watching as Jongdae’s brother walks into the room, sitting down across from Jongdae.

Jongdae smirks at his brother, nudging Kyungsoo as if to say ‘watch this’, before saying, “Aren’t you going to help mum bring the dishes through?”

His brother huffs out a laugh of disbelief as he responds, “I don’t see you helping.”

“My boyfriend’s here, I’m excused. Can’t go leaving poor Soo alone with you.”

Rolling his eyes, Jongdae’s brother stands, calling out, “Kyungsoo would love my company”, as he leaves the room. Amongst Jongdae’s snickering, Kyungsoo can faintly hear his brother say, “Let me take that mum, you’re trying to carry too much.”

Once they’re all sitting around the table, food on their plates that Kyungsoo’s quite impressed by, conversation starts to flow. Of course, it’s filled with many questions towards Kyungsoo, such as what he studies at university and how he ended up with Jongdae. The latter question makes him fumble with his words a little but Jongdae easily cuts in to answer the question with a response that almost seems rehearsed.

The response hits Kyungsoo harder than he expects, a little reminder that Jongdae may be acting like his boyfriend but they’re not really in a relationship. He continues to eat his meal to cover up his change in emotions, throwing in compliments towards Jongdae’s mum about the food in order to seem fine.

As the group finishes up their meal, Kyungsoo can’t help but notice Jongdae becoming increasingly restless. This continues until Jongdae’s mum says, “Yes Jongdae, you can go and see your father. Your brother and I will clear up.”

Jongdae practically jumps up from his seat, holding his hand out to Kyungsoo as he says, “Thanks mum, come on Soo, let’s go.”

Kyungsoo reaches for Jongdae’s hand a little shakily, trying to get up from his chair without falling over as Jongdae starts pulling his hand. Much like earlier, Kyungsoo lets Jongdae lead him upstairs, following him nervously. It’s not that Kyungsoo doesn’t want to meet Jongdae’s father, he’s just sort of scared to see Jongdae’s reaction, worried it’ll set off his own emotions.

He waits with bated breath once Jongdae knocks on a door, squeezing Jongdae’s hand lightly when they hear a voice call out, “Come in.”

Jongdae opens the door slowly, voice softer than usual as he says, “Hi Dad, how are you feeling?”

Kyungsoo tries not to stare but he can’t take his eyes off the man lying in the bed, zoning out of the conversation as he watches Jongdae hug him. The man’s undoubtedly Jongdae’s father, the only thing unalike between them is that he looks older, hair starting to grey. That, and the obvious tiredness in his appearance leaves no doubt that he’s very sick.

Jongdae’s dad cracks a smile, joking back and forth with Jongdae, but it clearly takes a lot of energy out of him every time he laughs, and there’s no doubt Jongdae’s noticed too.

After a minute or two, Jongdae’s father turns his attention to Kyungsoo, eyes fixed on him as he asks, “And who are you?”

Kyungsoo’s voice doesn’t sound like his own as he responds, “I’m Kyungsoo, I’m Jongdae’s boyfriend.” The word seems foreign in his mouth and he hopes he seemed convincing enough.

It seems to have worked because Jongdae’s father grins, turning his head to look at Jongdae as he says, “Boyfriend? Why is this the first time I’m hearing of this?”

Jongdae smiles at his dad, scratching the back of his head as he responds, “Well, with everything going on, I sort of wanted to make sure he’s a keeper before I introduced him to the family.”

“And is he a keeper?”

Jongdae turns to look at Kyungsoo, his smile way too sincere for someone who’s acting as he says, “Yeah, there’s no doubt about it.”

Kyungsoo tries not to smile too much, feeling his cheeks heating up. The situation is hard, he wants to act like he’s genuinely happy but at the same time, he has to keep reminding himself of Jongdae’s acting, not wanting to let himself get hurt.

They chat with Jongdae’s dad for a while, both of them often forgetting he’s sick until he becomes breathless and he needs a few moments to regain his normal breathing pattern and continue talking. Each time this happens, Kyungsoo catches the pain in Jongdae’s eyes, the latter worrying over his dad each time.

It’s hard to watch, and Kyungsoo can imagine it’s even harder for Jongdae, seeing the man who raised him so sick and struggling. It reminds Kyungsoo of what he went through as a kid and all he wants to do is comfort Jongdae, the latter holding it together a lot better than could be expected of someone in his position.

After a little while longer, Jongdae’s father jokingly sends them away to spend time doing something more than “hanging out with a boring old man.” It’s obvious he’s tired though and doesn’t want to further upset Jongdae by showing how sick he truly is.

Kyungsoo takes the initiative to lead Jongdae out of the room, saying their goodbyes to his father and shutting the door behind them gently. It’s not until they’re in Jongdae’s room with the door shut that he breaks down, letting Kyungsoo tug him into a hug as he sobs into his shoulder.

In between sobs, Jongdae quietly chokes out, “He looked so weak, I just wanted to make him instantly better.”

Rubbing little circles on Jongdae’s back, Kyungsoo softly replies, “I’m sure just getting to see you made him feel so much better.”

“I should have come sooner, I shouldn’t have waited so long to see him. I was being selfish!”

Leaning back to look at Jongdae properly, Kyungsoo wipes his tears away as he says, “Dae. it’s okay. You needed to finish your exams first, I’m sure he would have much rather you finish them before coming.”

Closing his eyes as he leans into Kyungsoo’s touch, Jongdae softly says, “It’s just so hard to see him this way.”

Pressing a kiss to Jongdae’s forehead, Kyungsoo mumbles, “I know baby, I understand.”

Jongdae just lets out a soft whimper, resting his forehead back on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. Kyungsoo wraps his arms around Jongdae’s waist, holding him close and softly comforting him.

Even though it’s only about 9pm, the two of them decide to head to bed, Jongdae feeling completely cried out. They get ready for bed together like usual, the familiarity seeming like a comfort to Jongdae. Jongdae’s mother finds it quite amusing when she finds them cleaning their teeth side by side, making a jokey comment about how they’re already like a married couple.

The amused smile on Jongdae’s face as he nudges Kyungsoo makes Kyungsoo blush. He’s trying very hard to remind himself that Jongdae isn’t actually his boyfriend and thinking that far into their future would be bad for him. Still, seeing Jongdae smiling again is really nice and Kyungsoo can’t help but start grinning himself.

Once they finally slide into bed, Jongdae instantly cuddles up to Kyungsoo. He lifts his head up to press a quick kiss to Kyungsoo’s lips before going back to cuddling him.

Smiling, Kyungsoo runs a hand through Jongdae’s hair as he softly asks, “What was that for?”

Kyungsoo feels Jongdae shrug as he mumbles, “I’m just glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here too! Your family is so welcoming. Your parents raised a good son.”

Jongdae lifts his head up at that, a cheeky grin on his face as he says, “My brother is pretty great, isn’t he?”

Rolling his eyes, Kyungsoo chuckles as he says, “I meant you, idiot.”

Jongdae’s grin shifts to a sincere smile as he says, “I know, thank you, Soo.”

Kyungsoo smiles softly, kissing Jongdae quickly before saying, “Let’s get some sleep, you look tired babe.”

Jongdae pouts, whining out, “Excuse you, I always look dashing”. but he moves to rest his head on Kyungsoo’s chest.

It’s not long until Jongdae’s clearly asleep, and Kyungsoo tries to focus on Jongdae’s soft breathing rather than the thousands of thoughts swimming in his mind. It takes longer than he’d like to fall asleep, but his mind feels heavy with everything he’s thinking about, not realising how much this trip would take a toll on him.

Jongdae throws Kyungsoo right into the deep end the next day, heading off to run errands with his brother and leaving Kyungsoo all alone with his mother. At first, he feels out of place, not sure what to do with himself. He’ll feel rude if he sits upstairs in Jongdae’s room though, he wants Jongdae’s parents to like him after all.

So, he’s grateful when Jongdae’s mother says, “Kyungsoo, would you mind helping me with dinner?”

Kyungsoo shoots up out of his seat, voice sounding too eager as he says, “It’d be my pleasure, what can I do?”

Laughing softly at Kyungsoo’s eagerness, Jongdae’s mother sets him a task and the two of them get to work in silence.

It’s not long before Jongdae’s mother breaks the silence, saying, “Jongdae told me you’re quite the cook. He loves your food and he says you’ve taught him a lot.”

Smiling softly, Kyungsoo blushes at the thought of Jongdae telling his mother good things about him. He nods as he replies, “I’m a culinary major, so I’m always cooking and trying out new dishes. Jongdae seems to like helping.”

There’s a fond smile on Jongdae’s mother’s face as she continues chopping vegetables. Without looking up, she says, “You really came into Jongdae’s life at the right time, the impact you had on him is obvious. I can’t thank you enough for helping him.”

Kyungsoo has to stop what he’s doing, turning to look at Jongdae’s mother as he softly replies, “I’m glad I can be there for him, I know how hard it is for him and I want to be there to help him through it all.”

Jongdae’s mother still doesn’t look up, but Kyungsoo can see the emotion on her face as she says, “I don’t think he would have been able to handle seeing his father last night without you there. It makes his father so happy to see Jongdae so in love, you should have heard him this morning, talking about how he’s never seen Jongdae look at someone the way he looks at you.”

For just this talk, Kyungsoo lets himself believe that Jongdae does love him and that this isn’t a fake relationship they’ve created to please his father. He’s starting to get emotional himself, taking deep breaths to calm himself in an attempt not to cry, but the emotion in Jongdae’s mother's voice is getting to him.

She continues after a moment, smiling sadly as she says, “I’m so thankful that Jongdae has you, Kyungsoo. When his father goes, I’ll feel so much better knowing Jongdae has you with him, that you’ll stick by his side.”

Looking Kyungsoo in the eyes finally, she continues, “I hope you’ll stay in this family, Kyungsoo. I know we’ve only just met, but the way Jongdae looks at you and talks about you, I can tell you’re the best thing for him.” Her eyes well up as she says, “Seeing him happy with you when he’s struggling so much really warms my heart.”

Kyungsoo can’t keep up the calm facade anymore, letting out a small sob as he breaks down, tears rolling down his cheeks. He swipes away his tear in embarrassment, choking out, “He means so much to me, I’m so glad I can make him happy. I’m so glad you approve of me, Jongdae thinks so highly of you and your opinion of me means a lot.”

Jongdae’s mother smiles, lightly rubbing Kyungsoo’s arm in comfort as she responds, “We’re so glad to have you here, Kyungsoo.”

Coughing slightly, Kyungsoo mumbles, “God, I’m sorry”, continuing to brush away his tears as quickly as they fall.

Jongdae’s mother smiles, voice soft as she asks, “Sorry about what, dear?”

“Sorry, I never cry and now I can’t seem to stop, it’s embarrassing.”

Laughing lightly, Jongdae’s mother takes Kyungsoo’s hands in hers, squeezing them as she says, “Don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret, Jongdae will never know.”

Chuckling, Kyungsoo smiles down at her and says, “Jongdae has the best mother, no wonder he turned out so great, but don’t tell him I said that.”

She smiles, turning back to preparing dinner as she says, “Of course I won’t, that boy has too much of an ego already.”

When Jongdae returns with his brother later, his mother and Kyungsoo have dinner prepared and are chatting easily in the kitchen. Kyungsoo tries to ignore the pleased look on Jongdae’s face, but it’s difficult to when Jongdae kisses him hello before back hugging him.

Jongdae’s brother makes a comment about PDA, but there’s a fond smile on his face as he watches Jongdae ask Kyungsoo about his day. Jongdae’s mother begins telling them about how much wonderful help Kyungsoo had been, sending a quick wink at Kyungsoo that has the two of them smiling. Kyungsoo tries not to feel too fond of just how happy Jongdae looks.

After dinner, Jongdae’s brother says, “Are you two packed to go?”

Kyungsoo and Jongdae exchange guilty looks as Jongdae says, “Not quite.”

Rolling his eyes, Jongdae’s brother stands up and says, “You two go and finish packing, I’ll help Mum clear the table. You can say goodbye to Dad whilst you’re at it too.”

Jongdae stands so Kyungsoo follows, letting Jongdae lead him out of the room. As he leaves, he overhears Jongdae’s mother saying, “What did I do to deserve a wonderful son like you?”

Kyungsoo can’t help the fond smile that appears on his face, he’s only spent two days with Jongdae’s family, but the affection they all have for each other makes him feel all warm inside. He ignores the slight sadness he feels from missing motherly affection himself.

He’s deep in his thoughts, only coming back to when Jongdae opens his bedroom door, chuckling lightly as he says, “Why are you so quiet? I thought you’d be nagging me for not packing earlier.”

Smiling, Kyungsoo shrugs as he says, “You had a lot on your mind”, moving to start packing any items that had strayed out of his own bag.

There’s a slight silence as Jongdae starts packing his bag, an expression on his face that Kyungsoo knows means Jongdae wants to say something but he’s worried about Kyungsoo's reaction. Choosing to not push him, Kyungsoo starts to help Jongdae pack his bag, humming softly to fill the silence.

When Jongdae’s bag is packed, he finally breaks the silence, eyes downcast as he mumbles, “Kyungsoo, would you mind if I said goodbye to my dad alone?”

Kyungsoo is bewildered as to why Jongdae would think he’d react badly to that, but he quickly smiles softly and says, “That’s fine babe, I’ll go and help your brother put the bags in the car. Tell your dad I said goodbye and that it was lovely meeting him.”

Jongdae smiles, leaning forward to press a light kiss to Kyungsoo’s lips before softly saying, “Thank you.”

Kyungsoo just kisses him again before moving to pick up the bags. He takes one last look at Jongdae’s room, convinced he’ll not see it again, before exiting the room and heading downstairs. When he reaches the bottom of the stairs, Jongdae’s brother pops his head out of the kitchen and cheerily says, “Ready to go?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, responding, “Jongdae’s saying goodbye to your dad, I said we’d put the bags in the car.”

Nodding understandingly, Jongdae’s brother walks over to him, taking a bag out of his hand and grabbing his car keys from the table by the front door. Kyungsoo follows him out the front door, placing the bag in the car boot once it’s opened. As Jongdae’s brother is closing the boot, he smiles at Kyungsoo and says, “I’m really glad Jongdae settled down with a guy like you, you fit right into the family. Mum loves you!”

Kyungsoo smiles, softly responding, “It’s an honour to meet you all.”

He can’t ignore the sick feeling in his stomach though, suddenly feeling awful for lying to such lovely people, even if it was for Jongdae’s sake and for a good reason. He hates that he’s also selfishly upset that this will all end when they return home, it’s not fair of him to expect Jongdae to actually continue acting like his boyfriend with everything that’s going on in his life.

Shaking his thoughts away, Kyungsoo says, “I should say goodbye to your mum, and thank her for her hospitality.”

Jongdae’s brother just nods, leading the way back to the house quietly. Kyungsoo can’t help but feel uneasy that Jongdae’s brother has sussed that something’s up. All he can hope is that he hasn’t blown it for Jongdae.

Making his way into the kitchen, Kyungsoo grins as he says, “Mrs. Kim, I wanted to thank you for how lovely you’ve been to me and say goodbye.”

Instantly, Jongdae’s mother sweeps Kyungsoo up into a hug, squeezing him tightly as she says, “You’re always welcome here Kyungsoo, don’t you forget that.”

Smiling Kyungsoo steps back when she lets him go and responds, “You’ll have to make sure to send Jongdae that recipe for me, he always misses your food, I’d be honoured to be able to attempt to recreate it.”

Just as she responds, “Of course, you’ll have to tell me how it turns out!”, Jongdae comes down the stairs.

His voice sounds forced as he jokingly says, “Mum, stop trying to adopt Kyungsoo into the family.” When he reaches Kyungsoo's side, Kyungsoo can see his eyes are rimmed red and there are dried tear tracks on his face.

His mum chuckles, pulling Jongdae into her arms as she says, “Why not? He helps more around the house than you.”

Jongdae protests, but he squeezes his mum tighter for a moment, kissing her cheek before pulling away from her. There’s a quiet moment before Jongdae’s brother says, “We should get on the road, it’s starting to get dark.”

Jongdae nods, pulling his mum into one more hug as he says, “Behave yourself whilst I’m gone.”

He just narrowly misses the tea towel his mum tries to lightly hit him with, dodging away as he makes his way to the front door. Kyungsoo smiles, saying a final goodbye to Jongdae’s mum before following Jongdae’s brother out the front door.

Unlike the journey up, the journey back to Kyungsoo’s house is a lot less awkward for him. He easily joins the conversation with Jongdae and his brother, all worries that Jongdae’s brother noticed something suspicious leaving his mind.

When they arrive outside Kyungsoo’s house, they all get out of the car, Jongdae’s brother walking over to the boot to get their bags for them. He places the bags on the ground, opening his arms for a hug from Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo’s hesitant but he lets him hug him, thanking him for the ride home as he lets go.

Passing the bags to Kyungsoo, Jongdae’s brother grins and says, “It’s no problem, hopefully we’ll see you again soon!”

Kyungsoo nods, taking that as his cue to leave, heading towards the house with the bags. He’s just unlocked the door to the house when he hears Jongdae’s brother say, “Okay Jongdae, what’s going on?”

Jongdae’s voice sounds forced as he says, “What do you mean?”

Kyungsoo knows he shouldn’t listen in but he can’t help himself, stepping through the door but leaving it open enough to hear them talking.

Jongdae’s brother sighs and says, “I know you Jongdae, you’re lying about something, now tell me what’s going on.”

“Clearly you know what it is if you’re asking me.”

“He’s not your boyfriend, is he?”

There’s silence for a moment and then Jongdae’s brother raises his voice slightly, saying “Is he, Jongdae?”

Jongdae sounds exasperated as he responds, “No, okay? He’s not my boyfriend!”

Kyungsoo’s stomach drops as he listens, feeling awful for giving away Jongdae’s plan.

Jongdae’s brother sounds irritated as he responds, “What the hell were you thinking? Lying to mum and dad like that, didn’t you think of the consequences?”

“Of course I did! Dad’s exactly why I did it, I didn’t want him thinking I was miserable and alone if he does - if he - well, you know.”

Jongdae’s brother's voice softens as he responds, “And what if Dad doesn’t die? Or what if he does, then what will you tell Mum? Will you just keep pretending he’s your boyfriend?”

Kyungsoo holds his breath, knowing what the answer should be but still not wanting to hear it. He feels like his heart is in his throat as he listens.

After a moment, Jongdae says, “No, either way, I was going to tell them we broke up, come up with a reason that lets them down lightly. Of course, I wouldn’t do anything to upset them.”

“And what about Kyungsoo? Are you just leading him on in all of this?”

Kyungsoo decides he’s heard enough at that point, rushing towards the door to the living room, dropping the bags in the hallway before he steps into the living room.

Chanyeol looks up from the couch, grinning as he says, “You’re home! How was - wait, what’s wrong?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, mumbling, “Not now”, but stepping forward to let Chanyeol hug him hello.

Chanyeol has a puzzled look on his face, even when Jongdae comes into the living room, questioning Kyungsoo as to why the bags are placed in such an untidy way.

Kyungsoo shrugs, saying, “Chanyeol attacked me with a hug.”

Looking around, Jongdae’s face falls as he says, “I expected Baekhyun to be here, I’m gonna go back to the flat to see him, I guarantee he’s missed me.”

Kyungsoo forces a smile onto his face, following Jongdae into the hallway as he says, “I wouldn’t doubt that.”

Jongdae opens the front door, turning to Kyungsoo as he says, “Thank you for coming to see my family, having you there meant a lot.”

Kyungsoo forces a smile on his face, but even he knows it doesn’t look genuine. So, he says, “Of course, I’m glad I helped.”

He lets Jongdae kiss him quickly before pulling away and saying, “Say hi to Baekhyun from me.”

Jongdae nods, a confused look on his face as he turns away, shutting the door behind him.

The moment the door closes, Chanyeol comes into the hallway, giving Kyungsoo a look that has him breaking down, tears running down his cheeks as Chanyeol rushes over to pull him into a hug.

Kyungsoo leans into Chanyeol, burying his face into his chest as Chanyeol softly says, “Hey, it’s okay, I’ve got you.”

He lets Chanyeol lead him into the living room, curling into Chanyeol’s side when they sit on the couch. Chanyeol smiles at him sadly, voice jokey as he says, “What’s this, huh? Usually, I’m the one crying to you.”

Kyungsoo laughs shakily, wiping away some tears as he responds, “I know, this never happens.”

Chanyeol smiles softly, glad Kyungsoo’s stopped crying, he pushes Kyungsoo’s hair out of his eyes as he says, “So, what happened? I expected you to be happy.”

“He’s going to end things with me.”

“Jongdae? What makes you think that?”

“He said it.”

Chanyeol cocks his head, a puzzled look on his face that Kyungsoo would laugh at if he wasn’t upset. He pauses before saying, “But he kissed you goodbye, I saw it.”

“Well, he said it to his brother, not me. He didn’t know I was listening.”

Chanyeol’s expression shifts and he seems almost annoyed as he asks, “What did he say?”

Kyungsoo's voice cracks slightly as he responds, “His brother realised we were faking being boyfriends, Jongdae said that he always planned on saying we’d broken up regardless of if his dad dies.”

“But, that doesn’t mean you guys will stop being together.”

Tears well up in Kyungsoo’s eyes again when he replies, “It means I’ll never be more to him than what we are, he doesn’t see me as a long-term thing. I’m not good enough for him, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol looks like his own heart is breaking as he wipes Kyungsoo’s tears off his cheeks, softly saying, “You’re way too good for him, Kyungsoo. You deserve to be treated like the wonderful person you are.”

Kyungsoo just tears up more, burying his face into Chanyeol’s chest, letting the taller boy comfort him.

Chanyeol waits for Kyungsoo to calm down a little before asking, “Did he say anything else?”

Leaning away from Chanyeol’s chest so he can be heard, Kyungsoo responds, “His brother asked if Jongdae has been leading me on. I walked away after that because I couldn’t bare to hear his answer.”

“What are you going to do then? End things first?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, wiping away his tear tracks and responding, “No, I don’t know yet. I just know I don’t want to talk to him for a while.”

Chanyeol nods, reaching for the tv remote as he says, “Probably a good idea until you calm down, we can have a day or two of movie marathons.”

Smiling softly, Kyungsoo replies, “I’d really like that, but I don’t want to take you away from Baekhyun.”

Chanyeol flicks through Netflix looking for a film as he responds, “He’ll understand, he knows how important you are to me.”

“I’m so glad you and Baekhyun worked things out, and that he’s so understanding of our friendship.”

Chanyeol presses play on a film as he responds, “Kyungsoo, there’s no way I’d ever stay with anyone that doesn’t understand our friendship.”

“Even Baekhyun?”

“Even Baekhyun.”

Rubbing away the tear tracks on his cheeks, Kyungsoo sits up into a more comfortable position, reaching for the couch blanket. He passes Chanyeol one side of it so the blanket covers both their laps and mumbles, “Alright, no more soppy shit.”

Chanyeol laughs, ruffling Kyungsoo’s hair despite Kyungsoo’s protests. The protests and laughing fade into a comfortable silence as the two of them focus on the film.

Kyungsoo still knows his thoughts about Jongdae are in his mind, but he pushes them away and uses the film as a distraction.

Dividers from this post

#fanfiction #chensoo #kyungsoo #jongdae #chen #d.o #exo #fanfic #exo fanfic #chensoo fanfiction

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