NIGHTMARE

21 | a peace offering

shin lee hoseok.

it was like one of kihyun's hopeful daydreams had come to life. he used to wish for this day to truly come, for the guy on his doorstep to be real.

but now he was trembling.

hoseok was a picture perfect boyfriend, dressed in a neat shirt tucked into jeans, hair brushed through and silky, a bunch of white tulips in his hands. the rough appearance and bloodshot eyes were gone, replaced with some of the hoseok kihyun used to know, yet also with a new side to him he'd never seen before.

it was jarring, somehow.

kihyun didn't know how to react. the mere sight of his ex boyfriend set his eyes filling with tears, and he shook anxiously. if there was one thing he'd learnt about the hoseok he knew, it was that hoseok was unpredictable. and unpredictable people were dangerous.

"kihyun," hoseok said, a brief smile gracing his lips.

kihyun's heart pounded. he almost slammed the door on him, only a shread of curiosity kept it open. "what do you want?" he mumbled.

hoseok took a breath, and then chuckled, scratching at the nape of his neck. "i know this is kinda weird-" he began.

"you're not supposed to be here," kihyun told him, his voice quivering. "i told you not to come and find me..."

"hey... look," hoseok said, his voice becoming softer. he took a step forward, making kihyun take a step back and hide behind the door. "i didn't come here to scare you."

kihyun stared at him through the gap in the door, though not quite wanting to meet his eyes. "you're doing it now," he whispered, and his vision became blurry with tears.

he cursed himself for being so afraid.

"i just wanted to try... to try and make amends," hoseok said with determination. "i came here... to apologise."

kihyun couldn't believe what he was hearing. "you think you can turn up with a cheap apology and some shitty flowers and i'll just... forgive you?" he spat, gaping at him.

"ki-"

"don't call me that!" kihyun raised his voice, letting the door open a little more.

"i'm sorry," hoseok sighed, deflated, "kihyun, just hear me out-"

"no! i don't wanna hear it," kihyun said, his voice breaking with emotion, "i'm tired of running back to you whenever you want me back..."

"no, you don't understand-"

"no, i don't!" kihyun sobbed, "i don't understand you at all! people don't just change, hoseok."

hoseok fell silent and stared at the withering tulips in his hands. they were fresh before, but they seemed to be dying with every moment. "i'm trying to," he murmured.

"this is all such bullshit," kihyun snapped between cries, "i don't want to see you again, ever. just leave!"

"why can't you just listen to me?" hoseok demanded, frustrated that he couldn't express himself fully. he held the flowers out to kihyun as a final gesture of peace. "at least take-"

"i don't want them." kihyun threw the flowers to the floor, where the petals became crumpled and torn. "just go home..."

hoseok gazed at him imploringly, but kihyun wouldn't even meet his eyes. "fine!" he said, his voice coming out harsher than he intended.

"get out!" kihyun yelled at him, his face still showing the pain he felt inside.

hoseok snatched up the bouquet of tulips and stormed off, running a hand through his hair. kihyun watched him go for a second, before giving into the tears and slamming the door shut.

further down the road, just outside the apartment complex, changkyun was strolling up with a bag of food he'd managed to sneak out of coach kwon's celebration party. the party had been decent, but changkyun was itching to see kihyun again, to kiss him again...

"no way," he muttered under his breath.

changkyun stopped short as he saw a familar face stalking out of the apartment building, shadowy at that time of night. kihyun's ex? changkyun's eyes widened in alarm. he watched hoseok get into his car and shut the door hard, before hitting his head against the steering wheel.

not wasting any time, changkyun sprinted past the parked car and into the building, reaching kihyun's apartment as fast as he could. he knocked on the door so hard he almost broke it down, and fidgeted impatiently whilst he waited for a response.

the door didn't open. changkyun pressed an ear to it and listened, and his panic skyrocketed at the sound of someone crying. when he tried the door, it was unlocked, and he barged inside.

"kihyun!"

the small teacher was sobbing uncontrollably on the carpet, hugging his knees to his chest and shaking with every breath. changkyun dropped the bags in the doorway and rushed over to him, taking kihyun's face in his hands.

"what the fuck did he do to you." changkyun was breathing heavily, anger clouding his senses. "i'm gonna fucking kill him."

kihyun just cried harder and changkyun's cloud of anger quickly dissolved. he pulled kihyun into his lap and held him like a baby as he cried, rocking him gently and mumbling soft words of comfort. kihyun clung to him, fistfuls of changkyun's shirt in his small hands, tears staining the material.

they stayed like that for a while until kihyun finally fell silent, face buried in changkyun's chest, listening to his heart beat steadily. changkyun slowly pressed a kiss to kihyun's hair, then stroking it to calm him down.

"what happened?" he whispered.

kihyun didn't answer him. the small man had become still in his arms, eyes closed. changkyun chuckled in a low tone, finding him adorable. he looped an arm under kihyun's knees and scooped him up, carrying him carefully to the bedroom and onto the bed. trying not to wake him, changkyun removed kihyun's stiff suit trousers and ironed white shirt, replacing them with soft pyjamas. his eyes trailed over the other's body, but he focused on making kihyun comfortable, finally pulling the covers over him.

"goodnight, hyung," he murmured.

as a second thought, and an instinct to protect kihyun, changkyun took off his own shoes and wriggled under the covers next to him. he gazed at the older's peaceful expression for a moment, eyes taking in every inch of his face from the dark eyelashes to the curve of his pink lips.

changkyun rolled onto his back and let his eyes droop shut. it was so unfair.

all he wanted was for kihyun to be happy.

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