By the Will of Love (A KaiSoo Fanfic)

Chapter Three

Kyungsoo's breathing was heavy and rushed, and it felt like he couldn't breathe. 

His hands were latched around the base of his neck with no intention of loosening.

He squeezed his eyes shut and creased his eyebrows deeply as tears entered his eyes. 

His lips attached to his neck in a rough manner and Kyungsoo was using all his strength to push him off, but with every shove, his grip got tighter and more unbearable.

His mouth quivered and his heart pounded hard against his rib cage. "No..." he murmured with eyes glued shut. "No...please stop..."

Kyungsoo didn't ask for this to happen for him. He just wanted to try and be social for once, come out of his shell. He didn't ask for this. 

"N-No...s-stop, please!" Xiumin, who was preparing for school in the bathroom, paused when he heard the yell come from Kyungsoo's bedroom and didn't even wait for another before he rushed over there. When he opened the door, he saw his younger brother thrashing about slightly with his hands pinned down as if some invisible force was keeping them there. Another heartbreaking scream left Kyungsoo's mouth as Xiumin walked closer and sat on the bed in an attempt to wake him up. "Stop! Let go of me, please!" 

"Soo," Xiumin said, shaking his brother a bit. "Soo, wake up." He had to shake him a couple more times before the smaller's eyes flew open, sweat resting along his hairline and his chest heaving rapidly. 

"H-Hyung..." He breathed out as a single tear rolled down his cheek, tickling his skin on its way. 

"Shh," Xiumin said, wiping it away and then pushing back some of the hair from the younger's forehead. "It's okay, Soo, it was just a dream. It's okay." Kyungsoo exhaled in silent relief and relaxed into his bed as Xiumin wiped as much sweat away off of his forehead as he could with the sleeve of his shirt. "Are you okay?" he asked. 

Kyungsoo closed his eyes for a second and nodded. "I'm fine," he whispered in a hoarse voice. 

"Do you want to talk about it this time?" Xiumin said next, his hands now resting on the mattress. 

Kyungsoo shook his head, giving the response Xiumin was expecting but not hoping for. "What time is it?" he inquired, trying to sit up slowly and look around. 

"Almost eight," answered Xiumin.

Kyungsoo nodded faintly and rubbed his tired eyes. "I should get ready," he said. "The service starts soon, right?"

"Yeah," the elder said. "Mom and dad already left so they could do some last-minute preparation. I said we'd just meet them there." The boy nodded again and sat up, sitting still for a moment before getting on the edge of the bed and standing up. Xiumin sighed as he watched Kyungsoo waddle off to the bathroom, his stature like that of a corpse. 

He never knew why his brother had those nightmares, but he figured that they must be the same every night because he would always wake up begging for someone or something to get off of him. This ignorance made him angry at himself, but each time he asked Kyungsoo what happened, he would just shake his head and change the subject.

After Kyungsoo was finished getting ready, he and Xiumin left for the church. Their parents, along with working long hours at their jobs, were also devoted members of the local church and had been forcing their sons to attend the Sunday services since they were young boys. He didn't hate it, but it certainly didn't help him feel better like he used to think it did. Xiumin waited to lock his car until Kyungsoo was out, and then they walked in together, Kyungsoo trailing behind his older brother. Xiumin held the door open for Kyungsoo, letting him walk in ahead of him, and their mom noticed them almost immediately.