Work Text:
"Call me hyung."
"No." Sieun didn't even look up from his desk, his pen scribbling away in his notebook. His voice was as calm as always, almost monotone. If Sooho was anyone else, he would take the rejection as final but he wasn't anyone else. He was Ahn Sooho and Sieun's best friend.
"Why not?" Sooho sat up from Sieun's bed, his hair out of place from his nap earlier. This was a recent development in their relationship. Sooho would follow Sieun home after his cram school and lounge around his house while Sieun studied. Sooho didn't like that Sieun was always alone in his house, his parents nothing more than pictures on the walls and the occasional text message.
"It's weird." Sooho huffed. Weird?
"Come on, Sieun-ah. I'll buy you dinner tomorrow if you call me hyung." Sieun finally turned around and out his pen down. Sooho smiled. He loved having Sieun's full attention.
"I'm not motivated by food like you are." His tone seemed final but he didn't turn around to continue studying. In fact, Sooho could swear there was a small smile on Sieun's face. Sooho loved that smile.
"What do you want, then? I'll get you anything." Sieun's small smile dropped into a frown. Sooho had said the wrong thing. Sieun didn't really want things, not those you can buy. He wanted big things. Emotional things. He wanted his parents in his life and to be proud of him. He wanted to get perfect scores on all his tests. He wanted Beomseok to be their friend again no matter how many times Sooho told him it wasn't going to happen.
"Nothing." Sieun turned back around, signaling the end of the conversation. Sooho decided it was best to drop it.
-
"See you tomorrow." Sooho walked away from Sieun's apartment door before it was closed. He saw the cast in Sieun's arm. He saw what Beomseok did.
Sooho wished Sieun just told him what happened. He wished Sieun didn't lie to him. Sieun thought he was protecting Sooho but Sooho didn't want to see him hurt. Sooho would rather die than see Sieun get hurt like that. So, Sooho had to get revenge. He couldn't let Yeongbin and Beomseok get away with what they did.
-
When Sooho didn't answer his phone, Sieun got worried. He quickly opened his tracking app to find Sooho's location. In the hospital, Yeongi had convinced Sooho to download the app. Sooho was skeptical at first but, after an encouraging nod from Sieun, he complied. Sieun had never used it after that initial day he got it but he was grateful he had decided to keep it.
A little icon showed that Sooho was at a gym. After sending a text to Yeongi, Sieun got a ride, frantically giving the driver the address. He stared at his phone the whole way to the gym, not even bothering to try calling Sooho again. He knew something was wrong and Sooho wouldn't be answering. He knew it.
-
Sieun arrived at the gym not too long after. He entered the building quietly and could hear people shouting and grunting. There was a fight going on.
Grabbing a small dumbbell from the floor, Sieun snuck behind a pillar, eyes focused on Sooho who had just knocked Wooyoung down. Sieun eyed his cast for a moment, remembering when he met Wooyoung just the other day.
"Bastard," Sieun heard someone say before Sooho's leg was grabbed and he stumbled. Sooho opened his mouth but before he could say anything, Wooyoung was off the ground and kicking at Sooho's head. Sooho hit the ground and, not even a moment later, Sieun was throwing himself towards the closest person, swinging the dumbbell at their head. Despite the small size of the dumbbell, the person went down instantly, blood immediately pooling around their head as it leaked from their nose and mouth.
"What the-," Sieun swung again and again, hitting two more people before the shock of his arrival wore off. Suddenly, he was grabbed from the back, his arms being pulled in different directions, and the dumbbell falling to the ground. Sieun grunted, kicking his feet out at the person in front of him. The force of his kick caused the person holding him to stumble, the two of them toppling back.
“Fuck, its you.” Yeongbin cursed. He pulled his legs out from under Sieun’s and quickly stood, now staring down at Sieun. His eyes were moving frantically as if he were nervous about something. “You’re always in the way.” Yeongbin stomped over Sieun’s cast before kicking him in the side. Pain immediately erupted from Sieun’s arm and he curled up in an attempt to soothe himself.
“How dare you pity me?” Sieun tilted his head back to look at the boxing arena. It was Beomseok who spoke, his crackling voice matching his twisted up face. Sieun liked him better when he was smiling and wearing his glasses. When he was eating with Sooho instead of trying to beat him. Beomseok continued to speak but Sieun couldn’t focus on what he was saying. All he could focus on was getting up and over to Sooho.
The dumbbell wasn’t too far from where Sieun was currently curled up on the floor. He would just need to move a foot or so to reach it. Once he had it, he could take out Yeongbin and the couple others who were still standing around. Beomseok was still speaking.
“Where are you going, huh?” Yeongbin laughed as Sieun dragged himself closer to the dumbbell. “What do you think you’re going to do with that arm?” The others joined in with the laughing. Sieun was tired. He was tired. Yeongbin continued to underestimate him. He continued to act like he was the king of the world. Sieun couldn’t stand it.
Grabbing the dumbbell, Sieun stumbled to his feet and faced Yeongbin. “Hey, leave us alone.” Before Yeongbin had the chance to respond, Sieun launched himself forward and swung the dumbbell. It connected with Yeongbin’s head with a sickening crack but Sieun couldn’t afford to stop moving. Taking advantage of the other’s surprise, Sieun whipped the dumbbell around with no thought. He could hear Beomseok’s voice getting angrier over the sound of the dumbbell making contact with bodies and it made him scared for Sooho.
“Hey.” Sieun dropped the dumbbell and frantically ran to the arena. Beomseok was staring down at Sooho, his body shaking. “Don’t say my name!” Beomseok kicked Sooho in the head but before he could go for another kick, Sieun ducked under the ropes and tackled him to the ground. Sieun was on top of Beomseok who was swinging his arms wildly.
“Get off of me!” Sieun didn’t want to hurt Beomseok but, at the same time, he really, really did. Beomseok was supposed to be his friend. But Sooho was his friend too. More, actually. Even if Beomseok didn’t suddenly decide to hate them, Sieun would be closer to Sooho. There was something about him that just drew Sieun in. Something that made him feel normal and cared for.
“Stop this, Beomseok. Please.” Beomseok’s face scrunched up before he pushed Sieun off of him.
“Shut up! Don’t tell me what to do!”
“I’m not. Please, I’m asking that you stop. Someone is going to die.” Beomseok’s face twisted even more as he started to cry. He aimed a glance at Sooho before looking back at Sieun.
“I don’t want to fight you.” Sieun remembered how Beokseok tried to stop what happened the night he broke his arm. That was an attack meant for Sooho, not Sieun. Beomseok didn’t want to hurt Sieun. Gently grabbing his broken arm, Sieun did his best to smile a little.
“I don’t want to fight you either.” His arm was throbbing and his stomach hurt and Sooho was groaning on the floor. And, though Sieun tried not to let it bother him, Beomseok was crying. “Please stop this, Beomseok.”
Beomseok, however small, nodded before sinking to the ground.
Wasting no time at all, Sieun ran to Sooho. He fell to his knees, his hands instantly on Sooho’s arms, trying to maneuver him on his back. Sooho groaned, his eyes squeezed shut.
“Sooho? Sooho, are you okay?” All Sooho did was groan and wither around. Sieun removed one hand (a bit too scared to remove the other) and pulled out his phone. One-handed, he dialed emergency services and briefly described the situation.
“Mr. Beomseok.” There was a new person in the gym. Sieun spared him a single glance before looking back at Sooho. Sooho was the only one that mattered right now.
“Sooho, stay awake. Please, stay awake.” Tears were stinging at his eyes. Why wasn’t Sooho opening his eyes? Was the final hit to his head too much? Sieun’s shaky hands pressed on Sooho’s pulse point and hovered over his lips. He was definitely alive and breathing. “Sooho, come on. Sooho.” Fighting the urge to shake Sooho, Sieun did his best to come up with a plan.
“Don’t touch me!” Boemseok was struggling against the man who called out to him. Sieun shook his head and focused on the problem at hand. He already called the emergency services so there was nothing else to really do. He just needed to keep Sooho awake. Maybe even get him to speak.
“I’m sorry, Sooho,” he said before gently pulling him forward so he was sitting up, most of his weight against Sieun. Sooho punched out a groan, his whole body going stiff before he fell limp against Sieun. Panic immediately filled his body and he started to lean down to lower Sooho back to the ground, nervous that there was something internally wrong with his friend.
“‘S okay,” Sooho slurred as he loosely wrapped his arms around Sieun. They were hugging now and Sieun couldn't help the tears that gathered in his eyes. Sooho was talking and moving.
“Hyung.” Sieun hugged Sooho tighter, pressing the side of his face into Sooho’s shoulder and crying. His shoulders were shaking and he was making these little gasping noises that would normally leave him feeling embarrassed but, considering the situation, he felt nothing but intense relief.
“S’un-ah.” Sooho was still slurring as he no doubt had a concussion but, as butchered as it was, Sieun was incredibly happy to hear his name. “Say it ag’n.”
Smiling through his tears, Sieun ran his fingers through Sooho’s hair. “Okay, hyung.”
-
Sooho did have a concussion just like Sieun predicted. As a result, he was unable to work or ride his bike until he was fully healed. Sieun was worried the news would be taken badly but Sooho didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed thrilled that he could now spend all his new free time following Sieun around.
He still watched Sieun study (sometimes joining in despite Sieun telling him to rest) but even started walking with him to and from Sieun’s cram school. Sieun didn’t have a clue where Sooho hung around during the actual class but, at the end of cram, Sooho was always by the door.
School was different as well. First, people left them alone. When Sooho first went back to school, a group of boys from another class thought they would be able to take advantage of his injured state but Sieun was right there to fend them off. After all the times Sieun attacked Yeongbin and the others, the general school population tended to stay away from him but, it seemed, these guys didn’t view him as a threat like the others did. As a result, the “leader” of the little group left with a hole in his hand.
After that, there was peace. Sooho and Sieun were no longer bothered and were able to learn and eat (and sleep in Sooho’s case) without the impending doom of being attacked.
Second, Beomseok was gone. The three of them all had a meeting with Beomseok’s father which ultimately ended in Beomseok leaving the school as long as Sieun and Sooho kept quiet about the situation. As sad as Sieun was to agree, he knew it was the best outcome. What Beomseok did was wrong and, due to his father, he was missing out on what would have been a few years in juvenile detention for assault and, possibly, premeditated attempted murder.
Sooho stayed quiet during the meeting until the very end where he promised not to tell anyone of what happened. Beomseok was mostly silent as well, only speaking when he was first faced with Sieun and Sooho.
“Hit me,” he said when Sieun did nothing but stare at him with a pinched expression. Sieun wanted to. He really, really wanted to after what Beomsoek did but he couldn’t. He felt such intense rage and sadness and betrayal but he couldn’t bring himself to hit Beomseok.
When they left Oh residence, they went to the park where Sooho was teaching Sieun how to fight. After sitting in silence for a while, Sieun broke it. “I’m sorry, hyung. I forgot everything you told me when I was fighting.”
Sighing, Sooho smiled. “I’ll teach you again, Sieun-ah. Once we both heal.” He placed a hand on Sieun’s new cast. Sieun smiled.
“Okay, hyung.”