COMFORT PLACE | bang chan.

[ 06 ] delivered

The next morning I'm rudely awakened by the sound of my bedroom door slamming open. It hurts, and I'm groaning from being pulled from my sleep, groggily turning my face to press against my pillow, and hiding the tear streaks under my tired, red sunken eyes from the person who has entered my room. But the person is exclaiming my name, tone hard that I realise that I won't be getting any more sleep.

Reluctantly, I manage to slowly sit up, rubbing the heel of my hand into my eye, feeling startled and confused. When I finally will my eyes to crack open, the person standing in my room surprises me.

"Ryuu?"

"Pecha," he says breathlessly, moving over to pull me into a hug. "Are you kidding? Why haven't you been responding to my messages?"

Ryuu and I go way back. We've been friends ever since we were children and we've been joined at the hip ever since. The familiar nickname brings back good memories as I pat his back. Let's just say I enjoyed Pokemon way too much when I was younger, and the nickname just stuck.

"What's wrong, Ryuu?" I ask, blinking the sleep from my eyes and suppressing a yawn. "What time is it?"

"Seven in the morning," he supplies, leaning away and holding me arms width by my shoulders.

Ryuu is sitting across from me, his brown cat-like eyes shining with worry despite his attempts at trying to remain passive. His hair is a little short, having played baseball for years and having to cut it every season. But it's a little longer these days, and I think it's a nice look for him. He has tan skin and broad shoulders. I sometimes wonder where the little boy with the missing tooth and long, shoulder length hair went.

Upon hearing the time, I scrunch my nose. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Ryuu doesn't look offended. He's had to deal with my morning attitude for years. But something concerned flashes in his eyes as he takes me in, scanning me for a moment, lips tightened in a straight line. I wince. Ryuu is a very perspective person, so of course he'd notice my slumped shoulders and red eyes, no matter how hard I'd try to hide them.

But I haven't seen Ryuu look so worried about me like this in a long time. Last time I remember seeing him look at me like this was when I broke my leg when I was fourteen. The expression on his face makes me tense up a bit, confusion beginning to settle over me. What's gotten him so shaken? He hardly looks at me this way.

Ryuu takes a moment to respond, eyebrows slightly pinched, thinking thoughtfully before he says, "I'm here because of this." He sits down on my bed, next to me on top of my covers before he's offering me his phone.

I rub my eyes a little more when I take his phone, blinking to adjust to the screen.

And then, out of the blue, my jaw drops when I see my face.

My face leaning in a bit too close to another familiar face.

It's a photo of me and Chan at the restaurant, smiling at each other.

My face bursts into flames.

Ryuu works his jaw, thinking hard. "This is you," he states, slowly, his eyes flitting across my expression, surveying my reaction. "With Stray Kids."

I slowly look away, everything dawning upon me. Someone must have taken this photo during dinner. Probably one of those girls that had approached us.

Someone took a photo of me and Chan. Smiling. At each other.

It brings back so many memories from last night. From all the times I've spent with him. With them.

I slowly cover my face with my hands.