#plus also the broth i made and forgot to freeze (just put in fridge and said ill deal with that later) is getting used now so it's good.

[inmirova]

2nd night in a row my dinner plans were foiled by Someone Ate Most Vital Ingredient but we are prevailing.

[myforeverforlife]

can’t bring me down.

For @kyung-seokie​! Kyungsoo and 4. "Who gave you that black eye?" + 27. "Oh, fuck off."

Pairing: Kyungsoo x Reader

Word Count: 3,848

Masterlist

You woke to the sound of pans clattering against the stove top. With a groan, you rolled over to grab your phone from the nightstand, squinting at the bright light from the screen.

"Nine in the morning," you mumbled incoherently. "Why is he already awake?" 

Kyungsoo was typically an early bird, making the most of the morning hours even when you complained about getting more rest. You sat up in bed as you realized if Kyungsoo was already awake, that could only mean one thing...

You jumped out of bed, bare feet padding against the floor as you hurried out to the kitchen. Sure enough, your boyfriend stood in front of the stove, a serious look on his face as he mixed something around in a pot. You couldn't help but smile at how handsome he was, even with an imprint of his pillowcase on his cheek. 

Kyungsoo lifted the ladle in his hand to his mouth, blowing on the broth as the steam fogged up his glasses. Carefully, he took tiny sips, nodding approvingly as he set the ladle aside. 

With light steps, you crept over until you were right behind him. You wrapped your arms around his waist, Kyungsoo stiffening in surprise until he realized it was you. He relaxed instantly, looking at you over his shoulder.

"Good morning," he said warmly. 

"Morning, Soo." You leaned in to kiss his cheek, grinning when Kyungsoo moved his face closer to give you easier access. "What are you making?"  

"Seaweed soup. I added some shiitake mushrooms too. Do you want to try some?"

"Is that even a question? Of course I do." 

You let go of your boyfriend, coming to his side as he got another spoonful for you. It was touching to see how he blew on the soup, cooling it down for you. He turned to offer the spoon to you, freezing when he saw you with your mouth open. You held his gaze, raising an eyebrow as you waited.

Kyungsoo just stared back, corners of his lips lifting up as he shook his head. Cupping his hand under the spoon, he slowly brought it closer to spoon the broth into your mouth. 

"Mm!" you exclaimed, quickly swallowing down the broth. "Soo, this is so good." 

"You say that about almost everything I make." Kyungsoo turned back to the stove, turning off the heat and looking for bowls to serve the soup in.

"Because it's true," you sang. "I'll set the table! Is there anything else you want me to grab?"

"There's some side dishes in the fridge that I didn't take out yet. I'll get the rice too." 

Both of you worked together in comfortable silence, the only sounds the occasional clinking of bowls and silverware as the two of you moved around. You gasped with delight when you saw that Kyungsoo had made your favorite purple multi-grain rice. 

"I've been meaning to grab another bag from the store," you mused as you watched him scoop the rice into two small bowls. "Thank you, love." 

"It's nothing. I had some free time before work yesterday." Kyungsoo followed you to the table, setting the final bowls down before taking a seat. 

You eagerly dug into your food, a smile on your face with each bite that you took. Kyungsoo was always a harsh critic when it came to his own cooking, so you made it an effort to let him know whenever you enjoyed what he made — which honestly, was most of the time. 

"Do you have practice today?" you asked. It was a Sunday, but Kyungsoo had been staying at the dojo late for the past month in preparation for his upcoming judo competition this week. Each one was a big deal, but this one even more so — if he won, Kyungsoo would move on to the preliminaries for the province-wide tournament. 

Your boyfriend shook his head, still chewing his food. "Not today. But I'll be staying late after class tomorrow. You don't have to wait for me." 

"But I like going home together. Plus, it gives me a chance to see you in your judogi." 

Kyungsoo glanced up at you before focusing on the food before him, cheeks taking on a subtle flush of pink. "It's just a uniform." 

"It's a uniform on the most handsome judo teacher ever. Oh, and most skilled." 

"Stop." Kyungsoo was hiding behind his food at this point, bowl lifted to his mouth as he drank his soup. 

You chuckled softly to yourself. It was always satisfying to dote on and compliment shy Kyungsoo, especially when his reactions were so amusing. "Soo?" you called out.

"Hm?" 

"I love you."

Kyungsoo smiled that gentle smile of his, eyes filled with a warmth that never grew cold — not when you were nearby. "I love you too." 

You blew a kiss to him, bursting into giggles when he pretended to dodge out of the way. 

"Hurry up and finish your food before it gets cold," Kyungsoo scolded good-naturedly. 

As busy as life got, Kyungsoo never forgot to take care of himself, along with reminding you to look out for your own well-being. Sometimes, you felt bad about how Kyungsoo looked out for you more than you did for yourself. 

Sneaking a glance at him, you noticed how the shadows under his eyes were darker than usual, remembering how tired he always seemed to be after coming home from practicing at the dojo. You made a mental note to bring him dinner tomorrow after work. It was the least you could do for him, especially when he was always supporting you in your own endeavors. 

"You're zoning out," Kyungsoo said. He cast you a concerned look, head tilting slightly to the side. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking about how much work you've been putting in for this competition. You work so hard all the time, I'm just glad that you get a day to relax like this." 

Underneath the table, Kyungsoo reached out with one slipper-covered foot, gently nudging against your own bare one. "It's nothing that I'm not used to. I'll be fine." 

"Still, I'm always scared that you'll end up overworking yourself and getting hurt at one of your matches."

"Judo's a defensive sport. I'll be okay, Y/N. Really." He reached across the table, smiling when you placed your hand in his. He ran his thumb over the back of your hand, tracing lines over your knuckles. "You don't have to worry about me." 

Rolling your eyes, you squeezed his hand tightly. "Of course I have to worry about you. You're my boyfriend, Soo." 

"I won't let anything happen to me, Y/N."

You pouted at the certainty in his voice. It was one thing to say this, and yet another to live up to it. "Okay, I'm holding you to that." 

A sudden glint of determination came into Kyungsoo's eye, a look you only saw whenever he was competing. "I'll win this one for you, Y/N. I promise." 

Kyungsoo walked steadily along the sidewalk, plastic bags in his hand as he left the store. Normally, he would jump right into practice after he was done teaching for the day, but things were different when some of his juniors offered to stay behind and help. Taeil was always a faithful assistant instructor, and Mark always eager to learn through experience. Kyungsoo was extremely grateful to them for spending these late hours with him at the dojo, and always took the chance to thank them by buying food. 

As he neared the dojo, he noticed a couple of men leaning against the wall by the entrance. They weren't the right sizes to be Taeil and Mark, and Kyungsoo was still too far away to see their faces. He considered taking the long way around and going in through the back entrance when one of the people turned around, staring right at him. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, the stranger lazily began walking over. 

Kyungsoo stopped where he stood, a shiver running down his spine. Whoever these people were, he didn't have a good feeling about them. He was about to turn away when the man called out to him.

"Do Kyungsoo!" 

Hesitating, Kyungsoo gripped the bags in his hand more tightly. "Who are you?"

"Really? The competition's in a few weeks, and you don't know who I am?" 

Kyungsoo frowned in confusion. He hadn't looked up any pictures of his opponent, and honestly wouldn't have known what his name was if Taeil and Mark hadn't read over the competition details to him. And yet, there was really one good guess as to who this could be. "Kim Taejung?" 

The man laughed loudly, looking at the rest of his group. "He asks as if he doesn't know." 

"I really don't know," Kyungsoo replied brusquely. "But you can start by explaining why you're waiting here. The dojo's closed for today." 

"I just wanted to say hello in person, get a look at my opponent before the actual day." 

Kyungsoo's eyes hardened. "Do you do this with all of your opponents? Try to psych them out before the actual competition?" 

The man pulled his hands out of his pockets, lifting his arms as he shrugged. "You've got me there. I just wanted to make sure we're both clear about who's going to be the winner." 

There wasn't much that truly bothered Kyungsoo, but arrogance was at the top of the list — especially when it came to judo. Respect was one of the main tenets of the sport, and he had no patience for those who chose to disrespect others, even their opponents. 

But just as judo had taught Kyungsoo the importance of respect, it also taught him not to waste unnecessary energy. 

"Good luck," he said dismissively as he turned his back on Taejung, ready to walk around to the back entrance. A hand on his shoulder roughly pulled him back, spinning around just in time to see a fist aimed for his face. 

Kyungsoo shut his eyes, gritting his teeth as Taejung's fist collided with his face. He only had time to be grateful that he wasn't wearing his glasses before the pain set in, sharp and blooming over the tender area surrounding his left eye. There was no doubt that he would be left with a bruise.

He could hear shouts in the distance, but couldn't make sense of the words with the sudden pounding in his ears. One of Kyungsoo's hands came up to cup his eye, glaring at Taejung as the other man smirked. 

"It was nice meeting you, Do Kyungsoo." Taejung waved his friends over, all of them dashing off down the street to where they had parked, a few of them sparing glances back at where Kyungsoo stood staring after them. 

He still stood there after they left, wincing at the growing pain and starting to worry about how he would hide this from everyone — especially you. 

Kyungsoo walked into the dojo, eyebrows drawn low over his face as he slipped his shoes off. He could hear the sound of voices talking to each other in the training room, music playing in the background. Taking in a deep breath, he readied himself for the barrage of questions that he knew the others would have for him.

He opened the door, head held low. "I'm back," he said quietly. 

"Soo?" 

His head snapped up at the sound of your voice. "Y/N?" 

As soon as he looked up, you gasped in horror at the red blotches covering the skin around his eye. The actual eye itself was red-rimmed, glossy with moisture.  

You were scrambling up from where you had been seated on the floor, Mark and Taeil following your example. "Soo, did someone punch you in the face?! Taeil, do you guys keep any ice packs here?"  

"I'll go look," Taeil said, hastily rushing over to the storage room. 

"Hyung," Mark spoke up. "What happened?!" 

You came over to Kyungsoo, a hand flying up to cover your mouth as you realized the full extent of his injury. "Who gave you that black eye?!"

"Kim Taejung was waiting outside," Kyungsoo replied. "He just wanted to try and mess with me before the competition." "He hurt you," you said indignantly. "Soo, you need to go to the hospital." 

"It's not that bad." 

You fixed him with an icy glare. "Don't you dare try to pretend like you're not hurt right now. You need to see a doctor for your eye."

Taeil ran back into the room, out of breath as he held the ice pack out to Kyungsoo. "We need to contact the tournament directors."

"No," Kyungsoo disagreed immediately, taking all of you by surprise. "Don't tell them about it, I'll be fine." He lifted the ice pack to his face, hissing as it touched his skin. 

"Do Kyungsoo," you said lowly. "We're seeing a doctor, even if I have to drag you out of here myself." 

Kyungsoo swallowed nervously. Both of you were ridiculously stubborn, but he knew when you meant business. And so, he went along with not even a single complaint as you ushered him into your car, his training gear tossed in the back.

"We'll lock up tonight," Taeil said through the window. Mark stood by his side, his usual cheerful expression replaced with a somber look. 

You nodded, rolling your window down. "Thank you. Make sure you two stay safe too. I'll let you know how he's doing." 

The next half-hour was spent in a clinic, waiting for a doctor to check out Kyungsoo's eye. Even as the two of you waited patiently, Kyungsoo tried to reassure you that his injury looked worse than it actually felt.

But you wouldn't feel better until a doctor told you the results.

After careful inspection, the doctor concluded that there was no significant damage done to the eye. "The redness that you saw earlier in the actual eye was most likely a reaction to the initial force," she explained. "But the skin underneath your eye area is still pretty red, and it'll probably start to turn darker in the coming days. If you start to notice anything different with your vision, go to a hospital right away. Other than that, keep icing the injury, but don't put pressure on it! Take some ibuprofen too if it continues to hurt."

You and Kyungsoo both let out a long exhale in unison, thankful that nothing was too serious. 

"Thank you, doctor," Kyungsoo said. As the doctor nodded and made to leave, Kyungsoo looked to you, noticing the way your lips were pursed in a tight line. He knew without a doubt that you were still upset about what happened. 

Sure enough, you were silent the rest of the way back, only asking him if there was enough ibuprofen at home. Your hands were gripped tightly on the steering wheel, expression blank while you drove as if on autopilot. Even taciturn Kyungsoo was starting to grow antsy as the silence dragged on, finally speaking up once the two of you were back home.

"Y/N, talk to me," he pleaded. Kyungsoo placed his hands on your waist, searching your eyes for the troubles lying within.

"I just... what if it had been worse? What if we actually had go to the hospital? Soo, I was so scared when you walked in looking like this," you burst out, all of the pent up emotions finally free. "And you try to play it off like it's nothing, but this was the scariest shit I've ever seen. I can't believe you don't want to report that scumbag for this." 

Kyungsoo pulled you closer, only mere centimeters between the two of you. "I don't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking he's already beaten me. If I win, I want to know that I won because of my own skills." 

You scoffed. "You say 'if', like we don't already know you're going to win. Sometimes, you're too modest for your own good." 

"It's okay. Your faith in me balances it all out." Kyungsoo couldn't help but smile as your eyes grew wide with surprise. 

"If you're trying to distract me from being mad, it's not working." Despite your words, you brought a hand up to gingerly brush your fingers over his cheek. "I still don't like the idea of you competing against him." 

"We'll be in a room full of people, he won't be able to do anything without the referees noticing." 

As much as you hated to admit it, he was right. Kyungsoo would be safer during the actual competition than he had been tonight. "Don't mess him up too much," you said. "I want a chance to get my hands on that jerk, too." 

Kyungsoo sighed. "That's not what judo's for, Y/N." 

You recalled all of the times Kyungsoo had talked about how judo was considered a peaceful form of martial arts. "I guess it's a good thing that you're the professional and not me." 

Shaking his head with a smile, Kyungsoo leaned in to kiss you, soft lips moving against yours. Both of you were careful to leave the left side of his face alone, the skin under his eye still colored a bright red. Each brush of his lips only melted away more and more of your worries, grounding you in the here and now. 

In the back of your mind, you knew that everything would be fine. Kyungsoo had come this far, and once he put his mind to something, there was no backing down. 

Even if he didn't win, you would be proud of him nevertheless.

The big day had finally arrived, the air charged with anticipation. 

A few matches were already taking place, judokas each focused on their opponent and blocking out everything else around them. You sat in the stands, hands clasped tightly in your lap as you waited anxiously for Kyungsoo's turn to come. Mark sat beside you, just as nervous.

"Hyung's turn is coming up next," Mark told you, looking at the roster displayed on a screen close by. 

A buzz from your phone had you scrambling to unlock it, a new message from Taeil just coming in: "Headed out there now." 

You were grateful that Taeil had offered to stand in as Kyungsoo's "coach" for this competition, offering him moral support and talking through technique with him as they waited in the locker room. 

The doors at the side of the area opened, Kyungsoo coming out first in his blue judogi followed by Taeil. Your eyes narrowed as you realized who the person following after them was — Kim Taejung. His mouth was curved into a smug grin as he waved at people in the stands. 

"Oh, fuck off," you muttered under your breath, Mark's mouth falling open at your sudden outburst. 

The men walked over to the edge of the tatami mats, Kyungsoo and Taeil talking to each other while Taejung did the same with who you assumed was his own coach. Even from this distance, you could see the dark burgundy splotches around Kyungsoo's eye, the injury looking more terrifying than before.

"This is crazy," Mark spoke up. "I mean, if he wins here, and then wins at the province-wide competitions, and then moves to nationals — " 

"Mark, calm down." You laid a hand on his shoulder. "We're both going to start freaking out at this rate." 

"Match number three," a voice came from the speakers. "Do Kyungsoo and Kim Taejung." 

Both men walked to opposite sides of the mats, bowing before stepping onto the actual mats, and then walking to the center before stopping to bow to each other. As Kyungsoo straightened back up, you were struck by how quickly his expression had changed, his round eyes taking on a steely gaze, brows drawn low as he waited for his opponent to make the first move.

Taejung lunged forward, hands gripping onto the collar of Kyungsoo's judogi as Kyungsoo tried to keep his opponent from knocking him off balance. 

Considering judo was a sport characterized by throws and pinning the other person down, the first half minute consisted of both men circling around each other. A few times, it seemed like Kyungsoo had gained the upper hand, a firm hold on Taejung's judogi only for the other man to slip out of his grasp.  

The jacket of Kyungsoo's judogi was undone by this point, chest exposed as he continued to avoid Taejung's movements and counter with his own. He only had five minutes in total to score one point and win the match, and two minutes had already slipped past. 

You gasped when Kyungsoo managed to hook a foot around Taejung's leg, swiftly turning around and throwing the other man to the ground. The referree awarding him a half-point for managing to bring his opponent down. 

Taejung was livid, glaring at Kyungsoo as they jumped back into the match. His movements seemed more desperate, taking on the offensive as Kyungsoo continued to block his moves. At one point, it seemed like Taejung had the upper hand, holding onto Kyungsoo's judogi and trying to throw him onto his side. Kyungsoo started to fall, but grabbed onto Taejung's sleeves, feet slipping on the mats as he tried to keep his balance. 

"They only have a minute left," Mark said, peeking at the clock. 

You leaned forward in your seat, hands on your knees. "Come on, Soo," you whispered. 

Taejung tried to bring one foot around the back of Kyungsoo's leg, but he wasn't quick enough. Kyungsoo twisted out of the way and both of them stumbled apart, sweaty and out of breath. The referee stopped them for a second before continuing the match, only thirty seconds left. There was a bit of tussling, each of them trying to get the upper hand. 

Suddenly, Taejung's feet slipped against the mat, Kyungsoo quickly taking advantage of this and spinning around, pulling Taejung over his shoulder and throwing him down onto the mat. 

Your hands flew to cover your mouth as Kyungsoo stood up, the referee awarding him another half-point and declaring him the winner of the match. 

"Oh god, he did it," you shrieked, jumping up from your seat. 

Mark got up too, cupping his mouth with his hands and letting out a long yell.  

On the mat, Kyungsoo took a few steps back before bowing, Taejung reluctantly following suit. When he got back up, Kyungsoo turned to the rest of you watching from the stands, eyes searching for your face. A relieved grin appeared on his face once he caught sight of you. He was still charmingly handsome, even with sweat running down his face and the mottled bruise on his skin. 

You sent a bunch of kisses his way, laughing as his cheeks turned red. "I love you," you mouthed.

Kyungsoo waved back, lips moving as he said something. You couldn't hear him, but you knew what it was nevertheless — "I love you, too." 

You couldn't be more proud of him.

A/N: let me just say that watching videos of actual judo matches for reference was personally boring 😅 i’m definitely not a judo expert (or any sort of martial arts in general), and I’m also not a health expert so please keep that in mind if I wrote something incorrectly! I did so much research on belt rankings and competitions, and awarding points and stuff LOL I still can’t believe how short the actual matches are, but I’ve seen people say that 5 minutes seems like forever when you’re the person actually in the match. 

like with every other time I’m looking for names for oc’s, I looked to exo related movies: this time being soo’s “Room No. 7″. Also, funnily enough, I was inspired to go with this plot after seeing that “the karate kid” was up on netflix 😂 and then I remembered soo’s movie “hyung”. even though this isn’t related to the movie, I just wanted to write martial arts soo! I honestly think i’d write a fic for each of the members’ acting roles if I could haha