A/N I wrote this before the whole thing with Kris Wu came out, but he's a very minor character and is only mentioned once. If you would like, pretend it's a different Kris.
TW// mention of death and depression
Boink. The ball hit his head. Kai looked up from his drawing. "Sorry," Sehun called from the volleyball court. Kai rolled his eyes and looked back down at his drawing. He was drawing his best friend Chanyeol.
Chanyeol and Kai had known each other since they were toddlers. They had grown up together, had always been in the same class, did all the same after-school clubs, and then the accident happened.
The funeral had been two weeks ago, and Kai thought of no one else. Some of his other friends tried to help him, but he had closed himself off.
He drew Chanyeol all day and wrote Chanyeol's name in his notebook when he was supposed to be taking notes. He even continued to save a seat for Chanyeol during lunch.
The funeral had been on a cold and rainy day. Kai had been in shock. He had just stood there, staring at the coffin as it was lowered into the ground. It took him three days to come to realize that Chanyeol was really gone. Baekhyun had been over to check on him when he had burst out crying. "Chanyeol," he cried out. "Why?" Baekhyun held him until he calmed down, but ever since then, the smallest thing could open the floodgates.
Baekhyun and Suho stood by his side in school except when they had separate classes, but one of them was always with him. D.O. walked him home every day and spent the nights with him.
On the weekends, all three stayed over. They took care of him because he didn't take care of himself. They made sure he ate and did his school work and had some semblance of a normal life, as normal as it could be after losing his best friend.
Kai lived by himself. When he had gotten old enough, he had moved out of the house of his abusive father. His mother had never been in his life. He had always been an independent person capable of taking care of himself, but now, he slipped. He stopped taking care of himself completely. He would have just sat there every day if not for his other friends.
Time moved slowly. A month passed, then two. Kai remained in his cloud of misery and lonesomeness, missing the presence of his best friend. Although his other friends tried, they could could not console him until Sehun came along.
"Kai," Sehun said quietly, the two of them by themselves in Kai's room. "What would Chanyeol think?"
Kai lifted his head, looking at Sehun with his red rimmed eyes and tear stained face. Another tear slowly made its way down his cheek. "Do you think Chanyeol would want to see you like this because of him?" Kai shook his head.
"It hurts Kai. It's gonna hurt, but you can't let it affect you like this for this long. If Chanyeol were here, he would pull you out of bed and make you move on."
Kai nodded, but he didn't think he could do it. "You don't have to come back to things all at once. Do it one thing at a time. How about today, you get dressed."
Kai looked at him. "Okay," he said, slowly standing up and walking to his closet. He put on a black hoodie and black pants. "Good," Sehun nodded. "Do the same thing tomorrow."
Kai nodded. He got himself dressed the next day and the day after that. Soon, Sehun added something else. "Take a shower." Kai took a shower and started showering twice a week. Slowly but surely, Sehun got him back into normal, everyday life.
"Hey Kai," Baekhyun called. "Come with us to the park. We're meeting Kris, Tao, and Luhan. They're in the country and come to visit."
"I'll be there soon," Kai said. "Just send me the address."
Kai arrived at his destination, looking down. "Hi, Chanyeol," he said. "I've missed you. I wish you were here. I'm sorry I haven't come sooner. It took me a while to get a hold of myself, but I did thanks to Sehun. I miss you so much. There will always be a special place in my heart for you. I love you."
Kai gently placed the flowers he had bought on the tombstone. "I miss you," he said before heading to the park and to Baekhyun, Sehun, D.O., Suho, Kris, Tao, and Luhan.
The road to where he was now had not been easy. It had been hard and painful, but he was ready to move on. He would always remember Chanyeol with fondness, but it would not bring his life to a stop anymore. It still hurt but not as bad as before. There would always be a hole where Chanyeol had been, but Kai was healing. He was moving on. He was going to be okay.
