like never before | beomkai

15 | nosebleed

warning: lots of cursing & mention of blood (nothing too bad!)

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"Writing in your journal again?"

Taehyun bursts into Kai's room unannounced, nothing out of the ordinary. Just in time to see Kai in his sleepwear with a pillow on his lap and journal on top of it. One of his sisters probably opened the door for Taehyun without batting an eye—in some dinners, they would say Taehyun was their favorite brother.

Not that Kai isn't aware of how his sisters give him notebooks to be his journal every few months. Taehyun is his favorite brother, too, anyway.

"I'm thinking of signing up for the lettuce club tomorrow," Kai said, knowing that Taehyun wasn't waiting for an answer to an obvious question.

They both laughed at the announcement. Taehyun fell beside Kai's covered feet. "I can't believe that's an actual club."

"It's too good to be true. They would hold annual lettuce eating competitions to determine the lettuce master until the next meeting."

"And what does that mean?"

"I don't even know," Kai snorted as he chuckled. "No, but—I think I'll join the club Soobin hyung joined. Baking and making coffee is in my alley."

Taehyun sat up to give Kai a skeptic look. "Well, so is playing the piano for the music club, but sure."

To that, Kai rolled his eyes. It's been a few days since Taehyun's audition and Beomgyu already spoiled the results earlier. Taehyun got in, it was a unanimous decision. Soobin's mother treated them to cupcakes as a celebration.

Although the auditions are ongoing until Saturday, Kai was fixed with his decision not to join the club Beomgyu was exclusively in. The older one wouldn't even look him in the eye when they're studying in the cafe, what more if they share a tight space in the music room? Kai would press the wrong keys despite his perfect pitch.

"I'm trying different things, Tyunnie. Isn't that what I should do?"

A pout formed on Taehyun's lips. Not everybody gets to see the Kang Taehyun do that. "You should do whatever you wanna do," He said. "Except that schedule thing. You're still doing that until now."

Kai decides not to respond at all. He couldn't blame Taehyun for not understanding what it meant for him to plan the inevitable. Instead, he closed the journal on his lap and snuck it in his drawer before going back to pull his blanket up to his stomach.

"Can I sleep here?" Taehyun asked with a small voice.

Kai nods. "Always... Plus, it's not like I didn't know you were here to do that when you walked in at 11pm in your PJs."

"Okay, fine. Maybe I like your bed more than mine at home."

Taehyun shimmy his way under the covers. The blanket reached his nose as he liked it and only his eyes were out to look at Kai's tired ones. "Kai."

Despite the gentle whisper, Kai heard it loud and clear. "Taehyun?"

"You can always tell me anything, you know?" Taehyun added and he saw the hint of bewilderment on Kai's face. "In high school, I should have noticed and asked why you became so distant and busy. Sometimes, I feel guilty for always leaving you behind back then. You're my best friend, and I don't want you to ever feel alone. Do you understand?"

"I'll try," Kai closed his eyes. "Where did that come from anyway?"

"No reason."

_______________

Yeonseo University was buzzing. Club booths are ongoing all day, shifts switch depending on the student's schedule. Kai already adjusted his a week prior for club agendas, and now he was searching for Soobin so he can tag along.

One problem though: he doesn't know where to start looking. The tall boy wasn't in the management building and he already asked Yeonjun and Taehyun if they'd stumbled upon Soobin.

They haven't seen Soobin all day.

binnie hyung: sorry, kai! i just saw your messages and calls. i'm at home right now, because odi went missing.

binnie hyung: i found him now and i almost cried but i had to scold him for a bit.

binnie hyung: i'm on my way! i'm sorry for the delay :(

Kai felt like he was on a roller coaster ride as he read the messages. Odi was Soobin's pet hedgehog, the one Soobin would post in his SNS and cry about how cute he is. Kai only met the pet twice and he felt his stomach drop when he read that Odi was missing—the cutie was barely big enough to fill his hand, how difficult it must be to look for the little thing.

hyuka: no, it's fine, hyungie. just call me when you get here.

Guess I'll stay in the field, then.

Kai sat on the bleachers. Surprisingly, the field was relatively empty. Most of the students are in the main campus, where the booths are, and only the ones trying out for a bunch of sports clubs are running around the athletic field. It's still strange why nobody is here to watch.

And he learned the reason why the hard way as an orange ball flies at him and hits him directly in the face.

"What the fuck?!" Kai cursed. He was wearing false glasses and it was astronomically painful to feel them dig on the skin by his eyes without warning. "Holy shit!" He cursed again.

The perpetrator of the pain runs to get the ball with a series of apologies coming out of their mouth. It made Kai's head spin. He waved them off and uttered a small "It's okay" before slowly walking to the bathroom.

It was not okay.

His head was throbbing and he faced the mirror to see a faint mark on his skin by his eyes and nose bridge from the glasses. He didn't look so bad, but it felt like hell. What if I have a concussion? Am I going to die? No. He's not dying. He just started university! There's no way he's dying when he's come so far studying for more than a decade now.

Kai was still cursing his heart out when Beomgyu—of all people, of course, it was going to be Beomgyu!—came in. The world just like popping Beomgyu everywhere in Kai's life like it's always how it goes. "Are you okay?" The older one asked, his tone concerned, but Kai didn't notice when he's too busy easing the pain by his nose.

"Do I look okay?!" Kai snapped unconsciously. "A ball just smashed on my face and I feel like my head is being torn in half!"

"Kai.. I think you should go to the clinic."

"No shit Sherlock! I'm on my way there, but I'm just too dizzy to walk so far!"

"Your nose is bleeding. I.. Kai.. Let's just-" Beomgyu took a sharp deep breath, and Kai felt a cloth press on his nose. "Calm down for me, baby."

"My nose hurts! Fuck these glasses!"

"I know.. I got you.. I got you. Breathe and calm down, please," Beomgyu's voice was quiet and calm above Kai's rage and panic. When did Beomgyu rush so close, when did Beomgyu use his own hanky to tend to Kai's misery—the younger one couldn't remember.

He didn't even know he was panicking. All he could grasp was the fact that he rushed in the bathroom feeling dizzy and he didn't like how big the world looks all of a sudden—and Beomgyu. Beomgyu made sense. Kai blinked a thousand times and he could grasp the sight of Beomgyu so close with caring eyes.

This was the department of Engineering, so it was a coincidence that Beomgyu came to the bathroom at the right time.

Or maybe not.

"It hurts."

"I know. We're taking you to the clinic."