Work Text:
Khun-POV
Khun buried his face into the crook of Bam’s neck, breathing in his scent, a hint of honey, sweat, and home. He could feel a prickling behind his eyes, Bam was alive. He pushed his face further into Bam’s neck, promising himself that no one would see him cry.
Bam POV
Bam could feel Khun shaking softly. He wrapped his arms tighter around Khun’s shoulders and pulled him in closer. Bam missed him. Missed him with every fiber of his being. He felt safe as Khun held him tightly, his tears finally beginning to fall.
Khun POV
Khun wanted to stay in this moment forever, but Bam was back, even if it was just for now. They would get more time later. Khun squeezed bam tightly for another moment then released him. Schooling his features back into their neutral mask, “Nice to see you again.”
(The rest of the story will be told from Khun’s POV)
Bam has to leave again. It's only a year this time, but after 8 years, its breaking Khun to see Bam go so soon. It's just a year, Khun thinks to himself, He’s been gone for 8 years. What’s one more? At least you know he’s alive and well. It does nothing to fix the hole that had only begun to heal. He had just gotten Bam back, and now he was losing him again.
He wanted to stay by Bam’s side forever. He never wanted to see Bam look as hopeless as he did the first time Khun saw him in the Arena. He knew at that moment he would do anything to see Bam’s smile. Khun buried his head into the pillow next to him as his pocket started to ring, grudgingly he turned over to take the call, but a smile cracked when he saw the name. ‘Bam’, Khun scrambled to grab the call.
“Hey,” Khun said as he sat up in his bed.
“Meet me on the roof in ten minutes.”
“Wait, why-,” Khun tried to ask but Bam had already hung up.
Khun hurried to get dressed, finding the least wrinkled shirt among his possession and ran up to the rooftop, eager to see what Bam wanted, knowing he would do anything he asked.
When Khun got to the roof top Bam was standing there, leaning over the railing of the balcony, his hair was down, the soft orange hues of the setting sun bouncing off the locks and illuminating his golden eyes. Beautiful, Khun thought to himself and blushed. Bam turned to look at him, a soft smile playing at his lips. Khun walked to stand next to him.
Khun couldn’t stop looking at Bam’s hair, all he wanted to do was run his fingers through it.
“Do you hate it?” Bam asked, eyes wide. Khun felt his heart melt.
“Bam, I fucking love it.” The smaller boy looked surprised for a moment before cracking a grin. Khun blushed and looked away as an easy laugh bubbled out of Bam’s mouth.
Khun tried to turn away from the giggles, cheeks tinted pink, but Bam was quicker and pulled Khun into a hug.
“I’m sorry, I’ve just never heard you be so open before, it startled me.” Bam told Khun, his breath dancing in the light bearer’s ear.
“There are no words to describe how much I miss you.” Khun tangled his fingers in Bam’s long hair, feeling its silkiness in between his fingers. Bam nuzzled closer to Khun.
“It feels nice when you do that.” Khun broke into a smile at Bam’s words.
“May I braid it?” Khun asked. “I used to braid my siblings hair all the time before…” Bam released Khun and looked at his eyes. Khun was grateful when Bam choose not to pry.
“Yes please,” Bam said as he sat down in front of Khun, admiring the sunset infront of him. The dark blue of the night faded to purple and pink, before mixing to read and orange and yellow. Khun allowed his hands to slip into Bam’s long hair, combing through it gently.
They talked about everything and nothing, Bam smiled as he told Khun about Wangnan and Ehwa, Khun held Bam as he cried about Prince, he listened to all of Bam’s stories committing each one to memory, wanting to know everything that happened to him the last 8 years.
Bam listened to Khun, listened to him about Rachel’s second betrayal, about Ran and Novick, listened when he started to cry softly for the friend he thought he had lost, listened to Khun’s loneliness and heartache, and even after all that, to Khun’s amazement, there was no disgust, no shame, in Bam’s warm eyes. Khun cried harder, he’d never felt like he had someone to share the weight with, he had to be strong for Bam, strong for his team, he had to be cold because cold was all he had ever known. But, now Bam was here. A little fire warming him from the inside. It confirmed everything Khun already knew, that he would go to the ends of the earth for this boy, he would carry Bam’s burdens and his own too, and when the weight became too much, Bam would be there to shoulder some of his weight too.
They continued talking until the suns rays illuminated the rooftop, Khun lost track of how many times he braided and rebraided Bam’s hair. As they stood to go down and meet everyone, Khun’s heart contracted.
“Wait, Bam, I never asked why you wanted to see me last night.” Khun said. Bam Looked away sheepishly.
“I really just wanted to spend time with you, but I didn’t know if you’d come unless it seemed urgent.” Khun’s heart hurt at that, and realization hit Khun like a train, I love this boy, I love Bam.
“Bam, it doesn’t matter where you are, down the hall or across the tower, if you call me I will be there.”