Jisoo was running through the darkness. He didn't know what he was running from but he knew that if he got caught something terrible would happen. His limbs felt heavy and awkward, not moving at the fast pace he wanted them to and he struggled to keep going. Whatever followed him seemed to come closer; he could feel the fine hairs on his arms rising and he desperately tried to run even faster.

In the distance a light appeared, slowly, but still a ray of hope in the inky night. He sprinted towards it with all the strength he could muster, his breath echoing loudly in his ears and it became brighter the closer he got; bright enough to make out a figure sleeping on a bed, white clothing on white sheets, framed by dark wood.

With a last monumental effort he finally reached the cone of light and the feeling of dread vanished instantly. Jisoo slowed down and stepped closer to the wooden structure. Something inside of him urged him to look at the person, to see their face so he could confirm their identity. His curious gaze wandered over a white shirt and nearly equally pale skin, over blue-tinted lips, a straight nose, until it met dark lifeless eyes full of silent reproach - Jisoo woke up with a loud gasp.

He was shaking and tears threatened to fall but he forced them back and reached for Chan's warm body next to him - only to find the bed empty. In panic he felt around and his searching fingers came in contact with the smooth surface of a small lamp and its switch. It took him a moment to recognize his surroundings even with the light ; he was in one of the guestrooms of Jeonghan's apartment, sitting on the bed his Forcebearers had tucked him into not even four hours ago, judging by the clock on the shelf.

Jisoo climbed to his feet with slight difficulty. Although he had applied ointment to his shoulder after taking a shower earlier it still hurt and it probably would stay that way for several days. Chan had completely freaked out after seeing Jihoon's and his faces, and Jihoon had to force Jeonghan to not immediately call an ambulance for them. Instead he had sent Jisoo to bed, seeing how exhausted the Wielder was.

Jisoo crossed the room, soundlessly stepping into the dark silent hallway. Each door was closed and no light was seeping through the cracks, indicating that he was the only one currently awake. His bare feet made soft tapping noises on the wooden floor until he stopped in front of one of the guest rooms. After hesitating for a few long seconds he finally pressed down the handle and slowly opened the door.

Both Warriors were deeply asleep and Jisoo's heart thumped painfully at the sight of Hansol spread out on his bed, his dark hair a wild mess on the white pillow. But this time the younger's eyes were closed, his chest was moving and light snores escaped his parted lips.

Jisoo stepped closer, not quite sure what to do. He had seen that the Warrior was alive and well but the urge to stay was not yet gone. The crystal clear image of Hansol's dead face once again floated through his thoughts and regardless how hard he tried to suppress it, it came back to haunt him. He swallowed his tears and rubbed his eyes. Reaching out with shaking fingers, he gently caressed Hansol's cheek; he needed to feel the warm skin, just to make sure...

The younger mumbled incoherent words at his touch and adorably crinkled his nose. Jisoo froze, not wanting to wake him - but it was already too late and Hansol opened his eyes, blinking the sleep away. "Wha...? Jisoo? 'rything okay?" he asked hoarsely and tried to suppress a yawn.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I had a nightmare so I just wanted to check..." Jisoo whispered before the lump in his throat stopped him from speaking and he sniffled quietly.

Hansol looked concerned but helpless. Not used to getting woken up by distressed Wielders, he started spouting whatever came to his mind to lift the heavy atmosphere. "No need to apologize, I'm a light sleeper anyway. You can detonate a bomb next to Jun without waking him up though, that's why back then I was always in charge of..." he trailed off when he noticed Jisoo shivering. "Uhm... Do you, you know, do you maybe wanna lie down?" His blush was nearly invisible in the dim light of the moon but his awkward tone was hard to miss.

The Wielder looked not any less awkward, but still nodded shyly and Hansol lifted his blanket for him to slip in. The two of them laid next to each other in the small one-person bed, stiff like blocks of wood and barely breathing - and overly aware of their touching sides.

After a few moments of embarrassed silence, Hansol had summoned enough courage to speak up. "I'm really sorry, y'know? It was the best plan we could come up with in the short time we had but we didn't think of the consequences. And we're both kinda used to it anyway, they were using my duplicate for all kinds of stuff back then. Most of the time as a decoy. So I really didn't think about how it would affect you."

Silence descended once again before Jisoo turned to his side, facing the Warrior who was still looking at the ceiling. "I'm not angry. It was a good plan and it worked well, I'll get over it eventually," he said quietly while tracing Hansol's facial features with his eyes. It soothed the burning anxiety in his chest to see the way his lips formed words and how his brows furrowed in worry.

He was surprised when the younger turned towards him as well, the bed creaking at his sudden movement, and extended a hand to caress his bruised cheek with a feathery touch. "Does it hurt a lot? I'm sorry we were so late..."

Jisoo was sure that the Warrior could feel the heat his flushed skin was radiating but the hand remained steady on his face, not once stopping the soft ministrations. "It's n-not your fault, Hansol. And it doesn't hurt that much, I-" His breath caught in his throat when Hansol's fingertips moved smoothly towards his lips and gently touched the little band-aid Chan had placed on the corner of his mouth.

Hansol's gaze remained on Jisoo's lips for a long moment before he met his eyes, trapping the Wielder in the intensity of his dark irises. "I really like it when you say my name."

The emotions flowing through the bond were soft and sweet like cotton candy and Jisoo teared up once again when they touched his heart. His Bonded noticed his pain and smiled sadly before he extended his arms and pulled the Wielder closer, their bodies perfectly moulding into each other. Jisoo buried his nose in Hansol's neck and let all of his fear and anxiety flow out while the younger held him and provided the warmth he needed to not fall apart.

Not only the Wielder got woken up too early by loud voices.

"Urgh what the heck?" grunted Jun without opening his eyes, while Hansol wordlessly pulled the blanket up further over their heads and rubbed his nose against Jisoo's temple who smiled fondly at the sweet gesture.

The bedroom door flew open with a loud bang and not one but four Forcebearers rushed in.

"Jun! Jisoo is gone!" Chan exclaimed and the Warrior immediately sat up in bed, fully alert.

"What?!"

Jeonghan nodded urgently, his face pale and worried. "I went to check on him but he wasn't in his bed. He could-"

"Uhm... I'm here," Jisoo interrupted the frantic voices and struggled to turn around to face the Forcebearers, peeking out from beneath Hansol's blanket. The Warrior used the chance to snuggle even closer against his back.

The emotions displayed on the Forcebearers' faces ranged from annoyance (Jihoon) to relief (Seungcheol), but the majority looked rather shocked that their Wielder was sleeping in a bed with someone that wasn't Chan.

After a few beats of silence, Jun took the word. "Wow, when did you slip in? I didn't hear anything."

Hansol snorted, his breath tickling Jisoo's neck. "You sleep like