❤️To Rinnie❤️
It was five minutes to closing time at the Chotto Cafe. Kai was wiping down the last of the tables and putting the chairs up. Then he heard the chime to the cafe door ring. He faced away for a moment to roll his eyes. These people better be quick. In his experience, last minute customers were rude as hell and never tipped.
Yeonjun came out from doing dishes in the back. He mouthed "are you fucking kidding me?" before going back to finish.
Kai shrugged then took a second to compose himself. He turned on his customer service smile and turned around. "Hi! How can I help you guys tonight?" His smile was gone when he saw Beomgyu with a black eye and a busted lip. "Oh my god! Did he do this to you again?!" He grabbed a bag of ice from the back then wrapped it in a clean towel.
Beomgyu took it. The coldness felt good against his eye. His lip stung as beads of blood continued to stain his teeth.
Kai grabbed the first aid kit from the back. He knelt in front of his best friend and started to gently clean his lip off. "Beomgyu what happened this time?"
He winced at the pain. Kai wiped more gently so he could relax again. "Nothing..."
"You didn't trip. Don't even start with that shit."
"He didn't mean it... it's my fault. I made him mad."
The lip was clean. Kai moved onto dabbing the dirt off of his cheek. "There isn't a damn thing you could've done to deserve this." The red head started to speak but Kai saw someone about to come in. It was 2 minutes to closing but he didn't care. He locked the door, switched the sign to 'closed', then shut all of the lights off except the ones by the bar.
Yeonjun came out, sweaty from finishing the dishes. "Till is counted. Dishes are done. Just sweep and mop. I'm going to head out."
"See you tomorrow." Kai watched him leave then went back to Beomgyu. He pulled a chair over then continued to clean his cheek off. "Why do you think it was your fault?"
"Are you mad at me?"
Kai realized his tone was a little harsh. He softened it. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at him. Can you please tell me what happened this time?"
Beomgyu adjusted the ice pack on his eye. "He... he wants me to move in with him but I told him I didn't want to. I like living with you..."
Kai bit his tounge. It took a good 45 seconds for him to calm his anger down. "So... he punched you for that?"
The red head weakly nodded. He kept telling himself his boyfriend loved him; that every problem they faced really was his fault. But then he knew that if they moved in together, he would never be able to leave that house. It would be like walking into prison voluntarily. Leaving wasn't an option either. He loved him through every lie he was told. "It won't ever happen again" was true until it did. Beomgyu convinced himself that this time, his boyfriend had to have meant it. Soobin cried after he was done punching him. That had to mean something right?
Kai noticed him lost in his thoughts. It killed him every time to see his best friend like this. This wasn't even the worst condition he found him in. He knew he could treat Beomgyu better than anyone ever could. His best friend insisted he was happy though. Those gorgeous almond eyes said he wasn't.
When Kai was done cleaning his cheek, he gently took the ice pack from Beomgyu's hands. His best friend looked so broken. "Do you want something to drink?"
The red head nodded then laid his head down on the table. Kai returned the ice pack to his hands then left to find a beverage. He made an iced black tea with a splash of strawberry juice. A large straw went into the glass so Beomgyu would actually be able to drink it. "Here. Take your time. I just need to finish cleaning up."
Beomgyu watched him sweep. Drinking was difficult. Some of the liquid spilled from his lip, onto the table, before he got the hang of it. He used his sleeve to wipe it off.
When he finished his drink, he threw the bag of ice away and began to fill a mop bucket. He felt it was the least he could do for keeping Kai at work for so long. Kai Kamal Huening was the person he always ran to. No one made him feel better like his best friend did. Kai always seemed to know what to say or what to do. His boyfriend texted for him to get his ass home. Terrified, he started to mop quickly.
Kai came to the back to see the red head doing his job for him. "Hey! Go sit back down. I'll get you some more ice!"
"No, it's fine. I felt bad."
Kai gripped the mop until Beomgyu let go. He smiled as widely as he could given the situation. "If you mopped anymore, I'd have to pay you! Seriously, go drink the rest of your tea. I'll be done soon." He gently hugged him then pointed towards the lobby.
Beomgyu didn't want to let go in the hug. Kai just felt like safety. He got sad on his way back to the table. The rest of his drink was swallowed then tossed into the trash.
Kai heard a banging on the door. He went to the lobby to see that abusive asshole yelling at Beomgyu through the glass. His best friend was crying in his chair.
Soobin looked at Kai and yelled "OPEN UP! I'M COMING TO TAKE MY BOYFRIEND HOME!"
Kai mouthed "what? Can't hear you." He made dramatic hand gestures because it was funny. The front was now being mopped so he could monitor the situation.
Soobin kept pounding on the glass. "BEOMGYU YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM ME! I OWN YOU! YOU'RE NOTHING WITHOUT ME!"
Kai looked over to see Beomgyu sobbing into his arm. He dropped the mop to the ground and ran over to hold him. He whispered "shh. Don't listen to him. You're the best person I know."
Beomgyu looked up. He saw the sincerity on his best friend's face then sunk back against his chest. He cried into his shirt "don't let him hurt me again."
Soobin broke the door open. Seeing those two together was enough to send his rage overboard. One harsh kick to the side of the handle was all it took. The impact cracked the wood. The glass splintered into veins in the pane. The alarms blared. He grabbed Beomgyu by his hair and yanked him up to eye level. "I should've known you'd be with him!" He slapped Beomgyu hard.
The red head screamed "I'm sorry! I'm ready to go home now!"
Soobin tossed him down to the ground. He kicked his shin as hard as he could.
Beomgyu shrieked at the pain as he held his leg.
Kai has had it. He snapped the handle off of the mop then whacked Soobin across the face with it.
Beomgyu watched Soobin fall to the ground. They were both stunned at what Kai did. He saw the pure hatred in his eyes and pleaded "stop! This isn't you!"
Soobin stood up with a long red mark across his cheek. He was even more angry now. "YOU BITCH! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THAT!"
Kai hit him again before he could say anything else.
Another gash stung his cheek. Soobin touched it and noticed blood on his hands. Just when he was about to lunge at Kai, the police busted through the broken frame.
Everyone put their hands up. Beomgyu was rushed to the hospital as Kai and Soobin got arrested. Security camera footage and testimonials were enough to free Kai of all charges. Soobin was sent to jail while an officer drove Kai home.
Since Beomgyu's injuries didn't require an overnight stay, he was sent home as well. He limped in to see Kai asleep on his bed. The door closed as quietly as he could. He stared at his own bed. Empty. Cold.
Kai woke up to see his best friend looking at the other side of the room. He gently grabbed his hand.
Beomgyu flinched at the sudden touch.
Kai pulled back then sat up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Why did you do that?"
"I guessed you didn't want to be alone tonight. It was my mistake."
Beomgyu sat down on the bed next to Kai. "No... why did you hit him? He was my boyfriend. You were hurting the person I love."
That annoyed Kai beyond belief. He couldn't even look at the red head anymore. "Right... love. You can have my bed tonight. I think I'm going to go for a walk."
Beomgyu watched him get up. His eyes started to water again. His stomach tightened as he watched his best friend put shoes on. Now he was the one grabbing his hand. "Stay with me?"
Kai stopped tying his shoes for a moment. He still couldn't look at him. It didn't matter how nice he was or how much he protected the guy he had been in love with for years. Nothing he did was good enough. A couple of tears slipped out. He quickly wiped them off then continued to tie his shoes. "I'll be back. I just need to clear my head."
Beomgyu grabbed his arm this time. "At least tell me when you'll be back?"
Kai coldly stated "not sure. Don't wait up for me. Just get some sleep. I'm glad you're okay now." He finished tying his shoes then wiped the wetness off of his cheeks.
Beomgyu finally noticed his cheeks glistening in the moonlight. It made him cry more. "Why-Kai why are you crying?"
"I'm not."
"Stop. Did I make you sad? I didn't mean to..."
Kai stared at the door then stood up. "I know you didn't. I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you." He took a step forward, depressed his love would never be reciprocated.
Beomgyu gripped his arm tighter. "Kai..."
It wasn't any use. He let him go. 30 seconds after his best friend walked out the door, he decided to go after him. He threw a thin jacket on then limped out.
Kai didn't make it far. He stopped under the tree outside their dorm building and sobbed.
Beomgyu watched him from a distance. His heart sunk. He had never seen Kai this upset before and he didn't even know what he did wrong. He limped over and sat next to him. His heart hurt more when Kai angled his body away. "Kai talk to me. What did I do? I want to fix it."
"Go away Beomgyu."
"At least tell me what I did wrong!"
Kai snapped. He turned his head around to face him. "You didn't do anything wrong! You never have! Okay?! I'm being honest! You're fucking perfect. There isn't a single god damn thing that you could do to make me change my mind. Please leave! I promise I'm not mad at you!"
Beomgyu's lip quivered. "... do you love me?"
Kai wiped his tears. "Does it matter?"
"It does to me..."
Kai leaned down to kiss him. Beomgyu looked terrified. He pulled back, in fear of rejection. He couldn't handle it. Not tonight at least.
Beomgyu closed the distance between them with his lips. His bottom lip still stung but he didn't give a fuck.
Kai moved his lips from kissing his bottom one to the top so he wouldn't hurt him. He ran his fingers through Beomgyu's soft red hair until they grazed the back of his neck. It stayed there as they continued kissing. When he pulled away, he saw Beomgyu smiling. It was the first time he saw him genuinely smile in weeks. Kai kissed his forehead then whispered "I've always loved you. Nothing you could do to me will change that."
This was real love and Beomgyu knew it. He was scared. "What if I'm not ready?"
"Then I'll wait."
That answer was everything. Beomgyu kissed him again as passionately as he could until it hurt too much. When he pulled away couldn't help but smile again. "I'm ready. You're everything to me. I'm sorry I kept you waiting."
Kai stood up then helped his boyfriend to his feet. He carried him back to their room so he didn't have to walk. Beomgyu couldn't stop smiling as he stared at his protector. Kai held him in his arms as they laid in bed together. He kissed him again then stared into his eyes. "I love you Beomgyu. You were worth the wait."
"I love you too. I always have. I was just too stupid to not realize it. I wish I started dating you first. This could've been our one year anniversary."
"I wish you had too."
Beomgyu playfully pushed him away. Kai laughed then snatched his boyfriend back into his arms. The red head burried his head into his protector's chest. They fell asleep, happily in each other's embrace.
When Kai woke up, he looked down to see his boyfriend still sleeping like an angel. Even with those injuries, he was still beautiful. Beomgyu's eyes fluttered awake. A smile came to those precious lips when he saw his protector place a kiss his forehead. Kai's morning voice was enticingly low as he said "good morning baby bear."
Beomgyu loved the nickname. For the first time in over a year, he knew this morning actually was going to be a good one.