By the Will of Love (A KaiSoo Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Five

The next two days consisted of recuperation and lots of family time for Jongin and Kyungsoo. To Kyungsoo, spending practically every second of his life with his family wasn't anything new, but after going four months of separation from the world, he couldn't help but feel relieved by it. Each time he would see his brother or one of his parents smile and every time he would feel his mom hold his hand, it reminded him that it, that period of captivity and terrifying isolation, was over. He was back home and he couldn't have been any happier about that.

However, for Jongin, being able to spend time with his dad brought him a rather odd feeling. It had been years since the last time he spent this much time with him, so he wasn't quite sure of what to expect. He could tell it was a little awkward for his dad too, but he could also see that he was genuinely trying, which made him happy. It took a few days, but eventually, they got it all out, all the things they were keeping held inside of them, all of the things that were rooted in mutual pain. 

For the first time in a long time, Jongin felt like everything would be truly alright.

As the car sped down the road, it began to slow down once it turned into the neighborhood. Kyungsoo was nervous to say the least. After four months of having only Jongin to socialize with, he didn't know if he could handle being around a lot of people at one time (not that he really ever could even before). But his parents were so excited about the welcome home party that he couldn't refuse. Besides, Jongin would be there too, and it had been a whole week since he last saw him.

Jongin and his dad had already arrived when they pulled up, the sight of the other boy instantly making a smile appear on his face. After his dad parked the car, they got out and walked across the street. Jongin smiled at Kyungsoo when he saw him approaching, using all his strength to resist the urge to pull him into a hug and shower him with kisses. 

"Glad you guys could make it," Jongin's dad said, greeting Kyungsoo and his parents. 

"Thank you for having us," Mrs. Kim replied. "It was so nice of you to put this together."

"It was no trouble. After everything they've been through, they deserve to have fun and be teenagers again," he said, patting Jongin on the back lightly. "Anyway, come on in. Everybody should be here." He led them to the front door, Jongin tagging a little behind in order to walk in with Kyungsoo.

"Dad made me wait outside. Said he wanted it to be a surprise when everyone got here, even though I already knew about it," he said to him with a small eye roll. 

Kyungsoo chuckled. "At least it seems like he's trying really hard. It must be nice," he said, glancing down as they walked up the steps. 

"Yeah, I guess. It's still weird as hell, but definitely better than before." Kyungsoo just smiled and gave his hand a discrete, light squeeze that made Jongin smile back at him. 

The boys were greeted by loud cheering applause, which was both comforting and overwhelming. It was weird having all the attention on them and only them. They didn't know if they'd ever get used to it.

"Hyung!" Jongin's head moved toward the voice being directed at him, seeing Sehun as he quickly approached him. "Hyung, you're alive!" The younger threw his arms around Jongin's neck and hugged him tightly, taking the elder even more off guard.

"Yeah, I'm alive," he replied with a laugh, gently peeling Sehun off of him.

"We were so worried about you," Sehun said. "We thought they killed you and that the next time we saw you it'd be at your funeral."

"Yah, Sehun," Chen scolded as he walked up behind him. "Why the hell would you say that to him, huh? You're such a fucking idiot." He hit him on the back of the head and Sehun winced loudly, causing Jongin to chuckle. "It's good to have you back, buddy," Chen said, briefly hugging Jongin. "It hasn't been the same without you around at all. We realized just how dull our lives are without you."