Work Text:
The longer Baekhyun stares down at the notes sprawled out across his desk, the more the words jumble together and become senseless to him. He had been studying for hours at this point, final deadlines and test dates looming over his head as he tries to make it through the last few days of this semester. He doesn’t want to take a break, worried that just a few minutes away to eat, drink, or use the restroom will cause him to lose his momentum, and his day of studying will be ruined. Baekhyun groans and rubs his palms down his face roughly. It’s 8:00 in the evening now, his stomach growls in protest at the lack of sustenance and is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Just as he contemplates the ramifications of resting for a minute at his desk, he hears a knock on his door.
“Come in” he mumbles from the inside of his arm that his head is currently laying on.
Kyungsoo comes in and observes the current state of chaos Baekhyun’s room is in: clothes in piles on the floor, bed unmade, and the owner of the room sitting at his desk in a ratty oversized hoodie and sweats. He had been wearing this outfit for two days now. Kyungsoo just sighs, as he can’t really judge Baekhyun for anything when his own bedroom is in a similar state as well. His only advantage being the fact that he showered and changed an hour ago, after completing hours of reading and annotating for his own paper.
“Dude… you look like shit. Have you left your room at all today?” Kyungsoo deadpans. Although doesn’t have much space to criticize him, he will anyway if it means he gets to tease Baekhyun just a bit.
“Hello to you too” Baekhyun spits back without much venom behind his voice. Still defeated from his long day. “No, I haven’t. Revisions for my paper took longer than I had expected, and I still need to finish studying for my final on Tuesday. God I can’t wait for this semester to be over man, I need a break”.
“I take it you haven’t eaten either?” Kyungsoo asks.
“No… I haven’t had time” Baekhyun admits.
“Let’s get you changed then, we’re getting food. It’s too late to cook and we still have so much to do” Kyungsoo says as he begins to drag Baekhyun up and out of his desk chair.
“Do I have to go with you? Can’t we just order in?” Baekhyun argues.
“No, that’ll be too expensive, and you can honestly use a change of scenery. Come on, it'll only take thirty minutes max” Kyungsoo counters. He makes a good point. Baekhyun thinks to himself that a change of clothes and some fresh air could be beneficial for him. Maybe that will get him through the rest of his study session for the night.
“Okay, you convinced me. Give me five minutes to wash up and I’ll be ready to go” Baekhyun pushes Kyungsoo towards the direction of his door, closing it once he passes the threshold.
“Don’t take too long please, I’m also starving. I’ll leave without you if you take longer than that” Kyungsoo says loudly through the door.
Baekhyun ends up taking 12 minutes to decide on a change of clothes, and to wash up in the bathroom. His hair is greasier than he thought it was, and no amount of fluffing could get it to cooperate with him. He steps out with a beanie and a fresh hoodie, sweats swapped for jeans, and the same beat up sneakers he’s been wearing all semester. They’re just going to the convenience store, so there isn’t any real reason to get more dressed than that.
Kyungsoo, of course, waits for Baekhyun despite his earlier threats of abandoning him. He is wearing a similar outfit as Baekhyun: instead of a hoodie he’s in a green windbreaker, black sweats, and sneakers. He is standing by their apartment door with his keys in hand.
“Don’t worry, I’ll drive this time,” he says as he watches Baekhyun reach for his wallet and keys on the coffee table. Baekhyun nods and foregoes his keys, pocketing his wallet as they walk out towards the elevator.
“Thanks for offering, I think my gas tank was also close to empty” Baekhyun says once inside Kyungsoo’s car.
“It’s no problem, you’re probably too tired to drive anyways” Kyungsoo says as he glances over to Baekhyun from the driver seat. He looks as if he has more he wants to say, but leaves the conversation at that as he turns over the ignition and pulls out of the complex parking lot.
Paying no mind to Kyungsoo, Baekhyun reaches over for the former’s phone to select music for their short car ride. Of course he knows his passcode, they had been friends since middle school, attended the same high school, and now university. The trust they have built between them is strong, and while they don’t always share every thought with each other, either can tell when the other needs extra support, or even space.
The drive to the market ends as quickly as it starts, with most of their time spent inside the store as they debate on which snacks to purchase and what drinks pair best with them. They settle on tuna onigiri and cup ramen to eat there, with an assortment of chips, candy, and overly sweetened drinks set aside in bags that are scheduled to be consumed later when they’re back home powering through their remaining work.
They begin their normal drive home, banter is light and music softly drifts from the speakers (one of their favorite albums). As they get closer to their street Kyungsoo can sense the anxiety building up under Baekhyun’s skin, and since he himself doesn’t want to return home just yet, he makes a detour and heads towards the highway on-ramp. Confused, Baekhyun asks him where they’re going and what Kyungsoo was doing. All Kyungsoo can say is that he doesn’t feel like going home yet, and would rather enjoy the night just a bit longer. The weather is perfect, air just warm enough to roll down the windows and feel it blow through their fingertips. A clear sky shines above them, and Kyungsoo gets the idea to drive up to a lookout point to appreciate the stars better. Once they arrive, they lay on the hood of Kyungsoo’s car, feet propped up against the turn out ramp, and heads facing the heavens. Kyungsoo continues to talk to Baekhyun in hushed tones, quiet enough as to not disturb the night or interrupt the stars from shining so bright. The conversation fades to soft breathing, and Baekhyun can’t help but wonder…
“Kyungja, why did you bring me here?”
“No particular reason, it looked like you needed a break from everything. Returning with fresh eyes always helps me, so maybe it could help you too.”
Baekhyun then ponders the meaning behind all of Kyungsoo’s acts of kindness, has he always been this attentive with their other friends? Could he tell what their other friends are feeling, just by a glance? Does he go out of his way to make sure they’re fed, getting adequate sleep, or have enough energy to complete assignments? Would he drive them over twenty minutes to a lookout point just to help them relieve stress? Baekhyun doesn’t recall ever seeing Kyungsoo like this with anyone else. Sure, he is kind and will even cook for them every now and then, but Kyungsoo has never taken them to a doctor when they were sick, nor sat by them until their fever broke, like he has with Baekhyun.
Throughout most, if not all of Baekhyun’s major life events, Kyungsoo was there, experiencing them right next to him. Kyungsoo was there to encourage Baekhyun to ask out the girl in their class. Kyungsoo was there to help Baekhyun pick out an outfit for his first date. Kyungsoo was there for Baekhyun during his first break up, eating junk food together in Baekhyun’s room while they played video games. It was Kyungsoo who Baekhyun first told that he might like guys more than girls. Kyungsoo, who would later tell Baekhyun before anyone else that he was gay, saying that it was Baekhyun who he trusted more than anyone with this secret. Baekhyun couldn’t imagine his life without Kyungsoo in it in some capacity. Any memory he thought of, Kyungsoo had been involved in creating. A large part of him didn’t want to think life without Kyungsoo was possible. Everything felt right with him by his side.
As Baekhyun slowly concluded these thoughts, a flush crept across his face as the realization dawned on him. Is what he feels for Kyungsoo platonic? There are certainly people who have strong attachments to their friends, but Baekhyun fears what he feels surpasses them. Should he be worried? Will things change between them? What if his feelings grow? Should he tell Kyungsoo?
Overwhelmed with the sudden realization, Baekhyun leans against Kyungsoo’s shoulder to distract himself with his warmth and scent. His heart races, and he hopes Kyungsoo cannot hear it over the deafening silence of the night. Kyungsoo tilts his head towards him to regard his sudden closeness.
“You okay, Baekhyunie?” Kyungsoo asks.
“Mhm, just cold,” a partial lie leaves Baekhyun’s lips. He doesn’t know what to do with himself right now, and feels hiding is his best option.
Silence spreads between them again, and this time becomes unbearable to Baekhyun. He doesn’t know what to say to Kyungsoo. Thoughts swirl in his head, but he is unsure how to express any of them without scaring his friend. However, one thought stands out amongst the rest, and Baekhyun feels he can’t let it go left unsaid.
“Kyungsoo…”
“Hm?”
“Thank you. Thank you for taking care of me” Baekhyun murmurs.
Kyungsoo chuckles softly, “Silly, you don’t need to thank me. I take care of you because I want to. If anything, it’s just something I do without really thinking about it. You do the same for me.”
“I do?” Baekhyun asks.
“Of course you do. You’re there for me in ways no one else is. There’s no one I’d rather turn to when I need to vent or just laugh a little. Sometimes, you can tell when I need it before I even realize it myself. That role has been filled by you for years” Kyungsoo admits.
His words bring a smile to Baekhyun’s face. “Oh, I see.”
Refraining from expressing his true feelings, Baekhyun adds, “I hope I can keep that role for many more years.”
Another deep chuckle leaves Kyungsoo’s lips. He reaches for Baekhyun’s hand and interlocks their fingers before replying, “I have no doubt that you will.”