Despite Taekwoon doing his best to take Hongbin to parks, and especially the one in the hills, regularly, it still seemed as if Hongbin had sheer endless energy reserves. In fact, with every outing, he became even more excited, more eager to run and play and explore, for longer every time.

It was a good thing Eunkwang had kept his promise and given Taekwoon that week off, so they could go out every day, but Taekwoon worried about the time when his short break would be over and Hongbin was left alone at home again. He wouldn’t be able to fit in regular and lengthy walks and climbs anymore, and Hongbin’s outlet would be gone.

It was bad enough when one day they had to cut their hike short and go back home early because it started raining suddenly.

After sulking for a considerable amount of time, both about getting wet and about having to come back home early, Hongbin managed to get his spirits up again after dinner and started bouncing through the apartment instead.

“Hongbin, please… Try not to knock everything on your way to the floor, ok?” Taekwoon sighed, exasperated, as he stopped a picture on the wall in the hallway from oscillating after Hongbin darted past it.

“Ok!” came Hongbin’s answer, but it sounded so distracted Taekwoon wasn’t even surprised when he heard a crash mere seconds later. He groaned quietly, shaking his head in defeat. There was no use, he’d just wait until Hongbin eventually tired himself out and fell asleep to pick up after him… If there was anything left of his apartment to pick up once the hybrid was done with it, that is.

He tuned the ruckus Hongbin made out, focusing on some lyrics he’d wanted to clean up during his break instead. It wasn’t easy at first, but eventually he managed to focus. Still, when it was suddenly quiet, his focus broke again. He listened carefully, but couldn’t hear anything in the apartment. Had Hongbin tired himself out already? It hadn’t been that long yet, he doubted he could really be tired already…

“Hongbin?” He called out, but didn’t get an answer. So, he decided to check.

The hallway was empty, but the door to Hongbin’s room was left ajar, and Taekwoon made his way over, knocking gently. A whimper answered him, and Taekwoon pushed the door open a little further, finding Hongbin laying curled up on his side on the floor in front of his bed, his back facing the door.

“Hongbin? Are you ok?” He asked, concern lacing his voice.

Hongbin whimpered again, and it sounded quite negating to Taekwoon.

“I’m coming in, ok?”

Hongbin didn’t answer, but Taekwoon came in anyway, crouching down beside Hongbin. From there, he could see Hongbin shaking, clutching something to his chest, but what alarmed him were the tears clearly streaking Hongbin’s face.

“Hongbin, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Hongbin froze for a moment before nodding minutely.

“Oh no… Where? What hurts?”

Hongbin took a deep, shuddering breath, curling up further, and Taekwoon sighed quietly.

“Hongbin, I can only help you make it not hurt anymore if you tell me what is hurting; you know that, right?”

Hongbin did know that, but it didn’t make it easier to uncurl and expose his injured body part. Still, he trusted Taekwoon, he knew he trusted Taekwoon, and he really wanted it to stop hurting.

“Hand… wrist.” He eventually whispered, barely audible, but Taekwoon caught it anyway.

“Your wrist? Did you fall?”

Hongbin nodded, and Taekwoon took a deep breath to steady himself.

“Ok… Can I see your wrist? Please?”

Hongbin didn’t want to show him, he wanted no one to see it and even less did he want someone to be able to touch it; it hurt so much! But this was Taekwoon, so… Slowly, he sat up, clutching his wrist to his chest all the while until he was sitting next to Taekwoon, knees pulled up to help shield the injured limb, but he reached it out anyway for Taekwoon to see.

It was swollen, and Taekwoon felt his heart drop in apprehension.

“Can I touch it? I’ll be really careful, I promise.”

Hongbin really didn’t want anyone to touch his wrist, but he nodded anyway, steeling himself for the onslaught of pain that would most likely shoot through him in no time, but it never came. Taekwoon was gentle with his wrist, holding his hand carefully in one hand and feeling his wrist with the other. Aside from swollen, it felt hot and pulsated. Despite Taekwoon’s gentleness, Hongbin couldn’t stand his touch for long and tugged to get Taekwoon to let go. The motion hurt, and he whimpered in pain, but Taekwoon let go of his hand quickly.

“Can you move it?” Taekwoon asked once Hongbin had cradled his wrist back to his chest, but Hongbin shook his head.

“What about your fingers? Can you move them?”

Again, Hongbin shook his head.

“Hurts.” He answered quietly, and Taekwoon swallowed thickly.

He was trying really hard to keep his calm, but it was hard for him, to see Hongbin hurt like that, and knowing what would be next.

“Hongbin… Your wrist might be broken… You’ve probably figured that out yourself already, haven’t you?”

Hongbin closed his eyes tightly but nodded. That was what he feared, too.

“And since it might be broken… we can’t leave it to heal just like that. We’ll have to go to a hospital with that…”

Hongbin’s eyes shot open, and he shook his head vehemently.

“N-no! No! No hospital!” He almost shouted – at least compared to the quiet whispers he’d been talking in the whole time.

Taekwoon sighed, slightly exasperated.

“Hongbin, if it’s broken and we leave it like that, you’ll be in so much pain for a long time… And it won’t heal properly; it might even stay painful forever, and you might not be able to use your hand properly ever again. We have to get it checked out and set properly so it can heal right.”

Hongbin still shook his head frantically.

“N-no! We- I- I can’t! No Hospital!”

Taekwoon closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath. He was freaking out internally himself, he was beside himself with worry, and he really didn’t want to stress Hongbin out further, but this was not something he could back down from.

“I know you don’t want to, and you’re scared, but we don’t have a choice, Hongbin…” He tried again, but to no avail.

“Can’t- can’t go. No hospital. No- they- they won’t-… I can’t go!” Hongbin kept refusing, struggling to control his breathing so he wouldn’t hyperventilate.

The last thing Taekwoon needed was for Hongbin to panic on top of everything else, and he placed a comforting hand against his shoulder to ground him.

“Easy, Hongbin… Do you want to match your breathing to mine? Come on, you can do it… In… and out… There you go…”

Hongbin matched his breathing to Taekwoon’s, calming down slowly, and when he had, he visibly steeled himself.

“I can’t go to a hospital. They don’t… They don’t treat those like me.” He explained, his voice still shaking, but surprisingly firm, despite everything.

Taekwoon felt like a bucket of ice-water had been dumped over him. Of course, it made all the sense in world that Hongbin didn’t want him to bring him to a hospital if they’d only refuse him treatment, but with what alternative did that leave them? There had to be some doctors that would help hybrids, right?

“Oh… Oh. Alright. I- I need to… I’ll be back, ok?” He stuttered, trying to sort his thoughts and find a solution as he got up, walking to were his phone lay in the living room. He could only think of one person who could help him in this situation, and without second thought, he called him.

“Come on, pick up, pick up! Dammit, Eunkwang, pick up!”

Eunkwang didn’t pick up, though, and Taekwoon hung up with a curse, ready to throw his phone into the corner of the couch in frustration when he suddenly remembered someone else. Bringing his phone back down to eye level, he hurriedly searched for the number and called it.

Thankfully, after only a few rings, his call was picked up.

“Taekwoon? Hello?” The confusion was evident in Minhyuk’s voice, since it really was quite unusual for Taekwoon to call him.

“Minhyuk, you picked up! Please, I need your help!”

He could hear rustling and then the background noise on the other end disappeared as a door shut with a click.

“Taekwoon, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“Hongbin-…”

“I figured. What’s wrong, though?”

“I think he broke his wrist. You are a doctor, aren’t you? You can help him-…”

Minhyuk inhaled sharply.

“Oh, . Taek, I’m sorry, but I’m not that kind of doctor…”

“Please, Minhyuk, he’s in so much pain, certainly you can do something?” Taekwoon pleaded, seemingly not really hearing him.

“I can’t, Taekwoon. I’m a doctor, but I can’t heal physical injuries, that’s not what I trained for…”

“You have to, though! Minhyuk, I don’t know what to do, I can’t take him to a hospital, you are the only one I know who can do something, please-”

“Taek, I have no idea whatsoever about anatomy, I can’t-” Minhyuk tried to make Taekwoon see reason, but Taekwoon kept interrupting him, despair taking over his rational thinking.

“Please, Min, I-”

“I really can’t, Taek, but I know-”

“You have to, Min, please-”

“Taekwoon…!”

“Please, Min-…”

“Taekwoon, shut up for two seconds and listen, please!” Minhyuk had to resort to being blunt with Taekwoon to get him to listen. It worked, too, as only silence answered him.

“I know someone who can and will help Hongbin. I’ll have to come over and pick you up and come with you to vouch for you, but I do know someone who can fix Hongbin’s wrist.”

Taekwoon didn’t know how to answer, being stunned into silence.

“I have your address, I’ll be there as soon as I can. See you in a bit, Taekwoon.” Minhyuk hung up, and the beeping of the disconnected call brought Taekwoon back to the present.

At first, relief flooded him, but then worry replaced it again just as quickly. He couldn’t imagine that Hongbin would like this turn of events… He had to talk to him, and prepare him for what was about to happen, and he didn’t look forward to it. It had to be done, though, and so he went back to Hongbin’s room.

“Hongbin? I’m coming in.” He announced, and when Hongbin didn’t protest, he joined him next to the bed again.

“Hongbin, I talked to a friend, and he says he knows someone who can help you, who can fix your wrist. He’s on his way over to come pick us up and drive us there.”

Hongbin’s head snapped up, and he drew his knees closer to his chest.

“I- I can’t go!”

“It’s not a hospital, Hongbin. You’ll be fine, they will help you…”

Hongbin shook his head, though.

“No! No, don’t… Can’t… Won’t go!”

Taekwoon took a calming, deep breath.

“We don’t have much of a choice here, Hongbin. In fact, we have none.”

“Don’t… I don’t know them, don’t- I can’t- Please, they’ll- I don’t want to go, not with- with who- I don’t-”

“Hongbin, you’re not going alone, I promise. I’ll be right there with you and I won’t let anyone hurt you. I won’t let anything bad happen to you; not that anyone would want to do anything bad to you. Minhyuk is my friend, and I trust him. He helps a lot of people, and he would never want to hurt anyone. He dedicates his life to helping people. He won’t hurt you, either, and he won’t let anyone else hurt you.”

Hongbin still shook his head, whimpering when he clutched his injured wrist too tight, and curling up further into a ball.

Taekwoon understood that Hongbin was in pain and most likely not thinking straight, all he was being able to process being pain and fear, but it still stressed him out that Hongbin wasn’t willing to cooperate.

He was still stressed when his doorbell rang and he found Minhyuk standing on his doorstep, together with another man.

“Hey, Taek. This is Changsub, my boyfriend. He’s driving us, since, well, I can’t…” Minhyuk introduced the human next to him, and Taekwoon remembered; of course, hybrids weren’t allowed to get a driver’s license.

“Oh… right, hi. I’m Taekwoon. I- Hongbin doesn’t want to go, and I haven’t been able to convince him yet. He’s terrified, and he won’t listen to a thing I say…”

Minhyuk nodded, stepping inside the apartment when Taekwoon stepped aside, inviting them in. Changsub indicated he’d wait out here, and it occurred to Taekwoon that he probably had a lot of experience dealing with scared hybrids himself, if he was Minhyuk’s boyfriend.

“Where’s Hongbin hiding? His room?”

Taekwoon nodded, showing the way. Minhyuk came with him but made no move to step into Hongbin’s room.

“Hongbin? Minhyuk’s here. We should get going, come on, please…” Taekwoon called, but Hongbin didn’t react, aside from tensing where he sat, curled up with his head resting on his knees.

“Hongbin, please. I’m coming in again, ok? Just me, Minhyuk will stay out here, ok?”

Hongbin didn’t untense, but eventually he nodded, allowing Taekwoon to come in again. Taekwoon returned to Hongbin’s side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder again and softly. Hongbin visibly untensed under his touch, even leaning into it a little.

“Hongbin, it’s going to be alright. Minhyuk is going to drive us to the house of a friend of his who can help you, and then you won’t be in pain anymore. Your wrist can heal, and you will be all good again in no time. No one will hurt you or do you any harm, at all. I promise. And you do want to not be in pain anymore, right?”

Hongbin sniffled quietly, leaning more into Taekwoon’s touch, but didn’t look up.

“Don’t want to go; please…” He whispered, and Taekwoon sighed.

“We have to, Hongbin. I know you don’t want to, but we have to.”

Hongbin shook his head, but froze when Minhyuk spoke up from the doorway.

“Hongbin, I’m not here to hurt you.”

Hongbin’s head snapped up, and he glared directly at Minhyuk, shock written across his features when he realized that his door was open, his supposedly safe space was open, unprotected, vulnerable, and a stranger stood right in his door-

But then, he noticed the ears and tail.

Taekwoon’s eyes widened in surprise, too, since he’d never really seen Minhyuk’s tail out. It was long and bushy, a deep orange that was almost red, with a white tip, and matched his ears that were completely uncovered and free of the hair Minhyuk normally combed around them so only the very tips stuck out for once.

Hongbin seemed to relax immediately.

“You- you’re a fox-”

“I am. And I’m not here to hurt you. I’m a doctor, too, but not a doctor who can help you with your wrist. But, I know someone who can help you. She’s a friend of mine, and she’s like us, and also a doctor. I have to drive you and Taekwoon there so she’ll see you, and since I can’t drive, I’ve brought my boyfriend to drive all of us there. He’s human, but he would never hurt you, either. We’re all just here to help you, Hongbin.”

Hongbin relaxed further, nodding slowly.

“Taekwoon is coming with us?” He asked, shy almost, and Minhyuk nodded.

“Yes, of course. And he won’t have to leave your side, ever. You’ll be safe the whole time, both while with me and Changsub, and with my friend. We all want you to not be in pain anymore as soon as possible, and we don’t want you to have to be scared.”

Hongbin hesitated, but holding gazes with Minhyuk, he found himself trusting the fox hybrid; whether it was because he was a hybrid, too, or because he was also Taekwoon’s friend, and allowed Taekwoon to come with them… He didn’t know why he trusted him, and maybe he didn’t trust him completely, but he wanted to. His wrist hurt so bad, and Taekwoon looked so desperate to get him help with it… He had to trust him, and they had to go see that friend of his.

He turned to look shyly at Taekwoon, even though he didn’t quite meet his gaze, and Taekwoon smiled softly, tiredly at him.

“Can we go, Hongbin? Please?” He asked quietly, and Hongbin leaned more into his hand still resting on his shoulder for a moment before nodding slowly.

Tension fell off Taekwoon’s shoulders like a boulder and he heaved a relieved sigh, getting up slowly. Hongbin followed him after a moment, standing on shaky legs with his wrist still cradled to his chest.

Minhyuk smiled a relieved smile at them, too.

“I’m going to go ahead and wait with Changsub in the car.” He announced, before leaving them to get ready. Hongbin followed Taekwoon dutifully, letting him help put on his jacket and shoes before putting on his own and leading him outside.

Contrary to normal, when he would run ahead and back and forth, Hongbin stuck to Taekwoon’s side like glue as they made their way down, which proved a bit tricky on the stairs on occasion. After tripping and almost falling once, barely being caught by Taekwoon, he left a little more space between them, but it was still minimal.

As they were about to get into the car, it seemed like Hongbin would back out again, but when Taekwoon scooted into the back-seat first, leaving the seat behind Minhyuk free, Hongbin followed quickly in the end.

Changsub put the car into drive, and in the darkness of the back-seat, Hongbin searchingly reached out for Taekwoon, finding his hand laying between them and holding onto it. He really needed that physical reassurance that Taekwoon was there with him, even though he could see and smell him; he needed to feel him, too.

Thankfully, Taekwoon seemed to understand that need, adjusting his hand so Hongbin could slip his own, much smaller one, into his, letting Taekwoon hold it in turn.

The drive over was silent and didn’t take very long, since it seemed like no time had passed before they stopped in front of a non-descript, small two-story house surrounded by a small garden in a rather quiet neighborhood.

Hongbin didn’t like that he had to let go of Taekwoon’s hand to get out of the car, and he hurried back to his side quickly as soon as they had both gotten out, clinging back to his hand and tucking himself against Taekwoon’s side.

Gently, Taekwoon tugged Hongbin’s jacket back into place so he wouldn’t get cold while Minhyuk went ahead and rang the doorbell of the small house. It didn’t take long for the lights to come on a small woman to open the door.

“Minhyuk? Ah, it’s you. Come on in, come in. It’s so cold out…!”

She opened the door wide, waving at them, and Taekwoon tugged gently on Hongbin’s hand to pull him forward. Hongbin didn’t protest, following Taekwoon demurely until he got a better look at the woman, or rather, a whiff of her scent, and was reminded that she was a hybrid, too.

“Hi, I’m Eunji… Minhyuk called me saying that one of you possibly broke their wrist. That must be you; Hongbin, right?” She addressed Hongbin in a friendly manner, her voice soothing and her gentle smile pleasant. Hongbin relaxed next to Taekwoon and nodded, but his hold in Taekwoon’s hand didn’t lessen at all.

“You must be in a nasty bit of pain… Shall we see right to it? Min, you know where the kitchen is, feel free to make some tea for you two; and you can wait in the living room. Hongbin and… Taekwoon? Want to come with me?” She directed everyone, stepping towards a hallway that led further into the house.

Taekwoon gave Hongbin time to decide, squeezing his hand encouragingly before following Eunji with him. She led them to a room that was essentially an office but that doubled as a mobile practice. Quite a few diplomas to the name of Jung Eunji decorated the walls, highlighting the different areas she’d specialized in.

“Here, you can take a seat. Now, can you tell me what happened? How did you get hurt?”

Taekwoon and Hongbin took the offered seats while Eunji sat down in her rolling desk chair and scooted over as well.

“Uhm… I slipped and… fell. While running. And my wrist just… I landed wrong, and it really hurts.” Hongbin explained.

Eunji hummed.

“I see… can I see it? I’ll be careful. Where did you fall?”

Hongbin held out his hand hesitatingly, but Eunji was gentle as she took it in her own hands and felt his swollen joint.

“In-In the hallway, by my room.” Hongbin answered her question.

“In your house? Why were you running inside?” She asked, curious, likely in an attempt to keep Hongbin talking and distracted as she moved his fingers carefully.

“Because it was raining outside, and we couldn’t spend a lot of time in the park.” Hongbin answered with a visible pout, and she smiled in understanding.

“Do you like going to the park?”

Hongbin nodded, starting to talk about what he liked about parks; the trees, and the trails, and running, and the wind, and chasing leaves, and watching birds…

“So, you couldn’t play a lot outside today and that’s why you were playing inside… I see… You have to be more careful when you run on tiles or hardwood, or get stopper socks, so you don’t fall. You seem to have hurt your wrist pretty badly, even if it might not be broken. We should still take an x-ray to be sure, though.” She concluded and got up. Hongbin looked helplessly at Taekwoon.

“It’s like taking a picture. It won’t hurt.” Taekwoon explained, and Eunji returned to hand them both a lead-coat. Taekwoon took his and put it on quickly before helping Hongbin with his. Hongbin didn’t trust it, the foreign weight feeling weird, but he didn’t say anything, since Taekwoon was wearing one, too.

“Usually, I’d ask Taekwoon to leave the room while I take the x-ray, but I’m supposing you won’t want to, and you know the risks?” She asked Taekwoon, and he nodded.

“I do, and you’re right. I promised Hongbin I wouldn’t leave his side, so I’m not leaving.”

She nodded, unjudging, as she wheeled a small, mobile x-ray in front of Hongbin and instructed him on how to place and hold his injured hand on the flat surface.

“Ok, now stay like that, and don’t move!” She concluded, hurrying out of the room. Taekwoon could feel Hongbin’s stress levels rising, and he squeezed his other hand gently.

“It’s ok, Hongbin, you won’t feel a thing, nothing bad is going to happen. It’s ok…” It didn’t do much, but in no time, the door opened again and Eunji returned.

“Alright. All done, you can take your hand back if you want.” She smiled at Hongbin before going to her laptop and turning it so Taekwoon and Hongbin could see the image, too.

Hongbin couldn’t hide his surprise, his eyes wide as he looked questioningly at both Taekwoon and Eunji, but both of them were focused on the image on the laptop. Hongbin frowned at it; that didn’t look like his hand, all blue and… not right.

“From this angle, I can’t see anything broken, anywhere… I’d like to take another one, from the side, just to be sure. Hongbin, is that ok with you? If I take one more of these?”

Hongbin didn’t see a reason why he shouldn’t be ok with it, and once again, she positioned his hand before leaving the room.

Hongbin was focused, really focused, trying to see if he could feel something, but Eunji returned to the room without him having felt anything and pulled another picture up on her laptop.

“Nope, nothing broken…” She declared after a moment. “That’s the good news. But it’s still sprained, and you’re going to have to wear a removable cast for a while to stabilize your wrist so it can heal properly, and you don’t keep hurting yourself. Also, I’m going to give you some painkillers, which might make you drowsy and really sleepy sometimes.”

Hongbin accepted that without a fuss, letting Eunji put on the cast and show him and Taekwoon how to do it and what to watch out for, before retrieving a box of pills.

“You can only take one of these every eight hours, even if the pain comes back sooner, ok? They are very strong, and they will hurt you if you take them too soon one after another. And we don’t want that; they are supposed to make you not hurt.”

Hongbin just nodded, hesitating though when Eunji went to hand him one pill to take immediately, since he didn’t want to let go of Taekwoon’s hand to take it. Taekwoon made the decision for him, letting go of Hongbin’s hand to instead rest it on his back while Hongbin took the pill and then the glass of water to wash it down from Eunji. As soon as Eunji took the glass back, though, he searched for Taekwoon’s hand again, and Taekwoon let him hold it once more.

“It’s about eleven now… That means you’ll have to take the next one at around seven in the morning, and then three in the afternoon. Are those times ok with you? You should also make sure you always take the pills around a mealtime, this first time being an exception. Still, it would be good if you could eat something small soon just to make sure…”

Hongbin looked questioningly at Taekwoon, and Taekwoon nodded for him.

“Those times are doable. And we can surely find some snacks when we get back home.”

Eunji smiled brightly at them.

“Alright, then. That means we’re all done here!”

Taekwoon smiled gratefully at her.

“Thank you so much. I was beside myself with worry when I didn’t know where to go to, to get help for Hongbin. How much do I owe you?”

She waved his question off, though.

“It’s ok. I don’t charge for treating those like us.”

Taekwoon’s eyes widened in surprise, his expression morphing into one of concern.

“That’s very nice of you, but… We took your time, and you have to pay for all of this, too… I can afford to pay you, it’s not a problem…!”

She shook her head insistently, though.

“No, it’s really ok. I don’t want to charge you. All of this is more than paid for by my regular clients; the human elites who think themselves superior in such a way they refuse to go to a regular hospital even if they can, and who mostly despise those like me. I take great pleasure out of using their money to help the ones they loathe.” She winked with a very pleased, somewhat evil smile, but both Taekwoon and Hongbin understood that it wasn’t directed at them.

“That is… well, I can certainly appreciate that. But, if there is ever something I can do for you, to help you in return, please let me know. I’ll do what I can.”

She inclined her head in thanks.

“Thank you. If either you or Hongbin ever need my help again, you are welcome here at any time, too.”

*#*#*#*

Minhyuk and Changsub drove them back home, and while much more relaxed now – in part due to the painkiller that indeed made Hongbin quite drowsy – Hongbin didn’t let go of Taekwoon’s hand the whole time again. Not even when they stepped inside the house, or even their apartment.

“Hongbin? Is everything alright?” Taekwoon asked, getting concerned when Hongbin whined when he insisted on letting go for the time it took him to take off their jackets. Hongbin just took his hand in his own again and stepped closer to him with a small pout.

“Are you tired? You can go to sleep soon, but you should eat a snack first, remember?”

Hongbin remembered, and he went to the kitchen with Taekwoon, letting Taekwoon find him something to eat while he held on to the side of his sweater instead. Taekwoon didn’t mind Hongbin’s clinginess per se, he was just worried there could be more behind it than he suspected.

“Here, lets go to the living room so you can eat comfortably…” He coaxed, and Hongbin followed.

Taekwoon expected Hongbin to sit down on his pile of pillows, but he didn’t. Instead, still holding on to him, he sat down right next to him on the couch. Taekwoon was taken aback by that maybe more than by anything else he’d witnessed from Hongbin that night; this must be the first time Hongbin voluntarily sat on the couch with him! Still, he tried not to show his surprise, not wanting to startle Hongbin or make him self-conscious.

“Your snack, Hongbin…” He reminded him gently, though, when Hongbin didn’t move to get the food – a single cheese sandwich toast and some grapes.

Hongbin’s hold on his sweater tightened, and he brought his hand with the cast closer to him, whining pitifully.

“Yes, you’ll have to let go to eat, Hongbin. I can’t eat for you…” Taekwoon chuckled, and Hongbin shook his head, quite vehemently, before leaning it against Taekwoon’s shoulder.

Taekwoon’s breath hitched. Those painkillers must really, really be making Hongbin drowsy!

“Come on, Hongbin… You don’t want me to feed you, do you?”

Hongbin nodded, though, opening his mouth as his eyes fluttered closed.

“Really, now? And you’re not going to bit my fingers off if I try to give you a grape?” Taekwoon asked, feeling quite dizzy himself with these developments, even though he hadn’t been the one taking drugs or drinking.

Hongbin shook his head, though, whining slightly, and Taekwoon picked up the plate to feed Hongbin a grape. True to his headshake, Hongbin didn’t try to bite at his finger, taking the grape and chewing it. He sat up slightly, eyes opening again as he swallowed, but just to demand more food with his look. Taekwoon didn’t protest, breaking off a bite sized piece of the sandwich toast to feed Hongbin. They sat in silence as Taekwoon fed Hongbin the rest of his small meal, and Hongbin leaned against him again when he was done.

“Hongbin? You’re really tired, hm? You should go to bed…” Taekwoon tried, but Hongbin shook his head, holding on to Taekwoon tighter.

“You don’t want to go to bed?”

Hongbin shook his head.

“Do you want to sleep here?”

Hongbin nodded.

“Alright… Let me get your blanket…”

Hongbin whined, tightening his hold on Taekwoon again.

“No blanket?”

Hongbin shook his head again.

“No leave…” He mumbled drowsily, tugging Taekwoon closer.

Taekwoon sighed, adjusting his position on the couch so it was more comfortable for both of them.

“Ok, I won’t leave… But you’ll get a crick in your neck and get really uncomfortable soon…”

Hongbin didn’t answer him, though, and soon Taekwoon could tell that the boy had fallen asleep.

“Hongbin?” He tried quietly, but again, got no answer. Instead, Hongbin’s whole weight rested against his side now, and Taekwoon sighed, exasperated but fond. Hongbin had really fallen asleep on him… And he would be really uncomfortable really soon if he stayed lying like that.

Ever so gently, Taekwoon pried Hongbin’s hand out of his sweater, maneuvering him so he was lying down on the couch. He lifted his legs up, too, and covered him with a throw-blanket, but by then Hongbin was already shifting, whining, and blindly searching.

“I’m here, Hongbin, I’m here…” Taekwoon soothed him when he heard a whine that sounded a lot like his name, taking Hongbin’s searching hand in his own. Hongbin quickly settled down, cradling Taekwoon’s hand to himself.

Taekwoon resigned himself to sitting back down next to Hongbin on the couch, letting him hold his hand hostage.

He really wanted to go to sleep himself, but he figured the day had been extremely stressful for Hongbin, and if in his drug-induced state he craved for nothing else but the comfort of Taekwoon’s presence, who was he to deny him that?

Still, the day had been quite the ride for him, too, and he was exhausted. He didn’t manage to stay awake for much longer, either, feeling himself falling asleep, too. In one of his last lucid moments. He grabbed a second throw blanket and draped it over himself, resigning himself to an uncomfortable, but at least not cold, night on the couch.

*#*#*#*

Hongbin woke up to blinding lights shining into his eyes, hurting them as he blinked them open. He whined quietly; was it day already? It didn’t feel like day…

Carefully, shielding his eyes, he looked around himself.

No, it wasn’t day yet; those were the living room lights, which were still on, and on full brightness, while it was still dark outside. And he’d slept in the living room again; though this time…

He turned his head, finding Taekwoon sat next to him, half covered by a blanket of his own, and fast asleep, with his head hanging off at a very uncomfortable angle. It was only then that Hongbin noticed he was still clutching Taekwoon’s hand.

He didn’t know how to feel about this. He remembered he’d been clutching to Taekwoon all night, holding either his hand or his sweater. He’d been so scared, and felt so uncomfortable; he’d needed to have Taekwoon close, or else he was sure he would have lost his mind. He remembered the painkiller making him drowsy, which was also scary, and made him want to be close to Taekwoon even more. He also remembered Taekwoon feeding him, and… it had been enjoyable, even. Taekwoon was gentle as he’d fed him. Taekwoon was always gentle. Even the way he was sleeping now was gentle…

But Taekwoon would wake up with terrible neck-cramps if he kept sleeping like that… And the light in the room was really unpleasant. He should wake Taekwoon up so they could both go to their beds, but… Hongbin pouted to himself. He didn’t want Taekwoon to leave. He was no longer scared or feeling drowsy, but he still didn’t want Taekwoon to be far away.

And so, making a decision that was probably not really conscious, he got up and turned off the lights, returning to the couch quickly and wriggling under his blanket again, but making room on the wide surface to carefully tug Taekwoon down until he was lying on the couch as well. Taekwoon grumbled in his sleep, and Hongbin held his breath, but Taekwoon only shifted, pulling his legs up onto the couch as well and lying on his back on the other side of the couch.

Hongbin observed him for a while longer, but Taekwoon fell back into deep slumber, and he felt himself relaxing again, too. Once again, he looked for Taekwoon’s hand, cradling his whole forearm to himself as he, too, found a comfortable position and went back to sleep.

*#*#*#*

Taekwoon only woke up again the next morning, blinking his eyes open to find he’d slept on the couch in the living room. He groaned softly, trying to lift his arm, just to find it was trapped. He frowned, having to lift his head to be able to peer down next to him, just to find his arm was still firmly in Hongbin’s grasp. Hongbin, who was sleeping on the couch, next to him.

He inhaled sharply, holding his breath, as he went through the possible scenarios that could ensue if -when- Hongbin woke up.

Hongbin had been pretty out of it last night, due to exhaustion and the painkillers. He doubted he’d made a conscious decision to demand Taekwoon stay with him. Which meant, when he woke up and wasn’t under the influence of either anymore… The results could be catastrophic.

Slowly, gently, Taekwoon tried to free his arm from Hongbin’s hold, but instead of making progress, Hongbin only held on tighter to his hand. How the boy could have so much strength, with only one hand and asleep, Taekwoon had no idea. But honestly, it scared him. Especially thinking about Hongbin waking up and finding himself holding on to Taekwoon’s arm!

“Hongbin, please, let go…” He whispered, barely audible, but Hongbin seemed to hear him anyway, unfortunately.

The boy shifted in his sleep, grumbling something incomprehensible, but his grip on Taekwoon’s arm slackened. Again, Taekwoon tried to slowly take his arm out of his hold, but then-

Hongbin’s eyes fluttered open, and he looked up at Taekwoon unmoving, meeting Taekwoon’s gaze directly.

Taekwoon held his breath, frozen, as he waited for Hongbin’s reaction. Just, Hongbin’s reaction didn’t come… and didn’t come… and didn’t come… until he yawned and stretched, eyes fluttering shut again as his whole back arched, bringing him just that much closer to the edge of the couch that he started slipping off-…

On instinct, Taekwoon’s hand shot out to catch him, and at the same time Hongbin sensed he was falling and scrambled for purchase. The first thing he found was once again Taekwoon’s arm, and he held on with all his might, his own whine as he strained his sprained wrist drowning out Taekwoon’s pained hiss.

“Hongbin, Hongbin! Nails, Hongbin, nails, ouch, nails!“

Hongbin’s eyes, once again wide open, widened further when he realized he’d sunk his nails, sharp enough to double as claws, into Taekwoon’s arm. He quickly adjusted his grip, pulling himself up on the couch before hastily letting go and sitting up. Taekwoon sat up, too, rubbing at his arm, but looking at Hongbin with eyes full of concern.

“Are you ok? Did you hurt your wrist again?”

Hongbin exhaled a shaky breath, shaking his head afterwards.

“Just a little… I let go quickly. I- I’m sorry, really sorry…”

Taekwoon shook his head.

“It’s ok, I’m just glad you didn’t fall…”

Hongbin nodded slowly, then winced.

“It’s throbbing…” He whispered, cradling his injured wrist.

Taekwoon glanced at the nearest clock, humming.

“It’s past seven… You can take another painkiller, if you want? With breakfast, of course.”

Hongbin thought about it for a moment.

“They make me really drowsy…”

Taekwoon hummed.

“I could tell… You don’t have to take them if you don’t want to; you can choose, if the pain is bearable you don’t need to take them.”

Hongbin didn’t answer immediately, thinking about it some more.

“I’ll… try? Without…”

“Ok. What about breakfast?”

“Yes!” Hongbin perked up and Taekwoon smiled at his eagerness, getting up from the couch.

He groaned when all of his joints popped, even more so when he stretched. Hongbin winced.

“I’m sorry…”

Taekwoon stopped mid-movement.

“What for?”

Hongbin nodded at the couch.

“For making you sleep here…”

Taekwoon exhaled slowly, lowering his arms.

“You didn’t make me do anything. If I had really minded, I would have just gone to bed. I didn’t mind sleeping here if that was what you wanted, though.”

Hongbin looked up, once again meeting his gaze, and it was almost jarring in its intensity.

“But… You’re not hurting?”

“Not any more than I would have if I’d fallen asleep here reading a book or watching TV or something like that. It’s ok, it’ll stop as soon as I take a shower. Come on, let’s make breakfast!”

Hongbin hesitated for a moment but then followed Taekwoon to the kitchen, helping him as well as he could with one hand.

They were cleaning up after breakfast when Taekwoon noticed the pinched look on Hongbin’s face.

“Hongbin? Is everything ok with you?”

Hongbin looked like he was about to nod, but then shook his head.

“It really, really hurts… Like yesterday.” He gritted out, cradling his wrist to himself.

Taekwoon flinched in sympathy.

“Are you sure you don’t want the painkillers?”

Hongbin took a deep breath, looking up at Taekwoon again. It was really startling that he did that now, Taekwoon found; he’d gotten so used to Hongbin avoiding his gaze that him suddenly not doing it startled him every time.

“I don’t- it hurts so much, but… It’s so… weird, and… and scary, to be so drowsy…”

Taekwoon felt his heart clench painfully. Hongbin looked so vulnerable, yet so trusting… It really tugged at his heart.

“What would make you feel safer if you took the painkiller and got drowsy again?”

Hongbin averted his gaze, looking around as if he was searching for something as he thought, before looking up again.

“If… if you stayed…? And if I… if I could feel you’re there, because… they make me not see and hear well…”

Taekwoon exhaled shakily, putting the dirty dishes he’d just gathered back down on the coffee table as he crouched in front of the couch, holding out his open hand. Hongbin put his own inside his palm slowly, and Taekwoon close his fingers around it, holding it gently.

“Hongbin, if you want me to stay with you and let you hold on to me to feel safe when you take the painkillers, I will gladly do that for you. It’s hardly a chore. I’d do whatever I have to, to keep you pain-free and comfortable.”

Hongbin swallowed thickly and nodded once.

“Then… then I think I want one of the painkillers.”

Taekwoon squeezed his hand gently before letting go of it.

“If that is what you want, I’ll get them for you. Just a second, ok?”

Hongbin nodded, and Taekwoon gathered the dishes again, bringing them to the kitchen to put away later before grabbing the painkillers and a cup of water and making his way back to Hongbin, handing him both in turn.

“It’s… it’s not bad in the beginning, you don’t have to… don’t need to just sit with me here already…” Hongbin mumbled after swallowing the pill. Taekwoon decided to just humor Hongbin, not wanting him to feel guilty.

“Yeah? Ok. I’m going to go for a shower and then do the dishes real quick, then. If they kick in while I’m still gone, call me, ok? I don’t want you to feel scared and alone.”

Hongbin nodded, and Taekwoon went to do as he announced. He showered quickly and was just about done with the dishes when Hongbin appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Kicking in yet?” Taekwoon asked, and Hongbin nodded.

“It’s starting. But my hand doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Taekwoon smiled at him, drying his hands before approaching him and holding his hand out for Hongbin to take. Hongbin didn’t hesitate this time, and Taekwoon led him to the couch, sitting down with him. There, Hongbin did hesitate, but he sat down on the couch eventually, too.

“Get comfortable, you might fall asleep again soon…” Taekwoon suggested, and Hongbin followed the advice, going as far as lying down, all the while holding on to Taekwoon’s hand.

Taekwoon didn’t mind, really, even if some things were easier to do with two hands. If it helped Hongbin feel better, he would gladly sacrifice one of his hands to him.

As he had predicted, Hongbin fell asleep again, sleeping for a good two hours. When he woke up, his drowsiness was gone. Instead, it was replaced by something different, a need that had Hongbin looking up at Taekwoon with soulful eyes after coming back from the bathroom and changing into a fresh set of clothes, his voice sounding oh so pleading when he spoke.

“Can we go to the park?”

Taekwoon laughed; Hongbin deciding to start meeting his gaze sure was dangerous for him, for he feared it would make it even harder for him to deny Hongbin anything he wanted. Case in point:

“We sure can!”

----

A/N: Hello people, if there are still people. It's been 84 years and I'm sorry. I won't bore you with excuses, just: to the ones who are still around to read this update, thank you for sticking around, you are the real ones!

Just letting you know that I haven't been completely lazy while I wasn't updating this story, but another story has taken over my life (or a few others) which you can find under this same username on ao3, if you feel that way inclined (My stories there are about Stray Kids, in case that tickles your fancy... Let me know if it does!)

Anyway, thank you for reading <3